Not quite what I expeected but lovely all the same!
by TripAdvisor Member RowenaP
My partner and I have just arrived back from a week in Riu Seabank. Upon arriving at the hotel...i was a bit dismayed that it did not look as grand as the photos had made it out to look like. Inside was clean and tidy, but lacked a bit of light. Staff were welcoming and friendly.
Our room was basic, but spacious. If you can get a sea-view room as we only over looked sun loungers and the road.
The food was ok-good. breakfast was the best as you had a wide selection of hot and cold stuff. dinner was very bland and consisted of a buffet style course. The restaurant lacked atmosphere and felt more like a canteen. We ate out most evenings and found a lovely hotel at the top of the hill in Mellieha Village called 'The Hilltop'. Food was lovely, nicely presented and by far the best we had all holiday!
The location of the hotel was perfect, you have a beach right across the hotel and it was inbetween the village and Gozo ferry. There is also a bus stop across from the hotel. highly reccomend you get a 3 day or more travel pass this then allows you to spend the day bus hopping to see the sites. The only down side was the last buses did not run as late as we had hoped...i.e.8-9pm.
Over all its more of a 3 star hotel, but pleasent all the same. Note to younger travellers if you want somewhere a bit more lively with bars this is NOT the hotel.... maybe try Sliema or Bugibba. If you want to do any water sports make sure you go nearer mid-April May time as nothing was open when we were there. Shops are closed between 1-4pm so make sure you see the sites then.
If we were to return we might stay somewhere a bit more livlier and when its a bit more busy. Over all it was a relaxing week.
Fantastic Hotel
by TripAdvisor Member cottycath
Hotel fantastic, staff the best i'v met, they could not do enough for you. Food very good more than enough choice.Lots of intresting places to visit. We found the service very personal, the staff went out of there way to make our holiday the best. A big thankyou to all the staff. Mr+Mrs Cottington.
Lovely Break
by TripAdvisor Member heliona
My husband and myself spent a week here early November. Weather was warm and hotel lovely.
Good choice of food at all times.
Staff very helpful
Bus stop opposite Hotel and excellent service for around 85p return all the way to Valleta which took an hour!
Evening entertainment was OK, some musicians better than others
Outdoor pool area most attractive with bar/cafe next to water. Plenty of sunbeds.
We had a lovely break here and would definitely recommend
Thank you
Jackie Garlick
Not a 4 star!
by TripAdvisor Member LindsK
I would love to say I agreed with the comments posted to date but unfortunately this was not the case.
I have never complained about a hotel before and hated to this time but I rely on Tripadvisor for my holidays, so I just want to let people know what we thought. I honestly would not give this hotel a 4 star, although I am aware that 4 star means different things in different countries.
But let me start with the good points. The weather was lovely - 17 degrees. The facilities in the hotel are good. We only used the gym as it was a bit cold for the outside pool and the children all used the inside pool which was fair enough. The gym was good, except the air con was broken but that can happen anywhere. We only ate once in the hotel - lunch at the diner downstairs, and didnt use the bowling alley etc. The bar was also nice enough. Breakfast - the food was really good, fresh and plentiful and lots of choice from hot, to pastries to healthy - it gets very busy and the tables are all put together, a bit like a school canteen, so we tried to go towards the end (10am) and could get seats then
We found a lovely restaurant on the road up to the town but I didn't write the name down annoyingly. The food was fantastic!! The service was excellent - but this could have been because we were the only people in there. We went back 2 more times and the most people we saw in there were 2 other couples - so we were really welcomed back.
There are also some spectacular walks around - we headed towards the Red Tower and along the cliffs - you can walk for hours!! And you can look out over Gozo which was lovely.
