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The Paradise Bay Hotel, located at the northern end of Malta, raises high expectations. Embedded in the Maltese coastal landscape, the hotel sits on a headland between the eponymous Paradise Bay and the Cirkewwa ferry, which regularly travels to the sister island of Gozo.

Overlooking the deep blue waters and rugged coastline from the hotel balcony, it almost feels like you’ve landed in a peaceful and secluded oasis. However, this first impression only partially holds up to the everyday life of the hotel and the surrounding area.

Location with advantages and disadvantages

The Paradise Bay Hotel cannot be visited, its location and major attractions are given. With the ferry to Gozo right on the doorstep and some of Malta’s best-known attractions relatively close, it seems ideal as a base for exploration. It is also possible to take the scheduled boats to the island of Comino and explore the Blue Lagoon or Santa Maria Bay, for example.

However, the tourist buses and ferries that arrive and depart constantly create a constant background noise. The traffic on the adjacent main road, which is essential for accessibility, often creates an unwanted background noise. Anyone looking for peace and seclusion will be disappointed here. There can be long traffic jams directly in front of the hotel, especially in the early morning hours, afternoon and evening when commuters are traveling to/from Gozo. The ferries, on the other hand, with the exception of the Nikolaos, are hardly noticeable as they are rather quiet compared to road traffic.

While the hotel itself has the potential to be a retreat, the immediate surroundings make this difficult. Especially in the summer months, when the number of tourists swells, the landscape around the hotel appears crowded and occasionally hectic. Anyone looking forward to the island idyll of a secluded resort will be surprised by the noise and hustle and bustle of the area.

Small beach with restaurants

The significant advertising factor of the Paradise Bay Hotel is its own sandy beach. Malta is an island known for its rocky coasts, and sandy beaches are rare. Accordingly, the hotel with its small, artificially created strip of sand on the bay has a unique selling point – at least at first glance. The view of the beach looks seductive in the advertising photos, and the promise of private access to the Mediterranean sounds tempting. In reality, however, this “beach” turns out to be soberingly small, uncomfortable and often overcrowded.

The artificial sandy beach has several defects. The space is so limited that guests often have to lie close together, and during high season, lying areas in the shaded areas are rarely and quickly occupied. Since the beach is so small that there is hardly any space for relaxation and peace, guests are forced to move close to each other, which further reduces the already limited privacy.

Another problem is water. While the sparkling blue of the Mediterranean makes for a refreshing swim, the area around the beach is frequented by boats and other water sports that muddy the water and occasionally leave litter behind. The illusion of an untouched coastal paradise is therefore not fulfilled. Even swimming can prove strenuous and risky due to the strong currents and boat traffic.

To put it simply, Paradise Hotel’s sandy beach has the best views you can get on the Gozo Channel Line ferries. The ships are nearby, but don’t bother you. However, there are many guests who find the ferry service, which runs around the clock, not particularly appealing.

There are several pools on the other side of the hotel. Loungers and umbrellas are available to guests free of charge. There is also a staircase with a footbridge that can be used to reach the sea from this side. It is very deep here, so this sea access is not suitable for swimming with small children. But there are large signs pointing this out. There is a separate pool for small children.

If you prefer to swim in the sea with your small children, you can reach a very large sandy beach in the municipality of Mellieħa in less than five minutes by bus. The buses run every few minutes and it doesn’t really matter where you get on, because they all stop at Għadira Bay, although not at every stop.

Service and facilities – well-intentioned, but not well thought out

Guests are promised a wide range of options within the hotel. More pools, various restaurants and bars as well as leisure activities should fulfill all guests’ wishes. The staff makes a noticeable effort to make the guests’ stay as pleasant as possible.

However, the service also suffers from the high frequency of use of the establishment: At peak times – such as in the evening or during breakfast time – the restaurants are overcrowded and the staff are overwhelmed. The consequence is inconsistent cleanliness and long waits for food and drinks, which reinforced the impression of a mass tourism resort.

By the way, the rooms are equipped very differently. Subjectively, some rooms are oversized and others are small. It’s a real lottery game whether you get a large or a small room. The facilities are rudimentary and correspond to those of typical holiday hotels.

There is an indoor swimming pool and a sauna available indoors. The indoor pool is comparatively large and because it is glazed, you can get some sunlight in the winter months. However, this area of ​​the hotel looks old and a renovation would really be appropriate.

Breakfast and gastronomy

When booking, guests can choose whether they would like bed only, breakfast, half or full board. The price per night will be higher or lower accordingly. It is also possible to spontaneously take advantage of meals on individual days for a fee. The special feature of this hotel: non-alcoholic drinks as well as wine and beer are included in self-service lunch and dinner, all you can drink. This is a factor that is advantageous for guests, as it is well known that drinks in restaurants are not exactly cheap.

All meals are offered as an “all you can eat” buffet. The cuisine is good, but not exceptionally good. Both local and international dishes are offered. A vegetarian thinks so, but then meals with meat or fish dominate. The selection varies from day to day, so it never gets boring because there are always different dishes on the menu.

There are also two restaurants where you can order from the menu. One of them is above the main building on the hotel’s sandy beach. A bar is also available here in the evenings. Another is in the main building. However, the prices for food and drinks are high. A Greens supermarket can be reached in about ten minutes by bus, where you can stock up more cheaply, as the hotel’s own shop boasts prices that are significantly higher than supermarket prices.

Conclusion: Good approach, but many flaws

The Paradise Bay Hotel in Malta is located in the first sight area, with a perfect location: an attractive location with a comfortable sea view, a very exclusive sandy beach and leisure options.

But upon closer inspection, the weakness becomes clear. The noisy environment and heavy traffic significantly reduce the relaxation effect, the beach is nowhere near as inviting as the advertising suggests, and the hotel’s infrastructure is hardly able to cope with the large number of visitors.

To evaluate, here is a good binding and active leisure time, because the Paradise Bay Hotel has an interesting option. However, anyone looking for peace and relaxation and hoping for a real retreat will be disappointed here. Unfortunately, the “Paradise Bay” – the promised paradise – often remains an unfulfilled promise. It should be noted that the hotel is not responsible for many of the “defects”. For example, the location is extremely vulnerable to storms causing seas to be so strong that the waves crash over the cliffs and hit the windows of the hotel. At best, one can philosophize about whether the location where the houses were built is optimal…