Noru Hotel

Our stay at the Noru Hotel in Malta was a huge disappointment for our group of 8 people. As frequent travelers who have stayed in dozens of hotels across multiple continents, we have never experienced anything like this. The hotel does not have the quality of a 4-star establishment at all. Critical Issues: • Room and Bathroom: One room had a strong, constant sewage smell, and 2 of the 4 rooms had no exterior window. The bathrooms are tiny, and the shower had no door in 3 of the rooms, which made the floor completely flooded after every use. To make matters worse, on several days of the stay, the towels were not replaced by housekeeping. • Poor Breakfast: Very weak for the hotel's category. On one day, there were no cups available at all. One of the coffee/milk machines and the juice machine broke down, and replacing them and fixing the problem took some time. There were several ants on a tray of ham. We called the staff member and he removed it, which makes us doubt the hygiene and preservation of the products. • Facilities and Logistics: The elevators are slow and problematic. The reception is tiny, with nowhere to sit. There is no lounge area where we can sit and talk. Furthermore, we were surprised by the absurd ban on wearing room bathrobes in the pool area. • Safety: A very concerning point — we saw no fire extinguishers in the common areas. • Noise: Resting was impossible due to constant noise during the night, with loud music, laughter, and doors constantly slamming. • Unfair Charges (The worst part of the experience): At check-in, they demanded a high deposit of €200 per room, in addition to the tourist tax. At the time of check-out (September 11th), they forced one of the rooms to pay an additional €24 under the claim that the bath towels had some stains. When we complained, we were told that this had allegedly happened on September 7th! Towels are for hygienic use and washing should be included in the service! To our greater astonishment and outrage, an additional €26 was later charged because the bedsheets were allegedly stained (which is absurd, and on top of that, a lie!). It is worth adding that the hotel regulations do not contain any reference to the absurd ban on using bathrobes in the pool area or the absurd payment for stained towels and bedsheets!... In short, an experience not to be repeated and one we advise you not to try.

Nuno Tavares, Margarida Correia, Filomena Gato, Manuel Henrique Couto, Alice Costa, Maria Manuela Pereira, Alzira Rocha and Fátima Cosme

If I could score this hotel lower then I would. They have charged me £40 for “stains” on the towels which is small signs of make up that can be washed out. They are scammers. They don’t reply to emails. I have sent various emails complaining and asking for my money back they have not responded. The bedding and towels smell like salt and vinegar. Our water also went off during our stay so we could not shower. The manager did not deal with this professionally and stated that it was not her fault! Said that she was going to come to our room and didn’t so we had to shower in some random persons room. Appalling service!! We paid approx £1k each for this hotel and experienced this!! And to top it off we also got stuck in the lift that takes you to every floor but yours! Unbelievable. Oh and there is also no window in the room so you basically have to get ready in the dark. Absolute JOKE. AVOID THIS HOTEL AT ALL COSTS.

It’s a shame to write this review, because the hotel’s location is genuinely excellent. Unfortunately, the standard of customer service appears to have been left somewhere considerably less convenient.

At the end of our stay, we were informed that we would be charged £30 for allegedly stained bedding. The alleged “stain” appeared to be nothing more than a small amount of makeup transfer, so I asked to see evidence before agreeing to pay. Seems reasonable enough.

I was shown a photograph of the bedding before it had been washed. When I asked to see what it looked like after washing — given that this was supposedly evidence of a stain — I was told this was impossible because the bedding had been sent for a “boiled wash.”

I then asked the fairly obvious question of whether all of the hotel’s bedding is boiled washed. Apparently, it isn’t. Which makes me feel like I need a “boiler wash”.

At that point, I declined to pay the £30 without proper evidence. This was met with an impressive display of customer service from the lady with long dry frizzy hair whi claimed they were a manager, who became extremely confrontational, pointed aggressively at both myself and my friend and repeatedly shouted, “You stained the bedding, you must pay.” Whilst pointing in our faces in reception in front of guests.

I explained that if the £30 were taken from my card, I would dispute the charge through my UK card provider. I was then assured that I would receive an email and photographic evidence. I am, of course, still waiting for both.

3 weeks after our stay the £30 we had been told about, the hotel has now taken £200 from my card — the maximum holding deposit taken when we arrived. So apparently the disputed £30 charge has somehow evolved into a £200 deduction, despite no explanation, no supporting evidence and no promised follow-up.

The comments regarding mould in the bathroom are also entirely accurate. So, while the location is excellent, I would recommend keeping your expectations for the rest of the experience somewhere considerably lower.

The most disappointing part was not even the disputed charge itself. It was the complete lack of professionalism in dealing with it. A relatively minor issue could have been handled calmly and resolved with some basic communication. Instead, we were shouted at, £200 was taken from our card, and the evidence we were promised has mysteriously failed to appear.

Perhaps the hotel has a different definition of “customer service.” In any case, if you do stay here, I would suggest keeping a close eye on your card and asking for evidence before agreeing to any additional charges.

The location is great. Unfortunately, that seems to be where the good news ends.