Santana Hotel

2 readers found this review helpful

1st visit to Malta, would highly recommend the Santana Hotel in Qawra. Staff cheerful,friendly and went out of their way to be helpful.
Hotel in quiet location but very well placed for easy access to lots of shops, restaurants and the bus terminal.
Food ok.
Had superior room and would recommend this as it was huge with bath/shower ,tea/ coffee facilities and a fridge. Only thing was the room was hot overnight as air conditioning VERY noisy and had to rely on the ceiling fans (also quite noisy but tolerable)in order to get to sleep...
Never had to queue for food but we went in June so not sure what it would be like at height of summer.Italian restaurant next door gave 30% off food bill for residents, would recommend.

2 readers found this review helpful

the hotel on the hall was about average on arival ok lifts to floors have seen better days room not bad but sink basin very worn with stains shower not good room very hot the air con in the rooms is just dire i think they have turned it down to save electric because the electric here is very expensive.moved rooms do not stay in 518 or 511 the hotel full of mosquitos no matter which room you went into the air con rubbish.we left only a few euros in change on the top of the table,only to find on our return 4 euros missing the maids not to be trusted this did not deter our holiday,however it sadden us.the food in the hotel is very good with a good choice of selection,although you have to be up prety early in the morning for breakfast because its like a stampede.would not stop here again its four star but i think in true form it is a three star.if you want what we are used to back home well iam afraid you will not find it unless you go in a five star hotel here.which would be the radisson on golden bay hotel.bus fares very cheap to get about 1 euro 16 for a direct route to the popular beaches.valletta market a total let down,its not worth going unless you like towels after towels.food we thought is to dear to eat out averaging about 30 euros thats we go in a half boared basis your alot better or if family all inclusive.a friendly island no rith rath,good boat trips plenty to do all in all a very good holiday apart from the hotel santanna.

5 readers found this review helpful

Just got back to england and I had to drop a line to state that we had a great week (24th to 31st MaY 2010) at the Santana Hotel. The staff,rooms and staff were great, I will definately be going back..

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10 readers found this review helpful

The day we arrived and looked out of our window we felt disappointed at the view and the surrounding area, but after a rest and walk around felt more re-assured.The hotel was very nice and the staff lovely. The food was excellent and plentiful with lots of choice. The drinks in the bar were very reasonable.We had a room on the 2nd floor with a balcony at the front of the hotel.The room was huge could have put a family in there and 2 double wardrobes yes 2. There was also a fridge, oven and hobb and kettle. The hotel was kept very clean. There are 2 swimming pools one on the roof and one downstairs.The hotel is in a good location for getting around as the bus terminus for Qwara is close by.There are lots of little shops and bars/restaurants and sea both sides.
It was our first visit to Malta. Qawra is next to Buggibba and St.Pauls Bay. You need to see the whole island before making any judgements as it is quite a mixture of poor areas, rugged areas, coastal places, little villages, historical sites and there has been quite a lot of development going on. The roads mainly still need sorting and a ride on the local orange bus is a must and an experience. You can get anywhere on those buses but of boy what a ride. I left my seat 3 times on the way back from Silema one day. On the other hand it only costs around 47c a journey for 1 zone and 1 euro 16c for 2 zones and so on. The weather was lovely 1 cloudy day with temps around 22.There is so much to see .Silema has Marks and Spencer BHS etc and in Valetta there was a next and Oasis amongst others. Qwara is much quieter but appears to come alive at night.It is a lovely walk along the front and there are plenty of places to eat and drink and also an open air swimming area on the front.The toilets when you are out and about vary like anywhere else, remember to carry toilet tissue with you. In Valetta we could not find the gents but the tourisst office told us there was not one and to use Mc Donalds. If you want to get the ferry from Valetta to Sliema which is a lovely little sail make sure it is running as if windy it wont sail and it is a steep walk down the ferry especially walking back up. Malta can be quite windy at times.We visited Marsaxlokk, Mellieha Bay which has a sandy beach,Dwerja ,Gozo,Mdina and Mosta. We also went to Palazzo Parisio and gardens in Naxxar which is not to be missed. The harbour cruise was also very good as was the Blue Grotto sail. You need to buy bottled water as the water is not for drinking. Malta and its people are lovely.Looking forward to another visit to the Santana in the future.

