The Waterfront Hotel

Let me start with the positive,We stayed here for 1 week, the hotel itself is beautiful and in a stunning location with views of the harbour and Valetta, firework display over in Valetta was stunning to watch from our balcony, the room was lovely with large balcony and kept lovely by the beautiful room attendant, however there where some issues, firstly on arrival there where only 2 lifts with one out of order and stayed that way throughout our stay, which meant at busy times lots of wasted time waiting for the lift, being on floor 9 stairs were not an option in the heat, there was no outdoor pool in the hotel but you did have access to the lido right across the road, which to be fair was great but very crowded and never seen them clean the pool once during our week stay, also a lack of food options in the hotel, this hotel boasts 3 restaurant on it website, floor 10 grill, floor 3 regatta and ground floor lobby bar, starting with floor 3, this is where breakfast is served and it was lovely, plenty of choice and an effort made for us gluten free guests with cereal, bread, and muffins as well as a wide variety of fruit and a good selection of hot stuff for the full English fans, also lots of other choices like pancakes,meats,cheese to name just a few, this restaurant is also where a buffet is served in the evening, we arrived on a Sunday evening late so our first experience of this buffet was Monday, and it was great, good selection and all you can eat, only down side was no effort made in deserts for gluten free quests, price of the buffet was a bit pricey at 35 euro each however it did include certain alcoholic drinks, soft drinks and tea and coffee, so if you drink alcohol then the value is better I suppose but for ourselves who don't drink not such great value, however here's where it gets disappointing, the buffet was only available on a Monday, most disappointing when you turn up and the doors are closed this isn't clearly stated, then there was the 10 olive grill on floor 10, they had themed nights and a barbeque night during our stay, this was only on a notice in the lobby so maybe missed by some people, however we did see it and decided we would try the barbeque night on the Friday which was out last night so we thought it would be a good one to go out on, on the Wednesday when we came in I decided to asked the reception if we have to put our names down or just turn up, to which we where told OH NO YOU HAVE TO BOOK, ok can you put us down then please, OH NO SORRY IT FULLY BOOKED, no where on the notice in the lobby did it say you have to book, so very disappointing as the lack of communication, the only option that served every evening was the lobby bar, so not great choice, however we did find a great restaurant over the road called Punto, so went there most nights, also disappointing that we where not able to keep the room for a late checkout. We also didn't think certain people on the reception where not very friendly and welcoming, one older gentleman in particular didn't get his name but he didn't seem very approachable, All in all we did have a lovely stay but it was slightly let down by lack of communication and lack of lifts.

We were delighted in every possible way by our stay at this wonderful hotel. We booked a Deluxe Suite and it was extremely spacious and comfortable. The staff are all so friendly, courteous and helpful. We were given some delicious treats daily as part of the suite evening turndown service - this was very much appreciated. The breakfast buffet was especially memorable. We were pleasantly surprised with how well they catered for vegetarians and vegans. In addition to what’s in the buffet (clearly marked!) you can also order vegan scrambled ‘egg’ (tofu) on a muffin. There’s a barista too that makes great lattes and other coffees. A huge thank you to chef Mikiel in particular who greeted us daily and even heated up some vegetarian Qassatat (traditional pastries filled with Ricotta and Peas) just for us to sample. Celiacs are also well taken care of. We were impressed that there was a Gluten-Free buffet selection and even a separate toaster to avoid contamination. The location is just perfect - by the Sliema-Gzira promenade and walking distance from so many shops and restaurants. The indoor pool and jacuzzi are small but nicely heated. There’s also access to the Aqualuna lido right across the road with an outdoor heated pool. It’s great that there are water coolers on so many of the floors so you can fill your bottle up whenever you need to. This avoids wasting plastic and we think is a nice touch to care for our environment. We can’t wait to return - thanks to the hotel team for making our stay an extra special and highly memorable one! My only minor suggestion for improvement would be to increase the size of the shower cubicle. It’s relatively small compared to the huge bathroom. Making it larger upon next renovation would make it even more comfortable for guests. But just a minor detail - the room is great in every other way!