Bay View Hotel Reviews

spent 1 week at the bay view may 2008 the hotel is on the main road through sliema we had a room with bay view on the 2nd floor the room is functional but the shower cubicle has limited space but we managed rooms cleaned daily and staff friendly we stayed half board food is a good standard but limited choice the pool is on the roof no problems with sunbeds but the hotel was full of pensioners no entertainment in the hotel only line dancing on a thursday night not my thing hotel is near bars and cafes all the locals are friendly and public trasport cheap and frequent but some buses are very old and some local cars are ancient malta is only small so you can get about on foot quite easily found malta overall quite expensive and not really for young families there is a lot of old buildings and history could spend your holiday looking round and still not see it all seems a nice quiet place for a relaxing holiday would return to malta and the bay view but not for a few more years plenty more places i want to visit but the holiday did not cost us a great deal as we booked the flights and hotel on the internet and got a good deal if you go be prepared to step back in time

We spent 8 days at the Bayview hotel,and just got back last night!
we booked it via HotelConnect and had no problems with the booking.The hotel has been completely refurbished to a high standard I reckon about 3-4 star. We asked for a sea view room and got one on the 1st floor which was very noisy with the traffic roaring past down below.So the next day we asked for a move and got a large apartment on the sixth floor with a massive balcony...heaven ...and lovely and quiet.
We were half board,the breakfast had a good choice...cold meats, cheeses + lurpak butter! etc ...'hot food' varied daily,well that was the only minor gripe the food wasn't actually piping hot, and cold plates,but it was only a minor thing.
the evening meal was again buffet style ..4 courses, varying from swordfish to octopus to lamb shanks to beef stroganoff very tasty indeed,the choice was about 4 choices from the mains with a couple of pasta dishes as well, salad to start + soup + main course + pudding or fruit + ice cream.
how they could on this on the money beats me!
we only paid £248 for 8 days for a sea view + half board for the 2 of us.and the ryanair flight was £96 for 2 from luton for us 2 , so all in all it was a very reasonable winter break + sun every day!

A special thankyou must go to the staff, who were very friendly and looked after you very well indeed, the chambermaids were excellent, and a specil thankyou to Edwin and Ija in the restaurant.
Malta was a very enjoyable experience, our first time there, more an older persons venue for the winter,as i don't reckon its very children orientated... lacking in beaches for one....
The Maltese people were very friendly and helpful, and it was nice to be able to speak english to everybody on holiday for a change!
but there was plenty to see and do especially as it was the Carnival!..thoroughly recommended.

Sliema Strand is one of the most accessible locations on Malta island. Most of the bus routes in the 62-68 range run outside the hotel and operate 6am to midnight.

The Bayview is a nice hotel. No more than 3 star, it was clean and welcoming with a wide range of operators from across Europe trusting it with their guests.

The hotel has a rooftop pool and sun area, small fitness room and 2 person sauna - all are available 24 hours.

There are two restaurants within the hotel. One Chinese and one Indian. I tried both and they were about £20 for a set meal.

However, just down the road towards Sliema central is a great and authentic Indian restaurant serving some amazing Scilian wines which is worth a try.

Buy a prepaid bus ticket and you can travel the island unlimited. Try the local fish at the harbour side, the Sunday morning market in Valetta and if you fancy something a little louder, Paceville bar and club area is on the bus routes from outside this hotel.

If you like sailing then the pleasure cruises are a must. A tip is to stand between the street sellers at the end of the Strand (2 bus stops away) and watch the price of the tickets come down.

As for eating out, healthy eating is a little challenge but if you stray from the tourist areas you will find many places used by locals which are decent quality for a bargain price.

My tip would be to get out on the buses to the far away areas of the island, learn where the supermarkets are for that late night snack and remember that upon arrival and departure book a taxi, they're mostly fixed price.

Decided to bypass the package deals and book separate flights and accommodation via the Internet. Probably didn't save a great deal of money but would definitely do it again (to Malta anyway) for its straightforwardness and convenience ie. weekend flights at good departure times and private transfers to and from the accommodation (kindly arranged by the Bayview Hotel) rather than arriving at the airport at some ridiculous time of night to be then herded around on a coach from hotel to hotel (yes, you know the score).

