Must be fair this was a very cheap holiday, we were on all inclusive and now realise that you get what you pay for, the rooms are well appointed and are kept clean by the cleaning staff. All the staff work very hard. The food is very basic, breakfast is poor, We thought the hotel was more akin to an old peoples home than a holiday venue!!

So, why all the fuss about the Panorama Hotel. Come on now, this is, a 3 star Hotel, with 3 star prices, but thats where the 3 stars begins and ends..

Everything else about this place is minimum 4stars. The welcome...Joe - superb, good sense of humour. A fun guy. Rude.. Sorry no not Joe...The man has a sense of fun, we are on holiday to enjoy ourselves. Joe is part of the fun!

The staff, lovely throughout...All the bar staff, front of house, kitchen/dining room staff and the cleaners - brilliant. Value for money - brilliant. Food Quality - brilliant. Ignore any negative comments about this hotel PLEASE. If you do not, more fool you, because, just look at the views for starters - everything else marries up. Refurbishments have taken place to a high standard. My only problem was with a shower door....Just added to the fun....bit difficult to close, but I'm sure the manager, Joe, will get all up to 4star standards before long..

Well done to all, and the number of repeat guests here will tell you all you need to know about this hotel....All I met there on long stay visits will be returning..Says it all iI think...

Well done to all management and staff at the Panorama Hotel.

FAB!

Panorama Hotel
Mellieha , Malta

As many people would likely know here on Trip Advisor I have stayed at many 5 star hotels around the world, most noticably of course in Sri Lanka, where quality is of course rightly expected, this holiday here at Panorama was something new for me, and yes a LOT of people did question whether or not i was in my right mind opting for a 3 star in Malta, but that i did and thouroughly enjoyed it too..

Let me explain in detail:

Arrival:
Very warm reception by the manager and owner Joe and simple check in, facilties and All Inclusive details well explained, worth noting here perhaps, NO silly wristband for All Inclusive clients, simply a card with your name and room number on it, so much better than having a stupid wristband on for all of your holiday. !, don’t worry about showing the card too often, the staff here seem to have photographic memories, i was not asked to show it after one day !.

Front Office:
One word EXCELLENT, always helpful.

Rooms:
Basic rooms as you would expect in a 3 star hotel, however they are well furnished with plenty of hanging and storage space, and cleaned to a high standard, with towels changed daily and bedding changed several times a week, i noticed clean bedding on many more occasions than not., and NO i am not the kind of person who goes around putting a mark on sheets to check as in a recent television documentary on Channel 4 !!!
Most rooms have balconies with fabulous views across Mellieha Bay, i think NO other hotel in Malta could have this type of view, maybe the reason for hotel name ?
Rooms with best views are...3 to 12 on all floors....., mine was 412, only 4 floors..
Air con/heating in rooms too..
Plugs are the UK 3 pin type, with one european type plug too.
TV with several general entertainment channels as well as Sky and BBC news, direct. dial telephone too.
Bathrooms are with WC, walk in shower and basin, again very clean..
Safe deposit available at reception for a small charge.

Tea/Coffee making facilities can be supplied in rooms, with a small charge for supplies, and refundable deposit against the kettle.
FREE !!!! Wi Fi in ALL rooms as well as reception and bar areas, so bring along your laptop !!, this review was loaded on to Trip Advisor while still at the hotel, VERY strong signal everywhere.., saved me a fortune on phone calls too using Skype !, simply ask at reception for FREE access passwords..

