My husband and I recently returned from Gozo. We initially planned to stay at the Atlantis for several days based on the reviews at tripadviser.com. Prior to our arrival, we advised the Atlantis that we were celebrating our wedding anniversary during our stay and wanted a special room. However, after our arrival, we left the Atlantis after only one night because of the extremely unpleasant conditions of the hotel.
Specifically, my husband and I arrived late in the evening because we spent most of the day in Malta. Upon arrival, we noticed that the reception was shabby. We went to our room and found a bare room lacking any charm or character with two separate twin beds. We called the front desk and said that we asked for a King sized bed (since it was our anniversary) and asked if someone could push the beds together and remake the bed with King sheets. The front desk advised us that we could move the beds ourselves. Also, we could come downstairs to get the sheets and make the beds ourselves.
Rebuffed by the front desk, we decided to step out onto our balcony to gaze at the sea view – only to find that the sea view was actually a pool view with the sea in the distant background behind other buildings. As we looked at the other balconies, we suddenly saw something rush past us. We looked closer and saw a RAT scurrying along the balcony on the second floor. We hurried inside and shut our balcony door – so as not to let any unwanted guests into the room. We then inspected the bathroom. The bathroom had holes in the wall – some with wires hanging out. The bathroom had mold and mildew everywhere. We immediately looked around for another hotel – unfortunately, we could not check-in until the next day.
The next morning, we had a miserable breakfast. Anything more than cereal, toast, and slices of cheese, cost you money – including water, eggs, etc. We could not leave the hotel fast enough.
We went to the Hotel Calypso and paid 10LM (total not per person) more for the room, but it was well worth it. Hotel Calypso provided a good sized, clean, and modern room with excellent housekeeping service. You can get really nice, plush beach towels at the front desk (you get your deposit back when you return the towels). Hotel Calypso rates itself as a four star hotel and is accurate, for Gozo. The sea view room is actually of the sea – you’re right on Marsalforn Bay. For some reason, the Hotel Calypso is not on tripadvisor.com (don’t be confused by the Calypso Apartments listing). Apparently, the Hotel Calypso was closed for renovation for two years and reopened this summer. The breakfast was fabulous - so many options and really good food! Also, there’s a great rooftop bar and restaurant – perfect for sipping cocktails and watching the sun set. Tel. 356 21562000. They have a website and email, but tripadvisor does not publish this information in these reviews.
Finally, we rented a car while in Gozo because it was much easier to get to Ramla Bay and the rental was half the prize of the cars in Malta so don’t rent in Malta and drive to Gozo. (FYI, it's nicer to go to Ramla in the morning - fewer people.) We used Raymond Sammut’s rental agency. She was really good. Unlike the rental company in Malta, she put in just enough gas for you to get around - rather than putting in twice as much gas to make some extra money. Tel 35621551165 Mob 9943 7825. Raymond has email and a website. Raymond also has a taxi service so she can arrange to pick you up from the ferry or airport.
I hope that this review helps you make your plans. Enjoy Gozo! It really is a lot of fun and we wish that we had spent even more time there.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC