Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Hotel Castille in Valletta


Listed as one of the higher end hotels in Valletta, it was a disappointment to find our room with one narrow window, a small bath, and wood laminate floors. But on the plus side Hotel Castille, across the street from the Auberge Castille, Malta's presidential palace, was clean and set in an ideal location. At 112 euros per night I wasn't expecting a palace, but I'm afraid the Excelsior Palace, a Hilton four star hotel in Palermo had spoiled me for anything else.


The staff is very friendly and helpful and go out of their way to accommodate patrons. They had given us permission to leave our larger suitcases for two days while we headed for the beaches of Gozo, the neighboring island. Most hotels do not want to be bothered once you pay the bill, so I liked them well enough to ask to see other rooms for this review, since our room was a twin that had been rearranged to accommodate a double in a rather haphazard way. Notice how the picture is behind the headboard on the photo below?



I asked if they had suites, but was told they only had standard rooms, but not all standards are equal. If I had my druthers, I'd stay in #44, the room pictured below, a standard room of higher quality equipped with carpeting and two windows, with an Internet price of 142 euro.


Since I'm always on a budget, so we can travel twice a year, #27 the first photo will have to do, but we will not book it again through their website, since there are better prices to be had through consolidator websites. #35 pictured below was similar to what we had with the twin beds set the way the room was designed.


#25 had one of the familiar Malta covered balconies, but the space was narrow and not easily usable for the extra 30 euro.


Breakfast left a bit to be desired, like more food, but if you just want a drink and cereal, you won't be disappointed. The meat and cheese were sub par, cereals were Muesli, corn flakes and Cocoa Krispies. There were apples and oranges, fruit cocktail, two fruit juices and a large bowl of yogurt and that about sums it up. Except for the coddled eggs and beans. I asked the desk clerk why there were no sausages or bacon if they were serving an English breakfast, as the beans would indicate. He told me the restaurant would be happy to make them for an extra charge. Since the restaurant seemed to be responsible for the breakfast buffet we ate elsewhere for other meals.


I inquired about hair dryers and they are available from the desk, as are plug adaptors if you find yourself in need of one. This hotel in an ideal location in the center of Valletta is very hard to beat when it comes to service and I recommend it for those two reasons. It is very close to the Beldedere and its outstanding views of the main Valletta harbor.

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