Palazzo Paolina Boutique Hotel

A beautiful boutique hotel in the heart of the Valera. Exceptional staff. Very nice breakfast. Clean room. Thank you!

We had a really happy time here. The hotel’s location was perfect, all of the staff were great and very helpful, our room was very comfortable and the quality of breakfast high. Since my wife and I need to be in Malta quite regularly in the next few years, I indicated to her on our second day that it was indeed the perfect place for us to stay in the future. However, very sadly, all of that was to change in our last hour.

On our second evening, we returned to our room to find that my reading glasses which had been wrapped in protective wrapping for our flight were missing from the table; I know that I had left them there when we had departed that morning and had instead decided to take my dark glasses which had accompanied them. These had clearly been chucked away by the cleaners in the mistaken belief that they were rubbish. When I drew this to the attention of the front-desk staff, I was told that I should discuss this with the owner. We duly met him prior to our departure to the airport; he was accompanied by his son, something which we initially found strange but we soon realised why.

Despite our very reasonable approach in which we were mainly looking for an apology (the offer of some compensation would have been a true bonus but was neither suggested by us nor was it discussed), he and his son both decided to maul my wife and me: we were apparently “clearly mistaken”, his staff “never made mistakes of this nature”, nothing like this “had ever happened in his 10 years of ownership of the hotel” and the whole 20 minute discussion fast began to resemble to both of us a Mafia-style trial in which we were probably seen to be guilty of both trying to extract undeserved cash and of insulting his whole organisation. We were truly shocked; their approach was highly bizarre and most unprofessional. Further, in so-doing, the owner completely ruined any chance of our future business and thus badly let down both his hotel and his staff all of whom had been otherwise been great throughout our stay.

Our advice: I stress I am not suggesting in any way that the cleaning staff are dishonest here but if you go there, be very careful as to what you leave in your room in case it is chucked away. Further, accept also in advance that if you have a complaint of any type, you run a very high risk of also being mauled, you will almost certainly lose with any chance of compromise amounting to zero and the whole experience will not be a pleasant one.

Further, I would question whether the owner’s approach to customer satisfaction and the art of compromise really deserves your custom. There are other hotel owners out there in equally good locations who can almost certainly improve considerably on his own performance that day.

A great pity since it is a really nice hotel.

I recently stayed at Palazzo Paolina Boutique Hotel in Valletta and overall had a mixed experience. The biggest highlight is definitely the location – right in the heart of Valletta’s old town, making it ideal for exploring the city on foot. The room itself was comfortable enough, with a good-sized bed (two singles joined together), a spacious shower with strong water pressure, and thoughtful touches like daily replenished water, toiletries, and coffee capsules for the in-room coffee machine. The TV and mini fridge were great to have too, and I appreciated the blackout curtains, which made for a good night’s sleep—at least when it was quiet. The staff were polite, and the towel swans with small sweets on arrival were a lovely gesture. However, there were several downsides that affected the stay. Storage was very limited: only 3 hangers per person in the wardrobe, no other storage available, no hooks or pegs, so most clothes had to stay in the suitcase. The bathroom was quite small, and the room had limited natural light. The biggest issue was the view and ventilation: the window faced pipes and drains (see the photos!), and opening it brought in an unpleasant sewage smell into the room, so fresh air wasn’t an option at all. This is something that should definitely be disclosed in advance given the room price. There were also noise issues at night, particularly from the room above (e.g. chairs being dragged—felt pads would help reduce this). The breakfast, served in a basement with exposed stone walls (which added some character), unfortunately showed signs of dampness. The selection was basic and repetitive, with the same options every day. Additionally, I noticed water marks on the ceiling, which suggests some maintenance issues. Room 103 (1st floor) felt on the smaller side overall, though manageable. Ratings: Room: ⭐⭐✰ (2.5/5) Hotel overall: ⭐⭐⭐✰ (3.5/5)