Review: The Palace Hotel, Sliema Malta

Recently, Joe and I have been having a great time trying out hotels around the island. They're so cheap at this time of year that it's a great weekend treat that doesn't have to break the bank plus it gives me lots of material to share on here for you guys! For years people have been asking me for hotel recommendations but because I lived here I hardly ever used them. Hotels haven't quite caught on to the benefits of working with bloggers yet, so for now, each winter I will try and stay in as many hotels as I can to get an idea of which are the best... that's dedication!

Recently Joe and I spent a night at The Palace Hotel in Sliema. This is owned by AX Hotels who also own The Victoria hotel in Sliema (which is actually connected to The Palace) as well as the Sunny Coast Resort and Spa and the Seashells Resort, both in Qawra. The Palace Hotel in Sliema, Malta is a 5* Hotel featuring a rooftop infinity pool, an indoor pool, sauna and steam room as well as the Marion Mizzi Spa. Some of the rooms on the Palace Hotel website look incredible, really boutique and retro but I'm not 100% sure they are actual rooms in the hotel- I could be wrong though.

The Rooms at The Palace Hotel in Sliema, Malta

Ours was on the second floor, just a standard double, but the room was enormous. The bed was big enough for 4 people, as it was actually two small doubles pushed together. This is a pet hate of mine, having two beds pushed together. In most hotels if you want a double, they just push two singles together and I understand it makes the room more versatile for them but my heart always sinks when I see it. I inevitably end up sleeping on the crease and waking with a horribly bad back.

Apologies for the bad quality photo, I've no idea why it's so blurred. Tried some editing but couldn't improve it, but you get the idea at least!

The room was nicely furnished, very clean and modern but with opulent touches like a mirrored glass drawing table. When walking through the corridors some of the other room doors were open for cleaning, so we were able to see inside and all the ones we saw were decorated exactly the same way, some rooms just being even bloody bigger!

The bathroom was tiny, but they'd managed to fit a bath in. Be careful when moving the glass shower wall to get in and ut of the bath though, it so easily could smash on the sink which is just inches away! Although I always prefer having a bath, I think if space is that limited, it's really not worth squishing it in.

The Indoor Pool & Sauna Area

The indoor pool, sauna and steam room section of the hotel was heavenly. It's beautifully done up, with comfortable and relaxing beds to recline on, the area is heated and steamy to keep you cozy and relax those muscles. This section is actually in The Victoria side of the hotel, although you don't realise you've moved hotels at all. We got so confused, not realising the two were conjoined and found ourselves lost at one point, unable to find the way back into the Palace side haha!

Sauna

There are two tiny saunas, about big enough for 2 people each, but one was out of action. We really couldn't get the hang of the saunas, which was a shame. They weren't traditional as they didn't have the rocks and the water and they seemed to get to a temperature of about 60 (not that hot for a sauna) and just turn off.

Pool

The pool was of a good size and heated but not super warm, just nice. There are steps leading into the water and it gets to a depth of (I think) 1.2 meters. I couldn't for the life of you give dimensions but it's not really big enough for a proper exercise swim and if 10 people were in there, it'd be a bit crowded. Nice for some gentle relaxation though. Now, this isn't the hotels fault but whilst we were there a family with two kids came in and made the most noise, it drove me crazy. I know, kids are kids and we shouldn't begrudge them some fun but it's clearly a relaxation environment and they were screaming constantly, splashing and jumping (even though it's forbidden) and the parents just encouraged them. Read the room, seriously.

Steam Room

The steam room was really nice. There are 4 little chairs to sit on, apparently one of them was too hot though as none of the men could sit on it. Mine was fine! The steam room got super warm and super steamy- careful when you open the door as the steam will whoosh out and might sting your eyes! There was also a button to release a eucalyptus scent, a very nice touch.

Marion Mizzi Spa

We actually didn't make use of the spa, so I can't attest to how it looks or how good the services are, but the prices looked super reasonable. In the room we had a booklet of all the treatments and the prices (love it when they include the prices!) and the range was extensive, with tailored stuff for men and women, unisex treatments, couples treatments and even services where they would come to your room, which I loved the idea of. Just for checking into the hotel we got a €10 off voucher (when spending over €50) another nice little perk.

TemptAsia Restaurant

We thought, as we were there, we might as well give the TemptAsia restaurant a try. It looks incredible from photos and is very highly rated on Trip Advisor. I'll do a full review of TemptAsia soon but actually, we were quite disappointed. The staff were exemplary, the setting beautiful and the decor was out of this world, but the food was average at best and not quite up to the standard of the rest of the hotel.

Little Annoyances

OK so there were a few things that I noticed that I could have done without.

Motion Sensors

The first will sound weird and maybe I'm being overly picky but the bedroom and bathroom both have motion sensors up on the wall, which flash red when they sense movement. This drove me nuts! The flash was really bright, especially with the lights out and it just really niggled at me, flashing in the corner of my eye every time I moved. Not sure what the point even is- surely when you have guests, it can't serve any purpose and even when a room is empty people will always be going in and out- housekeeping, maintenance etc.

Extractor Fan

Oh my god. The extractor fan in the bathroom was SO LOUD. It comes on automatically with the bathroom lights and stays on as long as the lights are on. Do you know how hard it is to have a relaxing bath with a fog horn blaring right by your ear? Joe was calling me from the bedroom and I couldn't even hear him!

Housekeeping

The housekeeping was fine, the room was perfectly clean. But we stayed for one night, so on the morning, we had to check out by noon. So why then, did housekeeping knock on our door to clean the room at both 10AM and 11AM on the morning where our checkout was 12? Was just a little annoying and showed a little unorganisation as I guess housekeeping weren't aware it was checkout day and should therefore wait until after checkout time of noon.

Would I Recommend The Palace Hotel, Sliema Malta?

Overall we really liked The Palace, the rooms were lovely, the staff were warm, friendly and welcoming; everyone said hello, even just passing in the corridors. We'd absolutely recommend this hotel to people with a larger budget (or a company card!) in summer, or as a cheap, luxury getaway in winter.