On my first day in Malta, I arrived at Pebbles Resort Malta looking less than fresh-faced.
It turns out that when you get up at 3am ready to hop on the first flight out of the UK to take a last-minute trip to Malta, you arrive at your hotel just a little bit dishevelled, a little bit tired and a little bit too early to check-in.
Something which wasn’t too much of a problem for Pebbles Resort Malta, because whilst my room wasn’t ready, they were more than happy to take care of my luggage so that I could venture out and enjoy some of the Maltese sunshine.
Because the sun was out, I was a little bit peckish and didn’t feel like sitting next to the pool to wait, I went for a wander to see what was around locally, which you can read all about here. But after those waterfront explorations were over, I returned to Pebbles Resort Malta to see if I could check-in… Only to be told I was still an hour and a half too early.
Doh!
So I did the stereotypical “I’m on holiday so time doesn’t exist” thing, and went to the bar for a drink or three (a watermelon and vodka cocktail if you were wondering!) A few tipples later, and I was good to go. So, let’s crack on with my thoughts on the place, shall we?
Pebbles Resort: The Location
Located in St Paul’s Bay, Pebbles Resort Malta is located near the main strip of shops about five minutes from the seafront. The hotel’s location is incredibly convenient, not just because of the proximity to the coast, but because a three-minute walk away (near the aforementioned main strip of shops) is a bus stop with routes which connect you to almost the entire island. Pretty handy, eh!
The Pebbles Resort Malta is situated 11 miles from the airport, so it’s incredibly easy to get to, but be warned—if you’re in a rush to get to your hotel from the airport, make sure you take a taxi and not the bus service, because whilst Malta is a small island, the bus tends to stop at every stop—which made my 30-minute journey take two hours!
Pebbles Resort: The Hotel
When I booked the Pebbles Resort Malta I was unsure what to expect. Mainly because the hotel was new and was still very much under construction at the time of my arrival. Which meant that before I departed for Malta, there wasn’t much by way of reviews.
It was a bit of a risk… But it was a risk which paid off.
At the time of my trip to Pebbles Resort Malta, the hotel was still going through major renovations on the upper two floors, but all of the main features of the hotel were open. This included the indoor bar (with outdoor access), a recently refurbished gym, an indoor and outdoor pool and a fusion restaurant—with more restaurants due to open once construction was complete.
The lobby was your standard lobby; a waiting area with comfortable chairs, but it did have a flavoured water station which was a nice touch, especially after walking back after a day of exploring. Plus, on the day I arrived, the flavour of the day was mint and cucumber—which is a personal favourite of mine, so that instantly won some extra brownie points!
The lift which takes you to the upper floors is also situated in the lobby. I’m not entirely sure how many floors there actually are, as they’re still being constructed, but when it came to the construction noise I barely heard a thing. Honestly, I think I heard a hammering sound once (for less than ten seconds), so that was a nice surprise as I was expecting the construction to feel more present than it was.
Pebbles Resort: The Room
My room at the Pebbles Resort Malta surprised me. Partially because I hadn’t checked my room type when I booked the hotel, as I was just eager to get away and therefore didn’t really give it much thought. I know, I know bad planner. But as I swiped the fob and entered, I was pleasantly surprised.
The room was incredibly spacious and was decorated with a modern aesthetic. It had a flat-screen TV which I didn’t even notice at first as it was hidden behind the mirror, so that you could only see it when the screen was switched on—a great space-saving technique.
There were tea and coffee facilities, built-in wardrobes with spacious shelving, ample drawer space and a dedicated area for luggage which I soon turned into my product shelf because a generous luggage allowance meant I travelled with an array of products for the first time ever (and my hair and skin all but thanked me for it!).
In addition to the above, there’s air conditioning, an electronic door lock, a safe which was big enough for my laptop, a daily cleaning service and free wifi which is also available throughout the property—and is actually pretty decent!
Outside of my room was a large open terrace which overlooked the pool. It would have been a great space for a HIIT body workout, morning stretches or other things that “morning people” might do, but I just used it to sleepily laze in the sun pre-breakfast. It was also pretty handy at night as I was able to listen to the live entertainment whilst wearing pajamas in the privacy of my own room.
