Luna Holiday Complex

Great place but a bit far from airport

Overall, we were satisfied with our stay. Let us start with the less positive aspects, which are the reasons why we did not award a fifth star.

The room initially offered to us was room 3501: spacious, with a view that was not particularly impressive (and even the rooms overlooking the pool do not exactly have a breathtaking view…), but with a strong chemical smell, possibly because it had recently been renovated or painted. We were therefore moved to room 3203, which was of a lower standard and smaller, but fortunately free of any unpleasant smell. The hotel’s location means that the views are what they are: it is not a “seafront” hotel, but is situated along the road leading towards Mellieħa. The value for money is relatively low. At €250 per night for two people, including breakfast, the price might have been reasonable for room 3501 (apart from the unpleasant smell, which made us refuse it), but it seemed rather high for a room such as 3203. Moreover, we were not offered even a small adjustment to the price for the smaller room, although we had mentioned this possibility to the first concierge we spoke to. The mattresses are extremely firm (even for someone like me who actually prefers firm mattresses), while the pillows are the opposite: they are very soft and sink down too much. Finally, the price of bottled water from the hotel’s vending machines is excessive: about €5 for a small bottle. This is something the hotel might want to reconsider, especially since a supermarket just two blocks away sells a similar size bottle for €0.95. Having reasonably priced water available on site would save guests the need to go elsewhere just to buy something as basic as a bottle of water.

Now, let us move on to the positive aspects.

Already during the booking process, while we were still at home, we received consistently excellent feedback and assistance from the reception staff. The same level of attentiveness continued throughout our stay: the staff were always prompt, helpful and attentive to our requests. Special praise therefore goes to all the girls and guys at reception, who always had an answer and were ready to help. The location is good, bearing in mind the limitations of Mellieħa Bay itself: the beach is decent, although not exceptional, and there is no real seafront promenade. The restaurants and activities available in the immediate area are good, but there are relatively few of them. On the other hand, the hotel is extremely convenient: within four minutes you can reach the restaurants, bars and beach, while the centre of Mellieħa, further uphill, is only about 15 minutes away. The building is modern and the common areas are comfortable and well maintained. The reception area with its adjoining bar, the pool and breakfast area, the rooftop swimming pool and the very well-equipped gym are particularly worth mentioning. The food is simple — which seems to be a constant throughout the area — but it is prepared extremely well. I had lunch three times and dinner once with my wife, and I have to say that every single meal was excellent. Compliments to the kitchen, both for the choice of ingredients and for the ability to make the most of every preparation. Our check-out time was 11:00, but we were nevertheless allowed to continue using the hotel’s common areas until the afternoon, when our airport transfer was due, including access to a shower. This is a significant plus and something that we greatly appreciated.

So, notwithstanding the points mentioned above, we consider the Luna Holiday Complex a highly recommendable option. If we ever decide to return to Mellieħa Bay, this would certainly be one of the properties we would strongly consider staying at again.