Reviews of Palm Court Hotel, Qawra, Malta

Like most other people, read the...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2005

Tour Operator:

Malta Bargains

Submitted By:

Mrs Jan Hale

Comments:

Like most other people, read the reports and thought “Oh dear!”. Nevertheless, being a half full person rather than a half empty, we thought lets give it a go and was pleasantly surprised.


The flights and the transfers were first rate and the staff at the Palm Court should be given a medal for their patience in the face of great adversity. We were greeted most cordially at 3am and given our room which to be honest we were too tired to notice. However, on regaining a wakeful state later that morning, we were most impressed by the level of cleanliness despite the fact it needed a bit of TLC. A real unexpected bonus was the air conditioning, which chilled the room to fridge like temperature, which was very welcome as the temperature at landing was 25c. Also helps if you overdo it in the sun.


The rep, Maria was a real character and was helpful and obliging, which also went for the rest of the staff. We went all inclusive and tried out all the meals. Breakfast, despite the whiners, was well supplied. Full English, muesli, cornflakes etc and continental style if you wished, so why all the moans and groans ? You always had a choice as what to eat ! So you had to make your own toast. Big deal. Lunch was, personally my biggest nightmare, as the sandwiches were uninspiring and the other choices were burgers, hotdogs and pizza. Nice, but I’ve spent months trying to get into my bikini. Dinner included a choice of at least two roasts as well as a fish dish, omelette and numerous salads. The latter suited me well especially accompanied by the roast pork which was the best I’ve ever eaten.


Yes we witnessed complaints. Some reasonable, that the staff did their best to resolve, i.e. noisy room. Some rooms overlook a bar in the main street, but apparently, you are not allowed to enjoy yourself after 11pm unless you personally invite the people in the rooms overlooking it. There was never any argument about changing it for another. Some not so reasonable, too many people swimming in the Blue Lagoon! Excuse me, but what are the staff supposed to do about that? You are on a small island at the height of the holiday season and the place is bulging at the seams with tourists.


This is a cheap as chips holiday and you get what you pay for. In my opinion, more than what you pay for. Can’t understand how they can pay for the flights let alone the accommodation at this time of year.


So the Palm Court is an elderly hotel and could well do with a face lift (couldn’t we all?). The plumbing is a little ancient and may fail occasionally under the strain. But considering it has over 500 rooms, how can you not expect one or two to collapse under the strain of a continuing flow of Brits marching in an out.


More disappointing was the behaviour of some of the Brits in it. It’s hardly surprising the poor old Palm Court buckles at the knees sometimes. The maids and maintenance men work ceaselessly but they are up against a rising tide of typical British anti social behaviour and it became nothing to see people desperately scrubbing the carpets where some drunk had thrown up the night before. The abuse that the tourists have put the Palm Court through, is largely the cause for the “strange smells” reported.



All in all, we had a great holiday and would return again.

The food was very poor and the...

Overall Rating:

4/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2005

Tour Operator:

Malta Bargains

Submitted By:

Mr B Lee

Comments:

The food was very poor and the so called dining room worse. It certainly does not merit a 3 star rating.



The dining room is like a whitewashed cellar, poorly furnished and poorly serviced by the staff. We had an early flight home , breakfast at 6.30 toast only! We had one breakfast and one dinner there and I am not in the least bit "faddy".

I was disgusted by this hotel...

Overall Rating:

1/10

Board Basis:

Full Board

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2005

Tour Operator:

Malta Bargains

Submitted By:

Ms L Gunn

Comments:

I was disgusted by this hotel especially the food.


The 'English Bfast' was rubbish The sausages Tasted like Hot dogs And the yolk on the egg was burst, The bacon was just fat with bones in and everything was cold except from the toast which you done yourself after waiting in a queue of about 20 people.



