Waterfront Hotel

1 reader found this review helpful

We have just come back from a lovely 11 night break in Sliema Malta. During this time we stayed at the Waterfront Hotel for the duration of our Holiday.
Seaview Room: we had a room facing the sea on the third floor and the views were fabulous. The room was bright and nicely decorated albeit the bathroom could do with a bit of a facelift . That said we always had hot water and the maid cleaned the room daily and supplied fresh towels if the old ones were either left in the bath or on the floor.
There is a safe in the room operated by a six digit pin number which is free of charge. There is also a mini bar in the room stocked with soft drinks beer and spirits at reasonable prices for a hotel. We put our own water in this which we bought from the shop next to the Kebab shop downstairs which was 3 Euro for 12 bottles of 500ml equivalent to 25 cents a bottle.
The Aircon in the room only operates effectively from 4pm in the afternoon until 11pm at night which was not too bad but it did leave the room stuffy in the morning. I asked Jonathan about this in Reception and he was honest and helpful about it. Maybe if the hotel put it on for a boost for 1hr at say 2am it would help.
As previous posters have mentioned you do get traffic noise but it did not keep me awake but it is not pleasant to sit on the small balcony with all the noise and also loose the aircon function in the room.
Restaurant: The restaurant is on the first floor and we only ate their at breakfast. There are 3 choices of serial, cold meats, fruit, yogurts and full cooked breakfast normally comprising of , Fried eggs, Boiled eggs, omelettes, sausage , tomato, Bacon and beans. Pretty much the same every day but not a problem at all. Lovely dining area with views over the harbour. Service was OK and the staff would clear and reset a table if asked if they had not had time to action already.
Basilico restaurant: We ate here on two occasions and the Italian dishes were lovely and reasonably priced. The Salmone Pizza was amazing full of smoked salmon with prawns underneath on a nice base. Again a nice ambiance and not busy.
Star Bar: Great to chill out and I mean chill out. Its about 10 degs cooler in here than in other areas of the hotel. Ask for large cappuccino so you get a nice big cup. The coffee and cakes are lovely. Around 3 Euro for a nice piece of cake and 2 Euro for coffee. It was great to read the Maltese version ot the Times newspaper. Much less stuffy than the UK version.
Skipper bar : This is the bar on the roof ( 8th floor) where the pool is and the drinks here are reasonable and so are the sandwiches. You can charge to your room and pay at the end of your hol if you wish. Katarina is a lovely girl ( white framed sunglasses) and will always help with the sunshades which are a bit tricky. There is access through the doors for wheelchairs and disabled toilet facilities.
Swimming Pool: Well more of a dip tank really , about 20 feet long and 12 feet wide but ok for a cool off but no good at all for recreational swimming.
Pool Towels: These are supplied free by the hotel and are normally in your wardrobe. Some are quite worn but do the job just the same.
Lounge Bar: There is entertainment on a few times a week but we did not stay to watch as we found the seating area stuffy and poorly cooled and much preferred the Star Bar. There was normally a duo playing.
Summary: Loved the hotel as it is in a great position with great views across Valletta. We would certainly go back and we found the staff friendly and attentive. Currently the bus service is a nightmare but will hopefully improve when the new bus company takes over next month. It is a bout 4 miles to walk into Valleta which will take about 1.5 hours and a taxi is 19 Euro in the white cabs so if going into Valleta try to avoid rush hour i.e go in before 5pm or after 10am. Its 50cents on the bus and 1.5 euro on the ferry which is a 10 min walk left as you come out of hotel , a blue boat wit Point written on it. The service is every 30 mins.
Best Trips : Open top bus ( Malta tours) north and south tour. You get better commentary on this service and book at reception and save a couple of euro. Also the Red hop on off which we have used before and are normally good gives only limited info and keeps advertising ( captive audience) Harbour tour with Luzzo cruises was better than captain morgan tour in my opinion but sit at the very front of the boat if poss for great views also the best views are if you sit on the right of the boat.
Favourite Restaurant close by: Tre Angeli 70 yds to the left as you come out of hotel. Food nice particularly Sea Bream but either sit outside or bar side in the bar area.
Warning: Only encountered one irritating person selling Captain Morgan trips and because we did not book with him he said we had booked on a sinking boat ( total rubbish) he is a thick set guy up near the ferry with glasses and if you have ever seen the Great Suprendo he looks like his brother. We were not the only people this guy has been rude to.
Cost of trips for budgeting: Hop on off tours, 13 Euro each with free harbour cruise but make sure you ask for it. Gozo tour and comino 45 Euro each.
We spent 900 Euro in 11 days and we were B&B.
Room Tip: Get bus into Valetta and ferry back. Steep hill