Reef Hotel & Spa — Hotel in Żebbuġ

Just finished 5 nights here. I work at a premium gold hotel and spa / club in England so I understand good service. This hotel is definitely more a 3 star hotel.

What was good? The cleaning staff are amazing- very good attention to detail and care- all did their most to try and help us when they could. The pool area is nice - apart from the disgusting pool chairs which are all incredibly dirty. A few members of staff were kind- and this was greatly appreciated amongst the other subpar service. Reception staff and a few other members here or there were kind.

What was bad? So many things about this hotel ended up with my family and I feeling more stressed leaving than arriving. First of all- nobody seems to know what’s even going on in the hotel. There’s no spa- despite being advertised of having a spa? There is room service advertised - despite staff telling us when we got there that they tried it and was too much for them to do- so they no longer do it? Some days the kitchen shut early, some late, sometimes food could be served upstairs, sometimes it couldn’t. Breakfast was made to order, and then it was changed into a buffet. All over the place- stressful and confusing for paying customers. Numerous occasions we looked to staff for guidance, the majority of the time we were met with plain rude attitudes and nasty looks. A particular woman who seems to run a lot of breakfast duties, with dark hair and fair skin, was incredibly rude on my very first breakfast here- she had an aggressive tone when I simply asked how the breakfast service worked. We ordered food to the rooftop and it came out an hour later, which for one small small starter is appalling service. When asked if it could be remade due to it being freezing cold and inedible, this staff member said, “why can you not eat it cold?”. The hotel had. particularly bad sewage smell across it, causing us to ask reception multiple times if there was a possibility to move rooms- it woke us up in the middle of the night the smell was so foul. Michelle was sent to ‘verify’ if our claims were true about the smell, which is extremely unprofessional anyway, and she met my Mother with a very arrogant attitude, questioning her as if she was lying. It is horrible to feel so unwelcome in a place you pay substantial amounts for. Other small issues were problems such as no limes for cocktail hours, some days the breakfast buffet was half empty, with poor service during buffet hours, as well as a poor selection of foods- mainly just processed carb options. Nothing healthy or appealing. Paving by the pools was unsafe, often coming up and people were tripping over it. Dumbwaiter didn’t work to transport food up the floors, kitchen was shut on one day as it needed maintenance, leaving us with no where to eat. The problems are small, but endless. This is the issue.

Now , had the staff, mainly management , been understanding and kind and listened to our concerns- this review would be very different. They are dismissal, defensive and reluctant to try and problem solve. In all honesty, I feel extremely bad for all the workers that are not apart of the management team and above, as it is clear they have received little training, and are being made to work in a hotel that is not organised or prepared enough. We saw many staff subject to complaints that are not their own fault- it is at the fault of management and owners. This hotel could be good- but this must be...

We have just returned from a very nice week at this hotel. It has just recently been opened in recent months, and there were a few snagging issues that the hotel needs to address; the hotel is aware and has it in hand. Additionally, the spa is not yet complete, but we were aware of this when we booked; this did not interfere with our holiday at all. The rooftop swimming pool is great, if a little chilly at this time of year, with plenty of sunbeds, chairs, tables, and parasols. On arrival, we were upgraded to a better room. Sabana at the reception was most helpful on check-in and throughout our stay. In fact, all the staff were impeccable and a credit to the hotel and the management, everyone tried their best to assist and enhance our stay, with time to talk with advice on wine from Arun, for our meal, Anthony who promptly served from the bar, Carol and Stefan who dug out ferry timetables, directions, where to go, what to see and advised on many little things that only locals would know, and little details can turn a good holiday into a great one. (Eg. Use Bolt instead of Uber). Bolt is slightly more expensive, but you will get a driver quickly, as the drivers prioritise Bolt as they earn more. When you have a function to attend and time is tight, you do not want to miss the start, messing around to get a cab that will not turn up. |Our room was well decorated, clean,and airy with a small but functional balcony, ideal to sit on and drink coffee of a morning. The bathroom had bright and low-level lighting for you to choose from, which was good as you do not want a bright light when you are winding down to sleep. The shower was beautiful with a rainfall shower head, and a hose shower head, all easily adjustable, with good pressure. When in the shower, you do not want to get out; it has nice, softened water with no limescale at all. The shower had good-quality shower/body wash, hair conditioner, and body lotion dispensers. There is a good hairdryer in the bathroom as well. The toilet has a water jet function as well, not that I need it, (the tap was down to the left in our room 608). Although housekeeping do a very good job and the room looks impeccable, if you look deeper, dust is allowed to accumulate under the bed. |Breakfast was excellent, a good selection of quality fresh products for every taste. buffet style, including fresh orange, apple, and peach juice (not concentrate fresh). The orange juice was a constant; the peach and apple juice changed, and there were always x 2 fresh juices to choose from. |We ate dinner at the hotel once due to our holiday timetable, but wish now we found time to eat there more often, as the meals we had were beautiful, the chef Morsheed is a talented cook. Between us we ate x 3 different meals, all were impeccable, and the cost was not exorbitant either, yes, a little more expensive than some local eateries, but it was worth it. The menu is not large, quality over quantity, but the meals were delicious. |We are not big drinkers, but the bar is well stocked and not overpriced for the quality of the service and drinks provided, from alcoholic to mocktails to smoothies. |The hotel is situated a short walk from the harbour and a short ride to Ramla Beach. |If we go back to Gozo, without any hesitation, I would go back to...

Overall Impression: We truly enjoyed our stay at the Reef Hotel and Spa. While there are a few areas for improvement concerning room features and noise, the experience was overwhelmingly positive, largely thanks to the exceptional service and the quality of the room and dining. ​The Highlights: Exceptional Service and Dining The staff at this hotel are a great asset! Our stay started perfectly with a helpful and polite check-in, setting a welcoming tone. The service was consistently fantastic, especially in the hotel restaurant where the food and service were amazing—a real highlight of our time here. Our room was also a pleasure to return to, as it was spacious and clean. ​Points for Management Consideration: We did encounter a few issues that future guests should be aware of, which management may wish to address: ​Noise Issues: Unfortunately, the sound proofing was poor. We could clearly hear general noise from the hallway (people walking and talking) and even the sound of adjacent rooms using their bathrooms, which did impact a couple of nights. ​The rooftop pool was unavailable due to an event on our first day. ​Room/Feature Notes: While we paid for a room with a view, we had hoped for a larger balcony to fully enjoy it. Also, a minor fix needed is that the hot and cold controls are inverted for the sink and shower mixers. ​Conclusion: Despite the soundproofing and facility issues, we still found our time at Reef Hotel and Spa to be highly enjoyable, primarily because of the dedicated and...