I never once seen the hotel staff clear away the plates belonging to the people whom previously occupied the table you had to do yourself otherwise you would of never of got a table. The fruit juice was revolting it tasted like someone had poured a whole bag of sugar into it.



when i was searching for the room in what seemed a never-ending maze I was over poured by the foul damp smell

which continued throughout the room.



It did have a fan hanging by two wires which kept the room slightly cool but when you have it on it sounds like a power drill.


The balcony was tiny and had this thing constantly blowing hot air on to us. And you could not see anything as we were situated on a ground floor flat and the wall blocked your view. And across the main road (which isn’t good for the children) was a bar which played music and didn’t close until 4.00 in the morning.


The pool was clouded over with a yellow substance and smelt of pee. There was also stray cats running around and I identified one resting on a sun lounger and was covered head to toe in fleas.


So most definitely would get flea bitten.

i would never go back to palm court and I recommend people to save there money and invest in a much better hotel!

We went to this hotel on a late...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2005

Tour Operator:

Malta Bargains

Submitted By:

Ms M Skinner

Comments:

We went to this hotel on a late deal and was very happy with what we got for the price we paid I am sure some people just go on holiday because they have run out off things to moan about at home the people who did all the moaning about the food was always first in the restaurant and piled there plates high, we paid £ 248 all inclusive and loved it so much we didn’t want to come back and to the history student who said anyone who liked it must live in a rat hole we don’t.



We go on holiday to have a good time and meet new friends which we did its about time we British stopped moaning and realised life’s to short to be a constant moaner and if they want 5 star they should pay 5star prices.



And there is no reserving off sunbed at the Palm court hotel if people put towels on sunbeds the staff move them we have seen them do it we loved it and are planning to take the family next year.

Cockroaches in room, the Malta...

Overall Rating:

2/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2005

Tour Operator:

Malta Bargains

Submitted By:

Mr P Williams

Comments:

Cockroaches in room, the Malta Bargains Rep was a waste of space, & informed us that cockroaches in rooms was normal, forget hiring a fridge, priority is given to long stay guests, we were there for 3 weeks and didn't get one, don't be fooled by the brochure pictures.



Management do not enforce hotel rules-maids are lazy-most staff are cold and ignorant, cleaning of the pool area consists of hosing the dirt in to the pool, oh and expect flee bites from the sun beds as wild cats sleep on them at night, all inclusive unlimited snacks and ice-cream 11am to 11pm-yeah while stocks last - the sandwich fridge is empty by 4pm and is not re-stocked-ice-cream you will only get if and when they have-the only other snack is crisps which they also run out of.



Don't be fooled by the local wines offer for All Inclusive, of all the local wines on offer All Inclusive guests are only allowed Lacrymivites-white or red. Hot water runs out quite often, hotel pool is murky and full of lilos and other inflatable, even though there is a sign saying they are not allowed.



The roof top pool is freezing and like something you would put in a small garden. Even the clean bedding stinks and the towels smell as if they are washed in cheese, even the toilet paper looks dirty. Oh yeah the hotel has a launderette-1 washing machine and 1 dryer for the whole hotel, oh and a wash takes 45 minutes so get there at 8am when it opens, the washing machine tokens cost LM1 same for the dryer.



If Cockney Tommy (staff member) likes you, you can break as many hotel rules as you like. The Palm Court hotel should be down graded to a 1 star. Oh the food is ok but a bit bland and repetitive. So my advice is don’t stay at the Palm Court Hotel as our three weeks were hell.



Remember what I said about the All Inclusive guests, so you don’t get what you pay for. People who go to the palm court and like it must live in squalor themselves. I love Malta but hate everything about the palm court hotel. Oh and Mrs Hale, next time you go to the Palm Court Hotel “try opening your eyes".

Having read some of the very...

Overall Rating:

7/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2005

Tour Operator:

Malta Bargains

Submitted By:

Mrs A Taylor

Comments:

Having read some of the very poor reports about the Hotel we were really not sure what to expect and we were pleasantly surprised. We had not paid 4* prices and overall the hotel and food provided an excellent value for money holiday.



