Grand Hotel Excelsior

We booked our stay at Grand Hotel Excelsior for a family wedding, excited and expecting a memorable experience. Unfortunately, what awaited us was nothing short of a disaster. We arrived around 10:45 a.m. and politely requested an early check-in. The staff accommodated us temporarily in a room that was far below standard — but I chose to stay optimistic, hoping our actual room would make up for it. Sadly, things only went downhill from there. Our “final” room was so poorly maintained that I had no choice but to complain immediately. The linen had visible stains, spider webs hung from the lamp, the furniture was coated in dust, and the bathroom clearly hadn’t been cleaned. This was unacceptable for any hotel, let alone one claiming to be “grand.” To make matters worse, they changed our rooms three times in an attempt to fix the situation — a process that took so long we missed the wedding entrance festivities we came for. Imagine the frustration and disappointment of traveling for a family celebration only to be let down so badly by the hotel meant to host you. We paid for comfort and cleanliness, but what we received was chaos and carelessness. The management seriously needs to rethink their standards and quality control. What should have been a joyful family occasion turned into an exhausting and upsetting ordeal.

This hotel had been recommended to us by people with high standards. All in all a good 7 nights away celebrating my partner’s 60 th Birthday. Definitely not 5 star hotel probably between a 4 and 4.5 I am an attention to details person. Check in for us was speedy. We had a deluxe inland view which looked out over the front of the hotel at the steps that you climb to Valletta, it was a pleasant view. Mattress ok but not great. I don’t get that the carpets in the rooms aren’t being replaced as they are awful. I found breakfast busy and underwhelming NO decent fresh juice available, all cheap juices nothing that resembles fresh orange juice. No prosecco or Buck’s Fizz at breakfast ( offered in all 5 star hotels I have stayed in) No decent bananas, all bruised, no Granola, just cheap cereal and the yogurt wasn’t very nice. Staff Very slow to remove your dirty plates from table. Sunbeds a plenty but really uncomfortable to lay on. Indoor pool and jacuzzi cold which to me is all cost cutting and outdoor pools freezing and no beach. Access to the sea via a ladder. Pool bar food nice. I have a complaint to make about a particular shuttle bus driver, he was absolutely the rudest most disrespectful man, I am going to be emailing the hotel separately with regards to the incident. NO hotel guests should be spoken to in the way he does. Valletta itself is very nice and we are out their evening. Probably won’t stay here again as all the dislikes add up and when I go away I want my home comforts or better, not worse. Shout out to Karolina & Dean at Ocean poolbar they make a good sparkling sangria.

Pros and cons: All the staff were very friendly and gave a great service. The bedroom was spacious, it was very clean but the décor was dated; the colours were drab. The mattress needed replacing, it sagged in the middle so we rolled into each other in the night. The bathroom was large with an amply powerful shower. The lighting was good and there was a useful Separate magnifying shaving / makeup mirror. The towels provided were a bit worn , not fluffy and too small. They were replaced daily whether we wanted them to be or not. There were lots of toiletries provided and they were promptly replaced. Room lighting was good, with a spotlight over a big mirror, good for doing hair and makeup. The hairdryer provided was not at all powerful with only two settings, cold or scalding and no directional nozzle. The air conditioning worked well, even though it was high thirties outside, the room cooled quickly and it was not noisy. The carpets were worn and wrinkled in places The free wifi was sufficient for our needs- emailing and browsing on the net. The breakfast buffet was very good with lots of choice. There were two separate stations to get cooked eggs or pancakes. The food was hot and the waiting staff were friendly and efficient. The poolside service was exceptional, with the staff sometimes literally running getting orders There was a good range of drinks and food available to order, we had some really tasty ciabbattas, The sunbeds were really uncomfortable, just a metal frame either a mesh bed, no mattress toppers Poolside towels were small, not big enough to cover half the sunbed, also not very thick, a lot of people were using two. All in all, great staff, facilities mostly very good, but not five star standard. A good four, but not five.

This is a well placed hotel for exploring the capital. The communal areas are grand in an old fashioned way. The issue I had was with housekeeping although staff friendly they forget things. Towels were not replaced and I had to phone twice. Not ideal when wanting a shower. They forgot toilet rolls one day. It’s basic housekeeping! The room could have been cleaner, shower tray full of scale. The bed dipped in the middle I’ve come home with a sore back. We upgraded to a delux garden room. It overlooked the hotel entrance. It certainly isn’t 5 star. Breakfast was good but had to ask for fresh tea otherwise you get cold stewed pots. Drinks very expensive compared to restaurants in the city.

Wow from the moment you walk in so glad we picked this hotel just wish we could have stayed longer. Fantastic room with a complimentary bottle of wine and a lovely note welcoming us, now that's service with a touch. Our room was large with a good size bathroom, lovely pool and a great view. Walking distance to Valletta, although they have a free shuttle that will take you as well. The staff at the front desk certainly know their customer service skills and I was most impressed with all their information on arrival which was a bit later into the evening. We ate a light meal in their very relaxed bar area which was wonderful. Breakfast was chaotic there were quite alot of people staying there but they had plenty of staff on, some happy some not. Food was plentiful you could not go hungry. We decided to eat in at night not a lot of restaurants nearby ,although plenty in Valletta which you can shuttle too. We found sitting at the window enjoying the most beautiful view more enjoying. Would I stay again? Most definitely but longer.