InterContinental Malta Review – or how many rooftop pools does one need?

InterContinental Malta is located in St. Julian's bay - the 'party district' of Malta. As with many buildings in Malta, theInterContinental has mushroomed from a modest footprint to a whole city block that seems to be sprawling all over the place. In fact, the 10th-floor pool got an addition on the 19th floor to provide even better views and well a pool.















Check-in was very friendly and professional. We got a room on the 14th floor that was apparently more modern than others. It had an odd shape with a somewhat small bed, a huge bathroom but huge plastic mat between the bed and the desk. It was more than 1/3 of the room and served no practical purpose despite making it a hazard for our toes.



However we got two (!) handwritten welcome cards.









The bathroom was a typicalInterContinental beige color and had a superb rain shower.





The Internet fluctuated a lot and would come in between minimal speed and 20 Mbit.

I loved the patio and the view over the sea initially. It was quite beautiful. However, at night the rooftop air conditioning units and the nightlife around it made it very loud. There were also loud noises coming from inside the building that I could not really attribute to anything or anyone. Bring your earplugs at the very least!



The hotel had a major conference which made it a 20-minute journey to get an elevator up or down. There are just 6 of them for this enormous property and two were blocked for maintenance.

We also could not find anyone providing towels or pool service and all but one bar was closed at night.



However, the pool on the 19th floor is just stunning! It is similar to the Marina Sky in Singapore - it gives amazing views over the island on a clear day. That alone is enough to book the Intercontinental in summer since outdoor space is so restricted in Malta.





The whole property struck us like a maze with way too many moving parts and no staff that would take control. We asked why all bars were closed but one in the lobby and got a boilerplate reply.









In sum, we felt that InterContinental Malta is a stunning property but management does not keep a tight enough control. It seemed to be r'uled by randomness' while I was staying. I'd be happy to try again one day though.