The hotel could do with a complete re-fit, a lot of it seemed worn out. However the rooms were clean, the maid came every day and linen was changed regularly. Reception staff were always very helpful.



The food was fine. All meals were buffet style, very English food but we were more than happy with the selection offered for the price we paid.



The pool area was always crowded and we chose not to use it as the sea was just a short walk away. We also did not see any of the entertainment preferring to find a quiet bar where we could have a relaxing drink.



If you are looking for a quality hotel and top class food the Palm Court is not the place to go, but if you want a value for money break in the sun it's fine.



The only thing that spoilt our holiday was the inconsiderate people who shouted and screamed their way back to their rooms in the early hours or those who chose to let there marital arguments rise up at 3am in the morning, without a thought for those who were already in bed!

Holiday hotel which offers 3*...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2005

Tour Operator:

Malta Bargains

Submitted By:

Mr D J Linegar

Comments:

Holiday hotel which offers 3* facilities at 1* prices. For less than the price of weekend B&B in the Lake District this one-week holiday included the airfare and half board.


Room, Travelodge-style, clean and basic. Bathroom, bath, shower over, WC, washbasin. English plumbing fittings.



Service - room cleaned well , daily, beds made properly. Clean towels as required.



Room on 4th floor, overlooking pool and beyond to the sea. -There was karaoke or DJ on the poolside balcony every night, which closed promptly at 11pm. 6th floor lounge had entertainment ranging from Bingo to old-tyme dancing, every night.



Children’s play area on poolside balcony. Pool itself closed at 6pm daily. Pool cleaned every evening and also in the morning, when sunloungers were 'rearranged'. We did not use the pool area, as we preferred to go 50 metres to swim in the sea, as the Maltese families do.



Restaurant - buffet style ( cafeteria if you like ) food well and properly cooked, many choices of starter, main course, desert Chefs in attendance. Superb restaurant staff cleared tables/used plates immediately. Menus over 7 days, then repeated.


Not your 5star nouvelle cuisine, just straightforward food. Breakfast bacon was too streaky for my choice! There was also orange juice, cornflakes, muesli, toast ( DIY on a machine) marmalade and jam. For anyone to feel sick at breakfast must be more as a result of the night befores excesses, not the food. Oh, and there was always sponge cake at breakfast, which made an interesting change.


We did not go expecting a 4star, expensive, English hotel. --What we got was fantastic value for money, a pleasant holiday beside the sea, an interesting island to explore, and most of all very attentive, enthusiastic, and caring staff. We were very happy with the experience.


We saw no gangs of drunken yobs on the streets, although perhaps we came back to the hotel too early ( about 11pm) There is plenty of entertainment within 200 metres including full-blown night clubs, if what the hotel offers is not adequate, and the kids have a great time at the Qawra Palace Hotel evening poolside show with professional entertainers... and an all-family audience.


--SOME PEOPLE WOULD COMPLAIN OF CONDITIONS AT THE RITZ! Fear not - you will survive and might even enjoy it, like we did!

What’s up with you winging...

Overall Rating:

4/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Jun 2005

Tour Operator:

Malta Bargains

Submitted By:

Mrs P Langton

Comments:

What’s up with you winging Brits?? We stayed at the Palm Court for a week at the beginning of June 2005.



We thought it was really good value for the price we paid. It cost £247 including flights and transfers for 2 people for a week half-board. The accommodation was clean but very basic - what else do you expect from a bargain holiday? As they saying goes "you get what you pay for" but we thought we got more than we expected. After the reviews we’d heard, we were expecting to have to eat out all the time, but to our surprise we found the food was ok. There was plenty of choice so there was always something to eat.



The Palm Court is close to all local amenities and about 20 mins walk to the neighbouring resort of Buggiba. There are loads of bars and restaurants close by, yet we didn’t find it noisy at night. We would definitely go back to the Palm Court.

I went to this place not...

