| Holiday-Truth Readers Reports |
Brian Newbould from Harrogate travelled to Martim Antonine Formerly La Salita Antonine with
Thomas Cook
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 10 2008 |
rated the Martim Antonine Formerly La Salita Antonine as follows:| Cleanliness |  | | Location |  | | Staff | | | Food |  | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: As mentioned in other reviews the ratings for hotels in Malta are often one star off the norm, ie most 4* are nearer 3* however the Maritim is one of the few exceptions to this being in our view a genuine 4*.
On arrival at apprx 1.30am registration in the impressive marble reception area was quick and painless.
First piece of advice. Accept the offer of help with luggage, you will get to your room about 15mins sooner than we did! To explain: The hotel is in two buildings opposite each other linked by a short swish marble tunnel. The street level in the main block is floor 3! in the other block (rooms only) its the usual 1. Add to this a maze of corridors and two tired travelers......
We paid extra for a deluxe room and it was worth it. Larger than standard rooms ours as requested was on a higher/quieter floor. Top marks and many thanks to them. Not all deluxe rooms are located in a quiet area. Garden view rooms (all in the main block) are the quietest, side partial seaview like ours next. The village view (a little artistic license here) directly overlooked the rather noisy main street. In October it quietened around 9pm when the buses stopped but started early-ish the next morning.
The room was clean and spacious had a balcony with plastic table/chairs, small safe, and tea/coffee making facilities. The bathroom was of average size, with a clean modern appearance and spotlessly clean. All linen crisp and clean too.
The modern main block of the hotel housed all the facilities except for one bar and had an air of relaxed quality about it. The brochures will list all the pools etc we can only add that in October the garden pool was little used being at times somewhat in the shade whilst the roof or indoor pool provided ideal popular alternatives. All public areas were spotless and thorough daily cleaning and polishing was often witnessed.
The main restaurant was spacious and elegantly presented. Informal smart dress was (quite rightly) requested for the evening meal. No beachwear/shorts.
Breakfasts consisted of wide choice of English or Continental fare plus fruit, yogurt etc. For 'English' the plates were not quite warm enough, most tureens/ hotplates suffered a similar fate resulting in a lukewarm rather than piping hot result. Perhaps they should consider cooking eggs, (fried, omelettes) to order as done in some other 4* we have experienced?
The cereals were of a strange 'alien' quality and taste to us! Not unpleasant I suppose just different in a funny way. Juices were as experienced at all Malta hotels we have frequented rather watery.
Evening meals usually had 4 or 5 choices, with a different soup each time. Meals were often themed. As one would expect in the Med salads selections were excellent in every respect. All food was well presented and cooked. The sweets were adequate if a little repetitive and restrictive in choice. A big surprise; being so close to Italy, no ice cream!
The hotel is located at the bottom end of the steep narrow main street. Shops and bars are close by. A long walk or short bus trip (1km+?) takes you further down the hill to a great beach, the best on the island.
The locale is best suited to people wanting a quiet relaxing break somewhat away from it all. It is not suitable for the old or infirm because of its hilly nature and even less so for the young disco/bar types who would be totally bored out of their brains! (The Bus Stop is conveniently sited almost directly outside the hotel and costs next to nothing).
All the staff including the manager who was often reassuringly present overseeing mealtimes etc were most pleasant, helpful and thoroughly professional.
We are not entertainment types but thought the various pianists, vocalists, keyboard players and yes even a violinist in the main cocktail bar each night were most appropriate and on the whole excellent. No instant migraine 'thump thump thump' cheap crud here!
We have visited Malta about 6 or 7 times in the last few years, with our kids and latterly as a couple so having recced quite a few we think we know its hotels reasonably well by now. This time our usual hotel, the excellent Coastline at Salina Bay was unavailable, thus we short listed the Riviera and the Maritim the latter having availability.
It did not disappoint. Its not perfect but by the overall standards of Maltese accommodation it is apart from the top notch 5*s in St Julians area but like the aforementioned Coastline (despite its very differing character) one of the 'better' hotels especially so in that all important area of hygiene and cleanliness.
