Bugibba Holiday Complex Reviews

We enjoyed our stay at the Bugibba Holiday Complex although it is a bit basic, the rooms were clean though. The pools are nice and the indoor one was an added bonus. The staff were friendly and the little cafe at the bottom of the complex was reasonable for snacks although not a great deal of choice.

Have just spent five days at this hotel. The hotel was basic and had seen better days, as had the sheets and towels, but the staff were helpful and obliging. Our room was cleaned everyday and clean linen provided daily, pool was clean and pool area clean, plenty of sunbeds etc Food basic but plenty of it and bar well stocked. All in all good enough for the price paid, if you pay for a cheap holiday then you cannot complain when thats what you get.

Unfortunately Malta has gone dramatically downhill over the last few years and this complex is no exception. The rooms are dated, stained and dirty. Everything looks as if it has had years of use - including the towels. The pool is grotty, the staff indifferent and the location downright dirty. If you are travelling on a budget and don't mind third world standards then this complex and Malta is the place for you.

A very well looked after complx with excellent and friendly staff

Unfortunatley for us, we couldn't find a review for the 'St Pauls Bay Hotel' we were planning to visit so we chanced it and booked anyway. When we arrived we discovered that the complex also had the alternative name of Bugibba Holiday Complex. Reading the reviews after my holiday I really wish I'd known that!

We would not recommend this hotel if-

1. You don't like cockroaches - On average we had 2 a day in our room. Pif Paf is an excellent product for dealing with these!

2. You want quiet during the summer months to relax by the pool - this hotel is a host to an education program. Teenagers from other parts of Europe make up about half of the guests in the large complex. We spent virtually no time at the hotel because of these rowdy kids who were rarely monitored by the education staff. We had to call security more than once to deal with them (eg a fight broke out in the room next door at 5am after an all night party), but security's abilities were limited (security were very pleasent might I add.)There was use of megaphones, football hooters, hemp, booze, kids in pool late into night etc. These kids really spolit our holiday.

We were also flooded on the first night when the air con broke down. Judging by the tide marks in our room we suspect it wasn't the first time. We were warned by staff after we had been mopping up our room for 10mins- we were not impressed. There was a bottle of wine given for this hitch though. On a plus, air con in rooms was no extra charge and a wall mounted fan was also available. Both very welcome on the 40oC days!

We were also concerned with the security of our room, as on 1 occasion we returned to find our room door wide open and twice the balcony doors left open by the cleaning staff.

However, overall the cleaning was good. Soft, fluffy towels were given every day whether we needed or not.

Hotel itself is dated but pleasant enough. Staff are mostly very pleasant too but they do start work very early and most mornings we were woken about 7 by the towels trollies or staff shouting in the corridors.

Overall, the hotel is what we paid for. We can cope with cockroaches and floods but we would not go back because of the students.

Returned yesterday from Malta having stayed at the BHC which was diabolical to say the least!! Having been to Malta several times this was such a disappointment as we absolutely love the island. Where to start - we were put in a ground level room.

The bathroom: The bath had a large "rusty" patch on the bottom, the shower was a dated affair which bascially ran from the taps, the toilet had a "wobble", on arrival we had only half a toilet rool which was not replaced until it ran out entirely (we had bought some ourselves by then) and the towels were disgusting - they were a multitude of shades of pink and not one towel all week at all four sides unfrayed! (I actually bought four towels during the holiday).

The bedroom: The wardrobe had a fusty smell, the drawers did not close properly, the TV was so high that the wiring dangled down and if you went to the bathroom during the night you had to leave a light on or there was a danger of hanging yourself! The air con was a vent which made a lot of noise but did not blow any air. There was a cigarette end on the floor by the side of one of the beds which stayed there ALL WEEK.

The "patio": Being on ground level we had a patio as opposed to a balcony. When we eventually got the shutters to open (God help anyone if a fire broke out), we were greeted with a small square "patio", no chairs or tables, a tampon, an empty pouch of Kitekat and, if we climbed over the one foot high wall surrounding the area, we were on the main road! (Great for anyone with kids)!.

The pool area: The water was "thick" and "slimy" looking. I would not even think of putting my toes into it. There were scumy patches floating on the kids pool. The sunbeds were a horrible grey (should have been white) colour and most of them had holes in them.

The safety deposit box would open but we had trouble everything locking it again. The lift broke down four days out of the seven we were there.

The food was inedible. Breakfast consisted of soggy cereals, chipolata sausages and beans. Hash browns were there but no for long. The poached eggs were like golf balls and the scrambled egg sat in hot water!! The only fruit we ever saw was water melon. Needless to say we only had two breakfasts. The evening meals were also really bad. Three choices were available but not very inviting and never more than luke warm. The veg was peas and carrots every night. One te choice of potatoes ran out, it was chipsor chips. Again, we only went in to dinner twice.