Overall Rating:

3/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Jun 2005

Tour Operator:

Malta Bargains

Submitted By:

Mr M Rubringer

Comments:

I went to this place not expecting much at all because I was told bad things about it just before I left (too late to change my bookings).



At first it seemed alright. The hotel wasn’t falling down or anything and it seemed ok. The TV in my room worked ok (although it was 4 channels 2 of them were both Sky News and one was in Maltese all day the other being UK Living or something) so don’t expect much entertainment but you wont fall behind on the news.



I am a 25 year old guy. I wouldn’t suggest this place for my age group really. There is no real night life...there are plenty of fairly dingy looking bars both in the hotel and the area. Nowhere really to do any "clubbing”. There is a "disco" that claims to be open every night till late. I never walked past it late enough to find out for sure but from the look of it and the chained up front door I guessed it wasn’t open any night let alone every night.



The FOOD...oh god the food. One woman I met there said I was just fussy for not liking it. 50 other people said it made them feel sick too. I was actually sick once after breakfast. After that I started eating at local restraunts (fairly reasonable priced at around 4-5 lira for a main course) True, the place is trying to cater to several nationalities, hence the sponge cake at breakfast time which I am informed people like to do in Germany and round there, but the food was low quality and all round nasty. The attempt at the English breakfast was a mix of cocktail sized sausages and bacon that included lumps of gristle...big lumps..in every piece.



Like other reviewers I noticed a smell by the pool. As I drove home from Birmingham airport today I passed a recently manured field and thought "ahhh it’s the pool again" (no lie). But that smell is only in one area of the pool and in general I have no complaint about the pool other than the amount of 60ish+ aged women without their tops. Not that I try to look but when you roll over on your sun bed (if you find one that isn’t broken and hasn’t been "reserved") and see that its a little disturbing. Speaking of older people, this hotel does seem to be dominated by a lot of retired British couples. If you want a holiday where you can go a week without meeting anyone but older generation Brits then this is a good place to start.



The holiday wasn’t all bad. The hotel itself organises several excursions around both Malta and Gozo, which are generally of a high standard. Some people complained they were boring but as a history graduate and trainee history teacher I found the historical aspects perhaps more enjoyable than others who were more the package holiday lounge by the pool type. This was my first "package holiday" and if nothing else it has taught me that I don’t want to go abroad just to be surrounded by a load of Brits on the exact same holiday as me and nothing but Brits (there were other nationalities but not enough that you would notice them). Anyway I ramble.



If you want to book any boat cruises such as those of the Captain Morgan Company then I would suggest using one of many shops around the area rather than the desk in the hotel. I learnt too late that the savings could be significant.



The maid service I thought was good. I always found my room had been cleaned and the fittings in my room all worked fine, although maybe I was lucky there judging from what I heard from other guests). And my toilet seat did come off on my last day. I don’t know what happened there.



Other guests mentioned seeing cockroaches, I didn’t see any.



Basically this is a pretty dingy hotel. Ok if you are just looking for somewhere to sleep as it is cheap but I wouldn’t suggest it if you are looking for either a hotel you can entertain yourself in for any length of time or an area where you can find anything entertaining to do after about 8pm other than the many English pubs (and may as well stay at home).

Although the flights and...

Overall Rating:

4/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Jun 2005

Tour Operator:

Malta Bargains

Submitted By:

Mr R McGowan

Comments:

Although the flights and transfers were very good, sadly the same could not be said for the Palm Court Hotel.



The corridors were dirty, dingy and smelled of damp. The television was broken and required numerous telephone calls before this was rectified. However the same could not be said for the room safe, which was also broken and never rectified. Every time we contacted reception we were told to use the smaller safes, which were available in reception, we explained that these were too small for our purposes but this made little difference. A man from maintenance came to look at it once then disappeared and we never saw him again, in the end after one of the receptionists was a bit stand offish we demanded our deposit back and carried our valuables with us.



