saga Malta Coastline hotel. Anyone stayed there?

[Deleted User]

I have been to Malta 3 times and have enjoyed it very much, particularly the archaeology and history. I have booked the saga coastline hotel and am dithering about changing the type of view I booked. I would really appreciate some comments if you have been there

mandyc

I have not stayed there but know where it is situated. It is on the coast road that goes round from Qwara to Sliema.

It is situated on its own on raised ground overlooking the bay with Qwara opposite on the otherside of the bay.

It is quite isolated ie nowhere for an evening stroll and no bars/ restaurants in the vicinity.

Having said all this I have read reviews on other websites and I know that before it was taken over by SAGA it had very good reviews with many people returning year after year.

Merrywidow

Why not check it out on Trip Advisor reviews - always reliable. If I remember the write ups the sea facing rooms don't get the sun. I think the standard would be good as Saga owns it outright. Why not sign on to the Saga Forum site and ask for their opinions. Good Luck.

hethmar

Im afraid the reviews arent good The chief problem seems to be with the rubbish dump which is near the hotel.

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g608948-d290697-r51661864-Coastline_Hotel-Bugibba_Island_of_Malta.html#CHECK_RATES_CONT

There is a few good reviews though and re the view:

We stayed at the Coastline Hotel early June.It is an excellent hotel overlooking St Pauls Bay.It is worth paying a bit extra to get a sea view room at least on the 4th floor with lovely views over the bay towards to town of Bugibba.



Have just had a week at the Coastline and having read most of the reviews thought the only way to judge was to go there and see for myself.
The hotel is very comfortable, clean and the rooms spacious, the rooms are cleaned every day and you can have clean towels every day too.
Staff are wonderful and will do anything for you if it is within their means to do so.
Food is varied and plentiful with good choices.
the Saga reps were very helpful and most importantly , there at the hotel most of the day, something not all holiday firm reps are in the experiences I have had.
The flies are a pest round the pool even in November but that didn't stop us going for a swim most days, even in the rain. There is always the indoor pool which is heated but is not for the serious swimmer as it is small.
there was always something going on during the day if you wanted to join in, the choice is yours.
Evening entertainment is varied and is what you make of it and get out of it.
I liked the fact there were no children and it was adults of a certain age, I had a great holiday and met some really lovely people, guests and staff alike.
the only thing I would fault would be as Saga's clientle is of a certain age the access to the pools need to be looked at and sorted, a set of roman steps with a rail as well as the ladders would be a bonus as the less mobile or guests with limited strength would find the ladders difficult if not impossible, you could get the steps in by the swim up bar without too much trouble.
The internet access is free and you also get free towels every time you swim or sit out, there are also four bikes which can be used and they too are free.
So would I go to the coastline again? in a heartbeat.

roddydogs

Trip Advisor? some people give the same hotel 1, and some give five, i dont believe a lot of reviews are genuine.

[Deleted User]

Thank you so much all of you. I read the various reviews and they go from glowing to bad so we are going there with an open mind. We are already booked for 3 weeks but are prepared for `nothing much to do`. I did book a countryside facing room as the sun will be more important than the view in deep winter and anyway we can sit and look at the sea elsewhere. I was dithering and dithering about changing the room but not now

A lot of the reviews were written prior to saga taking it over so I expect things have changed. I read that the waste tip has been removed too

I see that there is a good excursion operator across the road so we`ll bear that in mind and we`ll be using the curtesy buses as well

hethmar

Hope you have a lovely time. I went to Malta in February and still got a sun tan.

Merrywidow

Kittie - Have a great time BUT - promise that when you come back you give us your honest opinion. It's on my list for a visit next winter. For other's info I went to Tenerife and the Saga Hotel Aguamarina last winter. Food was great and everything was spotless. Highly recommend it.

lolly5648

When you talk of Saga's clientele being "of a certain age" what do you mean? I thought Saga took people who were 50+. From the comments it sounds like they are all 75+.

shykins

we went to this hotel just before saga took it over and i can honestly say it was brilliat. i didnt notice any of the mentioned smells from the rubbish dump tho there were flies (not swarms tho)

the food was the best i have ever had in an all inclusive hotel with loads of variety and high quality, u could eat yourself silly if u so wanted (not sure if its still AI with saga)

it did tend towards the older clientele even when we were there and quite a few of the older locals used to come in and do ballroom dancing which was nice

it is a bit isolated but the hotel used to offer a free bus into the local town which ran very frequently. we took a bus into valletta one day

if u look at holidaytruths forums there is an old thread about the coastline and people bemoaning the fact its now just saga and they cant go there

HTH

[Deleted User]

I am in my 3rd week at the coastline and can add comments to the above posts.

It is february and windy all the time and also on and off mostly cold with some sunny spells. We spend days in our sunny room on the balcony or behind the french door, reading. Reason being that very many of the clientele are ill with colds and coughs. My dh caught a very nasty chest bug 4 days into the hols and we had to get the doc so we have been out twice now in 15 days. The most virulent bug he has ever had. At night it sounds like a care home full of people caughing and spluttering. Bear in mind that my dh is a very fit 62 year old. People have gone to hospital from here with pneumonia. So merrywidow, I don`t recommend this place in winter for that reason alone

Hotel is good and clean with the most friendly and helpful staff ever. Food is good, plentiful and very varied. There are always clientele around the place as there is no-where within strolling distance. No flies as it is cold and windy. Theren`t enough comfy chairs and 3/4 of them are in a draughty area adjacent to the lobby, so people sit perched on hard seats, looking at the sea. Honestly, although it is for over 55s it feels like a care home at times. No-one goes out after the last bus gets back at 4.30 because there really is no-where to go

I thank my lucky stars that we weren`t persuaded to get a n facing sea view. At least we get the sun and we read the paper from cover to cover as well as novel after novel

Merrywidow, pick a warmer place.

Our saving grace has been some of the items we brought ie sony notebook (free wireless in 1 hour chunks), ds lite each with scrabble cards and mp3 with sound blocking headphones

We should have brought more medicines, just in case. I had the usual bare necessities but have had to go to the pharmacy for everything else including herbal stuff like echinacea. I have spent £100 last week on meds, doc and herbals. It makes you appreciate home.