If you want to know more about The Bayview Hotel then go to bayviewmalta com which I would say gives a realistic description of what's on offer (gym looked very small though). We did not stay in the main building but in one of the apartments in the annex building behind the hotel. The apartment itself was to a good standard and far better equipped than I have previously encountered with S/C accommodation in the likes of Greece (eg. included 'luxury' items such as kettle, toaster, washing machine, iron and decent air con!). If I had to gripe:1) the website does not warn that the annex is reached via a steep road from the hotel which might not be suitable for those with walking difficulties and 2) as the annex is in a residential area, the apartment balcony is not up to much. The apartment was serviced every day, which we were not expecting - again this was a minor gripe for us as we prefer to be left alone and not have maids knocking on the door (8.30am one morning!).

Sliema is not a manufactured tourist resort which makes it attractive in other ways rather than being the most picturesque resort I have ever stayed in. It is a bustling residential coastal town with a pretty promenade and harbour. Its numerous cafes, bars and restaurants are very reasonably priced and offer a high standard of Mediterranean cuisine (lots of garlic - yum!) plus English breakfasts, pasta, pizza, good Italian coffee, gelati etc to cater for the predominantly English and Italian holidaymakers. The locally caught fish is also great although Lampuki is a very bony fish! I noticed a previous poor review about the Quayside restaurant - we went there twice and enjoyed it very much (complementary liqueurs) so maybe they had an off day.

The Bayview Hotel was situated away from the main cluster of hotels in the Gzira area but was convenient for the ferry service to Valletta and for the buses to get you around the island. Transport is very cheap and the most we paid for a single trip was around 75 pence for a 50 minute ride. We enjoyed Valletta very much and visited there several times during the week. It is not an evening place though because it seems to shut down quite early. It is best enjoyed for an al fresco lunch with a Cisk beer (pronounced chisk) in one of the main squares. Again, be warned, Valletta has some very steep roads. If you get the ferry, there will be a very steep climb to the top - if you don't fancy this, get the bus! Bus timetables are available at the tourist info place at Valletta. Go to 'The Pub' where Oliver Reed quaffed his final drink(s,s,s). We followed the AA guide book for Malta in a lot of cases: Cocopazzo in Valletta was v. nice - excellent Calamari.

Other places that we visited and liked: Mdina and Rabat (cultural), Marsaxlokk (for a nice lunch of locally caught fish overlooking the bay - not much else!!). St Julian's is also pretty and easily accessed via a long walk or bus from Sliema although it is a bit more manufactured (and pricier). There is a terrace overlooking the bay where you can dine; however, the Turquoise Turkish restaurant does not own any of this outside terrace (as implied). We made this mistake but decided to eat in the restaurant anyway - and we were not disappointed - the food was superb and the service was charming. One word of advice, don't order any starters!

In summary, Malta is an interesting and unpretentious place with good food, reasonable prices, a wealth of history and friendly locals. It's rough and ready in places but has far more depth than other more 'polished' places that I have holidayed. In October at least, it doesn't seem to attract the British under 30's but this does not apply to other nationalities (Italian, German, French) so don't be under the impression that it is 'Pensioner City'. Take an organised excursion if you want but you can quite easily get to most places by public transport. Enjoy!!

The Hotel:

Reception is spotless, air-conditioned and very modern looking. Small Bar, Pool Tables, Internet Access etc are tactfully hidden at the back. Gives a very good first impression. The Receptionists are busy but friendly ( if one of them appears to be rude to the point of absurdity [deadpan] look for the twinkle in his eye - He proved to be one of the most enjoyable quirks to the hotel :)

The area stuck me as being fairly wheelchair friendly. 3 elevators are a bit small (fit 8 people) but functional.

