Park Hotel Reviews

This hotel is advertised as a four star hotel - it is not!
The quality of accommodation is two star at best. The food is average and the dining room very small. It is impossible to not be bothered about other guests moving around closely to you at the self service counter. The pool is small and I saw three people fall down the three steps leading up to the pool.
The gym is very poor with some of the equipment not working fully.
The staff are friendly but be careful about being bothered about time share reps on the street from the UK.
Take my advice - stay in St Julian about half a mile away.
Some good value restuarants in Silima.

It was our first time to Malta and we stayed in Sliema for two weeks which was not a bad choice but it is an area that could definately do with modernising. The hotel that we stayed in was the ";Park Hotel"; which was apparently a four star and to be fair it probably was when it was built in the 90's but it was a far cry from the British four star. The room that we stayed in was very basic and the bathroom was a bit mouldy and paint was coming off the ceiling, it really needed decorating! and even though we booked a double room we ended up with two separate beds that we had to push together ( a far cry from the holiday brochre).

We went half board which was a complete waste of money as the evening meals were less than average and it didnt help matters because I am vegetarian but the chef tried his best thats all I could say.
Breakfasts were fine apart from the fact that the hotel staff didnt change the tablecloths between breakfast sittings which was fine if you were the first down for breakfast but if you went later the tables were ";disgusting";.
The rest of the hotel was very average!

For a good night out Paceville had lots of bars and a few clubs and it was about 10 mins from sliema if you went by the local buses. The only problem that we found was that there was hundreds of foreign students who apparently go to Malta to learn English for a few weeks every year but because the legal age to drink in Malta is 16yrs we encountered alot of 14-16yr olds very very drunk and out of hand which was not pleasant ( and we are not prudes ) it was like been in a kindergarten!

Valleta was fab and easy to get to by bus or by the local boat from Silema across the harbour. ";The Pub"; in archbishops street which was the Oliver Reads last resting place is definatetly a place to go! a word of warning though dont go Valleta at night for night life or a drink as there are no watering holes.

Final thoughts on Malta are that is a very quirky place with lots to see and it is incredibly cheap to get around so dont shell out for coach tours. Unless you like really hot weather dont go in July/August as it is unbearable. Dont hire a car as the Maltesse people have no driving ability what so ever, and last but not least the pub measures of spirits are the same as in Britain so no big measures of shorts ( very disappointing )

Arrived 3am after flight delay. Very vague and unhelpful at the hotel. Still no room for us by 4am. Some bizarre story as to why no accomodation for us ie there was a room but somebody else was in it! We asked for a drink of water for which we were then charged! The receptionist disappeared for 20 mins. Still NO room. We then became insistant that we wanted a room somewhere and we were finally taken to the Preluna for the night. The Preluna was full for the rest of our stay, so we were offered a choice of 3 rooms at the Park. We opted for a high floor near to the roof terrace. We were also given a free dinner that night as compensation, although we were charged for the drink we had with it!

We stayed on a BandB basis luckily as the food was only adequate. The breakfast was the same every morning (only change was scrambled or fried egg from day to day). The size of the plates were like a child's dinner plate. The surround to the pool area had the grouting broken and lying about not swept up and so the trip across it to the pool was hard on the feet. It would have only taken ten mins. to tidy it up. However he pool itself was lovely.

One morning we awoke to no water. We enquired about it and were told that the pump had broken down. Don't most hotels have a back-up in place? There is a general air of penny-pinching and fire-fighting here and it seemed to affect staff morale. Some staff wre very pleasant but a good number of them looked fed-up.

Our room was well cleaned every day, no complaints about that. The net curtains though had not been washed for some time and were very grubby. The air conditioning was never on whilst w e were there and it seemed to be the entry route for loads of mosquitoes! I was OK but they feasted on my husband!

The Preluna was a very good hotel. Friendly staff very helful.

