Steady-EDI

Hey, thanks for the positive comments, Aisle Seat H and IAN-UK ^

Look out for reviews of the ICs in Geneva, Chicago and Dallas as the year progresses, with Austin, West Miami and San Francisco to follow early in 2007.

And IAN-UK, it would be great to welcome you back! Check out the I-class deals

Aisle Seat H

Look forward to it ! And do post on the Forum/on the 'RA experiences' Thread when you have updated the site with this so we can know to check it out.

P.S. - Just loved the difference between the photos from IC stays on the old RTW before you were RA, and the newer ones when you were ! (Its the same from me two years ago compared with last year and this year). What a difference the right shiny card makes eh ?!? ^

melvin the mole

I recently stayed at the IC Malta - I had booked in error a King Club Suite - I should have booked a Junior Club Suite and as an Ambassador member been upgraded to the King Club Suite. The hotel has over 400 rooms of which 24 are King Club Suites. The only room above a King Club Suite is the Presidential Suite, the cost of which is substantially more - should I have been upgraded? (the Presidential Suite was available) or can they say they upgraded me (for example) by giving me the King Club Suite with the best views.

The IC Malta is a lovely hotel - best point, the staff who were really great. The Club lounge provides better breakfasts than continental as described (eg hot food) and offers international drinks as well as local drinks as complimentary drinks.

Thank you four assistance.

melvin the mole

My wife and have just stayed at the IC malta (10 nights) - It is one of the best run hotels we have ever stayed at. It's not pretty to look at, and if you have a room on a lower floor - street facing it can be noisey as it is in one of the main club areas. We were in room 1510 (on the top floor) which is a King Panoramic Club Suite (sitting and bed area with two balcolnys).Our room had excellent views of the bay, pool and gardens . The club lounge was on our floor and worth the visits. We paid LM68 per night by contacting the hotel direct which we thought was a great rate ^ . My wife and I are Ambassadors members and used our free weekend certificates. I don't think we got upgraded but that's probably an error on my part and I should have booked a room one grade lower. But as they were taking both our certificates and it seemed a very good rate I accepted it.
We booked tours via the concerige and didn't feel as though we were being ripped off - we tended to get picked up in better vehicles etc. A couple of tours we enjoyed were a days sailing on Fernando II - very enjoyable lunch etc - snorkelling at the blue Lagoon, and visiting Scilly. We used the hotel airport collection service which is LM8 for Ambassador members.
The Eastern Breeze is a great restaurant - we vsiited twice. The food at the Paranga Restaurant (Intercontinental Beach) is being "sold" by the hotel - the service was great but we thought the food was a little bland. Plenty of restaurants in area or within a short travelling time.

SkyTeam777

Is the Forum hotel still open on Malta? What about the Victoria hotel, the Lapsi Waterside, or the Regent hotel? I cant seem to find their web sites...

jmnish

Hi

Check out my IC Malta review and photos over at TripAdvisor.com...
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR..._of_Malta.html

As you will read, I got talked into buying Ambassador on check-in (I was already on PC Platinum level) but it was worth it. Free parking is an Ambassador benefit at IC Malta.

thesimflyer

Hello! This is my first post for soon to be RA in early february so be gentle with me lol . I will maybe book PANORAMIC INTERCONTINENTAL CLUB SUITE and want to know which room i will be upgraded to?

Thanks, and have a nice week-end.
RH.

Newryman

I think it was David Niven who is his autobiography described Malta as "yells, bells and smells" That was during his period of national service in the 1940/50s and having honeymooned there in 1978 it hadn't changed. The only upgrade advice I can give you is to go anywhere but Malta! Baghdad would be considered an upgrade.

thesimflyer

is it that awful...

vsevolod4

The negatives about Malta tend to be associated with the large number of "package tour" visitors and charter flights.

There is much that Malta has to offer, especially when you are there in off-season and don't have to deal with half of Manchester and Birmingham.

If you do go during peak season, spend time on the much quieter island of Gozo. This is where Maltese people go to get away from it all. Ta 'Cenc is a very lovely and unique luxury hotel (I usually stay one night on Malta at the IC, then ferry over to Gozo) www.tacenc.com ... stay in a "trullo" which is basically a cylindrical stone hut.

If you like history, Malta is a good place to go; it has the world's greatest concentration of neolithic stone buildings: stone circles, menhirs, dolmens, cromlachs, etc. ... several dozen of them scattered around the 2 major islands. Also some pretty interesting Crusader and Knights of Malta-era buildings. And Mdina, a fortified walled city, former capital in the Arab-controlled days and for many years thereafter.

If you're looking for beaches, this isn't the place.

If you're looking for tourist kitsch, there's not much (despite the crowds of package tourists) ... you can see the cave where Calypso supposedly kept Odysseus for 7 years. You can see the village they filmed the ghastly film Pinnochio. A bunch of so-so restaurants. But the food is good and hearty (strong Sicilian influence), the goat and rabbit are good. The local wines (Gozitian) are tasty but nondescript.

Paris it ain't, but neither is it Baghdad. Although Baghdad and nearby area has perhaps the world's most storied history, so whenever the current travails end there, the Babylonian, Sumerian, Akkadian, Mittani, Assyrian, Chaldean, Persian and other relics will make Baghdad one of the world's most damned interesting places to visit.

vsevolod4

Rent a car. I do it all the time in Malta. You can't drive into most of Valetta or Mdina, but you can park at the outskirts of these 2 towns. Otherwise, it's fairly easy to drive (left side). And a car gives you much flexibility in case you want to actually see some of the interesting things this island has to offer ...

melvin the mole

Mrs Mole and I went to Malta in June 06 - we enjoyed our stay - the hotel is nice though not in the best of locations, and the Maltese people lovely, however I am not sure we will ever go back to the Malta. If we were to we would stay at the IC again. - The only upgrade from Panoramic Int Club Suite is to the Presidential Suite - wich you won't get - you should book a lesser room and then get upgraded to the Club Suite - I can give you the number of the room (IM me if you choose to stay) we stayed in if you want it - it was one room away from the Presidential suite on the top floor (club room level).

Good club room facilities.

Volvic

Not near the sea but if in the mood, there're a few honest diving centers who pick you up at the hotel and bring you to the diving spot ( I did so more than once).
One is not too far from there... not sure it was near Dragonara point. Great diving sites, from wreckages to the Azure Window in Gozo.
Enjoy.

thesimflyer

Thanks for the info, but ive been in Malta but during Oct. while on Cruise.. the only thing i wanted to know if the hotel is decent and would like to know why "we" (2 adults, 1 child) cant get upgraded to Presidential Suite?

anyway thanks for giving me extra info!! PS: the hilton hotel is really nice in malta..!

melvin the mole

[QUOTE=thesimflyer;7034818]if the hotel is decent and would like to know why "we" (2 adults, 1 child) cant get upgraded to Presidential Suite?
QUOTE]

the hotel is decent.
You will note from the room prices that there is a big difference between the cost of Presidential Suite and other rooms at the IC Malta (far higher percentage than most IC hotels). They will say that your upgrade is to the best Club room/suite regarding views etc etc and the PS is exempt from upgrades. I think the PS is in fact three rooms two of which are bedrooms which is one reason they use against an upgrade.

I know you are an RA - if I was you I would contact Amb Service Desk and ask what upgrade they would give you if you booked the Club Suite, and argue that the PS is the only upgrade - the service center may allow you to have it. If you were to be given the PS take it - it's really nice. let me know if you are allocated the room - at the time we went we only held Amb status and therefore upgrades were at checkin rather than when booking (as an RA).