A few quick closing comments: We found car hire enhanced the holiday many times over.
Its quite cheap, they drive on the proper side, sure the roads are bad in places though nowhere near as bad as they used to be. Driving standards are 'iffy' in a ponderous but not aggressive manner. Simply drive defensively and expect them to forever hang off your right rear 3/4, become three wide whenever the situation allows, never ever indicate and treat all roundabouts like a free for all!
Malta is not pretty, in many places its ramshackle, don't be disheartened by the journey from the airport(!) as its excellent highlights of which including Gozo are many. Most are best and easiest discovered by car. Its people apart from the odd surly type are warm and friendly. Its not for everyone, no gray areas, you either like it or you don't. Personally we have down the years become most endeared to the 'small time' islands and their people.
(Top places to visit: Busy Valletta (Upper Barracca Gdns fab views, Republic Street Shops!), Island of Gozo (Victoria and its Citadel, Xlendi, Azure Window, Ta'Pinu), Mdina (tranquility personified! and great view of island), Paradise Bay (nice beach and cafe/barbie place), Marsaxlokk (great Sunday am market and photogenic Luzzu boats in harbour. Parking a bit difficult might have to walk a bit or might get lucky space near harbour).
Click here for more information on this hotel, resort and region
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Caroline from London travelled to Martim Antonine Formerly La Salita Antonine with
Independent
on a family holiday.
There were 3 adults and 2 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 10 2007 |
rated the Martim Antonine Formerly La Salita Antonine as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: We have just returened from and enjoyable half term break at the Maritim Antonine, Mellieha. I spent ages reading reports on this website and chose the Maritim becasue it seemed to have fewer negative reviews. we were pleased with our choice.
We booked 2 Deluxe Rooms with the Sea/Garden view and thought it was worth the supplement.We chose Deluxe rooms because our 3 children were sharing, so we felt they needed more space as they are now 18, 14 and 11. The rooms were very spacious, with a screened off living area with sofa, table/chairs, TV, minibar and then teh balcony with chairs and table beyond. Our duaghter slept on teh sofabed in this area and our 2 boys were in the twin beds in the bedroom part.
The bathrooms were also very spacious and attractively tiled in stone with full bath and a very good shower. The towels were changed daily and the rooms cleaned and looked very tidy again after the maid's visit. The sheets were changed mid week too.
We sat out on the balcony quite a bit but felt we wouldn't have wanted to use the balconies on the street side of the hotel as the road was busy. The views from our baclonies were pleasant but not stunning. We could see the garden pool below adn beyond all the houses rising up the hill. To the left you could see the sea, but as we discovered generally in Malta, there were cranes and building work going on. It wasn't disturbing us at all though.
Finally, the TV didn't provide much other than news channels in English. We thought we might have found the Rugby World Cup Final even on a French or Italian channel but no. We did manage to watch the match in the Hotel Sports Bar though which was fun (despite the result!)
The rest of the hotel more than met our expectations. The dining room was very elegantly presented and the buffet breakfast and dinner very good quality and plentiful. we were usually shown to a table very quickly, even though being 5, we were a bit of an odd number.
At breakfast there was plenty of fresh fruit, yoghurt, cereals,bacon, sausage,fried, boiled, scrambled egg or omelette, tomatoes and beans. Alos, bread, rolls, croissants and various jams. Dinner varied more with a good selection of salads, 2 pasta dishes, and a choice of 4 main courses (including vegetarian). There was also a different soup each day.
Desserts were mainly of the gateau variety with fruit salad, mousse or creme caramel. There were also cheese and biscuits.
I would like to have got out to try more Maltese cooking, but this worked well for our boys who enkoyed the choice adn freedom of the buffet. One night we tried the Pizza resaturant as an alternative and this was also of good quality but service rather slow probably due to several large parties present.