We also had problems getting the shower to work and the toilet seat kept falling off. The food was edible but almost exactly the same at every mealtime. There was also a smell of cat pee around the pool area.



It was supposed to be three star accommodation but is in need of refurbishment and a good clean in some areas.

We at the Palm Court hotel at...

Overall Rating:

1/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

May 2005

Tour Operator:

Malta Bargains

Submitted By:

Mrs D Broady

Comments:

We at the Palm Court hotel at about 4am. We were given keys to our room and pointed in the room direction. The first thing we noticed was that the corridors were filthy, paint peeling, dirty and threadbare cheap carpets and a musty damp smell. Our room was on the ground floor ( thank god...I wouldn’t have trusted the lift in this hotel) and before we reached our room I said to my husband that I had a bad feeling about this. On reaching the door I noticed that it looked as if at sometime it had been forced or kicked open with a broken door frame and scuff marks on the door.



We opened the door and went in. After finding the light switch we were horrified at the condition of the room. The beds and bedding looked dirty, the furniture broken. There was mould on the walls , the room was filthy and when we opened the door to go out onto the balcony and the door fell out of the frame. The ( I would say Bathroom but you couldn’t call it that). The room in which the toilet and shower was in was disgusting, it was absolutely filthy with no light that worked, only a tiny window which opened out onto an area which looked as if it was below ground level ( Like a dungeon).



I was fuming and already thinking that I couldn’t spend the next 2 weeks here, but it was 4am and there was really nothing that we could do until the morning. So we slept on top of the beds uneasily.....considering that the patio door was open and we were on the ground floor. In the morning, we could not bring ourselves to wash in the basin or shower or even to use the toilet. My husband had gone out onto the balcony before I woke up and had been greeted by an army of cockroaches walking up the balcony wall...Being a bit more diplomatic than me, he never told me this until later as he knew that I was already after someone’s blood.



We didn’t bother with breakfast as we just knew that we wouldn’t eat anything here but we did go to look at the pool area. It was just vile, the pool looked disgusting, the water dirty and the surrounding area was filthy. There was a poolside snack area and we ordered a drink of tea. I can honestly say that it was the most disgusting tea that I have ever tried to drink, it was obvious that the water boiler hadn’t been cleaned recently and I was shocked to see that other people were drinking, eating and above all Swimming in the dirty water and allowing their children too as well!!



Later, we went to see the rep and he offered us another room, we had a look at it and it was no better than the first. We told the rep that we couldn’t stay and he asked us if we’d ever been to Malta before, we told him that we had, on many occasions, and in fact that my husband has previously lived in Malta. He then asked us to go and look at a room at the Relax Inn Hotel and if we liked it , we could stay there. We had a look, it was lovely. We moved hotels and enjoyed the rest of our holiday. To all those people who say.... The palm court is a basic bargain for the money I say that’s rubbish. We have stayed in Malta many times, with and without Malta bargains.



We have never paid over the top prices and have always been happy with our accommodation but the palm court hotel was beyond belief and I think that the only reason that we were moved to such a nice hotel in the end was because the rep knew that we had previous knowledge of what was acceptable and what wasn’t. If we had been first time tourists in Malta, I feel sure that he would have led us to believe that this was the normal hotel standard. Had it been my first time on holiday in Malta it would also have been my last, but I knew that the island had so many better hotels and that this was not an average one.



At the Relax Inn Hotel, many of the guests that we spoke to had also been sent from the palm court. Its beyond belief that it has a 3 star rating...the same as the palm court but let me assure you.....These two hotels are poles apart and we have been back to the Relax Inn again in August and we tried to book for xmas but they are full, however , we will be going to the Relax Inn again next year. Just one more thing. Malta bargains airport transfer drivers leave a lot to be desired. They have a habit of dumping their guests in the middle of busy roads rather than driving around the one way system, and leaving them to walk to their hotels......Just thought it was worth mentioning!!

