My family (Mum, Dad, Son 11 Daughter 13) have stayed at the pergola 3 times since 2007, always in July/August and I have already booked for later in 2012.
First time we had a 1 bed appartment and B&B, booked through "on the beach" at a very good discounted rate.
Second time we booked the same again but on a half-board basis (we found the standard of food at the hotel so good the first time)
In 2011 we booked a 2 bed appartment as my mother in law came with us. They obviously have a limited number of 2 bed appartments and I booked direct with the hotel. Even tho I haggled with them over the rate I got a lovely appartment with an absolutely stunning view of the bay and church.

The hotel does have an odd layout as it is built into the side of a hill, I have always found the staff ready to help with directions and we're all used to it now anyway. There is an underground car park with maybe 12 spaces, if it wasn't charged as an extra I suppose it would be permanently full, I think it's worth a few quid to have somewhere shaded to park in August.

I have always found all the staff to be helpfull, friendly and polite, they are obviously very busy in peak season but have always made our holiday a good one.
The standard of cleanliness is very good, both in the rooms we've had and in the public areas, in my experience anything out of place is attended to promptly.
The food is excellent in terms of quality, quantity, freshness and variety - not much in the way of "kiddies food" but I count that as a positive. Breakfast and dinner are buffets with a good range of hot and cold, at breakfast eggs are cooked to order, themed evenings and a barberque once a week, bieng in the middle of the Med you would expect fish to be varied, fresh and plentifull - it is, and plenty of other choices. Meal times here are something to look forward to.

The hotel and Mellieha overlook Ghadira bay which has the best sandy beach in Malta, this gets very busy in August but the water is very clear and at a good temperature and shallow, so well worth a visit or several. The road down to the beach is steep and twisted and about a mile, I wouldn't reccomend the walk in either direction - especially not back up the hill. Catching a bus to the beach can be difficult at peak times as most buses are full by the time they get to Mellieha, coming back is much easier as they are near the start of the route in this direction.

Bieng of strategic importance in the Med, Malta has a very rich and varied history and is well worth exploring. If you are well organised this can be done by bus but it is easier to hire a car (drive on the left of the road). Although it is at the North of the island Mellieha is a good base for this because the Island is not very big and if you stay here you are near the best sandy beaches for when the exploration gets too much. Scuba diving is also worth a try also - explore the sea as well, My daughter and I love it and reccomend the Seashell Cove dive school located in the Tunny net complex in the bay, a very proffesional, family run business.

really looking forward to our next visit