db Seabank Resort + Spa — Hotel in Mellieha

Our family of 4, 2 adults, a 12 and 15 year old visited over the last week of Easter, 14th-20th April. Let me start with the location, it took approx 1hr 20 to get to using the bus from the airport which cost 14 euro, this was around 50 mins by taxi on the return leg which we booked at the hotel for 38 euros. We arrived around midday, so was unable to get to our room, but the check in staff allowed us to store the suitcases in a room to the left until our room was ready. For our entire stay, we had to all wear a plastic wrist band, blue for adults and orange for the kids, this was to identify us as guests and allow access to the restaurants etc. These wrist bands are OK, but can scratch when sleeping, so just be careful. There is also a black wrist band, which is for the all inclusive plus tier of guests which you pay extra for which allows access to an additional area with pool and another bar room. This can also be obtained on your next visit. Our room was a family room, this was fortunately on the ground floor right next too the pool, we got a 2 tier terrace which made the room feel bigger when the patio door was opened. However it was hot, around 22 degrees, which doesn't sound much but my wife and 12 year old managed to get sun burnt after we had a whole day in the pool even though they did apply lots on suncream. I have attached pictures of the room, but didn't get one of the bathroom, the bath tub is wider than normal, but also has a shower head above and is a reasonable shower. The staff will come in to make the beds and replenish toilet roll etc every day unless you put the sign on the door. The main pool is great, has slope access aswell as steps in multiple locations, it is only 1.2-1.3m deep so is great for children too. However it was quite cold initially getting in but soon warmed up after 10 minutes of being in. There is also an adult pool, but this was closed on our visit. There is an indoor pool which is quite warm, and another children's area with another pool too. There is an entertainment dome out the back between the hotel and pool with a bar, the staff were very helpful and gave you beer, cocktails and blushes upon request. The alcohol and soft drinks are free with the all inclusive wristband. There is a patio area which is partially covered outside the dome which guest relaxed and was also a smoking area. The main restaurant is amazing, breakfast is between 7 and 11 and had an amazing variety of food, cereal, porridge, meats and cheeses, fresh fruit, continental pastries, the standard fry up foods although the bacon is lightly cooked, beans, sausages, fried eggs, scrambled etc then there is a dedicated pancake station with a mound of pancakes, freshly cooked, with strawberry, chocolate sauces, Nutella and honey, then there is a frittata and omlete station too. There are various drink machines, with fresh fruit juice, coffees, soft drinks like sprite, coke, fanta etc and also the beer taps and wine taps if you want to start early! Then lunch is 12-3, which again has a massive variety of food including nuggets and chips for the kids, then there is a snack course between 4 and 5pm, which also has burgers which are great, you can load these up with the salad bar, cheeses and calamari if you fancy. Then dinner is 6-9pm and they change the theme of the food that they produce, so one night it's French inspired, the next its Indian with curries. There is alot of fish, so things like tuna, swordfish, octopus and muscles, which was great for the kids to try as it's all buffet style, so didn't have to have much. You can also get room service for a small charge of around 5 euro. There are also several other restaurants including a jungle themed one like a Rainforest cafe, but i suggest you book these as soon as you get there as we were not able to book as we left it too late. The jungle one also has a massive indoor play area. There is a shop on the basement level which has alot of basics, and there are various vending machines dotted around the resort, but the chocolate is...

I’m going to start off by saying that I travel the world for a living and I stay in 70+ hotels per year. These are my pros and cons.

PROS:

-Location. Beautiful views of the sea and hills wherever you look. I strongly recommend getting a sea view room, but even pool view is good.

-All inclusive deal is great value.

-Swimming pools are nice and clean, gym equipment is in good shape and the spa is great.

-Relaxed environment with plenty of room for privacy both outside and inside.

-Great to have an adult only swimming pool and bar.

-6 restaurants make sure there is always food available which is generally very good and freshly cooked. I strongly recommend the Laguna and the Brazilian restaurants.

-Animation staff, cleaning staff and a few bar staff were incredibly friendly and very helpful. My best words are for Donald in the sports sections and for Naveen in the reception bar who truly are hard working individuals and very nice guys.

-Dancers and performers in general were above average for a holiday resort and the events dome is huge and gorgeous.

-Having a bowling alley is definitely a big plus and we really enjoyed playing (€14/game not included in all inclusive deal)

-Great to have massage facilities on site, my girlfriend really enjoyed her two treatments, especially the signature massage. I had a much less pleasant experience, as my therapist didn’t listen to a word I said about my C7 vertebrae being really sore and proceeded to put a lot of pressure on it anyway, leaving me in pain for days.

CONS:

-Our room had mould on the wall, shower pressure was very low and when it rains the balcony turns into a pool.

-Don’t get a room on the 6th floor unless you like white noise coming from the AC units.

