Reviews of Mellieha Bay Hotel, Mellieha Bay, Malta

A Lovely Christmas & New Year Holiday At Mellieha Bay Hotel

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Dec 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

whitestar31`

Comments:

My husband & I have been going to the Mellieha Bay Hotel since 1997.

Last year we decided to go for three weeks over the Christmas period.

We had a great relaxing holiday and we enjoyed it so much, we are returning this year for 4 weeks!

Yes the hotel bedrooms need some refurbishment, the laundry room is amusing etc., but the views from the balcony more than make up for these minor things! And I suppose the hotel management will get round to sorting the rooms etc. eventually, as they did when they refurbished the limelight lounge & the cafe area.

I cannot understand why people are moaning about the food ...it has always been plentiful & varied ... and we are fussy eaters!

The entertainment is not as good as it once was, but there is always something on in the evenings, that most people seem to enjoy. The Maltese work hard to try to entertain their guests.

The entertainment over the Christmas period was great ... free drinks on Christmas morning, wonderful, charming and very enjoyable Christmas carols by local children, a lovely Christmas meal & cabaret to end the evening!!(Much better we thought than watching the Great Escape on TV back home!) And great company too! Malta and this hotel *is* The Great Escape, from all the over-hyped, frenzied Christmas nonsense back home in the UK!

Don't be put off by negative reviews. (You just can't please everyone!). As for the staff being surly as some people said, it just isn't true. Try talking to them! The Maltese people are among the nicest people on earth; always friendly and helpful. Occasionally they may *look* surly (especially the bus drivers!), (thats probably because they have a lot of surly Brits to deal with), but when you engage with them, they light up! :) The staff, from the Restaurant Manager (Joe), to the waiters/waitresses and barstaff, not forgetting George in the Hotel Shop are all friendly helpful and they enjoy a joke too!

So don't be hard on the MBH, its like an old pair of slippers, comfortable and welcoming; okay, a little tatty round the edges in places, but homely and relaxing.

There is plenty to do in Malta. But some people just don't like leaving the hotel and expect to be entertained 24/7!

We love the MBH ... and will certainly be returning as often as we can!

Les & Pauline Bate :o)

mellieha bay

Overall Rating:

3/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Apr 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

vicki5011

Comments:

well what can i say! on entering the hotel the reception area looked lovely, then when i reached my room i was very dissapointed, this was not what i call a 4* hotel, the food was very basic but edible, most of the staff were very ignorant with a few exceptions. the entertainment was very boring and also the hotel was having some work done which we wasnt informed about.. very dissapointed

After reading the reviews on...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr C Gosling

Comments:

After reading the reviews on this Hotel I was expecting to find a 60's type prison on arrival! But as it happens it was the best holiday we have ever had. Yes the rooms are a little tired but our room was cool and kept clean by the cleaning staff. The hotel has a nice relaxed feel to it and the staff are all very nice. The meals were very good with a varied amount of dishes at every sitting. Outside the hotel the gardens are lovely and well worth a walk after dinner. Our two young children loved the pools and we all spent hours swimming, playing and relaxing by the pool side. We may try another country next year but would like to go back to the Mellieha Bay Hotel one day.

THIS HOTEL IS ONE OF THE BETTER...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Ms C Bleiy

Comments:

THIS HOTEL IS ONE OF THE BETTER ONES IN MELLIEHA BAY. ROOMS ARE ON THE SMALL SIZE IF YOU HAVE THREE SHARING PUT ARE FINE IF ONLY TWO OF YOU. FOOD IS GOOD NEW MENU EACH NIGHT. STAFF ARE FRIENDY AND THE HOTEL IS VERY CLEAN

POOLS ARE CLEANED REGULARLY AND POOL AREA WASHED EVERY DAY. ENTERTAINMENT IS A BIT HIT AND MISS.

This is the second time me and...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs M Hannant

Comments:

This is the second time me and my husband have stayed at this hotel, the first time was 4 years ago for our honeymoon. Our second visit was just as fantastic as our first, the hotel was still as welcomeing and very friendly as the last time, the staff are a 1st class hard working team. the rooms are very airey and very clean. The food is very well presented and very tasty with so much choice for breakfast and dinner.The privrate beach is great, as malta is a bit low on beaches! the swimming pools are very clean.



