The Santa Maria Hotel

Hotel

Avoid avoid avoid.
young adults running up and down halls shouting all night. Staff didn't do anything about it.
food is disgusting. Coffee machine is always breaking.
rooms are very dated. Theres no onsite bar. You have to cross the road for that.

Worst hotel I've ever stayed at. Hotel staff not helpful at all & quite rude. Also they don't like to give deposits back if they can get away with it =/

Myself and my partner and mum went 8th May 2019 for 10 day I hated every minute of it. The food was not very nice I would mot even give it to a homeless person or a dog. The staff was so rude my mum had her key stolen out of the door went to complain about it and all they said to me was tell your mum to sleep with the door open there is no way I was letting my 72 year old mum do that. The only good thing that I liked about it was I mafe some really good friends. I would not recommend this place to anyone and I would mot be staying here again.

Hate it
Buggiba is a concrete jungle
Dirty
Food in hotel is disgusting
Rooms are old and falling apart
Tv doesn’t work
Toilet doesn’t flush
No snack bar no cocktails on alinclusive
No entertainment or games around pool
Boring and nothing todo
And far away from the square too
I’ll Never come back here
People screaming all night slamming doors
Should be 2 stars.

Let's get the good things out of the way first. The rooms are spacious and clean, there's a big wall screen, and balconies overlooking the pool area. Staff is friendly, and the breakfast menu, while a bit plain, nutritious and filling. Now, on to the bad things. The hotel advertises itself as "Parking available" — no hotel should do that if said parking is municipal parking with the guests in direct competition with locals for the available spots! Expect to spend 5-10 minutes hunting for a spot, and the walking to the hotel. The rooms have no potable water — how is this acceptable in the developed world?! You are expected to spend in their lobby vending machines or buy water from local stores if you want to quench your thirst. Overall, the hotel is acceptable, but the arguably false advertising of parking and the lack of potable water in the rooms is just plain infuriating.

Basic accommodation, basic food but all round good value for money. Staff were friendly enough and we had no problems with housekeeping. Food wasn't a la carte but then again didn't pay a la carte money. Place was clean could do with a bit of a refurb. Watch out for timeshare kidnappers, they are a nuisance. Had a problem with the aircon unit but that was soon sorted out. Overall a good holiday.

It is not a luxury hotel, but the value for money is good. If you want to taste different foods, it is the right place. Very varied and good quality buffet service. Now there is an Italian chef Bravo (Carmelo).

Nice inexpensive hotel… Food was great. Enjoyed the stay.

Hotel was clean maids in every day outside hotel was like a war zone filthy full of rubbish
Don’t book hotel if you would like to sleep as it’s more a youth hostel kids running down corridors banging doors and shouting when you complain manager tells you they are paying customers too put up with it
Restaurant was a little run down no air con table cloths need replacing and never any cutlery staff work so hard not a great choice in food same desert every eve I know they say you get what you pay for but we paid a lot more than we got
Think wisely when booking.

Hotel caters for students from other countries from April to end of May, very noisy. The first weekend of May there is a big mysic festival and the whole of Malta is full of teens, 20s etc. So wouldn't recommend going at that time of year. Pool area very clean, there are lots of sunbeds. There is also a bar with tables and chairs.

A nightmare, Zero star is what it deserves. Cleaning is the base, it would be enough!

Can't get rooms clean in time. Came at 10 and checkin was at 14. Still at 15.30 I do not have a room! They have NO priority in cleaning. There are no possibility to eat outside. The poolarea cleans every night and during the day it looks like a garbigebin. Lots of noice from rooms next to you. Very bad all-in-clusive with the same breakfast every day and lunch/dinners no better. Only place to sit outside your room is in the lobby if you dont want to sit in the bar that play so loud that you cant talk. This hotell I will never recommend or go back to.

Simple and clean room, noisy at night, you constantly hear people walking and talking and screaming x the hallways.

Then the hotel is not terrible but there are absolutely no things to change including the food which is something imaginable appart 2/3 dishes.
The sheets are dirty and it seems, they don't wash them for months and we don't talk about the towels which those wash only if you go to complain in reception. Leaving out these poor hygiene details and inedible food the rest is really nice there is the pool, in the lobby there is a nice lounge in the rooms it works pretty much all over the television and the staff is really friendly.
If it wasn't for the little hygiene and the poor food I would have put 4 stars.

Very noisy hotel. Too bad because very well located.

Hotel too vetuste… Zero customer security.

I'm only a few hours here but it's very small it just has a small bin in the bathroom. The shower is drecking and the beds are well located.

Terrible! Outrageous! Nothing works, everything is extrapay. Even the remote control for the TV has a cost. Very noisy. What closed does not work. Breakfast is not included even if you buy it with your booking. Try to avoid this hotel if you can. I am sure that there are other options…

It was quite ok, but there are just cockroaches running around there.

