Il Palazzin Hotel

As many before have said, The Palazzin is not what you expect from a four stars hotel, but this is the maltese standard. The hotel is in a very convenient position, near bars and restaurants, and 10 minutes from the main bus stop. (But it's much better to rent a car because there are many places and beaches you can not reach by bus, and also buses are so old that there is no air conditioning and they are never in time, so you waste your day waiting for them to arrive and then maybe there is no room for you and you are left behind...). I was staying in a double room, quite big,with sea view. Very simple furniture, and the air conditioning was not very powerful but enough for me that I'm always cold :) The bathroom is nothing special, we had some problems with the shower head... The tv was not properly working, it had probably sth to do with the antenna. In any case on holiday you don't spend much time in your room watching tv... The room can be a bit noisy on certain evening due to the music played in a nearby hotel. Concerning food, I only had breakfast at the hotel. You get always the same things: boiled eggs, toasts, salami and ham, cake, jam and jogurt. Very poor juices. A friend of mine had dinner there...and my advice is to eat in the many restaurants of the area, they are very good, offering good value for money menu that include maltese specialties, and the portion are in general big. There is a pool at the entrance of the hotel, but I never stay there (I wonder how you can spend your time in a pool if you have a wonderful sea like the one there is in malta?!). At the reception desk they were not very bright...therefore not very helpful :) In general I can say I enjoyed my holidays in Malta because we drove around a lot and the sea was really wonderful in some places we found. I was not disappointed by the hotel because I knew what to expect in malta, and the main thing I was looking for, was a clean room. I think that in general, if you want to visit malta and be satisfied, you have to be very flexible and adaptable.

The first thing to point out is that the hotel is not really situated in St Paul's Bay, but in Qawra. When you visit the area, you realise the significance of this difference, and that perhaps the hotel is intending to mislead its location as being St Paul's in its brochures/ website. Yes, Qawra comes under St Paul's Bay, but in the same way Dagenham comes under London - in reality Qawra is a slightly industrial, unpicturesque spot to the east of St Paul's bay, right next to the smelly Salina (salt) bay. And whilst St Paul's Bay is quite picturesque, Il Palazzin is instead situated not far from the salt bay, separated from it by a street or two. We never completed our night stay in this hotel as it was filthy dirty, with cobwebs on the ceiling, mould in the bathroom, uncomfortable beds. Even the carpets in the corridors leading to the rooms didn't look like they had met the acquaintance of a vacuum cleaner since they were fitted (20 or more years ago?!). The four star rating is probably due to its two swimming pools, but these are not great to merit the rating. I've stayed in hostels and two star hotels in other countries that are in better condition than this (some even with a swimming pool). It seems that Il Palazzin, like the Howard Johnson Diplomat Hotel, and various other 4 star hotels we had a look in, whilst deciding where to move to next, that in Malta the definition of 4 stars doesn't mean the same as it does elsewhere. This then made the 5 star Le Meridien, where we stayed in the end, look like the supreme of luxury, when really it was what you'd expect from a 5 star. The only thing that is a credit to Il Palazzin is that it is quiet, and the staff were friendly - they were very helpful in providing us with a room at short notice, as we were desperate to move out of the equally dirty Diplomat Hotel. That said, with the right smile on your face, I can't think of any hotels I've stayed in where staff were rude/unhelpful.

Il Palazzin is hidden in a small street in the very quiet Qawra, St. Paul's Bay. Or at least is was very quiet when we were there, in May. The small boulevard of Qawra is just two streets away. It's not very impressive but there are a few nice restaurants. Buggiba is much more exciting and in walking distance. Il Palazzin claims to be a 4 star hotel, it probably used to be, but I would give it 3. The rooms are a bit too small and too old to be 4 stars. The restaurant and breakfast buffet, the bar, the pool, etc. were fair enough, but not what you would expect from a 4 star hotel. We were promised a sea view, but there was no sea to be seen from our room on the first floor. What annoyed me a bit was that the maids started cleaning our room before we left the key at the desk. One time when we came back from breakfast we couldn't even get into our room because they were cleaning. I think that's a bit odd. On a much more positive side: we had nice comfortable evenings on our balcony, enjoying the spring evenings. We could park our rental car in front of the hotel, which was excellent. And the staff was always friendly. During our stay the hotel was not very busy, mainly old age pensioners stayed there, so if you want to avoid whining kids and drunk, rowdy British tourists, (sorry to say so, but there were quite a few on Malta), Il Palazzin might be your place to go. Just don't expect a real 4 star hotel and you won't be disappointed. After all the rates are not bad at all i.m.o.

Knowing that the weather can be unpredictable in March in Malta, we decided that we would book somewhere with an indoor pool and a sauna - for something to do on a rainy day perhaps. Unfortunetly, the hotel pool was out of use and we had to let the receptionist know an hour before hand when we wanted to use the sauna - (we didnt bother knowing that a good sauna needs to be on all day). The breakfast was disapointing, consiting of bread (toaster if you want toast) stodgy cerial, yogurt, ham, cheese slices and a basket of boiled eggs and a choice of oranges and apples for fruit - I knew it was going to be continental but I was expecting something a bit more excting! We didnt dine in the restaurant - only because there was no music or atmosphere and the bar was the same - never saw anyone use it. The room was ok, the decor was a bit out of date and plain but there was always hot water available and the room was nice and clean, the tv had no sound (but I didnt go on holiday to watch tv anyway), and the air conditioning/heating unit didnt produce much heat on the chilly evenings. Didnt try the air con as it was too cold. We met a few other couples who were staying in better hotels in the area for the same price or somethimes cheaper so I would say its worth looking around for a better deal. However, the staff were lovely. Everyone was ever so pleasant and very happy to help. If they hadnt advertised at four star I would have been less disapointed.

