Qawra

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Sunflower Hotel

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  • Garcia de Toledo Street
     Qawra
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dkm1981
dkm1981
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3 out of 5
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Editor Pick

A Nice Base for Exploring Malta

  • October 29, 2009
  • Rated 3 of 5 by dkm1981 from Blackburn, United Kingdom
A Nice Base for Exploring Malta

We stayed at the three-star Sunflower Hotel in Qawra for a week in July and, for the most part, I had no complaints. The hotel was in a good location, had great facilities for its class and was comfortable and suited our needs. We booked it as part of a package with Cosmos and arrived on a Saturday evening. It was dark, so we hadn't really any concept of where we were or anything, but first impressions were pretty good.

From the outside, the hotel is well-presented, with marble stairs and huge pots of flowers either side of the main glass doors. First impressions are obviously very important to the hotel as there was someone out here every day making sure the area is clean and tidy, something I took to be a promising sign.

The hotel itself is in residential area in Qawra, although it's only a five or ten minute walk (downhill) to Bugibba sea front and the same in the other direction to the main bus station. I've read other people complaining about its location, but I found it to be pretty good. No, it isn't right on the seafront, but it isn't exactly a mammoth task getting there either.

I'm not usually one for spending the whole holiday testing a hotel's facilities, however the rooftop swimming pool sounded too good to miss. It is the hotel's crowning glory and rightly so, as it affords 360 degree views of the surrounding area and is a pleasant area to sunbathe and swim. To really appreciate the views, I suggest looking in the distance rather than straight down as the hotel does seem to be surrounded by derelict spaces. However in the not-so-distant distance you can see the sea in one direction and the Mosta Dom in another. The swimming pool isn't massive although it is split into three parts, one for children, one for general swimming and the other has stools in for enjoying the swim-up bar, which offers a selection of drinks, snacks and ice-creams throughout the day.

Other facilities in the hotel include an indoor swimming pool (which opens all-year round, but for longer in winter when it's obviously not as much fun to use the outdoor one), a games room (which includes arcade games, pool and air hockey), a small library, a lounge, a restaurant, a small gym (includes running, rowing and step machines and is available free of charge) and a beauty salon.

Breakfast was a buffet of breads, cheese, meats, fruit, eggs, cakes, croissants (and chocolate sauce), juices and coffee. There was an adequate selection although it doesn't vary from day to day. The food is never going to win a Michelin star, but it was tasty and well-presented. For an extra E3 or so, you could order a breakfast of bacon, sausage and eggs, which I didn't try, but seemed to go down pretty well with other guests.

Evening meals are also available in buffet format at around E12 (although the more you have the cheaper it becomes), but I'm afraid I can't comment on that as we ate out every night. There are plenty of restaurants down on Bugibba Square offering good meals at reasonable prices.

The rooms (I'm sorry I'm so far into the review before I mention the rooms!) are more than adequate. They're very spacious and have two double beds, plenty of storage room, a TV, a table and two chairs, a dressing table a balcony and possibly the biggest bathroom I've ever seen in a hotel! The rooms are tastefully decorated (although the bathrooms were covered in little brown tiles that looked very 1980-ish!) and are kept very clean. They have air-conditioning and a ceiling fan, which were a welcome addition in the 36 degree heat! We were on the first floor, so the views were of the disused space at the back of the hotel that seemed to be the meeting point for Malta's stray cats. This didn't bother us as we spent very little time in our room and on our balcony, however I wouldn't recommend it if you do like to sit out.

Overall, I would say the hotel is an excellent base for exploring the island and for relaxing as well. It has good points that outweigh its bad points, but it is appropriately classed as a three-star accommodation, in my opinion. I wouldn't go here if you are looking for luxury or a hotel that is right in the thick of the action, but I would go here if you want a cheap base for exploring, that offers a good range of facilities.

From journal A Week in Malta

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