The Diplomat Hotel — Hotel in Sliema

Hotel Review: A Disappointing First Holiday Together – The Diplomat Hotel, Malta (7–10 May)

My sisters and I stayed at The Diplomat Hotel in Malta from 7–10 May. It was a special trip, as it was the first time we had ever gone on holiday together—a rare opportunity, as we all live overseas. We chose this hotel hoping for a relaxing and memorable experience, especially since we were celebrating our birthdays.

At first, things seemed very promising. We had a family room (no. 792 on the 7th floor) which was beautifully decorated with balloons, complimentary water and wine, and a lovely greeting card—such a thoughtful gesture that really set a positive tone. The receptionist on the evening of 7 May was incredibly kind and friendly, and we felt very welcomed.

Unfortunately, our experience quickly went downhill. On the morning of 8 May, I went up to the rooftop terrace and sat in one of the hanging egg chairs. It collapsed underneath me due to poor condition, and I ended up with a bruised leg. I immediately reported the incident to reception, but the staff member on duty—Adarsh—was extremely dismissive and offered no empathy, just a plaster. I also requested that the broken chair be removed for safety, but shockingly, it was still there the next day. I even had to warn another guest who was about to sit in it.

That same day, I noticed our room phone wasn’t working and reported it to Adarsh. He rolled his eyes at me, and later called my mobile while we were out and said, “I’m calling to check if your phone in the room is working and blah blah blah.” I found this incredibly rude and disrespectful. I asked to speak with the hotel manager, and was told Dimi would come to our room—but he never showed up or followed up.

Another concerning moment was at the hotel pool. Before jumping in, I checked the depth signage, which clearly indicated 1.5 meters. As I’m 1.7m tall and not a very confident swimmer, I always make sure it’s safe. But once I jumped in, I realized the water was much deeper than indicated, and I panicked. Luckily, I was with my sisters and nothing serious happened, but it could have been dangerous. I reported this at reception too, again out of concern for other guests—especially kids or poor swimmers—who might rely on that inaccurate information.

To top it off, I requested a late check-out due to our very late flights back home, and despite all the issues we experienced, that request was denied without any flexibility.

It’s worth mentioning that most of the hotel staff—including housekeeping, bar, and breakfast team—were polite and helpful. The hotel itself is in a great seafront location, old but clean, though definitely not budget-friendly.

Overall, I have mixed feelings about this stay. While it had the potential to be a wonderful and memorable first trip with my sisters, it was marred by poor safety standards, lack of empathy, and rude behavior from certain staff, particularly Adarsh and the absentee manager. I hope the hotel takes these concerns seriously and improves its approach to guest care and safety...

Avoid this hotel as they lie to you just before you book and then present you excuses. I made direct booking because, as working in the same industry I knew is a netto sum for the hotel when you book directly. The rate was high for only one person, but I tought that there must be a lot of factors for that (high season, recently renovated rooms with sea view and so on). So I booked this hotel for my birthday and I booked specifically the recently renovated rooms with sea view. I checked in and then when I entered the room a bad smell hit me. Was the smell of an old abandoned house...horrible. Then I steped in and I saw water all over the floor and was still leaking from the old and noisy AC. I reported to reception and a man came and started to give me all kind of excuses "there is himidity in Malta", "did you reported right away?", "was no problem before" I know all this things that I experience as a guest, is always the guest's fault when is a problem. They offered to change my room to one without sea view for one night but was late and I just wanted to sleep. And for how much I paid, all this just adds to the stress and disappointment. In the end the man fixed the leaking AC and it was good for the rest of the stay. Then looking around in the room I just saw that the recently renovated rooms with sea view were last time renovated in the period of Queen Victoria I guess. The bathroom was looking like nobody took care of it since it was built (and there were some sort of bugs running around under the sink... 4 stars hotel..I guess that's the standard in Malta who knows.. I am not that type to complain about everything, but knowing how much I paid only for myself, I was very annoyied with the situation. I did not went to the reception for the rest of the problems because as I said they always find an excuse and my mood was already ruined from the first night, so I concentrated on making my holiday nice outside the hotel. At the check out I told the staff that my room looked nothing like a recently renovated room with sea view and he told me that actually the renovated rooms are the ones in the back side of the hotel so not the ones with sea view. The staff was nice and friendly I have nothing bad to say about them (is anyway not their fault), but the management should come with the feet on the ground with the prices for some rooms that look worse than a hostel room. If you want a good hotel in Malta try something else even if you go over the budget, at least you don't get fooled. I don't recommend this hotel at all! Pictures...

Avoid this hotel as they lie to you just before you book and then present you excuses. I made direct booking because workig in the same industry I knew is a netto sum for the hotel when you book directly. The rate was high for only one person, but I tought that there must be a lot of factors for that (high season, recently renovated rooms with sea view and so on). So I booked this hotel for my birthday and I booked specifically the recently renovated rooms with sea view. I checked in and then when I entered the room a bad smell hit me. Was the smell of an old abandoned house...horrible. Then I steped in and I saw water all over the floor and was still leaking from the old and noisy AC. I reported to reception and a man came and started to give me all kind of excuses "there is himidity in Malta", "did you reported right away?", "was no problem before" I know all this things that I experience as a guest, is always the guest's fault when is a problem. They offered to change my room to one without sea view for one night but was late and I just wanted to sleep. And for how much I paid, all this just adds to the stress and disappointment. In the end the man fixed the leaking AC and it was good for the rest of the stay. Then looking around in the room I just saw that the recently renovated rooms with sea view were last time renovated in the period of Queen Victoria I guess. The bathroom was looking like nobody took care of it since it was built (and there were some sort of bugs running around under the sink... 4 stars hotel..I guess that's the standard in Malta who knows.. I am not that kind to complain about everything, but knowing how much I paid only for myself, I was very annoyied with the situation. I did not went to the reception for the rest of the problems because as I said they always find an excuse and my mood was already ruined from the first night, so I concentrated on making my holiday nice outside the hotel. At the check out I told the staff that my room looked nothing like a recently renovated room with sea view and he told me that actually the renovated rooms are the ones in the back side of the hotel so not the ones with sea view. The staff was nice and friendly I have nothing bad to say about them (is anyway not their fault), but the management should come with the feet on the ground with the prices for some rooms that look worse than a hostel room. If you want a good hotel in Malta try something else even if you go over the budget, at least you don't get fooled. I don't recommend this...