Suncrest Hotel Reviews

I have just returned from the Suncrest, party of 5, from 7yrs to 78 yrs! We have all had a wonderful time, despite being a little bit woried by reviews.

Yes - you CAN tell that the hotel is due for re-furbishment (which will be done late this year!) But, food........ Good variety, ask the waiter if you want chips and burgers for the kids, none on the buffet, but readily provided ....also service, and friendliness. Great. My son who is 7 , was more than happy with the pool, sea etc, and didn't miss the lack of 'kids club, although, granted, some might. We were half board, and felt that the hotel offered good value for money, in a lovely area. Only gripe was, that the lifts were dodgy whilst we were there, but just mamde up our minds to walk a bit more !!! Buses in Malta , fab for access to the whole island. Nice boat trip for 15 euros from Buggiba around St pauls bay/ comino. The festa was great too, but a little late for our tastes, back at the hotel for 2am! If you like a sandy beach, Melliaha Bay is georgous, and safe for youngsters. Poyeye village, nostalgic for those, like me who remember the film! Love Valletta too... Really hot to tour in August, but well worth the effort. Dont let the other reviews put you off!!

DEnise, Graham, Mollie, Ronnie, and Joseph

The Suncrest is a bit worn out but we like staying there.The bedrooms are past their sell by date but are large,clean and comfortable.The restaurant can get very busy especially in summer and the variety of food seems to have declined.However in the winter it is fine and the staff are great,never rude and always helpful.Despite the lack of variety the food is plentiful and suited us.Frankly the price we paid for half board (£231 per person for two weeks) meant we could eat out occasionally had we wanted more exotic fare and we would still have a cheap holiday.

One can always find fault with a hotel if you want to or if you have a bad experience there.All hotels have rooms in rotten positions but if you ask at reception they will always offer an alternative if they can.
Certainly the Suncrest could do with the bedrooms refurbishing,the lifts are too few and worn out,but it is great value for money,it is in a good position on the seafront.It is very well placed for getting about the island by bus and in view of the state of the worn out roads and the mad standard of driving it is not worth hiring a car.

We always travel to Malta by Air Malta because the seat pitch is good for short haul flights.
Qawra and Bugibba are a bit tatty but are very pleasant if you ignore the timeshare sellers.
Malta is very UK orientated and easy to explore.Valletta and Medina are gems and should not be missed.Gozo is easy to get to any much quieter than Malta.

In my opinion if you want a pleasant, and if you use the Suncrest,a cheap holiday Malta is the place for you.

We stayed at the Suncrest from 10-17 Oct 2006. Having booked the flight direct, we got a great deal on a standard room thru Last Check.
The room was large enough for 2 women to get ready comfortably, and included aircon and a ceiling fan plus a fridge. The TV didn't seem to work, but we didn't bother to mention this as we didn't require it. Full length mirror, a powerful hairdryer, a good-sized dressing table area and plenty of storage were appreciated (altho as always, not enough coathangers!).

As we hadn't paid for a Seaview room, the balcony faced the Qawra Palace Hotel next door, but was sufficiently far away so as not to feel uncomfortable, and to the right we had a view of the sea.
The only thing I would downgrade the room on was the bathroom - although fine, the ceiling and grouting were showing signs of wear. The shower curtain appeared clean.
The whole of the room and bathroom were tiled and kept clean. The maid service was excellent, providing clean towels every day, and changing the bed linen at least once during the week.

The lifts in the hotel were temperamental - allow 10 mins to get down to breakfast etc, as they seem to go up and down or not arrive at all - although this must partly be caused by guests pressing both Up and Down buttons in their impatience.

We were on a BandB basis, so I can't comment on the food other than the breakfast - we only once had to queue for a table, and there was a good selection of food - cooked breakfast, meats and cheeses etc, cereals, breads, fruit.

The staff we encountered were all very good - from the friendly cleaners to the helpful and efficient reception staff.

