Citizen suites

There’s barely room to move if you bring luggage, and the room is very basic. I can’t recommend it. Check-out is at 10:00; we asked for another hour and got no reply. I felt they may have ignored us on purpose ;).

For a short summer break in Malta, this worked well for us, and it’s one of the more affordable places around. You get simple, comfortable accommodation without extra frills, which felt fair for the price. Our room was fairly spacious for two, clean enough, and everything worked as expected, though there are different room types, so yours might not look exactly like the photos. The street is quiet and residential, about a 10-minute walk from the beachfront, but the apartment is up a fairly steep hill that may be hard for anyone with mobility issues. Kitchen basics were there, including a cooktop, mini fridge, dishes, and cutlery, as described. It isn’t a full kitchen, though, with no knives, cutting boards, or oven, so plan meals accordingly. The staff were friendly and helpful. The property uses a “virtual office,” but that wasn’t a problem for us: staff were around during the day and replied quickly on WhatsApp. Have WhatsApp installed and tell them your arrival time ahead of time so they can let you in. We’d recommend it.

We expected a lot from this place and came away disappointed, even though the stay was satisfactory in the end, just not good. There were stains on the walls when we arrived, and seeing fresh towels and cutlery also made us question how clean the hotel was. Guests can make tea and coffee in the shared seating area downstairs, below reception. We used the kettle often, but near the end another guest had taken it to their room. When we asked for another, we got a faulty one. I plugged it into a socket in our room and the fuse blew, taking all the sockets out. I went straight to reception, but they dismissed the problem and said there was nothing they could do. I don't recall getting an apology, and there was no compensation. The staff could use a lesson in customer service and looking after guests.

The location was handy, about 15 minutes from Lidl and the seafront. The main entrance smelled of pee, the room was a bit dirty with stains on the walls, and the bathroom lock kept falling off. The TV didn't work either. One worker put a pen into the socket so the plug would fit 🤦‍♂️. Next door was being renovated, with banging and drilling starting at 6:40am, so if you're planning to book soon, I'd wait a few weeks or months.