Having said all that, we loved the island (having been several times) and te location of the BHC was spot on. The bars and restaurants around were all fine and we did not let our many bad experiences at the hotel spoil our holiday. We hired a car and travelled around visiting different places and a different beach every day. Gozo is a must especially if you take a car over with you. Xlendi Bay is beautiful - have lunch at Churchills - the tuna salad is superb.

We will certainly visit Malta again (probably next year) but we will certainly NEVER EVER return to the BHC - we would not stay there again even if it were free!!!

This is the place where they shoot poor little creatures flying over malta to their normal habitants.. in other words rare birds are shot off the sky or over the sea a soon as they try to land for food..Barbaric customs.. No!!!!! but no thankyou!!!! , we shall never return to malta. Hotel rubbish full of loud mouth foreign students with no consideration or repect to us Brits. A waste of a 2 week holiday, would have been alot better spent money at Butlins.

Waste of our holidays.. filthy and nosiey with foreign school children, never again.
the rest is History, won't recommend it unless one want to waste their summer holidays on rubbish, talking of rubbish streets need to be cleaned and fumigated!

Never again, malta is not worth paying extra airport taxes for,. The roads are filthy seen better roads in the outback of australia,oh! watch out for the traffic wardens, they seem to tive on British tourists especially... , some of the shop keepers who have never been abroad are as rude as they come,only smile when one dangles a fiver in front of their greedy nosses. watch out for bus drivers, they are menaics on the road.

The Hotel was dredful, the satff weren't all that helpful except for the odd one, who looks foward for a bob or two at the end of the holidays, and the food, well thats another story: finnaly no more malta or gozo for us.. better to spend hard earn cash in the Uk or anywhere else But malta.

Bugibba Holiday Complex is situated on the outskirts of the busy resort of Bugibba, which was ideal for us as we had 2 small children and a 7 month old baby in our party of 12.

We also booked this hotel specifically as it boasted air conditioning in every room. I even faxed the hotel to confirm that this was the case before booking. However when we arrrived we found out that it was just a vent in the wall and they had also ran out of fans. The accomodation was very poor and dirty. Several parties were also unhappy and some decided to leave the hotel altogether.

On a positive side the complex had 1 large swimming pool and 2 small ones for the children.

Sadly we went in the 6 weeks holidays and during this time the hotel is taken over by hundreds of language students from Italy and Germany. So unfortunately the nice pool wasn't available all the time as we were concerned about many students jumping in on mass and throwing bottles around. This hotel is not ideal for those with children if travelling during the summer break and sadly the accomodation is the worst I have ever seen.(This being my 7th trip to Malta). The Management were also unhelpful and rude. I have watched a few ";holidays from hell"; programs and from what I have seen this would easily feature.

my children and i had very enjoyable 10 day at tha bugibba holiday complex.it was clean and the staff were all very helpful.the hotel is in a very good position with makes it easy to get to all parts of the island as the buses stop just 5 minutes away.it is also just a five minute walk into the main centre to look around or get something to eat

Stayed at Complex twice before and recommended to family and friends. Never again. Students spoilt holiday by keeping us up most nights kicking, banging, knocking on doors, climbing over balconies and through windows (did not use or have keys), took over pool so dangerous for young children. Reception/lounge overflowing with students, no place to sit. Had to wait half an hour sometimes for keys whilst overworked receptionist dealt with students who always had priority. Would only stay there again if better MANAGMENT and leaders for students guaranteed our safety and comfort and they accomodated students in one area so we could get some sleep at nights.

Malta is a WONDERFUL island which I and all my family love and pray we can keep visiting. Do your own trips as reps have their own agenda and not to YOUR benefit. Trips quite easy to arrange locally, Maltese are friendly and helpful. Just beware of hotels with 100's of students in July/August!!!!!!

FIRST IMPRESSION
I was very shocked by some of the bad reviews i had read but was pleasantly suprissed! If you dont red any further i am sure you will enjoy malta as we loved it!

Bugibba was very sunny on arrival and looked very busy. The hotel was absolutely gorgeouse and the reception staff couldn't do enough for you. We where helped to our room by a hotel employee so didnt even lug our own cases to the room. On arriving in the room i was impressed, there was guest soap at the basin and the room was very clean and tidy. There was a large fan facing the bed which was circulating lovely cool air, this was in addition to the fully working air conditioning. The balcony was not the biggest ive had but for the amount of time i would spend on it it was fine. I had a kitchen area with a fridge and everything you may need if you where self catering, which i wasnt as i was bed and breakfast, so i was suprised to see this. Lyndseys room was a lot bigger than mine which may be due to her not having the kitchen area, her balcony was large enough and she had a lovely view of the three pools. We both had TVs with satelite and many free channels such as cartoon network which kept the children quite for a while when we where getting ready.