Ive read some of the reviews for this hotel and to be honest, most of what they are saying is 'nit picking' (theres brown water cominging out of the tap when i run it)... find a hotel in Europe that don't have a funny taint to the tap water when its 1st run!

(theres mold on the sill of the bath)... Well ive stayed in two of the hotel rooms and i didnt notice any mold BUT then again i wasn't sad enough to spend my holiday looking for silly things to compalin about.



All in all, the hotel is very well run, the day and evening entertainment is very good. The gardens and views from this hotel could not be found at any other hotel in Malta.

Go see for yourselves!!!

We've recently returned from our...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Miss L Daveson

Comments:

We've recently returned from our holiday here and thoroughly enjoyed our stay.

The beautiful views, the friendly staff, the entertainment and the wide variety of activities provided by the animation team (who rock!) complimented the hotels 4 star quality.

The rooms were a perfect size for a 2 week stay with air con. Ground floor rooms gave good access to the poolside.

The food and drink were tasty, especially the milkshakes made poolside by Mario!

We were sad to leave and will return!!!

A beautifully situated hotel in...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Jan 2008

Tour Operator:

Portland Direct

Submitted By:

Mrs J PORTER

Comments:

A beautifully situated hotel in a quiet part of Malta away from the hustle and bustle of traffic, shops and crowds with a stunning view of the bay. Ideal for a walking holiday with excellent walks accessible from the hotel or using the local bus and also with good access to Gozo.



The hotel was very quiet in January. The food was very good and the staff were attentive. Our room was very clean and comfortable although the bath/shower needed some attention. Evening entertainment was somewhat lacking.



Overall we had a wonderful week and felt we had excellent value for money.

Maybe not the best hotel to stay...

Overall Rating:

7/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Ms M Farley

Comments:

Maybe not the best hotel to stay in Malta but must have the best view. The hotel just lays across the beautiful bay of Mellieha and from our room we could absorb all the view during the day and at night. The entrance to the hotel looks very nice, and the lobby is very welcoming, but the more you explore the hotel the more you realise that this hotel need a serious revamp. The hotel in enormous and strolling through the hotel grounds is pleasant both during the day and and night. Lots of greenery and nice landscapes and plenty of fresh air.



The room we stayed in wasn't much, we had better in the past. But it was always kept clean, with everything functional and we didn't have any problems during our stay. The decor wasn't to our taste and looked like it needed some serious modernisation.



There isn't much to say about the food apart than it was good, with a wide selection for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Everything seemed to have been freshly prepared and available but nothing very fancy.



The weather was good during our stay so we managed to enjoy the hotel's various swimming facilities. The pool was big enough and clean and there is also a small beach belonging to the hotel where one may bathe in the sea if required. There is also a big selection of water sports to enjoy but this is not our style.



The hotel does have a games room for kids and other facilities and activities going on all day but these were not so good. The animation was not that bad. There were a lot of French during our stay and most of the animation was targeted for them from what appears to seem animators who came from Tunis and hardly knew any English. The English animation team was OK though.



Evening entertainment was not what we had experienced in other hotels elsewhere. Much more is desired. Most of the nights were filled in by singers, which became very boring or annoying after an hour or so. Then there was a dance show but the dancers didn't look or act professionally and their costumes looked like they came out of a museum and the lady leading, also sang on the night making that night similar to the others. Then there was a sword swallowing act on one night, which was very good and professional. The only show that one could say reached and surpassed our expectations was that of the magician. I don't generally like magic shows but this magic show made all the difference during our two week stay since the magician and his wife, Brian and Lola, were charming, very entertaining and professional. Michael the DJ was also very nice and provided a good selection of music for us.



The staff are very nice and helpful. Many of them have worked there for years and by the looks of it many retuning residents seem to look upon them as their second family. The reception staff was polite, the waiters and barmen were pleasant and ready to have a chat with if they were not so busy. The cleaners did a good job and Carmen the chief of activities was very cheerful and pleasant and made sure we had a good time.



There isn't much else to do at Mellieha Bay apart than to relax and drink so if you are looking for an exciting holiday this is not the place to stay. The hotel is set far from any lively place on the island of Malta and bus services stop early so the only way to get around is by taxi which is very expensive. However if you a looking for a relaxing holiday, away from it all, with friendly staff and a nice view, well then this may be just the place for you. We are going again.

We are frequent “retired”...

