115 The Strand Hotel and Suites

Extremely disappointing stay. The online reviews do not reflect our experience.

We booked this hotel because it has such high ratings online, so we arrived expecting a comfortable, well-managed stay. Unfortunately, our experience was the complete opposite, and we genuinely do not understand how this hotel is rated so highly. During our stay, we also spoke to several other guests who were similarly disappointed, which made us question whether the current online reviews reflect the hotel's actual standards.

We travelled as a group of six women and requested in advance to have our rooms on the same floor. This request was ignored, and the response from reception was neither accommodating nor particularly polite. Throughout our stay, staff answered questions when asked, but there was a noticeable lack of warmth, communication and customer service. We often felt like we were inconveniencing them by asking for help.

One of our rooms had a strong sewage smell from the moment we checked in. The rooms also lacked what we would consider basic amenities for a hotel, such as complimentary bottled water and slippers. Instead, guests are expected to use a communal water dispenser on each floor, which was disappointing.

Housekeeping was another major issue. We want to make it absolutely clear that this is not a criticism of the cleaner, who was always friendly and polite. Our complaint is about the hotel's housekeeping standards and management. We were never told that we needed to request rubbish collection or fresh bedding. As a result, our bins were left full for our entire stay, and although the beds were straightened, the bedding itself was not changed. Some of the bedding also had stains when we first entered our rooms.

Safety was also a concern. Late in the evening, around 10–11 pm, the corridor lights were switched off, leaving communal areas dark. On top of this, the lifts would not stop on the second floor using our key cards, meaning we had to use the stairs to visit each other's rooms. Walking through dark stairwells and corridors late at night made us feel very uncomfortable and unsafe as a group of young women.

The bathrooms were functional but old and in need of refurbishment. Overall, the hotel does not feel like it is maintained to the standard that the online ratings suggest.

Breakfast was extremely basic and repetitive, so we chose to eat at local brunch cafés instead. We were also surprised that the hotel charged €1 simply to weigh our luggage before our flight. While €1 is not a large amount, after everything else, it felt like another unnecessary charge.

The only positive was that the hotel allows guests to store their luggage after checkout, which was helpful before our evening flight.

The location is on a busy road in Sliema and is convenient for ferries and buses, but if we returned to Malta, we would stay elsewhere. We personally found other parts of Sliema more pleasant, and travelling to attractions such as Mdina required additional taxi journeys.

Overall, we paid approximately £192 for three nights (around €67 per night) and do not believe this represented good value for money. Based on our experience, this hotel falls well below the standard suggested by its online reviews. Poor housekeeping management, inadequate communication, safety concerns, lack of basic amenities and an unwelcoming atmosphere meant this was one of the most disappointing hotel stays we have had.

Unfortunately, we would not stay here again and would not recommend it to others.

Good location in Sliema and close to the boats over to Valletta. Modern and clean hotel with helpful staff on the front desk. Breakfast was a good choice of continental and cooked - but gets busy and people had to queue to be seated. Free access to Aqualuna across the road well worth it.