Now the bad points:
My husband and I arrived on the 27th December for New Year. Check in was good, the staff were very welcoming and the reception was lovely. We were given room 513 on the top floor and is off the main corridor, so no people would be walking past noisily. We must have been lucky with this as it was not a normal sized room, so we were grateful for that. When you enter the room, there is a large foyer, with the bathroom off there. Then you walk through to the bedroom. It was basic but ok. Not 4 star standard. We had booked a sea-view room, and it was of sorts. We had a great view of the buildings opposite, but you could see the sea if you craned your neck .
Then the problems started. I went to use the shower and one of the towels was filthy. I looked down and the bath had stains in and was dirty. There was mould growing along the bath and there was mould and fur growing out above the plug hole!! Then the more we looked around, the more we saw wrong. There was a hole in the wall with wires exposed, a lamp switch was held together badly with sellotape with wires protruding and the TV casing was smashed. (There is no kettle so bring one if you like hot drinks in the room)
We went to reception to report these things, to be told it was one of the most newly rennovated rooms! They offered to move us but as I said, it was large and off the corridor so I didn't really want to move. We did look at another room, but the standard rooms are very small and pokey (and there was mould in the bath in there as well). So we asked them to sort out the bath etc. They were very nice and accomodating, no doubt about that.
But the other problem was the next morning at 5.30am - the buses and lorries tearing round the roundabout and main road below us. And this continued all morning, so there was no sleep past then. People got up early anyway and as it was stone floor, sound echoes. A lot.
The surroundings - the town was shut down basically. We took a walk up the hill the first day and it was deserted. The decorations were lovely and there were Christmas carols piped out onto the roads, which made it more eery as there were no shops open. It really wasn't a place to go between Christmas and New Year.
I hope that they sort out the cleanliness - maybe we were just unlucky. I am sure it is a different place in the summer with the town open, but we won't be returning.
Enjoyed the Riu
by TripAdvisor Member AMARRIEDCOUPLE
My wife and I, my daughter and gransdon all stayed at the Riu over Christmas. We had an excellent time, everything was clean, neat and tidy and the facilities were excellent.
Great places to eat 10 pin bowling and pool tables too. Good pub but no football as advertised.
The swimming/spa area is very good and the pool and sauna areas very clean. The spa treatments are brilliant (not me the wife)
It was a bit busy at breakfast and the Freddy Mercury tribute on Christmas Eve simply had to be seen to be believed.
It is a little out of the way at Mellieha but that is why we went. Mellieha town has some great restaurants we ate at Guiseppes and the Arches...excellent cuisine.
Would we go again....yes.
Food was great
by TripAdvisor Member SomersetSammy
We have never been on a package holiday before, (having driven all over Europe and found hotels along the way previously), but our first experience was marvelous. Hotel was great, pool lovely, staff friendly, room clean and comfortable. Really impressed with the food, great choices of menu for breakfast and evening meal. Lots of Germans but they were friendly and we never had a problem finding a sun bed. Drinks were same price as in England but thats because we were paying 4* prices and we enjoyed the entertainment and company in the hotel so didn't go out every night and were happy to pay the extra. No qualms in recommending this hotel to anyone.
Extra helpful staff
by TripAdvisor Member jrsss
Over three weeks a group of 90 went to this hotel and it is excellent. The staff are extremely helpful and very efficient. Everyone speaks to you as you pass, waiters, cleaners and maintenance staff which makes you feel very welcome. Although we arrived at 2.30 in the morning there was an excellent buffet laid out for us with a bottle of water for each person. The bedrooms are comfortable with a balcony which either overlooks the pool or the sea. Some of the rooms were large enough to take three beds. There is a bus stop right outside the hotel which is extremely convenient and there is also a courtesy bus each day from the hotel. There is a large dining room with a self service buffet for breakfast and for dinner. There are two restaurants where lunch can be taken. There is an outdoor and an indoor pool and ten pin bowling for the fit. It is very easy to visit any of the places on the island because transport is so easy. As English is spoken everywhere is makes everything so easy as there are no misunderstandings.
Sign in with Facebook