The hotel reception staff were always very helpful to us. We arrived about 2 a.m. and everything was fine. We found the staff generally very friendly and well trained. We used the Internet facilities quite a bit. It cost 2 Lm for 100 minutes.(I think!) There were PCs to use in reception and also my husband brought his laptop and paid for Wifi access (also had to sit in reception rather than in own room). He had problems trying to connect to his work network, but the hotel got their IT guy to help him reconfigure something and he eventually managed to run his payroll from Malta!)
We were unsure what the swimming pools would be like at the end of October. Our weather was a bit unsettled so in fact the children tried the outdoor pools but they were very cold. There were some people swimming in the garden pool and sunbathing around it, and the day we left, the weather was much warmer. The indoor pool on the other hand was very warm and sometimes quite busy. We didn't use the spa at all and my 14 year old was disppointed that he needed to be 16 to use the gym.
The rooftop pool area was very peaceful, with lovely and interesting views. although the abr was closed, a waiter came round every so often (as he did also below in the garden area) to take orders for drinks etc.
So, in conclusion, I would definitely recommend this hotel.Mellieha is pleasant enough adn becasue the island is so small, it's not that far to get anywhere The location is also very handy for shopping, visiting the town and all its amenities, and buses. We decided to hire a car for 5 days, and did park in the hotel underground car park, but it is very tight going up and down the spiral. We had a Fiesta which was about right, but not sure we would have risked it with anything bigger!
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steve from Felixstowe travelled to Martim Antonine Formerly La Salita Antonine with
n/a
on a singles holiday.
There were 1 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 06 2007 |
rated the Martim Antonine Formerly La Salita Antonine as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Very nice hotel. The hotel has full air con. It is split in to two parts with the 2nd building being over the road, connected by a tunnel on floor -1. 2 outdoor pools and 1 indoor. Limited parking. The rooms are very spacious and are very clean. The rooms in the main building on the 2nd floor are noisy due to being on the same level as the pizzeria.
Some rooms over look the bay other either the gardens or road. The only minus I could find is a poor selections of TV channels.
The price when I stayed was 20L (MTL) – very good price
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Pat & Barry from Ipswich travelled to Martim Antonine Formerly La Salita Antonine with
Chevron
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 04 2007 |
rated the Martim Antonine Formerly La Salita Antonine as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Very impressed with the Hotel in general. A German owned chain of hotels and very good value for money. A lot of attention to detail seen i.e. fresh flowers on the tables, clean towels for pool use whenever you needed them.
Ate in the dining room most nights on half board but could use the Pizzeria for lunch if not having evening meal - which was a real bonus. Food was excellent - buffet style - no compaints - only weight gain!!
Only comments are that the air con was not switched on - they considered it still to be winter. Our room was on the road side and noisy early morning so we were unable to open the windows. Were given a fan to help cool the room. Would request a room facing the garden next time.
Also the Bar 120 which served cheaper drinks/cocktails than the Mirage Bar was only open at the weekends.
Staff very helpful and friendly.
Entertainment at Bar 120 on Sunday excellent.
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S. Jones from Telford travelled to Martim Antonine Formerly La Salita Antonine with
idependant
on a friends holiday.
There were 4 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 11 2006 |
rated the Martim Antonine Formerly La Salita Antonine as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food |  | |
| Entertainment |  |
| said: I stayed at this hotel with my husband,sister and her husband curtesy of acess to leisure(time share club) Having been to Malta many times over many years we thought it might make a change. We arrived late at night and shown to our suite which had 2 bedrooms and living/dining area and wow were we surprised. we had a corner suite with a large balcony with our own jaqusi and sunbathing furniture which was checked every day for chlorine levels and heat settings. We had a mini bar and the only downside was that we were there on a self catering basis but the facilitys for cooking were very limited but we like to eat out anyway. The staff and facilities were second to none with indoor and outdoor pools,restaurant and pizerea. Bar at the front of the house was a lovely plce to sit when we returned after our meal for a quiet drink and I can say we were treated like royalty
we would stay at this hotel again but there are many more hotels to try and I like variety.
