Solana Hotel Mellieha

Great Value in Low Season!

Firstly, I have to say, I payed just €175 for a Double Room B&B for 7 nights (hotels.com). So after any negative comment I may make just refer to the previous scentence to put things in perspective again!

For the price (€25 a night B&B for two adults!) this hotel was great, you'd struggle to get a hostel in many cities for that!

The room was spaicious and comfortable, bathroom was a little cramped but nice, shower was good and hot. The only problem with the room was that the TV was about 12inches, and only had Living TV and Eurosport in English, no news channels and no 'Pay Movies', as advertised on the hotel's website. You can rent a Dvd player, but they dont have any dvd's!! Admittedly this was not a major problem, but we arrived very tired, and were looking forward to having the option of relaxing and watching a movie, as it had been listed in the ammenities.

Breakfast was good, tea/coffee, bread, toast, eggs, bacon, sausage, beans, tomato, cereals, fruit (mainly tinned), yoghurt, and a few cakes etc. Didnt eat in the restaurant for dinner, but sandwiches/snacks in the bar area were good and cheap.

The weather wasnt the best while we were there so we didnt get to use the rooftop pool. The Basement pool/jaccuzzi were fine. Pool is warmer than Jaccuzzi (strange) and both are small. Games room & Gym are terrible, not worth bothering with.

The area is very quiet in Feb (not the hotels fault!), so very little diving/excursions going on, and half the bars are closed, so hardly any nightlife. St. Julians area much more lively at night, but about 12Lira taxi ride back.

Restaurants nearby are very good, Il Mithna (I think), converted millhouse, very good food, well priced.

Overall, nice hotel, especially for €25 a night, which has to be a world record!

Top value hotel

Booked this hotel for an inexpensive half term week break.

Initially intending to only have reservation on bed and breakfast basis but tempted by almost as cheap half board offer.

On arrival the hotel looks very smart and staff were consistantly friendly throughout our stay.

Parking is not provided but easily found on any of the quiet parallel streets.

The room was a smart large twin with good views over gardens to the sea - with an additional side area with a bed settee for our teenage daughter. We were suprised to find that as well as kettle we also had a a kitchen consisting of sink,hob, microwave, fridge and utensils - handy for making a quick lunch but not totally necessary because the food was of a very high standard almost without exception all week including a Valentines night special wine included.

Weather was very sunny and warm out of the wind making the roof top pool area ideal for sunbathing.

The inside pool was used for swimming - nice and warm.

The only real complaint from the week was with regard to the almost derelict gym equipment - old and badly maintained.

Other than this an excellent modern hotel, great weather in a nice quiet town with a very nice Chinese just a few doors up (for the one evening we fancied a change)

Excellent hotel, excellent staff, a great place to stay

Stayed here for one week from 23rd January 2007. The hotel, staff, and service were excellent. Stayed half board, and the meals were also superb. The reception staff were very efficient and friendly. Nothing was too much trouble for any of the staff.

We hired a car for the week for £85. This enabled us to get to everywhere we wanted and to stay at each location at our own leisure not a tour guides. The buses run regularly from outside the hotel, supermarket and shops locally are good. Can get sandwiches etc to take out from restuarant across the road, which were reasonably prices and great if you are going out for the day. Time share touts outside the hotel were okay. Once you said no, they left you alone. Nice little local evangelical church near to school, english speaking pastor and wife. We would certainly go back and stay at this hotel. The area is quieter than Sliema, Valetta and Qawra, but nearer to Gozo ferry. Gozo is a lovely island too and well worth a visit. Places to go on Malta - Blue Grotto, Azure window. Sliema, Mosta and Valletta have more shops. Lovely fishing villages at Marsacala and Marsaxxlok, well worth visiting. The Maltese people are friendly, speak very good English, and are polite and courteous. We were impressed too with the young people, no yobbish behaviour which we see in Britain.