Sadly very noisy especially at night shouting and door slamming by drunken residents to the early hours. They accommodate large parties of students at regular intervals which adds to the noisy environment. The fire alarm goes off without warning at anytime day and night and is mostly now ignored by the residents which in the case of a real emergency could have fatal consequences. The management didn't seem to have any noise policy.
The staff I would give 5* especially the cleaners. The food was a bit cold so only eat here once in my 6 week stay. The internet is weak and the TV is mostly in Maltese lacking any major news channels. There is plenty of hot water to bath and shower but the bath was small and had been hand painted inside which came off in flakes to float on the surface. This place is totally unsuitable for older people due to the constant noise and hilly nature of the area. The locals have nicknamed the area "Beirut" due to the piles of garbage and dog faeces littering the damaged pavements albeit of no fault of the hotel. I find it hard to believe that Mercury Travel Company use this place. A small positive amendment to the above is the opening of the refurbished restaurant in which we ate a reasonable breakfast. More info available on my fb page. Another large batch of students has descended on the place arising to more shouting and door banging till late at night.

Hotel staff very nice, helpful and do speak english although some people have said they don't. Apartments could do with money spent on them, it seems that if it don't move paint it. We had to go over the road for meals as dining room at santa maria not open. Food not brilliant but edible most times. Not able to get snacks during the day, but that could be because we went the beginning of february. Not sure that I would want to go back there. The one good thing was a chap called Phil, who sits in the reception across the road. You can book trips from him, but he is also a mind of information regarding the buses and places to visit. Pity you can't get travel agent reps to be like him. He is so friendly as well.

Food is very bad and disgusting. Pasta is like dog food, Cake dessert is disgusting. Restaurant smells like drinage. However, room service and accomodation is great.

If you're looking for a cheap but relatively decent place to stay I would recommend staying here. The hotel does have alot of problems but the staff do as best they can to rectify the issues. I would not recommend eating in the hotel, the food is some of the worst I've ever had. Most of the bar staff could use a lesson in hospitality so I would not recommend drinking here also, you will find better and cheaper place's near the square\strip.

Just back all inclusive, unfortunately I spent more money eating out, food definitely needs to be upgraded and served hot … if you wanted coffee later you either have to use the machine and pay or go across the road to get one on all inclusive… Rooms very cold but I got a small blow heater and one blanket, I used my coat at night on top of bed.
All the staff were lovely and very helpful. Hotel just needs a rethink of meal planning and drinks etc and upgrade in bedrooms and bathrooms … even just heat wise maybe duvets and not old thin blankets x.

Great location but old hotel restored and bad meal.

The food wasn't good. It was cold and boring. Room was clean enough. We went I December so we knew it might be cold. We asked for blankets, mine was filthy. My friends looked like an old rag. The staff were very good and did their best. This place needs a lot of love and cash to bring it up. Shame. It has the bare bones of a nice place.

Value for money! What you need for a budget traveler, especially if you take a room with breakfast and dinner, convenient location, not far from the three beaches, 10 minutes by bus…

We like it very much here.
Plenty of food, so there's always something that smirks well. The staff is nice and courteous. You get every extraordinary wish
(For example, a second pillow) immediately met.
Other wishes were also immediately tackled, it was immediately taken care of to our complete satisfaction. The furniture is getting older, but that doesn't bother us a bit. The rooms are fine, the chambermaids really do their all best, they've earned a lavish tipple.
We will definitely spend one of our following holidays here again.
It's nice here.
We like it!
Thank you for the lovely time, dear staff. Keep it up. See you. Dear greetings
Ingrid and Günter.

Don't ever go there! It's the worst place ever.
The hygiene is very poor. In my room, toothpaste and hair were still glued to the walls in the bathroom. The mirror and the wall at the sink were also full of toothpaste splashes.
In bed there was also hair and on the pillows under the cover were traces of blood that were not washed out.
The food was also very deficient.
But ok, I don't have any big demands and have come to terms with it and just wanted to enjoy these days and switch off.
Other countries different customs, I closed my eyes.
What spanned the arc, however, was the check-out today. I handed over the key, ok. Then I gave the receipt about the 50€ I had to deposit for the room, which I was to get back today. The manager took them and went to the other hotel to "get the money. " Came back and showed me another receipt that was already paid back on the day of my arrival. It's my fault I don't get anything back. He would be sorry but he couldn't do anything about it. I should go.
Since my taxi was already waiting, I couldn't get involved in any conversations, which he waved off and said, 'No, it's just like, I'm myself, done. I wouldn't have a chance. '
Great thanks, I was really relaxed and satisfied before and now I could cry and am really angry.
Any promises in the hotel's description, of tea and coffee in the room and mini-bar, heating and blah blah, did not work. There was none of it.

