Alexandra Hotel, St Julian’s

The Alexandra Hotel is rated 3 stars by Malta’s tourism authority. It stands on Schreiber Street, in the middle of Paceville, the party district of St Julian’s. Bars, restaurants and bus stops start right on the doorstep. The hotel has 145 rooms.

Standard, superior and deluxe rooms measure 25 m², with a balcony. Some face the sea, others the street or an inner courtyard. All have air conditioning, a fridge, a safe and a TV. Family rooms sleep four people. The family suite adds a living room with a kitchen. The terrace suite has a large private terrace facing the sea. Some of the rooms have been renovated, while the others keep older furniture.

The hotel restaurant serves a sweet and savoury breakfast buffet. A snack menu is available in the rooms. On the roof, on the seventh floor, an outdoor pool lined with sunbeds looks out to sea. A bar there serves cocktails and light bites. In the basement, the wellness area has a heated indoor pool, a jacuzzi, a sauna and a gym.

The hotel mainly attracts a young crowd, drawn by the nightlife. Families will find rooms for four and a free cot on request. However, there is no kids’ club, no extra bed and no parking. You must be 18 to check in. A conference room can hold up to 50 people.

Recent reviews rank the location far ahead of every other criterion. The hotel sits in the heart of Paceville, close to bars, restaurants and bus stops. Spinola Bay and the beach at St George’s Bay are within walking distance. The rooftop pool is the other strong point. Guests love its sea view and its bar. Many, however, find it small, shallow and crowded in summer.

Breakfast divides opinion. Most guests praise a generous buffet, with plenty of sweet and savoury choice. A sizeable minority find it repetitive and of average quality. The staff also receive mixed reviews. The breakfast team and some of the reception staff are praised for their kindness. Other guests describe a cold welcome, especially when making a complaint.

Criticism focuses first on the condition of the rooms. Worn furniture, balcony doors that are hard to close and dated bathrooms come up very often. The showers lack pressure or flood the floor. Some rooms do not match the booking, with two single beds pushed together instead of a double. Cleanliness is seen as patchy, and ants or cockroaches are reported. Noise is the other major grievance. The street stays lively at night, the walls are thin and housekeeping starts early. Several guests also mention fire alarms in the middle of the night.

The Alexandra Hotel is best suited to groups of friends and young couples who come for the nightlife. For them, the location and the pool make up for basic rooms. Value for money is seen as fair by those who spend little time in their room. The renovated rooms generally leave a better impression. It is best to ask for a renovated room, on a high floor and facing the courtyard. Families with young children and light sleepers would do better to look for a quieter hotel.

The hotel stands on Schreiber Street, in Paceville, the nightlife district of St Julian’s. The sandy beach at St George’s Bay is about 450 m away. Spinola Bay and its promenade are six minutes’ walk away. The Dragonara Casino is eight minutes away. The Paceville bus terminus is 300 m away. Buses serve Sliema, Valletta and the north of the island. The international airport is 8 km away, around 25 minutes by car.

Good to know: the hotel has no car park. There is a paid public garage nearby. Street-facing rooms are the most exposed to noise in the evening.