Elizabeth
Very disappointing experience. This hotel is definitely not a 5-star hotel – I would rate it as a 3-star at best. The rooms are very dark and much smaller than they appear in the photos. The pictures on the website do not accurately reflect the actual condition of the hotel or the rooms.
The pool is shared with the restaurant below the hotel, and there are restrictions on when hotel guests can use it, which was never made clear beforehand. Most of the staff were unfriendly and not helpful.
Overall, the standard is far below what you would expect from a luxury hotel. If this were a 2- or 3-star hotel at half the price, it might be acceptable. But for the price charged and the advertised 5-star standard, it was a huge disappointment.
I also don’t understand the very high ratings on Booking.com, because my experience was completely different. Based on my stay, I cannot understand how this hotel has received such positive reviews.
I would not recommend this hotel to anyone looking for a genuine 5-star experience.
Michał
Really enjoyed stay in Barcelo hotel in Sliema. Room was spacious and view of Valletta wonderful to enjoy. Breakfast buffet - one of the best on the island, with lots of fresh and healthy options too. Location wise also very good in central part of Malta, just a walk away from Sliema Ferries and multitude of restaurants / cafes in the area. Staff was always attentive and willing to help. We will be happy to come back one day.
CARL FITCH
Great hotel. Friendly staff. Spotless. Breakfast the best. Gym amazing. Shame that hotel guests treated like second class citizens, especially when they have a private party and guests crammed into small area with poor and broken facilities. Probably better that, in those circumstances, that they close it to hotel guests. Notwithstanding that, would definitely return to hotel.
Yana Le Tissier
Lovely hotel, very friendly and welcoming staff, especially Lucia one of the waiting staff. She is always helpful, cheerful and professional. The breakfast is great with lots of variety including hot and cold. The rooms are spotlessly clean with good quality bedding. We stayed for 10 days, half board. On day 9, we had a problem with the bath water in our room. We were moved to another room (upgraded) with super efficiency. We would have given 5 star rating however, the hot food selection in the evening was just warm. I did mention this to the front of house on several occasions and was informed on one occasion to plate my food and Chef will re warm it...not 5 star experience on this point. Overall, Sliema is a good place to use as a base in order to travel to other parts of Malta.
Milica Scholz
Unfortunately, this hotel did not fully meet our expectations of a 5-star property, even though the rooms, views, and overall cleanliness are excellent.
The main issue was that, although the hotel is not adults-only, the spa area and indoor pool are not accessible for children under 16. This made it difficult for us to enjoy the facilities as a family. Had this been clearly communicated at the time of booking (and not only later via a welcome letter and detailed website search), we might have made a different choice.
When we raised this at reception, we were repeatedly informed that this information was clearly stated and were even asked to wait while it was printed for us. However, at that moment, we were not looking for proof of where the information could be found, but rather for a bit of understanding, reassurance, and empathy regarding the situation.
Instead, we unfortunately did not feel much hospitality or warmth in the interaction. The reception staff Nora and Luca came across as rather cold and unaccommodating, and no apology was offered for the inconvenience. In our view, a basic level of empathy and guest-oriented approach was missing. We also experienced some communication difficulties, particularly with English understanding, which added to the frustration.
That said, we want to highlight that the hotel is very clean, and the rest of the staff — including housekeeping, breakfast service, and the team handling luggage — were absolutely excellent, friendly, and professional.
We would appreciate a higher and more consistent standard of hospitality for a 5-star property. Overall, while certain aspects were very positive, we are unable to fully recommend the hotel due to the experience described above.