We spent many evenings there as the entertainment was varied and suited us. The Skyline bar had fabulous views and good prices. One restaurant we especially liked was on Tower Road not far from Preluna in the direction of St Julian's. It is called Ta Kollina. The food is first class and the staff are too. Good menu loads of choice. Give it a try! Tony's bar on the Strand was very good for lunchtime snacks. The views across to Valetta from the Strand are amazing. The ferry runs every 15 mins. and is very cheap. Valetta is a must. It is like stepping back into history. So atmospheric. The views across the Gand Harbour are breath taking.

We did the tour our the Manoel Theatre. Only small but very interesting. The cathedral is unique and another must. The entrance to the City at the bus station feels like another film set! We did a day trip to Gozo which is surprisingly a lot greener than Malta due to the type of clay. Good value for money but the only trip we did. Malta has such a good bus service across the island you can go anywhere yourselves. One week was certainly not enough time to visit all the history of Malta.

To sum up: Would we go back to Malta? Definitely! Would we go back to the Park Hotel? Definitely NOT!

Malta first timers so we went with an open mind.

Enjoyed the holiday booked with Malta Direct, everything went well and got to fly from my nearest airport EMA which was a bonus.

Arrived at the Park last of the bus (again) at o dark 30 and was put into a room on the 4th floor. Bit of a ";bathroom"; smell and the stench of cigarette smoke but we were so knackered we decided to crash out and sort it in the morning.

After some negotiations with the hotel staff and Malta Direct rep, we were moved into a room on the 2nd floor with a tiny balcony and a side view of the sea.

Room OK, décor and furniture looking a bit tired, but everything was there, little fridge, tele, phone etc. Only thing to really criticise was the aircon, which was poor and the towels (I've got more fluff in my navel).

We went BandB so was faced with the same stuff everyday. Once again, enough of it and plenty of variety. Good service in the Hotel all around, everyone willing to please and assist. Indoor pool in the basement, pool and bar on the roof, internet PC's available, whirlpool and fitness centre.

Entertainment 3 times a week, you know, the ";Tie a yellow ribbon round every oak tree on the way to Amarillo"; type stuff, normally with a guy and a keyboard, not our kind of stuff so we left it alone after day 1.

Resort area OK with lots of building work going on. Promenade completed now from Sliema to St Julian's bay which made a relaxing walk at all times of the day. Well interspersed with bars and restaurants so if it all got too much, you could have a sit down and a drink.

Trips OK in the main. Had 2 free trips thrown in by MD so suggest the Harbour trip if you're first timers as it helps put the locations into perspective.

Reps do push their trips and we booked up for the Mt Etna in Sicily. Cost around £140 for the two and consisted of a 2 hour trip to Sicily, a 300 mile round trip on a coach, a 3 hour stay at a hilltop village who's very existence seemed to be to cater to (and rip off) tourists (£1.40 for a small diet coke) and finally a ride up to Mt Etna.

Would have been fine except your 6500 feet up in the air where it's cold. It was also throwing it down with rain in the middle of a violent thunderstorm and the mountain was shrouded in low cloud.

If you do decide to go, check the 5 day forecast to make sure the weather looks to be OK (trips go every day) and take some warm clothing with you. By the way, if the guide tells you that you need Euros don't believe him when he also tells you that the ATM machines only give a minimum of 250 euros at each transaction. He is only trying to flog you euros at a very bad (for you) rate. ATM minimum withdrawals is 20 euros.

All in all, not a bad 2 weeks. It's not a cheap destination with food and booze being around the same price as the UK. But the sun, sea and history of the place make a return trip very likely.

Went on holiday on the 4th of January from Birmingham and arrived at the Park hotel just a little late for dinner.The hotel receptionist informed us because we missed our meal we were entitled to have a lunch any day of our choosing.

WE were allocated a front view room on the first floor, this suited us fine.The only trouble was the heating in the room would not close down and by the morning we felt we would not need to visit the hotel's sauna facilities, we would just stay in our room.