The hotel is in two parts

Floors 1-7 are in the old part - some with nice views but the rooms are smaller and some balconies are tiny. Floor 7 has the swimming pools. The view from the swimming pool is spectacular. There are 3 pools. 1 very large square pool (in shade), 1 medium square pool outside in direct sunlight and a toddler pool. For some reason they ask residents not to use the indoor one in summer - quite a few people ignore this as the indoor pool was really good for people who like swimming laps.

Confusingly the new area has rooms starting at 73x - 76x (3rd - 6th Floor of new area).

The exercise room / sauna is free, just ask at reception for the key.

Food: The breakfast does not vary - it consists of : Sliced Meats, Cheese cubes, Yogurt, Unsweetened Muesli, Cornflakes, Sausages, Scrabbled Egg, Bacon, Fresh white rolls, fresh brown rolls, bread and toast. Most people complained that squash was served instead of juice. As the breakfast was free and the squash (strawberry, pineapple, orange) was nice enough I didn't see a problem here :)

Breakfast stops serving at 10am.

The Room:

We got a room in the new area Room 734. No view whatsoever - but we didn't need it.

Air-conditioning - good choice of settings and easy to use. (Free too!)
1 Safe - solid large square safe. Cost 5 LM per week to use with a 5 Lm Deposit. 5 LM = 12.50 Euro
21"; TV - with BBC World News and 1 movie channel in English. Italian, French etc all catered for.

2 beds - comfortable. 2 bedside lockers, 1 chest of drawers, 1 wardrobe, 1 mini wardrobe, 1 desk (inside), 2 chairs, 2 lidos, 1 desk (balcony), 2 chairs (balcony), 1 foot stool, 2 long mirrors Definitely no shortage of furniture.

It also contained a fridge, cooker etc for those who enjoy self catering, however this came at an additional cost of 5 LM per day. As we hate self catering on holiday we did not avail of this facility.

Maid service every day - the room was always spotless. Make sure you ask for a 'do not disturb sign' if you dont want to be woken at 9.30 though!

Bathroom - small, clean, shower/bath was good and strong jet. Might have been a bit difficult if you were disabled though.

The Location:

The Hotel is located at the very edge of Sliema (Gzira), opposite the Marina (where all the ferries and harbour cruises leave) and about 5 mins walk to the Bus terminus which can take you anywhere on the Island. The number 62 will take you to Sliema/St Julian's or Valetta depending on direction. Dont walk if you can help it as its at least 30 minutes to Sliema centre on foot). Its about 2 mins walk from the Waterfront hotel.

The area is EXTREMELY quiet - so party loving types should avoid. The restaurants range from awful to really really nice. Good: Two worth mentioning are Pebbles Restaurant - pastas there are especially very good ( we ate there 3 times. ;) and the Taj Majhal (lovely Indian, but a bit expensive).

Bad: Lt Torrino: We had visited Malta two years ago and loved this restaurant, however it appears to have changed ownership and is now the worst one we visited. My girlfriend could stop laughing at how everyone looked + behaved exactly like on Fawlty Towers! Food was edible but the service! The food at the Quayside was also expensive and not very good (the Spaghetti Bolognaise was inedible).

One other negative was the Time Share reps. The scam they seem to be using on the island is giving out free tickets. One always wins a bottle of wine. One always wins the 'Grand Prize', just go to the hotel offering the prize to collect it! Once there of course they try to sell you a time share. DO NOT BE TAKEN IN! ( we saw quite a few couples who were alas :(

For Gozo - save yourself a fortune: Take the bus+ferry to Gozo, avoid the Gozo 360 tour unless you have an interest in history and explore the place yourself at your leisure. The all inclusive Gozo tour was very rushed.

For visiting Comino use Captain Morgan, the round the island tour suited us the best with some lovely views and 3-4 hours in Comino to swim.

For a Harbor Cruise however, the Luzzu Cruise is a slightly better choice as the boat is smaller and therefore more maneuverable. The cruise is slightly longer too.

One final place deserving a mention is the pub Mariners in central Sliema. Its not a pretty pub but its got the best bartender on the island! (ask for a Steve Special! :)