There was a large shower in the bathroom and a weird window on a shelving space which opened into nothing but tubes. Which honestly made no difference to my stay and most people wouldn’t have noticed. But I’m nosey and saw it had a handle so took a sneaky peek inside. I tried to put the shower through its paces shortly after arriving into our room (anybody else feel grim after flying, even if it’s only a couple of hours flight?) and noticed that there was no cold water. I know! Usually, you find that there’s no hot water—but somehow it ended up being the other way around. Perhaps they switched the cold water off due to recent renovations, perhaps not. Either way, I didn’t fancy searing my skin off so I made a quick call to reception and in less than 20 minutes it was fixed and I had washed away that post-travel stank.
Pebbles Resort: The Food
When I booked my stay at Pebbles Resort Malta I was presented with two options, Bed and Breakfast, or Half-board. I don’t typically book hotels with meals outside of breakfast included, as I like to venture out and see what local places have to offer. But as the price was pretty much the same for some reason, I decided to book half-board and then I could venture out if I fancied it.
Only, I rarely did.
I feel bad because experiencing lunch and experiencing dinner in a place are two very different experiences—and you should definitely experience both when you visit a new country. (Could I have mentioned “experience” any more in that sentence?) But whether it was fatigue after spending hours exploring, the enticing menu, or a combination of both—I ate dinner in the hotel every night I was there.
There was only one restaurant open in the Pebbles Resort Malta during the time of my visit: MedAsia, a Thai fusion restaurant on the ground floor of the hotel by the bar. There’s indoor seating for MedAsia, but I find that eating outside is one of the best parts about a holiday. Ya’know, if you’re holidaying somewhere warm. Perhaps living in England has made me appreciate being in a t-shirt at 9pm that much more, or perhaps it’s the feeling of the warm breeze that blows even after the sun has set. Or maybe it’s a combination of both, either way. Sitting outside is aces and I love it so that’s what I did.
I started my meals with a cocktail each night, because when you’re on holiday you can sit back, relax and have a three hour dinner if you so wish. The espresso martinis weren’t my favourite (but honestly, I’m pretty fussy with them) but the Pimms, and watermelon vodka drink (I forget its name) were both refreshingly drinkable and tasted just as good on the fourth as they did on the first. *hic*
But back to the food.
I was pleasantly surprised by the half-board menu at Pebbles Resort Malta. Mainly because when you use a set menu, they tend to be quite limited. Which isn’t a complaint, I actually prefer it because I’m indecisive with food. But the half-board menu at Pebbles Resort Malta had numerous dishes available which included Thai, Maltese and Italian flavours. Plus the portions were huge! On day one I ordered calamari to start, but after seeing the size of the portion I decided that moving forward I would stick to ordering smaller portions to start or I’d never be able to get through it all. I won’t give you a full run-down of all the food I ate because lol, ain’t nobody got time for that. But to give you an idea of the variety here are a few examples of dishes I ordered from the half-board menu:
Starters
Calamari, Bruschetta, Satay, Chicken Wings, Spring Rolls.
Mains
Sesame Chicken Noodles, Maltese Rabbit in Red Wine and Garlic Sauce, Horse Stew, Bolognaise. Crispy Chicken, Duck Salad.
Pudding
Banoffee Pie, Lemon Cheesecake, Tiramisu, Chocolate Mousse.
It’s worth noting that the Penang, known on the menu as Bangkok Curry for some reason, gets an honourable mention because it was delicious.
As for breakfast?
Breakfast wasn’t my favourite because I think every hotel should have an omelette bar. But that’s just because I frickin love omelette bars, so maybe that’s unfair.
Breakfast was served buffet style and featured an array of cereals, pastries, jams, fruits, hams, cheeses, tomato slices and fruit juices. There were also hot options such as beans, bacon, scrambled or fried eggs etc. I literally just had eggs on toast each morning, followed by cheese and tomato because for some reason every time I’m in Europe that’s how I start my day.
Pebbles Resort: The Verdict
My stay at Pebbles Resort Malta was part of a cheap and cheerful trip to Malta for a week of exploring and I went there without any expectations. But I was a little bit blown away by the value for money. I’m not sure whether it’s because I didn’t have any expectations when going there, that I was easily impressed. Or whether I was expecting the construction to be completely intrusive and because it wasn’t it felt like a blessing. But between the decor, the food and my room, I left feeling like I got incredible value for money and would have been happy to pay more for my stay.
Where To Find The Pebbles Resort Malta
Address: 66 Blacktail Street, SPB, St Paul’s Bay 3010, Malta
Website: https://pebblessanpawl.com.mt
Phone Number: +356 20 1022 22
