Viatges a Il-Ħofra

We loved our stay in this hotel and felt like 5* did not do it justice ! The room was spacious and looked amazing. Staff were very helpful and welcoming. There was plenty of choice for breakfast. It was located at the heart of Valletta yet slightly away from the busiest streets that were noisier so was very peaceful. We enjoyed having the lounge area as an extra place to relax away from the room. We retuned for an extra night and had a slightly smaller room, the only downside with that room was having stairs down to the toilet. We were nearly put off booking this hotel by the reviews commenting on the steps - the reality is that much of Valletta is hilly with slopes or steps. Going down to Lascaris Wharf there were only about 50 steps and it took about five minutes to reach the ferry. There are only about ten rooms.

This hotel is ideally situated on the promenade at Sliema. The welcome from the front of house staff was second to none……… help was always there, staff were well informed, thoughtful, considerate and willing to put themselves out to make a stay excellent. The breakfast was tremendous, with an excellent variety of hot and cold choices. Meals in the restaurant were very good too. Everything was well maintained, with unobtrusive staff constantly keeping all rooms and facilities spotless throughout.

Overall, there are several significant issues to consider, especially around security, billing transparency, and arrival logistics, although the property does benefit from a good location and strong potential if managed properly. The most serious concern is security. The building’s front door never locked properly and was consistently open, to the point where no code was required to enter. Billing is also an issue. Guests must pay taxes, cleaning, and extras through a separate link before arrival, but no proper receipt is provided. The amount charged did not seem to align with expected exchange rates. I had to press for a receipt and was given a partial refund without any way to validate the charges, and I still have not received a usable receipt. The total still seems high and there has been no meaningful response to clarify this, even after Expedia follow-up. Arrival was confusing. The address is buried in attachments, with conflicting versions provided, making the entrance difficult to locate. The shuttle service was unreliable. Despite booking one month in advance and reconfirming days before, no driver arrived. After waiting 30 minutes, I had to follow up and was then asked to search the airport for a license plate, which is not reasonable. It is also not truly door-to-door. Cleaning does not match the amount charged. There was dust, unclean bins, pigeon feathers, and crushed flies, and only one sponge and tea towel were provided for the kitchen.