Stay: May 10 - May 12, 2007

Room: Luxury Beachfront Suite

Upgrades: Welcome Gift

Comments: My favorite place on our entire honeymoon. We will definitely return. The hotel was LARGE. You walk into the Lobby and you are almost overwhelmed since it is so wide and the opposite wall is glass facing the ocean. Very grandiose. The staff was all very young, and in talking to some locals, many of the youth in Malta enter the Hospitality industry. English is one of two national languages (Maltese the other) so we had no problem communicating with anybody at the Resort.

The room was great. A full kitchen and stove, with all utencils and cooking tools. Separate living room with LCD and surround sound system, with patio and lounge chairs, connecting to the patio off of the bedroom with table and chairs. The master had a good amount of storage space and another LCD. The bed was very comfortable, and both my wife and I had fun with the pillow menu. The had the best pillow ever there, but I can't find it here. Makes me sad thinking about it. The bathroom had a large jetted tub and the other bathroom at the entry had a shower-only. Our patios led off onto the walkway adjacent to the Mediterranean, and provided us with direct access to the pool and dock.

What really made this trip was the staff. I spoke with one of the concierges, George Attard, for quite a while previous to our arrival to secure a boat for us to go snorkelling. I really cannot say enough good things about George. Even once we were there he provided us with enough information about buses/sites/food that we really didn't have to worry about anything.

The water and the islands are amazing. My wife and I were picked up at the Resort's dock and shuttled over to the boat rental facility across the harbor. With only a map (provided by George), we took the boat to Comino and the Blue Lagoon and just trolled around all day. Crystal clear water, but very chilly if you are not used to it. Definitely the highlight of our stay in Malta. Bring a water proof camera, you will be sorry if you don't.

The restaurants at the resort are very good as well, with a very diverse selection and helpful staff. Well, one night the staff was great, the next we were almost forgotten. That was our only non-positive experience the entire stay. Definitely get taxi service from the airport, if you are taking the buses it will take forever. We took the buses to see some temples and while fun, it was a bit long. Overall, the price of comparable things in Malta is much cheaper than mainland Europe. Taxi was about 8 Liri or $25 from the airport to the Resort, in a Mercedes C-class.

The bus ride to Valletta took perhaps 45 minutes, and there is enough to do there to occupy a day or more. Those are fun, you have to experience the bus system, they are known for it.

Cheers,

Adrian