7 readers found this review helpful

I have just returned from a weeks holiday staying at The Santana Hotel in Qawra, Malta - 2nd May 2010 to 9th May 2010. I must say I was exceptionally surprised at the cleanliness, quality and choice of food, friendliness and helpfulness of the staff, closeness to all amenities and wonderful massage and health spa at this 4 star hotel. The indoor swimming pool is immaculate as is the outdoor pool, sunloungers are provided, and excellent pool bar. Entertainment almost every evening if required and various hotel restaurants including a cafe and room service if required!
Nearby on the hotels doorstep are many shops, restaurants, bars and a bus station 2 mins walk away where you can catch buses to all over this beautiful island at very reasonable prices. If you want a sandy beach well it is only 5mins walk from the hotel! And the best thing of all especially in todays climate was the price...excellent value for money and I will definately be visiting and recommending this hotel many times in the future a five star rating for sure!!!

6 readers found this review helpful

Just came back from staying at The Santana for two weeks and we were both very impressed. Freindly, helpful staff, great food (we were half board)only let down by the fact we had a room at the back which never got the sun and so could be a bit cold - I'm sure they would have moved us if we asked.
Nice indoor pool but the 'gym' is a bit of a joke with ancient machines which didn't work - but hey! I didn't go on holiday to work out in the gym everyday although the food was so good an plentiful - maybe I should have!!
On arrival we reported two faults. The sink took ages to drain and the curtain got stuck. on both counts, reception staff appologised and the problems were both sorted out quickly and efficiently, what more could you ask.
regarding the food - in many hotels, as it gets near the end of service where it is a buffet, many items are not replaced and either run out or unappetising, dried out dregs are just left there looking sorry for themselves - not at the Santana! New trays are brought out right to the end of service. Only criticism - there is only one toaster and in the mornings there can be a 'traffic jam'. another toaster would sort this.
On the whole a great base - handy for the buses and the sea. A class act!

13 readers found this review helpful

We came to Malta on the 27th May 09 and stayed until the 13th June, to get married we had such a fantastic time at the Santana. The staff could not do enough for you, and were so friendly and helpful, the food was gorgeous and the place we spotless, we upgraded to a Superior Room, which I would highly recommend the room was hugh.
I cannot wait to go back and celebrate my first year of wedded bliss next year!!!
Thanks for making it such a memorable time for us.

6 readers found this review helpful

I found the hotel to be clean if a little tired. The room I had suited me because I had a (small) balcony which received sunshine in the afternoon. The rooms at the back of the hotel didn't get any,were very dark and looked out on what is well on the way to being a rubbish dump (old mattress,chair,weeds etc). The staff were excellent and very friendly and the meals were quite good if a little bit repetitious but I suppose you must expect that if you stay for a month as I did.
The entertainment left a lot to be desired in the evenings except for Wednesdays and Fridays when Tony and Miriam ran their Karaoke. They were a really friendly couple who managed to get people up to sing who had never done it before (myself included).

7 readers found this review helpful

we stayed at the santana in february this year we found the staff very friendly and helpfull nothing was to much trouble for them we stayed in room number 245 it was very clean but one of the beds was very squeaky i went down to the reception to report it and before i got back to the room they had changed it there is no problem if you report it instead of moaning about it we found the food in the resturant very good if you want a evening dinner you can buy a ticket at reception it is cheaper to buy four meals at once which you can use any time you want, the carpets in the passages made it quieter in the rooms you could not hear people walking past,we really enjoyed or stay at the santana and would go there again,we also made a lot of new friends there the indoor pool and jacuzzi were nice but a little bit cold at times

7 readers found this review helpful

We have just returned from spending the new year in the Santana hotel, it was a last minute booking as we just wanted to escape the cold british weather.
We stayed for a week on half board, the hotel is well situtated, a few minutes from the bus terminus, from which you can travel all over Malta. There are quite a few local bars to drink in, we mainly went to Diana's.
The food was very good on new years eve/day, great choice plus there was a carvery, the hotel was packed due to local people staying.
On the 2nd Jan, the food went down hill, on our last morning there was chips for breakfast as well as the normal menu. I did miss fresh veg, the latter part of week was soggy frozen veg.
We were on the 4th floor 437, this room needed decoating, one of the ceiling tiles was damaged above the bed, the carpet was badly stained also the bathroom albeit huge, it was cold and above the toilet on the ceiling mould was growing, also bath badly stained.
My husband did'nt want to change rooms, so we stayed. But I have been to Malta 4 times and have stayed in The Coastline and The Pergola, they are what you call 4*, but we choose this hotel as it was central as I can'nt walk very far.
In all I suppose the hotel was very clean, staff very friendly, but would'nt stay again.
Tip: Book a 5* to get a 4* in Malta