Malta - Hilton Hotel

Unlike Mallorca and Ibiza, Malta has not yet realised its potential.

First impressions suggest that Malta is largely a post World War Two relic.  Despite making efforts to move on, Malta is still fundamentally stuck in the same rut as Jersey and Gibraltar.  I always feel that the main street in Gibraltar resembles how I would envisage Barnsley High Street in the 1950s (a coal mining town in Yorkshire, England).

An ‘open all hours’ food store in St Julians, Malta, carries a huge sign which says “This is Anfield”.  Only a few hundred metres from the 22 floor Portomaso Tower, this ‘Liverpool Football Club' fanatical corner shop is clear evidence of the strong British ex–pat influence which Malta has to counter if it is to turn itself into a sophisticated 21st Century tourist destination.

Perhaps it is the case that Malta has not had the injection of overseas money which, for example, the Costa del Sol, enjoyed from the Middle East, but there again, perhaps Malta is thankful for this.

St Julians’ Portomaso district is the up and coming part of Malta.  It is here that you will find all the top hotels, with the Hilton forming a central part of the complex which includes the Tower and Portomaso Marina, where it is claimed, David Beckham and other international footballers, own apartments.

Let’s get one thing straight.  The Hilton Malta claims 5 Star status, which may be justifiable relative to other hotels in Malta, but it is certainly not 5 Star when judged against international standards.  The hotel is large, with a number of restaurants and 3 swimming pools.  The vast lobby, which looks down upon the cavernous Oceana Restaurant reminds one of some of the large Asian hotels, but it is certainly not in the Shangri La league. The hotel is geared towards conferences, but not the top end executive level.

The Shangri La influence extends to the ‘Executive Floor' which adopts a number of their ‘Horizon Club’ facilities and services, but once again, without the style or class.

I reserved a King Hilton Executive Plus room, which by my reckoning, should have been one of the best in the hotel.  I checked in at the Executive Lounge on the 9^th Floor.  The lounge is large, with a number of sofa seating areas, ideal for small meetings.  It also has a narrow balcony, with a number of tables for two, overlooking the sea. These are ideal for breakfast, which is complimentary for all Executive Club guests, and offers scrambled eggs, bacon, etc., as well as fruit, cold meats, cheese, etc., etc.

Complimentary drinks and canapés are served between 6pm and 7pm in the Executive Lounge, and not surprisingly, the lounge is packed. The satay was poor and the satay sauce, like runny gravy.  Maltese wine is not a great option. This camel stuck to G&T.

My room was large but not one of the recently renovated rooms the hotel boasts of on its web site.  I found this odd, as I would have thought the better Executive rooms would have been a priority.  A large private terrace (12ft X 12ft) overlooked the sea, but it was clearly not there to be enjoyed.  A small table and two chairs were stacked in one corner.  That was it.  There was potential to make something of this space but it had not been realised by the hotel.

The web site talks of the luxury bathroom.  Not in my room.  The bathroom was marginally more than 7ft X 9ft and very poor.  The bath was small with a shower attachment over the bath. One washbasin and two loo roll holders (in case a guest decided to steal the spare loo roll?).  Luxury was not the word to describe this.

Oddly, the toiletries were good.  Crabtree and Evelyn ‘La Source’, liberally replenished night and day, which leads to another oddity.

Hilton, is one of those hotel groups who claim social / eco conscience.

‘We Care!” they claim.  Please save the planet and reuse your towels.  Fair enough, but when guests are asked to finish one tube of shampoo before opening another, the more cynical might ask if the words ‘about profit’ should be added to ‘We Care!’

A complimentary bottle of water in the room is a touch more hotels should follow, and tea and coffee making facilities are always welcome.  Free or inexpensive Internet access is also always welcome, but not offered here.  Provided by Malta’s ‘Go Mobile’, the wireless Internet access is the most expensive I have encountered in any hotel.  Approximately 30 euros for 5 hours or 60 euros for 20, hours cumulative access, especially when you have to log off between sessions, is poor value and hassle.  To make matters worse, there was no easy way of logging off so I ended up closing my browser and killing my wireless connection to be sure I wasn’t burning through expensive credit.

There was one final point about the room which I thought was appalling.  To sell guests, via the mini bar, at a cost of 10.48 euros, a mosquito repellent device is unforgiveable.  You either need it or you don’t, and if you do it should be provided with the room.

The Hilton has a Blue Elephant restaurant which, if you are unfamiliar with the concept, is a gimmicky way of introducing the uninitiated to Thailand.  They claim that the restaurant emulates an authentic Thai village but I have never seen one with such highly polished wood and roof tiles.  The food is okay but the whole experience is a bit ‘Disneyesque’.

The hotel is beside the Portomaso Marina which has the very good ‘Dusk Lounge’ for drinks and Zen restaurant which is to Japan what the Blue Elephant is to Thailand (almost).   The overall lack of sophistication is reflected in the huge popularity of the restaurant next door to Zen - Buffalo Bill’s Steak House.

One breath of fresh air is ‘22’, the bar at the top of the Portomaso Tower, which is excellent for an after dinner drink.

It will probably surprise you to learn, after all I have said above, that this camel actually liked the Hilton Malta.  As a place to stay, whilst on business in Malta, it works, although at around 330 euros per night, my stay was no bargain.  It certainly seems much better than the other ‘5 star’ hotels here, with the exception of The Westin, where I would most probably stay next time.

As a hotel to stay whilst on vacation – no.

I think there are more appealing places than Malta to holiday at the moment.  Hopefully that will change.

Hilton Hotel
Portomaso
St Julians
Malta