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Laurie / Lin Guest from Eastleigh travelled to Martim Antonine Formerly La Salita Antonine with
Chevron
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 1 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 06 2006 |
rated the Martim Antonine Formerly La Salita Antonine as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff |  | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: When we booked with Chevron we requested a quiet room away from the lifts on a higher floor. We were told we would be upgraded to a de-luxe room. When we arrived we were put on a room on the first floor directly above the restaurant. We were opposite a lift and a housekeeping room that was used from 6a.m onwards.
We were also put in a standard room. The first night there was a wedding in the conference suite on our level so was kept awake until the early hours. At the 'meet the management evening' we were told there was a wedding on the Friday for 600 guests and a conference for 200 on the Saturday. We explained we were above the restaurant(hotel guests were made to eat in a small stuffy conference room)and if it was going to be noisy we would like to be moved. We were told it was just a meal and there would be no noise.
On the evening of the wedding there were hundreds of people directly below our bedroom window. At 2a.m I went up to reception and was told it wasn't their fault!
I left two urgent messages for the manager to contact us but he didn't bother. It really spoilt our holiday which is a shame because the hotel itself and the food is lovely.
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dews from kent travelled to Martim Antonine Formerly La Salita Antonine with
chevron
on a friends holiday.
There were more than 6 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 05 2006 |
rated the Martim Antonine Formerly La Salita Antonine as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Very nice hotel but was let down by making all the guests eat in the conference room (which was not big enough for the amount of people so queue was formed)due to the resturant being rented out for Maltese wedding reception on both the friday (approx 500 at reception) and the saturday (approx 200).
A lot of noise was made at these events due to the amount of people and some of the facilites where not available. Feel that the guests where made to feel second best on these nights. Hotels management reaction to complaints was that it was within its rights to do this.
Stayed at this hotel in October 05 and the standard has dropped since then.
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Rachael from Oldham, Greater Manchester travelled to Martim Antonine Formerly La Salita Antonine with
Malya Direct
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 05 2005 |
rated the Martim Antonine Formerly La Salita Antonine as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Me & my husband got married at the small church close by the hotel in Malta and we were so glad to stay at the Maritim.
All the staff were extremely friendly and helpful with all our requests. The maid service was 7 days a week and with a choice of 3 pools we were in our element. There is also a health spa and beauty treatments are available too.
We held our wedding meal in the main restaurant, Les Jardins for our friends and family who came with us for the wedding and all our guests were so impressed by the hotel (as we requested no-one was to stay at our hotel, they all stayed in other areas of Malta).
The staff couldn't do enough for you and I can't wait to go back next year for our anniversary to see what the La Salita is like, as it was close to completion while we were there.
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Steve from Marlow Bucks travelled to Martim Antonine Formerly La Salita Antonine with
Cheveron Holidays
on a friends holiday.
There were 5 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 02 2005 |
rated the Martim Antonine Formerly La Salita Antonine as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: We were booked into the La Salita on a 7 day break with Chevron holidays. When we arrived the La Salita is in the process of being completely re-built and were put in the hotel opposite, the Antonine Hotel, both hotels of the Maritim group.
The Antonine has obviously recently been refurbished to an excellent standard. The rooms spotless, well furnished and everything worked as did the remainder of the hotel.
The staff were friendly and very efficient. On the first evening we were introduced to the staff by the manager and given a free drink (or two). They were not selling anything but genuinely introducing us to the hotel and area. The manager informed us that the La Salita was being re furbished to the same standard of the Antonine which is top notch.
There was background entertainment each night in the hotel bar which was either a pianist or a guitar player/singer which was pleasant but not obtrusive.
The food was on a help yourself basis which was good quality and catered for both European and English tastes. Hotel bar prices were reasonable, obviously more expensive than the outside bars but certainly cheaper than an English pub.
He hotel is situated in the village of Mellihea, looks a bit run down but is original Maltese which makes the area interesting, there are local shops and bars nearby with a couple of churches.
If you walk down to the beach it’s a bit of a trek probably about a mile, but there is a frequent and cheap bus service. A hire car is useful.
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