The entertainment rather lets the hotel down - although Maltese hotels as a whole don't seem to match UK star ratings, the entertainment was definitely not 4-star - and on the night we arrived the only bar open when we returned from eating out was the outside one.

The pool area is across the road from the hotel, but you reach it thru the hotel's lowest level. Although this was pleasant enough for us in October, I can imagine that many more people wanting to use it would put a strain on the space available. The hotel also has a leisure centre including indoor pool and jacuzzi etc, about 100 yards down the road, which we didn't visit.

We found Qawra/Bugibba itself rather quiet, presumably becos it was October - in some ways this was good - no timeshare touts (we only ever saw one) - but also everything seemed to close rather early.

However we found several good restaurants and I would recommend the Overflow, Little Italy, Indian Breeze, and Hannibals.

There is a nice bar opposite the hotel called Cin Cin which does good lunches on the balcony and then opens again at 8pm as a cocktail bar. Also the cafe bar at the front of the Qawra Palace next door, stays open late.

Early flight from Exeter was aok. We did not enjoy the in flight meal, which was also not enjoyed by our nearby holiday makers.No entertainment on the flight,
Good reception at the airport in Malta by the Rep.Pleasant drive to the Resort.
First impressions of the hotel where very good.Reception staff very good.
Was not over impressed with the room.Very shabby and needed a bit of TLC.The shower was dirty and the shower curtain was well passed its wash by date.
The mattress on my wifes bed gave up the ghost on the 3rd night and produced one of its springs for all the world to see.
The room service was exellent and they changed the towels daily and the bed linen as required.
Meals where satisfactory, but not to a 4* standard.

Malta was a joy to visit and I recomend using the local bus servce to get around the Island for sight seeing. Good value for money. Do buy a pass for getting about as they are good value for money.

Would I go back again,yes,but to a different resort.
This resort did not do a lot for either of us.

We boke direct with the hotel as is now our normal practice. we avoid tour operators like the plague.

The hotel:
rated 4 star+ but more like 2 star. Recepetion very clean and tidy, all staff well spoken english and very courteous. Rooms are basic, we had to get the beds changed,as the mattress looked like and felt like (when laying in) a hollowed out tree trunk.

Food:Good althought the restraunt area needed some co-orination as it was either very busy or manic,never easy!!!!!!

Pool: This is the biggest let down on the hotel as it had not seen a lick of [pint in years. The pool had lots of broken and missing tiles, the pool area was very dirty and the pool itself was dirty with scum around the waterline. The pool was a sea water pool and near burnt your eyes it was so strong. the sea wasn't like this so I think there was extra salt added.

The Area:
Bugibba is loevly, plenty of shops an convenience stores,bank etc.

Day trips etc:

We booked our trips ourselves with the operators, much cheaper. We went to Comino on a a power boat, stopped there 3 hours, brilliant. Went to Popeye village, used the local transport company to take us there, as it is a little off the beaten track. We used Islander Tourist Services in Bugibba. They also picked us up and returned us to Luqa Airport at the start and en of our holiday. We got the bus back to our hotel from Mellieha dead easy. We also went to Valletta for the sunday market, tacky and jammed with poeple. Ride in a Karrozin, horse drawn carrige.

Flights: we booked direct with Malta Airways, paid direct to them brillaint flights and service.

Transport: Use the aforementioned transport company, or use buses. loacl bus service is brilliant, cheap an good fun.

Conclusion:An island of great romantic mood.

We have been to Malta before so we know trhe island quite well.This island is warm, friendly and inexpensive, change your travellors cheques in the high street banks, changing them in the hotels or b de c can cost you as much as £30.00 in commission charges with exchange rate the hotels use. The banks are strictly under guidelines to give the international exchange rate so you will get the equivelant that you get in the UK bank before you leave home.

Watch for the timeshare touts, they are a nuiusance unless put in their place firmly and swiftly. The climate is temperate Eastern European, it is always warm, sunny but winds from the african coasts can be strong and burning hot. We plan to go again and may even buy a small villa there as it is so cheap.