The rains were torrential when we arrived, around dinnertime, and the restaurants all closed. Anna and Sonia were extremely gracious, and enlisted their mother to bring us homemade soup and bread. In retrospect, we would have been better off at a standard hotel, since we couldn't go anywhere, there was no tv in our room, and the lighting was poor, which made reading in bed difficult. Breakfast was underwhelming, although our hosts offered to make eggs, but we didn't want to trouble them to cook just for us (we seemed to be the only guests that night). The bed, however, was the most comfortable one we slept in during a four city trip.

This has to be one of the best guest houses we have stayed in. The rooms are spacious, attractively furnished and spotless. The shower is wonderful. The sisters are completely accomodating, helping with phone calls, wifi connections - nothing was too much trouble. The lounge, patio and dining area are all characterful - it is great to have so much additional space. There is a sink and drying area on the top floor if you have diving gear to wash and dry - altho' I think you would be best to try to get the dive centre to store this just to be fair to the other guests but this area was godsend on our last day when we were getting our kit dry. Breakfast was fab - with lots of fruit, bacon and eggs, cheeses, yoghurt, etc But the best thing out everything were the cakes at breakfast - Sonia would win the Great Gozo Bake off if there was such a programme - in fact I think she'd stand a good chance to become the European champion - her cakes are wonderful - creative, delicious - oh dear if only we could go back tomorrow. We loved our stay and will definiately be back.

My husband had stayed solo earlier in October and had come back full of praise for the Maria Giovanna, so when I went on my own for a week to do some diving there did not seem to be any real competition for a place to stay. The Maria Giovanna was all he said and more. It is a family run guesthouse and the family made me feel welcome right from arrival just before midnght to my departure, more like one of the family than a paying guest. While there I suffered a bad reaction to an insect bite on one foot and the family not only found out which pharmacy would be open (it was a Sunday morning) but offered to drive me to the clinic in Victoria if I thought I needed to see a doctor.

The room was clean, nicely furnished with a comfortable bed and a small balcony. I would endorse comments made in other reviews about the quality of the shower which had decent pressure (not common in Malta, as has been commented on in another review).

Breakfasts were excellent, with the hot part being cooked to order. And every morning a really difficult decision about which of the cakes to try. All the cakes were made by Sonia, and were of a high standard that any professional baker would be proud to produce. The only downside of the breakfasts is that they are so good that the waistline definitely suffers.

The family do not routinely do evening meals, but about once a week they offer dinner to the guests. Guests who are having dinner are asked to choose in the morning from a short menu of Maltese/Gozitan specialities. Dong it this way all the ingredients are fresh since they only have to buy what is needed, and some of the recipes use long slow cooking and these are started during the afternoon. The result was a superb meal, my choice being a rabbit stew which was to a recipe that has been in the family for several generations.

The location in the centre of Marselforn is just about perfect. For those without a car the bus stop is a few minutes walk along the road. A few minutes walk the other way takes you onto the seafront with bars, cafes, a small selection of shops, dive centres, and a bit further along the small harbour.

What more can I say, a delightful guesthouse run by a delightful family.

we have just returned from a great holiday in Gozo. The family that run the guest house were very helpful and friendly. The place is like a traditional Gozitan home and is so refreshingly different from the mass tourism hotels across the water in Malta. The breakfasts are great and are cooked individually according to each guest's likes. There are always fantastic cakes on offer as well that are so hard to resist - all home baked.
We found Marsalforn a great base for hiking and the sisters are really helpful about planning treks. The personal service offered by Sonia and her family is so different from the indifferent service in the hotels and restaurants just a few miles away in Malta. There is not really anywhere else that we would want to stay in Gozo.