Overall Rating:

2/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr D Thorn

Comments:

We are frequent “retired” travellers and we always stay in hotels with 4 stars and above. This hotel definitely does not warrant 4 stars – it rates as the worst 4 star we have ever stayed in.



This is a tired old hotel and well past its “sell by date”. It needs total redevelopment and proper management. This is a great shame as the hotel is in an ideal location with lovely views.



The concept of non-smoking rooms seems beyond their understanding. We requested a non-smoking room at the time of booking and I also sent an e-mail to the hotel 24 hours before arriving (I put a read receipt on and it was read), but we still got a smelly, smoky room and we never saw any floors/rooms marked as non-smoking.



Our room had single beds pushed together with a gap and old, worn-out flat pillows. For an English speaking island we were amazed to have only one English channel (BBC Prime) on the TV. Balcony doors open outwards (not a sliding patio door) so using the balcony chairs and trying to get in/out of the room with a glass of wine in hand called for a bit of logistics.



We were not impressed with the food quality or choice. Boring breakfasts, same every day. No on the spot or show cooking. Dinners with choice of one soup, low-lights were reconstituted turkey roll and stuffed pork i.e. no proper meat joints. A small variety of desserts.



Don’t have the cheapo wine carafes. The wine actually wasn’t too bad, but you may notice that the carafes don’t get washed out after use and you may well find all sorts of gunk at the bottom.



Not enough staff in the restaurant, yet you will find some standing around idle. No proper management watching over the room to ensure efficiency. The waiter may dump the wine on your table (no pouring and tasting every time here); consider yourself lucky if you get the wine before you have finished your starter. Tables and chairs too close together, often difficult to get in and out if you have someone right behind you. Tables often remained un-cleared after each course. Replenishment of food in buffet areas haphazard, some times needed to visit the other food area to get items which had run out. Several times I spotted “chefs” “cleaning up” dropped items of food around the serving trays and putting scraps back with the other food. Overall, the restaurant service was totally disgraceful.



Hotel management seemed non-existent; none seen patrolling the hotel or grounds. No porterage and you may have to negotiate stairs before you can use the lift. No table service in the café lounge or the bar - get your drinks yourself or die of thirst.



The main pool was cleaned infrequently. The children’s pool was absolutely filthy; after we saw a family with toddlers complain it was given a good clean up. During our second week the pool by “Jamaica Inn” was roped off and out of service. The hotels private beach is very small and never appeared to be cleaned of washed up rubbish. Sun loungers worn out and uncomfortable that is if you can find one that isn’t broken.



The hotels public toilets were smelliest and dirtiest we have encountered in any 4 star hotel. Don’t use the gents located below the swimming pool.



Malta is not the prettiest of islands, but it does have history and a lot of archaeological sites which we found interesting. The people are very friendly and welcoming.



We just wish we had chosen a better hotel up to the standards we have come to expect.

The rooms are small and the...

Overall Rating:

5/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs C Southall

Comments:

The rooms are small and the balcony practically non-existant. Fire doors at the hotel were locked. Thompson charged £56.00 on holiday for a sea view when infact ALL rooms have a sea view.



So holiday makers beware ask for a room without a seaview you get no extra charge but you will still face the sea, there are NO rooms to the rear of the hotel.



Food at the hotel was excellent that is the one plus point.



I would rate this hotel a 2+ star.

How anyone can rate this hotel...

Overall Rating:

2/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs D Rushforth

Comments:

How anyone can rate this hotel highly is astonishing. We went out as a wedding party and we were all accommodated on the same floor, same block. We arrived during a heat wave.

Air conditioning in the bedrooms did not work and the coolers as they referred to them were warm.



The floor in the restaurant was filthy and hardly ever swept and the food was crawling in flies every mealtime. The restaurant staff were so laid back they were almost asleep. I own an eating establishment in this country and I would be closed down by the hygiene inspectors if this was the state of my business.



The beach was small and dirty and the sun loungers were torn and filthy. The parasols were broken and rusty and were definitely in need of replacing. The Jamaican Pool area was never cleaned the whole 2 weeks we were there apart from a man scooping insects periodically from the pool and checking the filters at around 11 am in the morning.



The pool bar was supposed to open at 9.00 a.m. and was never opened until after 10.00 a.m. and one morning it was 10.45 a.m. It closed again at 5.00 p.m. When it was supposed to close at 6.00.



