Trip Report – Westin Dragonara Resort Malta

by Adam

This is part seven of a fourteen part trip report from my travels to the UK, Malta, and Mallorca. This picture trip report includes my stay at the Westin Dragonara Resort in Malta.

During the weekend of my stay, the hotel was originally sold out when I went to book but I checked back each day until I finally saw some availability. About three days prior to travel, rooms opened up with a rate of EUR 262 per night or 10,000 Starpoints at this SPG Category 4 property.  I went with the 10K Starpoints rate for a deluxe room.

Westin

While I had reserved a deluxe room, I was upgraded to an Executive Suite (Royal Beach Suite) with executive club benefits and beach views. I was also relieved as TripAdvisor reviews seemed to indicate that only the executive level rooms had an actual Westin Heavenly Bed and updated bathrooms and furnishings (more on this below).

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Check-in was fast and efficient and the two women (one in training) working the desk were extremely friendly. They recognized my SPG platinum status, informed me of my upgrade, walked me through the resort map, and showed me to the elevator.

I dropped off my bags and headed directly to the executive lounge. I wanted to grab a quick snack before getting outside to grab the last hour or so of sun and taking a swim in the sea and pool.

The lounge had an outdoor area with great views and a waiter refilling drinks and removing plates. Evening hors d’oeuvres and drinks (complimentary) were being served. I was warmly greeted as a new guest upon entering the lounge and once I told them of my plan to get outside ASAP, they even helped me pack up a beer and a few snacks…perfect!

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Downstairs to the sea and pools…

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A really good two piece acoustic act poolside…

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I actually stayed outside until around 845pm, the sea water was really warm but the pool was even warmer (bath temperature almost).

Back upstairs to check out my upgraded executive suite, the suite had a living / dining room and a separate bedroom. The room was huge, not all that modern, but with two separate flat-screens, powerful A/C, and a very modern bathroom.

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The bathroom was really nice with heated towel racks, a separate jacuzzi tub, rain shower, and double sinks.

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Welcome gift of bread-sticks, maltese olive spread, and grapes. There were multiple free water bottles throughout the suite – literally more than six of them, sparkling and still refilled daily.

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Now, I’m leaving out my favorite part of the room – the terraces. Yes, there were two, one for each room.  Each had a table, chairs, great views, and strong wifi.

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Be careful…the doors lock automatically and with a strong wind you might find yourself forced to call security to open the door from inside 😉

Breakfast at the lounge…

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Back outside to the resort grounds…

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Now, besides the pool and sea access you see above, you can also make your way to the Reef Club, part of the Westin Dragonara with a separate gigantic pool, more chairs, and additional sea access. If you find yourself heading to the Reef Club…TURN BACK AROUND!

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…that is unless you have kids. The Reef Club is very kid friendly with toys, an activities center, and water games. I felt like I had walked from tranquility to chaos…

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The seaside is nice and you have more entry points, but there seem to be more waves on the club side as opposed to the adult area. Now, the adult area has kids as well but it’s not a pool of only kids!

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Back to tranquility… Note that the Mediterranean around the Westin is rocky but there are steps to help you enter. Once you are in, you don’t have to worry about the rocks. The non Reef Club side has much fewer chairs so you might find yourself having to look a little bit harder (there are attendants who can assist as well).

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Remember, no topless sunbathing but there is ample wifi at the beach and pool…

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Welcome gates and lobby at the Westin…

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Overall, I really enjoyed my stay at the Westin. I was only there for the weekend, yet the front desk and lounge staff knew my name almost immediately. They were always stopping me to see if I was enjoying myself and to provide recommendations for sightseeing, dining, etc. I was worried about the room conditions after reading those TripAdvisor reviews, but I liked my room – ample outlets, new bathrooms, great terraces, and a decent bed (it still didn’t feel like the Westin bed I’m used to though). Anyway, I did ask the sales manager to confirm that all rooms are now “renovated” like my executive suite, and he responded that they are as of April and that all have the official Westin Heavenly Bed. As beautiful as the grounds are, make sure that you get out and explore Malta. There are several sandy beaches including Mellieħa Bay, Għajn Tuffieħa, and Golden Bay. Also, make sure you check out the fortified town of Mdina. One of my favorite restaurants, Chapter One, was an extremely short walk from the Westin.

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6 comments

thomas199023 August 12, 2013 - 5:37 pm

Really good review. I have always wondered about this hotel, it looks like a really nice place! Rates can be pretty high in the season. Did you comsider the Meridien as well?

Reply
adam August 12, 2013 - 5:41 pm

@thomas – Thanks! Yes, I meant to include Le Meridien in this review. That was where I was staying until the Westin opened back up. It’s newer but has no beach side access and only a rooftop pool. I wanted more of a resort-style environment.

Reply
The Weekly Flyer August 12, 2013 - 7:57 pm

You know, I really didn’t get a good sense of the resort. Could you post another picture or two 🙂

Bravo, great review. The lounge looks awesome! I’ll go with the Beefeater on the rocks with olives, please? Yeah, that’s my gin drink, love it!

Reply
adam August 12, 2013 - 8:40 pm

@ The Weekly Flyer – HAHAH, hysterical. Just so easy to upload photos in the new WP version! I like your drink selection too, but the Maltese beer was great!

Reply
Alanea August 13, 2013 - 3:44 am

Great review. I am intrigued by the sea access at the hotel – was the bottom rocky?

Reply
Jane August 26, 2013 - 3:11 pm

We are thinking about stopping in Malta as a stopover on our way home from SA next year. What did you think of Malta as a vacation spot. Other than the beach, what was there to do there? Would you recommend it? If you want, you can respond to me through my email.

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