The next day we had a choice of various rooms and took one still on the first floor which had a sea view.The Park hotel is classed as a 4 star I would rate it more as 3 star compared to British standards. The staff in the hotel are very friendly and would help you with anything and they try very hard to make your holiday enjoyable.

I have travelled with package holidays for many years but I must honestly say I have never met a better holiday rep than the one Portland/ Thomson are employing at the Park hotel. Her name is Caroline and she is a local Maltese girl, if you are looking for dedication then give Caroline 5 stars she was excellent.

Sliema is probably the best resort to stay in, on a winter holiday the population are all around this area.Anyway we enjoyed our holiday in Malta and will certainly come back again possibly for a longer stay for better value Malta itself is geting quite expensive because they now have joined the EC, but if you have a good hotel,have nice locals and are lucky enough to get good weather, like we did then Malta can give you a rewarding experience.

The hotel staff at The Park, like most of the locals we met in Malta, were kind, helpful and friendly. This rubbed off on many of the guests, I am sure, as we found other people in this quite busy hotel added greatly to our enjoyment of the holiday. Family values are very strong on the islands.

Our family room for three people was spacious and had an oblique view of the sea, about 150 yds away. The bathroom needed a facelift soon.The towels were thin and fluffless, but water on the island is hard and laundry must be a trial.

We thought the food pretty good generally, considering that three people were having three weeks' holiday (two of those weeks half-board) for £1100. We thought that the quantities were adequate and you could help yourself to some things. The restaurant can be noisy, so study the best times to go to meals. The (included) afternoon tea was often cold. We always take a travel jug (British-style 3-pin 13-Amp plugs.)

The hot water was plentiful. The indoor pool was smallish, but well designed and maintained, as were the exercise facilities. Water temperature was always good. Changing rooms draughty, however. The evening entertainment is quite good, but a bit ear-splitting at times.

Maltese back streets, is spite of some unwise development, are full of interest. The prom. along the edge of the sea is great and, with a 'bus every 2 or 3 minutes, you can get back to base easily at any time. The 'bus stop for The Park is Sliema Point (look out for the round stone tower that contains a TFI Friday!) Valletta is a small city, but you could spend all day bewitched by the terrific churches. The shops are mostly small and fascinating. Amazing war museum and air raid shelters at Vittoriosa (walk back downhill from the bus stop in the square). Argotti Gardens at Floriana (free) are interesting, with views out to Mdina and Rabat.

As we found, the weather in winter varies from marvellous to foul, so take warm clothes just in case. If the weather was windy at Sliema Point, it was sheltered at Sliema Ferry and v.v., so you could find a place in the sun usually.

There's very little crime in Malta. Traffic is hairy in the cities: there's not much speeding, but stop lines are routinely ignored. The zebra crossings do work, but you have to show drivers you mean business. Some weird road signs (";No Gummies";, ";No entry except to render a service";) Built-up areas are noisy: car horns and lots of construction work, but the place has a real fascination. Good Luck!

The Hotel was very nice, the staff very friendly and helpful with the rooms very clean and tidy. We were particularly pleased with the efficient air conditioning as the weather was surprisingly warm for the time of year.

We went B and B and found the buffet breakfast adequate. We dined in one evening and whilst the food was good like one of the other reviewers we had to do an ";Oliver Twist"; given the small portions. The Maitre De readily agreed though it provoked some ";looks"; from the chef !

There are many places offering good quality reasonably priced food around Sliema. One of them, a ";kiosk"; on the Prom called ";Paul's Sea Breeze"; deserves special mention.

We must have been lucky - we got two rooms on the side of the building where we had a limited view of the Prom and sea. The room with three occupants was very spacious.

The Park is in an excellent location - a few yards from the Prom and 5 to 10 mins from the shops and Sliema Harbour.

Every evening we along with many others strolled the couple of miles along the Prom (dodging the many power walkers)to St Julians and Paceville where the nightlife is. Whilst this would no doubt be regarded as tame by the dedicated clubber, it was adequate for our needs.

