Grand Hotel Excelsior

Natalia Perez-Lopez

What a wonderful stay! The rooms were very clean and even had turndown service! The staff was very pleasant and accomodating. The location is absolutely superb! there are swimming pools and also access to the cristal clear waters of the sea, as well as being 10 min walk to the town centre (there is a shuttle every 20 min if you don't want to walk!) The only thing I would suggest is to get a Bolt or Uber from the airport (around 15 eur) instead of a hotel taxi (40 eur). Breakfast was very impressive, and cocktails by the pool fabulous. All in all, a fantastic stay:)

Victoria Thorogood

Really is an exceptional hotel is an amazing location, As soon as you step out of your transport the entrance of the hotel is stunning.Great welcome is given,the rooms are great size and the cleaners do an amazing job keeping your room clean. The pool area is beautiful you have a pool view or the sea view. I prefer the sea view on the private beach as you can get a nice breeze too and watching the boats and the sea life is great to watch. The shuttle service is brilliant as it does get very hot and is helpful to get you in town rather then arrive a sweaty mess. There is a shuttle to take you back too. We only had bed breakfast while staying for two weeks the breakfast there was everything you could possibly want and enjoyable. All the staff here was lovely and a great representation of the class of this hotel oh and you don't need to get up early to get a sunbed as there are plenty. I love this hotel. But you need to get booked up quick as in March it will close for refurbishment. Love,love,love this hotel Thank you. Victoria

Iseult

So in need of an overhaul, decor is so 1970s early 80s and not in a good retro or classic way. Everything is dark brown and magnolia. No sockets near bed which would be a benefit.Interior dining areas although facing the sea are dark and oppressive. Breakfast is ok, nothing special.Day time pool area is lovely and tiki bar food is very good, pool is fab although steps into it are a little slippy, a hand rail would help. Come evening the place is dead though and devoid of atmosphere even with live entertainment. The a la carte restaurant food is below average, well food I had was anyway, fish dish 30euro excluding accompaniments. Had fresh fish in the very luxurious Phonecia up the road and it was 32 euro but included all side dishes and set in the most amazing surroundings. Service staff are very pleasant but can be a bit all over the place and sometimes a bit overbearingly helpful (ie its ok i can order my own drink at outside bar and carry it back to lounger myself thank you, but no was told this had to be done for me by a few over zealous staff members). Bedrooms are large as is balcony but no privacy, no partition between balconies,which makes it hard to relax when neighbours are on their balconies too. Shower is very good though, toiletries are good quality, plenty of water replenishment and housekeeping staff are excellent. Most reception staff are great, especially the Russian lady whose name I unfortunately dont know. Location is great, fab views and less than 10 mins walk to ferry and 10 mins walk to main area. Anyway sorry judgement is harsh but at almost 300 euros a night, it is over priced for what's offered right now. But if they do some improvements as planned the place will be top class.

Doug Isaacs

A grand hotel, literally and figuratively, if a little faded grandeur. Probably built in the 80s and shows it a little, a bit tired in places. Nice pool with good views, staff were excellent. Free shuttle bus up to Valetta old town, not far but in summer you'll be glad not to walk up the hill! The only issue we had was the AC in our room wasn't really cold enough in the summer temperatures, but they moved us to another room where it was better but still not ice cold. Choice of restaurants which were good. Recommended.

Shaun L

This is our go to hotel in Valletta with its fantastic outside pool, private beach area with harbour access for a swim, friendly helpful staff, comfy rooms and a very good breakfast selection even if it does get busy at times. Its location a short walk away from the Valletta city gate makes it ideal although if you can’t manage the steep steps up to the main road the hotel does provide a shuttle bus on a regular basis. That said hotels need to move with the times and some people will find the rooms a little dated and that’s a fair comment. Also technology is not something that the Excelsior has yet to really keep up with. For example there are no usb ports in the rooms, in fact our room with a sea side view has no bedside table plugs which is frustrating. The WiFi also drops out and slows are times. These are basics in this day and age which I hope the hotel can invest in. For all the great service that the staff provide, and everyone is friendly, the most bewildering aspect for many is the lifts. Reception is on floor 6 and that just throws all newcomers with people riding the lifts up and down for a while to find their bearings. Perhaps a few more signs would help. The lift programming probably doesn’t help as they are slow. All in all though this is a very good hotel for a Valletta stay. Nowhere else will you get harbour access for a sea swim. Just some tech things to improve.