ALTANA by Valletta Vintage — Hotel in Valletta

This “independent accommodation” does a great job of selling itself on its website. The reality is somewhat different. The first discovery was the three flights of stairs to get to the apartment. The next was the bespoke one-off bed, apparently a prototype. While the people running this apartment place great emphasis on the designer aspects, they obviously have never tried to sleep in this bed. Its design makes it too short for anyone over 180cm, because it has fixed ends. The pillows and linen were not high quality, as advertised and indeed had a somewhat musty smell to them. The towels were also not great, being made of the same material as is found in bathrobes - not toweling but a honeycomb material. No doubt great in summer but it was cold and wet during our stay. There’s no heated towel rack, so hard to dry anything. A pervasive foul smell in the tiny bathroom and the toilet flush was broken. The shower tap unit was also broken, being lose and also not allowing one to adjust the height. Again the owners seem to have something against tall people. Most annoying of all is that when I mentioned this to one of the owners, she commented that she was aware of this - but clearly had done nothing to investigate or repair. It’s quite obvious these people are hands-off web site designers and not hoteliers. As for the location, it’s at the end of Republic, meaning anyone local leaving town will drive past, many of whom feel the need to test their car horns daily, so forget sleeping after about 0600 even if you’re short.|We were glad to leave and get a decent night’s rest in a quality hotel. There are better options...

Valletta Vintage is a number of properties renovated by its owner-architects and provides an alternative type of holiday accommodation. There are, I think, three studios in this building alone, providing self-catering with a kitchenette in the studio itself, and a larger area in which you could cook on the top floor where there is also a communal seating area and outside space on the roof. As this way of being provides a degree of independence i.e. no hotel reception or concierge (although you can always get hold of someone by phone) a week before our arrival we were emailed instructions on accessing the property which didn't prove to be too tricky once you got used to which way to turn the knobs on the various doors - not all the same way!! The studio itself (Atelier) was spacious and comfortable, and only a few minutes walk up the street to the centre of Valletta itself. We had a view of the sea. Again, as you are travelling more independently, there is no servicing of the apartment. There was only so much hot water available at any one time, so you need to be quick in the shower. The toilet seat and lid kept dislodging, despite being 'fixed' twice, and the sink leaked but this was successfully mended. We stayed for four nights for half the price of some of the hotels, and I enjoyed...

I recently stayed at the Vintage Valletta hotel in the heart of La Valletta and was blown away by the stunning apartments. The vintage designer furniture was of the highest quality and added a touch of elegance to the already beautiful space. The apartments were spacious, clean, and well-equipped with everything I needed for a comfortable stay. The location was perfect, right in the heart of La Valletta, making it easy to explore the city's many attractions. The staff were friendly and helpful, making my stay even more enjoyable. I highly recommend the Vintage Valletta hotel to anyone looking for a luxurious and comfortable...