Excellent Hotel for value price on expedia!

Great Location, bus stop 2 minutes away, shop across the road to stock up on snacks/picnic bits, plenty of resturants. Didnt think much of the outdoor pool at the solana, however you can use the facilities of the sister hotel which is about a 5 minute walk away!

The cost of a meal in the hotel resturant I thought was a little pricey for a buffet so we didnt try it, all in all the extras offered by the hotel seemed a bit of a rip off, but the hotel was clean and we found the staff very friendly and polite. Malta is a great place to go on holiday to, friendly people, great service and a fantasitc value bus service paid about 7.00 euros for a 7 day bus pass that you could use as many times as you liked ( was great for getting to and from the beach as theres a rather steep hill to the actual town of Mellieha!)

There is so much to do and see on the Island and I definately reccomend going with Oasis tours rather than booking through your rep for trips! They were doing offers of book 2 trips get an afternoon/morning one for free. The guides are excellent and you go around in small groups on a comfortable minibus! Also there is a trip from the marina in mellieha which goes down the coast and around the harbour of valletta which was also great value and imformative!

Enjoy your holiday!!

Good location, clean but reception a little unhelpful

We stayed for 4 nights at the Solana in Nov after finding a cheap deal on Expedia. We found the hotel was very impressive and obviously fairly new. The communal areas are very nice and always seemed to have locals eating and drinking in the bars etc, which for me is always a good sign.

We had a room on the ground floor which had no view but the room was huge and very clean.

We had a TV showing English channels, a kitchenette and a huge bathroom. We had a bootle opening which was a nice touch and kettle etc, although no teabags arrived dispite us asking 2 days in a row. In the end we popped to the supermarket across the room and bought it all there for much cheaper!! The pool areas are really nice, and the view from the roof top pool is lovely!!

There are a few timeshare touts around, we pretened to be french and they left us alone!!

Take a walk down hill to Mellieha bay for a tip in the clear blue sea.

Mellieha is a lovely town to stay in, there are plenty of lovely restaurants, we loved the one which is a converted mill right opposite Billys bar (which is always good on a weekend to watch the Karoke!!). Food is to die for!! Highly recommened the seabass and mussels!!

The old church is a lovely sight to go and see and has great views, there are also some old war rooms near the church which is 1 lira to get in and well worth it!!

A visit to Valletta is a must and really easy as it is just one bus all the way. We followed a walk from the AA guide book which is a definate must!! A visit to the blue grotto is also lovely and you must go on a boat trip in the caves. We caught a taxi there for about 12 lira as it is a bit long and bumpy on the bus. Beware though, the last bus leaves at 5pm, miss that and you could be stranded!!!

Malta is a lovely country to go to and there are sights around every corner!

Hope this helped!!

Good Value Hotel

Very good value, but beware of being put into a rom that overlooks the dingy atrium! We were only there for three nights fortunately any longer I would have gone potty. Tried to upgrade but were told full up.

Very clean throughout hotel. Kettle in room is nice - shame they don't provide tea bags etc to go with it. They say they will provide these at a charge, but in spite of many reminders they never appeared. Billing a bit of a problem too. Reception could be a bit dozy.

Breakfast OK, that's all, but adequate. Nice friendly staff. We'd go there again but insist on a room with natural daylight.

Enjoyed my stay at the Solana Hotel

I stayed with my family (four of us in total) at the Solana over half term. The reception staff were very courteous and helpful. We had a few minor problems with our rooms (some nasty ants on the balcony and faulty airconditioning) but they were sorted out immediately. The cleaners were generally efficient but I had to call them back a couple of times because they had not swept up properly on the balcony.

I booked directly with the hotel and they also organised the airport transfer for us. On booking I had to pay a 50% deposit and the balance on check-in which included the cost of the return airport transfers.

I wasn't overkeen on the breakfast and I thought it wasn't really up to scratch for a four star hotel compared with a similar four star hotel I stayed at in Almeria in September. I would say it was adequate and not much variety.