The location of this hotel was very good for us- easy walking distance (10 minutes) to the bus terminus for buses to all over the island - really cheap. Also easy access to areas bars and restaurants but away from the noise and bustle of them particularly those along sea front road and in square. Breakfast was typical continental but plentiful - cereals, yoghurt, fruit, meats, cheeses, breads and cakes. Pool size reasonable for the area plus loungers and brollies availability not a problem. Air con is not powerful and had to change room on arrival as our room's was not working (and it was during heatwave so needed) but staff found us another room OK, so we lost the sea view that we had but overlooked the pool which was OK for the sitting out on the balcony that we did. Hotel seemed very reasonable for the price we paid. Taxi from airport arranged by the hotel waited for us for an hour due to the baggage unloading problems.

My husband and I were worried about this hotel as so many people had written that the aircon didnt work, and we went mid July in very high temperatures! We picked up our car at the airport and Qawra is about 30 mins drive. We eventally found the hotel after nearly 2 hours, as it is hidden/tucked up a quiet street, so were feeling frazzled on arrival. Check in was good, but our allocated room was directly over the main door, so everytime anyone came in, we had the noise. I asked the receptionist the next morning (Roslyn, very helpful and friendly) if we could change rooms. She gave me a key and told me to check if the room was suitable, which it was and 5 mins later we were fully installed in our room, with aircon working well and a hired fridge (got to keep the g&t's cool!!). The breakfast was very good, choice of cereals, breads, jams, cheeses, hams, eggs etc, as well as fresh melon and yoghurts. So something there for everyone, I have to follow a gluten free diet but was able to choose things. The hotel is advertised as 4 star, but it is a bit tired looking, so I would say a good 3 star is more realistic, especially as we never saw the bar open during our week there, nor any lunchtim snacks on offer. The pool was good, with sunbeds around, but only 2 large umbrellas for shade. But the staff made up for any shortcomings, they were so friendly and helpful. Overall, a nice place to stay, but not if you want total luxury.

Stayed in the Pallazzin for a week in July 06. Staff are friendly, room was clean and pleasant (1st floor so no sea view) but the others are right the air con is very poor indeed. Bar isn't up to much and the pool is as small as it looks in the pictures but what do you expect for the price. Very few people use the pool so it really isn't a problem. Location is good - try the Mirabelle/Fat Harry's in Bugibba Square and the Oriental is a good chinese restaurant. Don't be put off when you first get there - everything is genuinely close. Do go to the Drunken Daisy just round he corner - it feels like siting in your garden shed but it's fab. We'd go again without thinking twice but if you want 5* luxury then this isn't it.

I have just came back from a weeks stay at the Il Palazzin Hotel, the hotel itself is in a nice quiet location, the staff were all very helpful and polite. on arrival our room was very clean and well presented, The aircon in the hotel has been fixed (check last 2 reviews) but I must say its not very powerful and does not cool the room very well. Breakfast is quite basic, toast, cornflakes etc but most of the food is aimed at the german market, alot of meat and chesse, but we found it quite acceptable. The hotel has two pools one outside and one on the roof, the one on the roof is quite small but if your lucky enough to get it to yourself and your partner it can be very nice. We did not try the dinner service as the aircon in the hotel is not great, but you are only a short walk away from many nice places to eat/shops and bars. Overall I found the Il Palazzin Hotel a nice place to stay, the pros: cheap room rate, clean, nice quiet location, the cons: Aircon not powerful enough. If you can get a good deal to stay at the Il Palazzin Hotel like we did i would recommend it, the only let down is the aircon.

The hotel has a few things going for it, but overall it's disappointing. First the good: The location is good; near the water and downtown St. Paul's Bay but about 30 minutes from where most people stay (St. Julian's Bay). The rooms are spacious and clean. I had a balcony and a nice view of the ocean. The desk staff (with one glaring exception) are very kind and courteous. Now for the not-so-good: Our first night, the air conditioning didn't work. We were told first it was just our room and that it was being fixed. But, it wasn't just our room and it wasn't fixed until 5pm the next day. The first night we sweat ourselves to sleep. Once the AC was 'fixed' it barely cooled the room. I don't like sweating at night, especially on vacation. But, I think you can pretty much expect to at this place. Next, we asked for one large bed and got two small ones pushed together. Fine, that's common Europe. But they were on wheels. Wheels. Not very wonderful for cuddling with your companion. Bottom line: hotels are pretty cheap in Malta; you can pay the same price and get better accommodations elsewhere. I definately wouldn't recommend this place unless everything else is booked and you just can't spend the extra money. Definately not 4 star.

We booked 2 rooms for a long weekend. Very disappointing. Air con did not work in one room - told control is automatic - this was untrue because the other room worked. Then told nothing couyld be done until following day. Nothing happened butnow ' problem is across whole hotel - untrue next room working. Sauna not available, whirlpool did not work. Pool o roof about 2.5m sq in a glass cabin - too small to use. Pool outside only available from 9.30am until tea time. Breakfasts pretty basic. Tv did not work. - not in a good position either. not a lot going for this one. Room was clean.