BREAKFAST

There was limited choice consisting of the same thing more or less each day but for me how much choice do you need! there was eggs, sausages, bacon, hash browns, beans, various cereal, toast, cheese, bread, meat and melon. There was plent to drink water, milk, orange, pineapple juice, tea and coffee. It was always hot and enjoyable you could have it between 8.00 and 10.00 which i thought was ideal when you have children with you.

PLACES TO SEE

There isnt a beach as such at bugibba but you can easily get the bus to melliah bay which is 10mins away and has gorgeouse white sand and crystal clear water which is shallow for quite far out. We went to popeye village which the children loved. We went to the medeterraina park to see the dolphins which was good but dont expect to spend the day there as once you have seen the shows there isnt that much more to do.

NIGHTLIFE

I am 25 so you can imagine some of the nights out i am used to. O.k its no bennidorm but there is more than enough bars to keep you going till very late as well as some night clubs. We had our kids with us so where going in around 12ish but could have easily have stayed out a lot later.

PLACES TO EAT

There are pleny of lovely places to eat one place i will recommend is a little chinese just of the main square you cant miss it if you get to the middle of the square, they have mcdonalds and kfc if you get really stuck but i can't see it!

After reading previous reviews on this website we were apprehesive to say the least of the BHC. But after just spending 2 weeks there we have no real complaints as previous reviews stated. The complex seems to be under new management and standards seem to have improved. We got our rooms cleaned, beds made and towels changed daily. We stayed in half board accommodation so are unable to comment on self catering accommodation conditions. The food in the restaurant was basic but edible but not a great choice for kids. Although there was a separate menu for kids which you had to order before 10am which we didn't discover till the last few days of our holiday.

The only draw back we found was the month of July seems to be the time for the Italian students to come to Malta. They were loud and boisterous. It was ok during the day as they were out with the teachers but come 3-3.30 they seem to take over the pool area. BHC restaurant staff did keep them out to after 8.30 which meant you could have your dinner in peace before this time.

We found all the hotel staff extremely friendly and helpful when required.

We had an enjoyable holiday but found the weather to be too hot for my elderly parents and would return to Malta but at a cooler time of the year.

We did do a few night time trips booked through Oasis tours just up from the BHC which were very reasonably priced. We would also recommend The George pub for good pub grub just up from the BHC. We found Bugibba itself an ok resort but would probably like to try another part of Malta if we were to return.

Hi, we have just yesterday, returned from the Bugibba Holiday Complex,it was a holiday of a lifetime(not).

Unfortunately we were not advise by the operator that the complex was nothing short of a cross between an old peoples sheltered complex and a school canteen.

The corridors reminded us of a hospital and were very narrow, the lift was the smallest lift I have ever seen as well as being extremely slow, (we fortunately were mobile enough not to have to use it).

I am also sorry to report that the dining room could be likened to a school canteen, as by the time you stood in the queue for the food it was cold,it is not a buffet service. There isn,t a drinks machine, only urns which hold the hot drinks and a lot of the time were empty.

The room itself was OK but the bathroom was the smallest I have ever seen and the toilet seat which didn't fit properly(and I am a svelt 10 stone) was broken.The towels which were a srange colour, (pinkisk)and were threadbare, good job I took plenty of my own. On the first morning and after travelling, we were hoping for a lie in but at approx 7.45am the door opened and the (chambermaid) asked us whether we wanted our room cleaned, (no time for a lie in).When I enquired if this was normal practise at reception, I was told no, however it happened the following morning, but as we had been kept up by the noise during the night, it was insginificant.

The noise was the worst issue,it never went away, day or night, and when I complained about it I was told ";what could they do about it"; As a Housing Officer in Wales and dealing on a daily basis with all sorts of complaints (otherwise lookout) I didn't take kindly to the answer but as there was no chance of them sorting it out, we had no option but to book into another hotel up the road, where the standard was much higher and the food edible. We returned to the Bugibba on the last night of our holiday, in order that we be picked up outside the following morning to return home and this was the worst night! After retreating to the room at 12.0.clock pm, and falling to sleep approx an hour later, we were then woken by the sound of a herd of elephants moving around,( scraping of chairs on the floor, laughing and screaming) and this was the final straw! My husband (who normally takes a lot in his stride) took umbrige to this behavior and went down to reception to sort this out, once again the 3 men on reception didn't seem at all bothered and did absolutely nothing, resulting in neither of us being able to return to bed, therefore having no sleep at all but going out for a walk from 2-5 in the early hours.

After all that,and on a more positive note, I would like to say that the Island itself was very nice and the people we met, very friendly, in the shops bars, etc.The weather was not hot, but nice, I needed a jacket and scarf. There is a lot to see and we went on some excursions, all of which are worth it. Valetta and Sliemma are well worth a visit and the latter is a very pretty port,(very much like we have in Swansea at Mumbles)

Unfortunanetly after this experience, we shall not be rturning to the Island for quite a while, (maybe never).

Fist impressions count for everything and can either make or break your holiday, leave it up to your imagination, what it did for us!

Happy hols!!