As has been remarked by almost everyone else the buses are a must. Fares are very cheap, the dearest to travel anywhere on the island being 40 cents and you never seem to have to wait long for one. The bus drivers are endearingly eccentric but some of the buses are approaching if not past their sell by date. On one bus every bend (which the drivers negotiate at the highest possible speed) produced a grinding noise from underneath accompanied by the smell of burning rubber and everyone who got off admired the partially shredded tyre!

The ferry to Valetta is very cheap and it is a most unusual and lovely town and well worth a visit or two.

It was our first visit to Malta and we all thoroughly enjoyed it.

The Park Hotel on the face of it looks very nice. It is a buffet meal system and the breakfasts are good but the evening meals are bad, very bad. They serve you for a start and are quite mean with the portions, on more than one occasion we had to ask for more (just like Oliver!).

The pool area is very small for the size of the hotel. The staff were very friendly as are all the Maltese people but it is not a great resort for young(ish) people. The area of St Julians is where to go at night but it is very cosmopolitan and not great for disco/pubs and that kind of thing unless you are very young 18-21 then there is a strip of pubs, other than that - don't bother with Malta unless your well over 65.

This was our first holiday together and we booked it last minute. We arrived in the late evening and were met by very efficient staff who made the check in process as quick as possible.
The room was somewhat basic but clean and functional, we had a sea view (well we could see the sea between to other buildings), however this did not detract form the stay because afterall you don't sit in your room all day do you?

The resturant was small but friendly with the staff helpful, we were BandB however on one evening we did dine there and the food was simple but well cooked. On the food front we ate twice in a small chinese restaurant across the road from the Park and found the owners very attentive but not over bearing. The other restaurant that left its mark was directly across the main road, I'm sorry I cannot remember its name, however you cannot miss it as it is within one of the old sea front forts!

All in all our stay in Malta was enjoyable as the locals love the Brits however we both agreed that we were maybe 15 years too young.

This is our second time to Malta. The first was five years ago and we went to a 4* hotel in Qawra. We had a great time then, but the hotel was definitely not 4*.

This time we took more care booking and this website helped us to choose the Park Hotel in Sliema. This was definitely 4*. Excellent food. Good clean rooms and very helpful staff. The hotel is in a good position and very near the bus stop. The buses are so easy and are definitely the way to see all of the island. The prom at Sliema is very long and lovely for a walk in the evening. Sliema is the best place to go if you want to travel around Malta, but also have something to do near your hotel. I would imagine it is not so nice in the middle of the season! Spring is a good time to go to see Malta.

We recommend Park Hotel as an ideal base for those who want to look around the island. Hotel is conveniently situated for shops, buses, bank ATM's and is only a minute or two walk to Sliema Front; while ten minutes in the other direction takes you to Sliema Harbour for cruise boats, Valletta Ferry, more shops/cafes.

Staff most friendly and helpful. Restaurant very good. Hot and cold breakfast choices a bit repetitive, but evening meals varied and excellent quality. Bedrooms slightly small, no balconies with pool views and air conditioning not switched on until mid-May. Not very much for children here.

Changes noticed: big increase in mobile phone use and road traffic. Substantial rebuilding everywhere with tower cranes seen accross the island. Most new shopping centres and buildings tasteful, except Hilton Tower which stood out like a sore thumb. Several good ";pound shops"; about (called Lira Family ?). Hotel has a new multi-floor supermarket within a few minutes, near Evans. Lovely new promenade and gardens linking Sliema with St. Julians. Many buses covering most places. Fares: 15c, 20c and 40c. Valletta Ferry 35c. Gozo Ferry return 2lira. Beware time share (now holiday club)touts, low price day trips in mini-buses (too bumpy).

If you are looking for a room with a view, don't go to the Park Hotel, there aren't any views! (The hotel is one road back from the front) Try not to get a room above the road, as the deliveries start at 6am. Having said that, the staff are excellent, very pro British, the hotel is clean and by Malta standards, a good 4 star.