-Most bar staff’s attitude stunk. I’m not one to expect workers to be soulless slaves at my service, on the contrary, I love to see bartenders chat and laugh away while they work as that’s a sign of a healthy environment. I just don’t understand why some of them have to be so lazy and confrontational. I called one out for minding his business like a zombie while his colleague was single handedly serving the many people in the queue and he responded that he was tired because of Ramadan…

-Activities are really lame. Can’t believe with up to 1000 guests they only have ONE dartboard and ONE bow available for group activities such as darts and archery. You spend longer in the queue than actually playing… The only ping pong table available is also half broken and the room it’s in looks awful.

-The downstairs games area is dated and stinks of dump, with only one out of three pool tables actually usable. Opening times are also very weird, why can’t guests play pool or bowling before 4pm?

I would just like to add that the day we checked out my girlfriend became sick with fever and emesis which made it impossible for us to leave the hotel. After a few hours in reception and sadly only at my request, the reception manager was kind enough to grant us a room for the afternoon, so that my girlfriend could lie down and have some privacy. However, I was disappointed when, after realising that we weren’t gonna make it to the airport and in need to spend an extra night on site, despite us not even making use of any of the all inclusive facilities for obvious reasons, the reception manager told me that she had to charge us full price for the room (€195) or advised us to find a different hotel.

In light of my experience with other high end resorts, considering the unfortunate circumstances we were in and that the room we had been using in the afternoon was gonna need remaking anyway, we feel like the manager could have treated us with a little more compassion. Furthermore, not once did any the reception manager ask my girlfriend how she was feeling, nor if we needed anything at all, nor even how we enjoyed our stay!!! Totally unprofessional behaviour.

All in all we enjoyed our stay and we would surely go back providing that the owners improved their facilities and hired more professional and...

I chose this hotel because of its high rating on Trustpilot, but now I wonder how it received such top ratings when everything, including the food, was just average. The hotel is budget-friendly, making it a good option for parents with children who want to spend time in Malta. However, the food and drinks were mediocre and lacked flavor. Unfortunately, I got food poisoning on the second day, so after that, I survived on fruits and plain toast. Being a vegetarian, my stomach may not have agreed with some of the food, especially since I noticed children grabbing salad with their hands—who knows what went wrong.

The hotel has exclusive restaurants that operate on limited days. During my 7-day stay, I only had one opportunity to visit Salia restaurant. The staff there were very professional and served excellent food in a well-mannered way. Special thanks to Dijo, the duty manager, and Sujan, our butler—both took great care of us, but I could see the entire team was doing a good job. Our group consisted of eight people, and except for me, everyone else tried the Chinese and Brazilian restaurants, which are open daily. However, there was nothing impressive about them, apart from the fact that the Chinese restaurant seemed to be serving cockroaches as a side dish. After eating there, one of my team members experienced severe itching and had to take antihistamine tablets. I even took pictures of cockroaches crawling near the food.

As for the spa, the steam room was disappointing—there was barely any steam, and despite complaining, nothing was done. I only visited once, as I didn’t find it worthwhile. The indoor swimming pool was overcrowded with children and parents, yet there was no staff monitoring health and safety. I saw a parent bringing a one-year-old child into the jacuzzi, which is dangerous, as the water suction holes could pose a risk to tiny hands. There were no age restrictions for the jacuzzi, and the water wasn’t even hot enough.

Despite all my complaints, I would say this hotel is an economical choice for families on a budget. However, for me, it was the worst choice, and I learned not to trust hotel ratings blindly.

For excursions, I usually book through hotels, as I don’t find them too expensive compared to external providers. Following the same approach, I booked the Gozo and Comino tour through the hotel for £42 per person. They partnered with “I See Malta” for the tour. Excited, I didn’t read the details properly, only to realize later that it was not a guided tour.

The hotel bus picked us up in the morning, and after an hour’s drive, we reached the shore, where a ferry took us to Gozo. We were given only two hours to explore, which was nowhere near enough to see anything properly. On the way to Gozo, they promoted a beautiful trip to the Blue Lagoon for an additional £15 per person. The promotional video of the open-air speedboat ride looked so impressive that we decided to book it. However, it turned out to be another scam. Instead of an open-air speedboat, we were taken on a large enclosed boat.

On the way back to the hotel, the journey took another hour. There were two small children traveling with their parents who missed their stop because the driver announced it without using a microphone. Since they were seated on the upper deck of the bus, they didn’t hear the announcement. The driver ended up dropping them off on the roadside, somewhere along the highway. I don’t know what happened to them afterward, but I felt sorry for them and their parents.

I strongly advise against booking excursions through the hotel, as they are full of scams and have no regard for health and safety. Instead, all you need is a weekly bus pass for £25, which allows unlimited travel throughout Malta. Don’t fall victim to fraudsters! If you want to visit Gozo and Comino, local ferries charge only £15, and if you’re staying at Seabank, you can take a short 5-minute bus ride to catch a ferry. Plan your own itinerary instead of getting trapped by hotel...