Be Hotel

When my friend and I arrived at the be.HOTEL and, especially after our first night, we found ourselves going back through the TripAdvisor reviews wondering how we had ended up in a hotel where sleep seemed almost impossible. We had just read Kristen’s review, and in many ways her experience mirrored our own.

First, I want to say that the hotel itself is spotlessly clean. Every area was immaculate, and every member of staff we encountered was genuinely warm, helpful and charming throughout our stay.

The hotel is also perfectly positioned. It is an excellent base for picking up bus tours and excursions, and you’re surrounded by an enormous choice of restaurants, some of which are absolutely beautiful. The location really is ideal if you want to explore Malta.

Unfortunately, our initial room overlooked Bar Street. If you’re unfamiliar with St Julian’s in July and August, as we were, be aware that the music continues until around 4.00 a.m., followed by the noise of hundreds of people leaving the bars and clubs. The first night we were so exhausted that we managed to sleep despite it. The second night was a different story. We didn’t get any real chance of sleep before after 4.00 a.m. and had only just started to drift off around 5.00 a.m. when the fire alarm sounded after someone apparently left their bathroom door open while showering.

We evacuated the hotel as you would expect. Many guests did not. At the bottom of the escalator, which had been closed for repairs, a member of staff rather sternly told guests not to use it. I asked where exactly we were supposed to evacuate to and was told quite sharply that there wasn’t actually a fire. My response was simply, “How was I supposed to know that?” It wasn’t the hotel’s finest moment.

Thankfully, things changed completely the following morning.

I contacted Jet2, who were extremely helpful, and then spoke to reception at around 8.00 a.m. The team immediately understood the problem and offered to move us to another room straight away. They explained we wouldn’t have the same view, which suited us perfectly because all we really wanted was some sleep.

From that point onwards, it genuinely felt like we were staying in a completely different hotel. Our new room was peaceful, comfortable and exactly what we had hoped for. Like Kristen, I’m in my 50s and not really looking for a party holiday, so the difference was enormous.

I’d also like to compliment the breakfast team. The breakfast itself was excellent, with fresh, hot food that was constantly replenished. The staff were friendly and couldn’t have done more for us. The only disappointment was the fruit juice, which tasted very watered down, but everything else was excellent.

I also think it’s only fair to acknowledge that the hotel can’t know who is booking each room. Some guests would absolutely love being right above Bar Street and in the heart of the nightlife. We simply hadn’t appreciated quite how much the area transforms into a party destination during July and August. Now we know…

As for the rooftop pool, our experience was rather different from some other reviews. It was certainly busy, but we didn’t encounter any poor behaviour at all. There was no drunkenness, no loutish behaviour and no problems whatsoever. Everyone was polite, respectful and simply enjoying their holiday. The only aspect I didn’t particularly enjoy was the very loud house music playing throughout the day. That’s entirely a matter of personal taste. I simply put my headphones on, relaxed by the pool for several hours and had a lovely afternoon.

Overall, once our room was changed, we had a genuinely enjoyable holiday. The kindness and professionalism of the reception team completely turned our stay around. My advice would simply be this: if you’re not visiting St Julian’s for the nightlife, ask for a room away from Bar Street when you book or as soon as you arrive. If you do that, you’ll probably have an excellent stay.

The hotel and all its amenities are amazing! The location is perfect, all the staff are so helpful and kind, but especially Giulio, who has made our stay at the pool area the best! He is so friendly and positive, always talking to us with a smile and being very quick and responsive! I recommend the hotel - best choice for your trip if you want to be close to everything and have the best time :)

It was all very well, very clean, and for sure we will come back