Grand Hotel Excelsior

I booked 7 nights at this hotel but left after only 1 night because the hotel was dirty, the service was terrible, and the overall condition was unacceptable. The hotel staff explicitly told me I would receive a refund for the unused nights, but now they are refusing to give my money back. They are keeping almost €2000 despite promising a refund. If this hotel is really as good as they claim, why do they need to keep money from guests who were so unhappy they had to leave early? I would never recommend this hotel to anyone. I even saw cockroaches in the hotel. This experience felt like a complete scam and extremely dishonest customer treatment. No 5 Star at all!

Another fantastic time at this amazing Hotel. Travelled this time with some friends that were visiting Malta for first time. Janette did an amazing job of booking our rooms with tremendous views which set our trip off to a great start. The unique setting of the Hotel coupled with amazing staff made for a perfect spring trip. With close proximity to Valletta we were able to take in the electric atmosphere of the City which comes alive every evening. Even took in a Kim Wilde concert in a village by the airport. Another tryst excellent trip to a go to Hotel on the Island. Thanks to all the staff that were amazing. Graham Cardiff

We booked 7 nights here through Trailfinders. The receptionist who checked us in got us off to a very poor start. First of all, she told us we were on a bed only basis. Wrong. After much hammering on her keyboard she agreed, without apology, that we were booked in for bed and breakfast. We then went down from reception on the 6th floor to our room on the 2nd floor. This was equipped with twin beds when our reservation was clealy for a double-bedded room. Back up to reception, to the same member of staff. She could not have been less interested. "We are full so the best we can do Is push the beds together and get housekeepeing to put a topper across and make it up as a double bed". No apology, no acknowledgement of our paperwork from Trailfinders - she refused to even look at it. After much effort by the very nice house staff, it transpired that the topper was not big enough to cover two large single beds. We were tired by this stage and my wife was visbly upset. Back up to try to find Guest Relations, who had gone for the day. I asked for the duty manager and from then on things improved. He invited us to enjoy a complimentary drink in the bar while he sorted things out. A double-bedded room had been located on the same floor - funny that. The rest of the seven days were fine. The breakfast buffet is excellent, with at least one chef on duty on the hot food side to prepare fried or poached eggs on request and to make omelettes. We ate twice in the Admirals Landing a la carte menu restaurant and that was good too, and not outrageously expensive. The room itself was ok. It had a small balcony with two chairs and a table, but it was very dusty and uninviting. The double bed was large and comfortable. Housekeeping visited twice a day - once to make up the room and change towels, then in the early evening to offer turn-down service and a tiny complimentary chocolate each. The position of the hotel is outstanding. The city gate of Valletta is only about an 800 metre (uphill!) walk away. The pool area is large and there is a private sea bathing area available to the more hardy amongst us. The water in May is distinctly chilly! With the one exception already mentioned ( she may just have been having a bad day - it happens to most of us from time to time) the staff are excellent and nothing is too much trouble. Would we consider staying there again? Yes we would.

We are spending 4 nights here as I write . The hotel is dated with very heavy furniture. The staff are very friendly especially in the dining areas and bars . Sadly last night there was a wedding with a band right below our balcony . We were given no warning or apology . Tonight there's a function again below our balcony with a band . Again no warning or apology . We are paying top dollar for a premium room . I'll be glad to leave.

Grand Hotel Excelsior gets one star from us. The only thing that lived up to expectations was the location. This is absolutely not a 5 star hotel, and honestly it feels misleading to market it as one. The room was outdated, had a strange smell, and there was a constant squeaking noise coming from the ventilation system. We ended up leaving the hotel and booking another room elsewhere without even staying a single night. To be fair, the staff did try to offer us another room, but unfortunately it felt no different and still far from what you would expect from a 5 star hotel. In the end, we chose to leave. We also still have not received the refund we were told we would not be getting.