What can I say, Do not, Do not, go there, customer service rubbish, food, it is not fit for consumption, rooms, I booked two poolside rooms as I had a friend with me in a wheelchair and it would be nice for her to sit and enjoy the sun on the balcony without leaving the room if she wished. We were given two rooms looking at a brick wall, I asked for a change of rooms only to be told it would cost 150 euro, I said No, I was talked down to 50 euro, there was no paper work and nothing to show for the said 50 euros. We were given to rooms poolside only to be invaded with BEDBUGS, the only staff that was helpful was the housekeeper Elaine she did her best bless her. The manager Aldo has no idea what is going on in this shambles of, and I use the term loosely, Hotel!. Again I say if you want a good holiday Do Not Go To the Santa Maria or the San Anton (they are sister hotels) choose somewhere else, Malta is beautiful and there are lots of different places to stay. I gave it one star because it would not give me a minus option.

Not as bad as some of the reviews, I read, our room, overlooking the pool was lovely, brand new mattresses and pillows. Bathroom was very clean, hairdryer didn't work. Towels and bedding changed every couple of days, which I'm sure is enough! Food not brilliant but found some thing to eat each day. Lunch was better than dinner. Staff very nice, so no complaints really, get what you pay for!

I have stayed here a few times, good size hotel. Room was well looked after Sharon was extremely helpful look forward too coming back.

I've just come back from here with my sister. The pool area is lovely. We also went across the road to try the pool there. They had better sunloungers! Staff were friendly and helpful. However, when we first arrived we were given a room with a street view… when in fact it was a 6ft white brick wall! We asked to be moved, which we did, then had a view of the pool. The breakfast menu was horrible! Lunch and evening meal better. We were all inclusive. There was no buffet inbetween the meal times. I wouldn't choose to use this hotel again due to the food. The room was clean and simple. Beds made everyday. Close to the square and the bus routes. Watch out for the taxi drivers as they will charge you more if they can. Check the price before you get in the car.

The worst breakfast ever, ever and ever. It is a simple place to sleep and maybe if you do not want go out, enjoy the swimming pool and this is all. It is simple but good for the price.

Rooms are cozy, most of the staff friendly and overall building is very well equipped. Meals are also one of the best I've eaten during my travels. Some problems I had include encounter with a cockroach, though It happened once, and a bit heated and unfriendly discussion with the staff, though thankfully everything was resolved quickly. Really nice place to stay.

Basic, problems with fans, locks, air conditioning, constant noise from floors of students from BILS, low water pressure, sliding doors to balcony don't lock, chairs disappearing, lift failures, most staff are kind calm and pleasant given the aging building that they are straddled with. Malta is a wonderful place, ignore the canvassers trying to sell you time share via tickets that you've won something, tell them that your a Canadian and they won't bother you, they need EU people. Good swimming pool, many bars and shops, near main road for excellent bus system €21 will get you a travel card with unlimited travel for seven days. There is a lot to see, good proximity to sea front, lots of shops and lots of restaurants. Oh they valet the rooms between 10\11 good service & patient.

Typical hotel in San Pawl, good for sunny break. You get what you pay for. Breakfast and dinner is basic but VERY good for the price.

One of the worst hotels ever, food is not fit for human consumption, cockroaches a plenty, ran out of towels and sheets and even beer. Rooms rarely cleaned. It really is that bad and the reason it got the one star from me is because of the breakfast which was the only meal of the day that was edible. This hotel gives malta a bad name and malta is lovely.

Not the best place to go, most of staff are a waste of time, we lost our first 2 days because they over booked, we went self-catering, did not get a self-catering apartment till 5 o'clock 2nd day, was told by other people on full board food was so bad they started to go to local cafe, cockroaches were in the apartment and in the bar (barman had no idea how to run a bar or pull a pint, he said never done job before, started 2 days ago, never go there again. Went with easyjet, was told staff would print out boarding card for return flight, only one great member of staff could do it, other people were worried sick of what to do, I helped 3 other party's when I found out when the same staff member was on duty a great girl too good to work at a place like that. Was 2014 when we went there, only just seen you can leave comments.

Nothing
sucks dirty room cockroaches everywhere even in the dining room eating bad breakfast just all English nothing sweet to absolutely avoid D.

Stayed in that hell hole from the 21/07/2015 till the 28th TV didn't work had to hire air/con for 50 euros per week plaster falling of the walls outside room door. Shower head broken of wall rusty taps on sink which had no running hot water. Electricity worked with your door key so when you go out and come back later the rooms are like ovens because you can't leave your hired air/con on? No Wi-Fi and ques all day at reception desk with people complaining WISH a could upload pics hear just to let people no what it was really like.

Nice and full, you can't ask for more.

Blue sea not a bad hotel food good, staff very pleasant, bedrooms small but adequate only two small complaints first the location, it must be the highest hotel in malta god! those walks into town second plastic glasses I can understand it outdoors by the pool but indoors in the bar not enjoyable.