Grand Hotel Excelsior

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.

A great stay in a great location. After reading all the reviews I had some warning of what to expect so no disappointments'. We chose Valleta for its location and we chose the Grand Excelsior for the mini bus that runs every 20 mins to the gates and how close it was to most everything. The shuttle - we were lucky and seemed to step onto it every time with no waits. Honestly it really isn't a long walk up hill to the gates and many people seem to walk if the mini bus was full. But if you have mobility issues as my fellow traveller did, it was great. We did walk back one day when the shuttle got delayed for some reason and all the steps down to the hotel were challenging for my friend but fine. Rooms - we were in 707/708 and decided it was the better side to be on since these rooms got the sun later in the day, the perfect spot to sit out before going out to dinner. The balconies lack privacy but that is unavoidable as the hotel is V shaped so you would loose the view if the balconies had walls between them. Neighbours were respectful of each other and were quiet. Like many had said before, the rooms are dated, the bathrooms are in dire need of an update and no doubt that is on the cards at some point. I read complaints of being dirty but it was just limescale build up and old age. The staff are working with what they have and doing a great job under the circumstances. The beds were comfortable and the rooms surprisingly quiet, i'm a light sleeper and didn't get woken by banging doors or showers in the next rooms. We each had a repair issue which we reported to reception and it was sorted by the time we got back to the roo that evening, no re reporting again and again. An observation my friend made was, were those dated bedspreads just taken away entirely it would give the rooms a fresh look as the white crisp duvet and sheets were lovely. Food - surprisingly good, I don't have high expectations of hotel restaurants but we ended up eating a late lunch on the day we arrived, and two evening meals as the food was good. We also ate 1 meal outside by the pool that was also good. Negatives would be the bar snack menu, only a very few items that never changed & hot very exciting. The breakfast buffet needed some work, like others stated get some proper juices. Bad oj and cranberry was cran/raspberry (which nearly put me off picking the hotel. It may seem odd, but some of the basics are what I judge a hotel on, as we can all have different preferences for foods, but things like juices & pastries are universal.) Talking of the pastries' at breakfast, they really let the place down too. At this point every hotel, motel and petrol station has good pastries, you buy them in frozen uncooked, take them out the night before and hay presto, crispy fresh croissants for breakfast. (sorry x hotelier here...) so even a day old they are now stale. Day 3 I did try 1 just to see was I wrong, and no they were day old and no one seemed to be touching them. Scrambled egg though, a big thumbs up, I'm not usually a fan of pre prepped eggs and they tend to be chewy but these were great. The service for breakfast was fast and efficient and the hosts had a great system to get things moving along quickly. Staffing - The staff couldn't be nicer. (rule #1 in hospitality if your nice people will forgive any errors and be kind. Super nice staff across the hotel and a credit to the business. Pool Area - not a huge pool area, but then to me it's not a beach/ pool hotel, you are coming for the sights. We had a lunch by the pool and there was service right to you sunbed if you wanted drinks. The following week the 2nd pool bar/restaurant would be opening for the season. Not a huge number of sun beds, but certainly no shortage when we were there.

Valletta has several small luxurious boutique hotels within it's walls but if you want a large quality hotel with 5* facilities within walking distance of the City, the choice is limited. When money is no object and you want to rub shoulders with celebrities and statesmen, there is the Phoenicia. if your wallet doesn't quite stretch that far or you prefer something a little less ostentatious there is the Grand Hotel Excelsior. This is a long established 5* Hotel ten minutes walk from the City's Main Gate. It is maybe a little long in the tooth but it is still opulent and has all the trappings expected of a 5 * hotel. Public areas are "traditional" rather than modern but give an air of luxury and the staff are well groomed, efficient and friendly. There are also several bars and two main restaurants, a large outdoor area around a big swimming pool plus an indoor pool, gym and spa. Bedrooms are spacious with older, traditional quality furniture. The "superior" rooms (one of which I stayed in) have en-suite facilities, a fridge, kettle and safe. What of the down sides? The plumbing in the rooms is a tad dated as are the decor and the electrics. You cannot drink the tapwater (although bottled water is replenished daily) and there are no bed side reading lights in the rooms. Changing and showering facilities for the pools and gym are very basic with no lockers, saunas or steam rooms outwith the spa. The hotel is also located on the harbour side and the walk up to the City is quite steep. A limited free shuttle service runs throughout daytime beween the hotel and the main approach to the City but if you are able it is more convenient to walk. My Wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our 10 day stay at the Grand Hotel Excelsior and would be happy to return. I understand though that it is soon to be closed for over a year for major refurbishment. If so that probably means it will loose much of its character and charm and it's prices will go up.