I was very pleased with our rooms. I asked for two interconnecting rooms (one double and one twin) at the back or side of the hotel because I had heard the rooms on the road were noisy. Our rooms (1401 and 1402) overlooked the side of hotel (not particularly picturesque but no problem). What we got in effect was like having a two bed/two bath apartment. Both rooms had their own doors with locks but we chose to close the door into the main corridor and leave our room doors open.

The double room overlooked the atrium and only had a window but as a family we used the twin room to relax in. The twin room was very spacious and had two twin beds, a sofabed, a table and chairs and a balcony. There was also a mini kitchen but it was locked away and we would have had to pay LM 3.50 for use of it. We had a fridge, safe deposit, kettle (nice touch) and a TV in each room and paid LM5.00 deposit for one remote control. Best to take your own teabags as the hotel charges for providing them.

The pool area was great especially the view over the church and Mellieha Bay. We saw a few couples being shown round by the timeshare reps but they didn't really bother us that much. We got stopped twice by the touts on the street going into the hotel but once we said we weren't interested they left us alone.

I would recommend the Solana Hotel but if I had gone just with my husband and ended up with a small double room overlooking the atrium, I would not have been pleased as they are quite dark and pokey and when I go on holiday I make good use of a balcony.

There is a well stocked supermarket with fresh fruit and veg just across the road and the Bank of Valetta is next door if you need to change currency.

Some good restaurants near to the hotel: Ta Peter (opposite the hotel) and the Chinese (I think it was called the Mandarin). Also worth a mention are the Hilltop, L'Escargot and the pizzeria at the Maritim Antoine Hotel and Spa just down the road. Be warned the Maritim have holiday ownership touts outside as well so just walk on by!

All in all an enjoyable holiday but as mentioned in other reviews, Mellieha is hilly and not really somewhere for people who have difficulties walking.

Great hotel, shame about the timeshares ...

Spent a week at the Solana in September, and found that it lived up to all expectations - very clean, staff were very more than helpful and always friendly and courteous.

We were staying on a B&B basis, and found the breakfast to be more than adequate (seeing as how breakfast for me is usually a banana on the way to the train station, I'm not sure if I'm fully qualified to comment though).

We ate in the restaurant on our first night after arriving in the evening - three course buffet which was again as good as we had anywhere else, very generous portions for the lunch options too!!

The rooftop pool is one of the highlights - great views of the bay and the church at the bottom of the road.

The only negative factor (and this would put us off going back I'm afraid to say) - was the fact that they had a team of timeshare sellers (or vacation club as they now call it - it's the same though !!) operating there for the WHOLE WEEK !!

It's worth mentioning that these sharks do not work for the hotel, and were all British (apart from one of the touts on the street) - and even though they trade on the good impression and reputation of the hotel - they do in fact work for RCI (which they try not to mention !!)

It's a real shame that the genuine hospitality that the Maltese provide is being ruined by allowing this shower to operate there - and I'm sure it puts a lot of people off.

We were approached outside the hotel and were told we would get a free holiday if we had a look round some newly refurbished rooms - that was all we had to do, for an hour at the very most.

By my nature, I'm very suspicious of these things, and alarm bells were ringing - but out of curiosity I went along with it (starting my stopwatch at the same time).

To cut a boring story short - they try and talk to you for hours (we witnessed some couples being stuck with them for hours) and get you to sign up to your scheme.

Some careful 'lugging in' later resulted in hearing that they want you to sign up for say 5 years at over a grand a year. Yeah ... right.

When I told the guy after about ten minutes I would under no circumstances sign up to anything without researching it fully at home, the colour kind of drained from his face and we went our separate ways. Unfortunatley, I had to put with these people waltzing around the lobby all day every day - making it quite uncomfortable to be honest. They acted as if they worked there and owned the place.