A group of us stayed at the palm...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

May 2005

Tour Operator:

Malta Bargains

Submitted By:

Miss M smith

Comments:

A group of us stayed at the palm court hotel in may 2005.

We were all pleased with the service that we received, the rooms were basic but clean.


I suffered from sun stroke and phoned down to reception at 2.30 in the morning for a extra blanket and one was brought to me within a couple of minutes.

The food was excellent given the price that we paid, there was always a good selection on offer that catered for every one. I don’t understand what some people expect for there money. If you require 5* then get the extra money out other wise except what you get.


We will all be returning to Malta next year and none of us mind if we are accommodated by the palm court hotel again.

We have just come back from a...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Mar 2005

Tour Operator:

Malta Bargains

Submitted By:

Mrs R Watts

Comments:

We have just come back from a week’s holiday at the Palm Court.



Like others we heard about it after we had booked just a week before going but thought we would give the hotel a go as my trip was to go visiting a friend. The initial arrival at 3am in the morning left us feeling what have we let ourselves in for. We were directed to a pokey little lift that was very outdated in these modern times then down a dreary narrow corridor.



We opened our room door and were quietly surprised we had an extra bed to start with. We could see that our room was clean and tidy and newly refurbished. The food was little bit boring but edible. The flight and transfers went very smoothly and quickly.



We have never heard of the airline that was used but I will be looking up their website for flight only prices.

After booking this holiday as a...

Overall Rating:

6/10

Board Basis:

All Inclusive

Date of Holiday:

Mar 2005

Tour Operator:

Malta Bargains

Submitted By:

Mrs S Edwards

Comments:

After booking this holiday as a last minute break, I read the comments about this hotel and considered cancelling. However, we decided if it was unbearable, we could always check in elsewhere. I think we must have stayed in a different hotel to the people commenting in October 2004!! OK, it was not 5 star - but we did not pay for 5 star! - but the flights, transport to hotel and service was fine. The hotel had long narrow corridors, but nice reception area and pools, and our room was fine, with TV, shower, clean bedding, towels, nice furniture and cleanly decorated. The food was OK, had several choices at each meal from which one could choose something. Staff were very friendly, only hiccup was the lift that broke down on several occasions!



For the price we paid for all inclusive, we had no grumbles whatsoever! It’s also conveniently situated to the seafront with plenty of eating places, shops and I would not rule out going there again as a last minute offer.

Luckily we read all about the...

Overall Rating:

1/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Nov 2004

Tour Operator:

Malta Bargains

Submitted By:

Mr S Welham

Comments:

Luckily we read all about the Palm Court just after we booked through Malta Bargains so changed hotel before we got there ( if you want to change anything with this company expect problems and at least to argue two or three times ). We upgraded to the Qawra Palace, only to find this closed, so ended up staying at the Sun crest Hotel next door, which is a jaded 4 star, but nice.



We decided to take a look at the Palm Court as from our full plane only four passengers were not dropped there. All the reports are true, we went with our 18 month old baby to a meeting and after trying to find our way around this rat hole, finally got to the room, you could not see to the other end of this room for the cigarette smoke, we immediately tried to leave, but thought we would have a look around. A maid showed us one room, which was so bad I would not offer it to drunken Aussie backpackers. Burn and rip marks on the bedding, frayed carpets and the place was filthy and smelt awful. And that was a room she had just cleaned. The hotel itself was the most horrible and depressing place I had ever seen and that smell was everywhere, after about twenty minutes we managed to get back downstairs after fighting staff on many occasions to get into the small cramped lifts.



At the main reception there was a queue of people complaining with only one person bothering to help. We left as quickly as possible, followed by the cockroaches who were looking for a better hotel.



If anybody is thinking of staying at the Palm Court the phrase ‘you get what you pay for’ is a lie, if you paid at all for this place you are being ripped off. Thank god we changed before arriving in Malta, as for Malta bargains our argument with them continues. Book with CHEVRON or somebody else.