The food is good, with the exception of the (frozen and soggy) vegetables and the ";selection of local and continental cheses"; (Which were cubes of cheddar cheese ony). We had a suite and my Father had a twin room (no single room supplement) The twin rooms were not overlarge (by Canary Islands standards that is), but the suite was OK (In fact it was a family room where 2 children could sleep on the two settees)

We would return again to the Park Hotel if only for the welcome from the staff!, but would probably try BandB next time as there are lots of nice places to eat, at reasonable prices.
The Island is GREAT and SO seeped in history. Valetta is a must. The craft village is full of bargins, and the nice thing is that you are not pestered to buy.

The tours from the Rep are a bit pricy and if you don't mind (a) travelling in a Transit minibus with no springs (We will never complain about UK roads again) or (b) being left to your own devices when you get to the destination, then the local shops offer real value for money.

The local buses at 15 cents into Valetta are a MUST, and the locals are great, especialy if you can say thankyou and please and excuse me in Maltese!

All in all, Malta is the cleanest, friendliest, most crime free place that we have visited in the whole of Southern Europe. , and is unique, go there!

We spent three weeks at the Park, and enjoyed ourselves very much indeed.
We had asked for a low floor and a quiet room - and, arriving at midnight we seemed to have got what we wanted! The Hotel Reception was welcoming and so to bed in a room overlooking at road at the front.and hope!

But at 6.30am the noise started - building work a couple of hundred yards down the road. A few days later drilling started as the road surface was taken up. Ah well, we got used to it. If we go again we'll try to rear of the Hotel and hope!

The Hotel is good with a new keen manager making his mark. The Manager's drinks do each Wednesday was a good way of meeting other people (although the drinks ran out fairly quickly!) - and generally speaking we enjoyed the food in the dining room. Low ceilings here make it a fairly noisy experience at times, especially if you get a large party of people together, but we enjoyed talking to our neighbours at table (American, German, Canadian, as well as Brits were very friendly).

There is an indoor swimming pool which helps when you go in March (the weather was mixed, and sometimes quite cool, though rarely wet), and a jacuzzi. The pool water temperature was blissful at times, especially at the start of our holiday, but they turned the temperature down quite a lot after the first week! The jacuzzi was fine when it worked properly. THe changing rooms were a bit spartan - I didn't try the gym - it looked hard work.

The staff, especially in the dining room were wonderful - extremely friendly, and very helpful. It felt more like beings with friends and the bedrooms were well cared for, and pleasant.

This was our third visit to Malta,(the first was 18 years ago) and we were amazed at how much development has gone on. Mdina used to be in the middle of the countryside - now it seems as if all that will change in the next five or 6 years. We chose Sliema this time because it was near to Valetta - and we really enjoyed the variety of entertainment this nearness provided. Opera at the Manoel Theatre (But don't go in the Balcony OR in the boxes - I have never experienced such uncomfortable seating anyway!), a performance of 'Godspell' in St. James Cavalier, numerous exhibitions, festivals -they even elected a new President so that we could experience another Fiesta whilst we were there!

We took the buses and got out into the countryside - the further you go from Valleta, the more the scenery improves - and Gozo is a must!

There we are - an excellent holiday. We really feel we 'did' the whole island this time. We would recommend the Park Hotel despite the noise, and hope that, one day, Malta will stop building, and repairing its roads, so that peace can return to the island.

Our first visit to Malta. Will certainly return very interesting island. The Hotel was excellent, both staff and facilities. Nothing was too much trouble for the staff and the Hotel was very clean. The Hotel was only a few yards from the sea front and within easy access of the public buses.

The only warning to other holidaymakers is the fact that overall the transport was not disable friendly neither were the majority of restaurants that we visited. Our friend needs to use a crutch stick and despite the rep. being aware of this she did not advise that the trips we booked would prove difficult. There was no small step down from the coaches.

If you are physically able to the buses are marvellous value for money.

If using the Taxis negotiate hard over a price before entering!! They did prove somewhat expensive.

Weather excellent.