Rubbish bins were only emptied when overflowing and the wasps on occasions were unbearable.



Music was played from 10.00 a.m. until 12 noon and 2.00 p.m. until 5.00 p.m. and the same CD was repeated numerous times a day everyday.



The food was edible but on most nights served outside which more often then not resulted in being cold. If guests had room service they were told to leave their dirty crockery outside their room. Pots were often left on corridors for 4 days which also resulted in flies.



I would definitely never recommend this hotel and would expect even a 2 star hotel to be cleaner than we found this one.

The hotel is in a near perfect...

Overall Rating:

6/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Jun 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr DA Horton

Comments:

The hotel is in a near perfect position overlooking the bay. The good points are the pools & gardens, the food is ok.



The daily maid service is good. The rooms are small but clean with air con.



The bad points Mellieha village is a long steep walk of some 45 min.



The hotel is a somewhat dated 1970s style inside and out. The entertainment is fine if you like tea dances and ballroom that is.



Don’t be tempted to do the Sicily trip takes approx 19 hours and free time is extremely limited, not worth the bother.



In all not a bad hotel, the staff are always attentive and pleasant.

We wanted to treat ourselves to...

Overall Rating:

4/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2006

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs V Thomas

Comments:

We wanted to treat ourselves to a good holiday, so chose this "4" star hotel but were very disappointed.



The rooms were very tired and dated, the bathroom not particularly clean, and the loos at the swimming pool were very smelly.



The hotel was in an isolated spot, and as the entertainment was aimed at the older person (60+), and there wasn’t much on the TV to watch -why don’t they have Sky channels?



The evenings were long. It was just as well we were on half board - it would have been a long way to go for dinner!



Fortunately we did enjoy the food, but don't think the hotel should be a 4 star, at least not until the rooms are upgraded. We would not go back.

This is described as comfortable...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

Room Only

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2005

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs H Kirkly

Comments:

This is described as comfortable and well run, I must agree it is nice, not far to Mellieha village which is lovely, 3 great size pools plenty for kids to do the view is spectacular plenty of great bars and shops in the nearby village. I did like the local people they were very friendly.



This hotel is on hillside surrounding with a lot of steps so if you not very mobile not really suitable great for tiring kids out though. We have eating here on occasion the food was very good non smoking restaurant with 2 buffets. A good holiday all round for the price and weather was great too,

We have just returned after...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2006

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Miss V Joy

Comments:

We have just returned after spending a week in the Mellieha Bay Hotel. After reading several reviews on this sight I was intrigued as to what we would find! We thoroughly enjoyed our stay there.



The reception area of the hotel was brightly decorated and very clean although the "elevator music" they played continuously was funny at the beginning of the holiday became a little wearing towards the end! I think it was the same CD on repeat 24 hours a day! The reception staff were very helpful and polite.



Our room was of average size with a small bathroom, they were both spotlessly clean and the maids changed the sheets and towels every day as well as cleaning the room, we were very impressed. The shower was a very powerful one but our only complaint was the shower head was too low, we are about 6' tall and had to duck to wash our hair!



Our room was on the ground floor but we still had a sea view, we just couldn't leave the door open because there was an open balcony.



The hotel pool was fabulous and extremely clean with ample sun loungers around it although these did have a habit of collapsing while you were sitting on them!



We stayed on a half board basis and thought the food was very good, nice and hot with a good choice in the evenings. Breakfast was the same every day but again, there were a lot of options. Our only criticism of the restaurant was that a handful of the male waiters were the rudest I have ever encountered! I think they needed to be sent on a customer service course, it was horrendous!



There was a diving school at the hotel and the service they provided was second to none, they were very helpful and friendly.



As quite young people visiting this hotel (27 & 36) we did find the majority of the other guests a lot older but we met another young couple and got on fine! Although I don't think the bar staff were too pleased to have people still drinking at 1am, they made this quite obvious on several occasions!



We did not sample the hotel entertainment but on hearing it when passing the room, it was definitely aimed at the older generation, they seemed to love it!



All in all we had a fabulous time, I think the hotel was good value for money and definitely has the right star rating. Malta as a whole we found to be a bit of a building site although the longer we were there the more it grew on us! I would recommend a stay at the Mellieha Bay Hotel, after all a holiday is what you make it!