Grand Hotel Excelsior

The most amazing holiday. Hotel and amenities above and beyond our expectations. Staff so friendly and helpful. Rooms were high standard, clean and comfortable

Stayed for a week. Lovely location if your well able to climb up a very very steep hill which luckily we were! I can't believe this hotel has 5 stars. The price you pay is for 5 stars everything else gets a 3. Pool side is shockingly dirty. The same cigarette buts and used plasters around sunbeds all week. Outrageous price for basic food. We got the towels for poolside which are small and will cover the back of the sunbed but too small to cover base as well so I asked for a second towel and after getting it was told ' make good use of it your not getting any more' pool side tables covered in spilt icream and food never cleaned all week. Beach area is grit stone and sun loungers packed beside each other. Sunloungers terrible, broken ripped and uncomfortable. Chairs at breakfast so filthy they are sticky to touch. Can't believe this is 5 star. Our welcome on arrival was tepid at best. There was one girl on reception another evening who was very friendly and smile and said hello to us. (didn't get her name)

Great hotel and location. Decor is exceptional quality but quite dated, but I understand a major refurbishment is going on soon so this will lift the standard of the hotel to exceptional in my opinion. Rooms are big, cleaned and replenished daily. Lovely big beds. Pool and staff are excellent with friendly people. Good service. Breakfast is comprehensive and good quality. Coffee could be improved as it tastes like cheap instant coffee. Shuttle bus is good, although one younger driver was quite rude and abrupt and always made you wait, although others were friendly and helpful. Overall great stay. Would stay again.

Location is great. We enjoyed the relaxed athmosphere,, very friendly service , clean spa and pool, good bar entertainment , Only one restaurant with open terrasse, revomendable for dinner to walk into the old town with nany bars, cafes and restaurants

After reading the reviews, I was worried the hotel would look 'sad' - it wasn't, it has the air of a grand hotel kept immaculately clean and maintained. Hope it doesn't lose its character when they update next year. We were upgraded to a Superior room (thank you), very spacious with views of the harbour; enjoyed watching the $300m Black Pearl sailing yacht pass by one evening. We had lunchtime drinks in 2 of the pool/waterside bars - lovely pina coladas - and enjoyed our breakfasts. The staff throughout were super-friendly and accommodating. If you're worried about the walk up to street level, I managed the 80 steps fine despite August heat and a torn meniscus. Then a further walk up a hill but it's all downhill on the way home! We took the free shuttle on the first night to give an idea what to expect. This is the first holiday we didn't bother going in the pool as we loved our spot on the 'beach' terrace with easy access down a few steps to the sea. I kept my sliders on but most people managed the rocks at the bottom of the stairs without. Never had a problem finding sunbeds and lots of parasols which can overlap to provide a lot of cover. There's also a large canopied area near the pool offering good all-day cover, ideal for those with small children. First visit to Malta, loved it.