Food:
Several previous reviews have slated this hotel about it’s food,so let me have my say, ok, so maybe not the hugest choice you will find in hotels, but for dinner there is always a choice of THREE mains, one meat dish, one fish dish and a pasta dish too, this is on top of a DELICIOUS daily soup, and salad choice and deserts too, for breakfast, again maybe not the widest choice you will find at many other hotels, mainly of higher star class of course, but you should remember that this is Malta, part of Europe ?, therefore i think only reasonable to find a continental type breakfast spread, there are cooked items too, such as bacon, sausages, scrambled eggs, boiled eggs, with baked beans, granted not all on offer the same day, but on alternate days you will find bolied eggs with bacon, then scrambled eggs with sausages, of course the usual toast, tea, coffee, fruit juices (orange or grapefruit), with fresh fruits too. apples & oranges, as well as the continental things like cheeses, hams, rolls ect..
Lunch, well as a lot of guests would usually be out on day trips ect, simply not worth in a small hotel like this putting on a buffet selection, therefore in the bar from 12.30 till 2.00pm you can find a snack menu, including fish & chips, ommelettes, burgers, pizzas,soups,toasted sandwiches, salads ect, all cooked fresh to order, i must say a nice change from the normal routine in some hotels...
Let me say this, i have stayed in several 4 star hotels here in Malta, and can honestly say that food quality has NOT been a full star better than Panorama’s food, and to put it another way, i did NOT go hungry, there was always something i could eat AND enjoy..
Restuarant is on ground floor, again with fabulous views across Mellieha Bay in daylight hours.

Drinks:
All international and local drinks on offer here,of course All Inclusive clients will only have local drinks included in thier deals, there are tea’s coffee’s soft drinks on offer too, the local Cisk is VERY drinkable beer i may add, as well as the local vodka too.

Entertainment:
A little low key perhaps, five nights a week there will a performer with keyboard/guitar singing away in the bar, they are open to requests should you have something special in mind for a dance.., but overall NOT bad at all..

Service:
Again in a single word EXCELLENT !, nothing and i mean nothing is too much trouble, anything you want whatever time you want it, you only have to ask and consider it done. and with a smile and “you are welcome” too, nice pleasant change from most other hotels..


Pool:
Nice infinity pool well maintained and clean, not too big, and not too small, overlooking Mellieha Bay, sunbeds available although not in use while i was there due to this time when the sun does not shine on pool area for much time,will be back on pool later in winter time , but some did use the pool, brrrr.

Other Amenities:
A massage can be arranged should you feel the need for one.

So did i have a great holiday?, YES of course i did AND the hotel really did contribute towards this, would i go back to Malta?, yes of course that goes without saying, BUT to Hotel Panoramal ? Well a VERY BIG yes to that question too, was sad to leave when i did., but i am now a VERY BIG fan of HP and would definitely go back and recommend it 100% to anyone, but to be honest, this is not the place for anyone with walking difficulties due the hilly surrounds.

To sum up:
A perfect place to chill out or be as active as you like, there are plenty of long walks to take on should you wish, or maybe just stroll down to the village and hop on a bus, very good connections to anywhere in Malta from there, a little tip from me, get a 7 day bus ticket, at just 12 Euros you can get a bus as many times as you like in 7 days, rather than pay 2.6 Euros for a single journey.

Lovely beach about 15 minutes downhill from hotel...., although after a long hard day in sun, you may want to get the bus back !

Hotel Panorama is a small compact hotel not like some concrete jungles i could mention, the staff work VERY hard all day long to please thier guests, and it is a VERY friendly atmosphere here, guests just seem to mingle and get on very well, i have had great time here and made LOTS of new friends.

If you are looking for an all singing/dancing hotel, with luxurious fixtures and fittings, where someone will answer your click of of your fingers, then this is NOT the place for you, but if you are looking for a nice comfortable hotel, that is EXCELLENT value for money, then this IS the place for you..

Maybe another pointer here, this hotel has a VERY high percentage of repeat guests, if it was in any way bad, would this be the case?, i suspect not..

Any dissapointments?, well only one, the weather could have been better, certainly not what is should have been this time of year..

Thanks to Joe and everyone at Hotel Panorama for making my stay one to remember, and hope see you all again soon.

Mr Dave
Room 412

What you'd expect for a 3* hotel. Clean rooms, adequate food and entertainment. All staff polite and friendly. It was raining all week so can be a bit boring, take plenty to read. Relaxed atmosphere but mostly geared up for older people and couples. Local buses cheap but the service is a bit hit and miss. Use the hop on hop off tour buses very good value for money and can be picked up from the Maritim Hotel daily 10 minutes walk away up behind the church in the village, 15 euros each. They enable you to see all of the island without the need to hire a car. Beware of a guy called Dave offering a courtesy car service to the beach, its a con to get you to listen to a presentation for 1 hour in an other hotel, when you refuse he abandons you and you have to find your own way back! Over all a good hotel.