In total, they had 4 'suits' of various backgrounds working inside (in order to connect with people of all backgrounds of course) - and four touts circling right outside the hotel (and looking quite out of place too).

I'd be interested to know if anyone else found the same thing.

The hotel was great though - perhaps you could find out if they will be operating before you go - I know I would.

The Solana beats them all

I am quite surprised to read the previous comments on the food at the Solana Hotel. We were at the hotel in early September and my husband and I are regular visitors in Malta in fact it was our 19th time in 12 years! We have stayed for several years in Ramla Bay and at the former La Salita (now named Maritim Antonine) and I must say that the Solana is better by far. The food is abundant but yet of very high quality. Presentation of the food is brill - artist like!! The breakfast menu is actually different every day (cereal, and hot drinks are standard but meat cuts, cheese, juices, and hot items are different every day) not like other 4-star hotels in Malta!! They even offer boiled eggs (not stale black ones from the inside like other 4-star Hotels) Dinners are fantastic. They are themed differently every night - one night was a Maltese Night with traditional food - the Titpana - a local pasta dish is fab! The cheese or ricotta and pea pie was on the buffet and my husband ate half of it!!!! The staff are wonderful - young, cheerful and efficient. They really go out of the way and very friendly. After 2 days we really felt the hotel was like a big house not a hotel. The rooms are immaculate - 5 star standard. The finishing is super - bathrooms beautifullll. The housekeep a short friendly woman does a brill job. The hotel is super clean - the locals are really fussy on their cleaning!!!!! Reception is nice, you can rent a car directly, book taxis, buy maps, book excursions, and they are really ready to help you plan your holiday especially the night staff who have more time at hand. They have a cute cafeteria where they sell the best ice cream on the island! They even offer free wifi from the cafeteria - pity i didn't take my laptop - some other guests said the service was efficient and very fast! Every day there is an activity going on, from wine tasting to dancing to live music .... On Saturdays they were organising transport to the local festas (they're really nice - I could write a book about them) They only charged Lm5 for the transport (return included) and it was good organised. I would recommend that you book this hotel - view their website on --- - I do not want to put your expectations too high but for the price you pay they give a lot and their service exceeds by far that of other hotels who have far more expensive prices.

Hope you have a lovely time in Malta!

June Keay

Don't eat the egg's

Far from the bustle of Valetta, but all in all a nice hotel small and pretty quiet. We had requested a room on the top most floor with a sofa bed (me my husband and a young son) and guaranteed late check in as our flight did not arrive until 12.45am. Upon check were told our room was switched - we couldn't get into our new room and took the late night desk clerk a couple of attempts due to the "key" being from the room we should have had!!!

Anyhow our room was very dissapointing smelled really bad, about as big as a closet, they squeezed a rollaway bed in and the window looked into a coulmn of other balconconies that you could reach out and touch. So ok like a fool I paid for the upgrade to a suite - only to find out that our freinds who arrived several hours before us had been given our original room which was the same as our suite a little smaller but overlooked the street instead of the village! Other than that breakfast was the same every day (don't eat the boil yourself eggs - you may get an unwelcome surprise as one of our freinds did)thank goodness we only had the breakfast plan. Don't bank on getting an after dinner drink the bar is not available to guests for 24 hrs as the desk clerk will tell you - 11.30pm one night I tried to get a cup of coffee - the waiter gave me one but was rude and I have no doubt the maltese words he uttered were swear words. The hotel itself is really nice and most of the staff are very courteous our room was picked up daily - pool on top of the hotel was OK but the veiws were great. Great restaurants all around the hotel - there is no restaurant on top of hotel as in the pictures, long walk to the beach with great views but the bus stops right outside the hotel. This was our first visit to Malta we met our freinds there from the UK for a wedding - would go back again in a heart beat and reccommend the Solana - despite our issues that could happen anywhere it gave us some laughs and it was a pleasant stay at the Solana.