AX The Saint John Boutique Hotel

The St John Ax is a very central hotel located in a beautiful traditional Maltese building. We were greeted with Prosecco and given lots of information about Malta and recommended restaurants to try from the very knowledgeable Amal and Rose. We were in room 101 (front of hotel). Huge traditional beamed ceilings, original tiles and a Maltese balcony. Massive bedroom area, large modern bathroom and a huge entrance area with seating. It was superb. We did not have any noise issues at all. It was cleaned immaculately daily by Arun who was so lovely. The staff were all so friendly and welcoming. The breakfast was plentiful and delicious. Damanpreet and Rohit met us with a smile every morning for breakfast. The breakfast team (Marie and Maridol too ) are a credit to Katho the Supervisor. The roof terrace was fabulous with loungers, seating areas, bar and plunge pool with views to the sea. Would highly recommend this hotel for its style, service, staff and location.

An absolutely perfect hotel - amazing location, gorgeous rooms and bathrooms, wonderful roof terrace (on sister hotel where you have breakfast) but what sets it mile and miles apart from anywhere I've ever stayed is the STAFF!! The attention to detail was on another level - from advice on where to go and when was the best time to do so, remembering my favourite cherry cake for breakfast rather than pastries (Damanpreet, Maria and Katho = the dream breakfast team!), big smiles, proactive engagement in all aspects of our stay. Shout out to the wonderful Arun who chatted about politics and cricket whilst making our room sparkling. On top of all of that the sweetest of cherries on top - the outstanding concierge Amal. If only we could take him on all our holidays. He made every day even sunnier than the sun and our luxurious fabulous holiday was made even more beautiful because of him. He is a priceless asset to the company and must be treasured!! Thank you Amal (and everyone) - make sure you get to Gozo!!!

A very quet, comfortable and clean room. A very large bed, air conditioning was nice and quiet, and a bathroom with a rain shower. ||Add a safe for valuables, a mini-fridge which kept things cool, and very well located for Valletta.||Breakfast is in an adjoining hotel (in the same chain) but a very short walk. Staff work hard, breakfast options are great, with the continental coming on a tower a little like afternoon tea! Gluten free options were available.||In short if you want a base for Valletta you can't go far wrong with the AX St John as your choice.

Ideally located in the central of Valletta, it is a lovely building and nicely renovated. We were in room 405, which is a suite with two bedrooms and two bathrooms, ideal for a family. It was towards the back of the hotel and a courtyard room. No view but that sacrifice meant that it wasn’t noisy at all from any street traffic. |The room was clean, tidy and came with water, tea, coffee and even a few welcome small bottles of wine. |We can’t praise the staff enough, from our check in at Rosselli, their sister hotel, through to check out all the staff we met were friendly, accommodating and professional.|Breakfast at Rosselli restaurant, Grain Street, was excellent with good options and freshly cooked. Again, staff were fantastic. |We also had the use of facilities at Rosselli, which included a small gym (not used!) and a roof top bar and plunge pool, which was very relaxing with plenty of space and shade. Ideal for a rest and a cocktail after a long day visiting the sites. |Anytime I return to Valletta I would aim to stay here, made our stay so much more relaxing.

We have just stayed five nights at The Saint John Hotel in Valletta. The hotel is perfect and has everything you need. The staff are absolutely wonderful, very attentive and very friendly. ||On arrival we were offered a courtesy drink and nothing was too much trouble. We arrived early so were unable to check in. Check in is at Rosselli three doors down. You can also use Rosselli’s rooftop terrace and as the weather was so beautiful and hot, we used it most (late) afternoons after our day of sightseeing. ||We stayed on the third floor which was at the back of the hotel. It was very quiet. Housekeeping was fabulous and did a wonderful job each day. My only tiny annoyance was the lighting system. All touch button and a little frustrating at times. But no big issue and it wouldn’t put us off staying here again. It is in such a wonderful spot in the heart of beautiful Valletta, with amazingly kind and friendly staff - I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending this hotel.||In our five days we toured Valletta, queued for the ferry to Gozo (and it was sadly full), took a long two hour local bus to the north and then a short ferry to Camino and a boat to Gozo. The ferry back from Gozo to Valletta was 45 mins - highly recommended! We also took the short ferry taxi to Silema. ||A lovely five days away and we hope to come back soon . The Maltese people are some of the nicest people we have ever met.

The location of the this hotel is very central, perfect for exploring Valletta. |The breakfast next door at Grain is really nice and the service is excellent. |The room itself was fine, clean towels and good shower. |Disappointed that there was no natural light.|The main issue was the noise. Although we had asked for a quiet room with no street noise the echo from the courtyard is horrendous. Every time someone is talking, walking or closing a door you can hear it. Terrible 4 nights 'sleep'. |Also the lighting in our room didn't work only the main lights. I did mention at reception and nothing was done about it.

The first thing you need to know about Valletta's 19 bedroom AX The St John is that it is a boutique property - don’t expect all the noise and action of your experience in the foyer of a large hotel - in fact there is no foyer. You book in at another AX property a few doors down where you also go for breakfast - but more on that later. The property is brilliantly located in the heart of the city - Merchant Street runs from the top to the bottom of Valletta. Set in a historic 17th-century building that was once a merchant’s residence and shop, the property has been expertly restored to retain its charm while providing the comforts and amenities we all expect. Breakfast is a real treat - no smorgasbord with dried out scrambled eggs here. Your order is taken by one of the extremely delightful waiters - and everything arrives straight from the kitchen. Not really enough tables in the main serving area when things get busy however - but there are additional tables in the entrance area. The rooms are big - we had a lovely view of Merchant Street with its never ending line of street restaurants and bars - the bed ok, the pillows a bit lumpy. In the morn there was plenty of hot water - but the shower head and hand held unit in our room were due for replacement. Great to see the bathroom goodies include a shaving kit and toothbrush - plenty of airport hotels don't do that these days - but why go to all that trouble and then put in pump shampoo and wash bottles? Hate that in a good hotel. I like soap - and a bottle of decent conditioner. Bit old fashioned I guess. You check in at the super five star Rosselli - AX Privilege at nearby 167 Merchant Street. The front of house gal was extremely helpful - she even brought a book on Malta up to our room to clarify a few of our questions. In fact, all the staff try really hard. Great to see also the power and USB plugs either side of the bed along with light controls. The aircon was noisy but luckily it was warm enough to turn it off. The wardrobe is a bit small - not that it matters these days - and there is a curious mix of stylish through to practical furniture in the room - but everything you need is there including a coffee machine and iron. Safe is at the right height as well. All in all we really enjoyed our stay. Do try the Cheeky Monkey Gastropub next door to the hotel - good value tasty food in a very clean environment. I was a bit wary of the street restaurants. Luciano's is another dining spot in Merchant Street we can recommend. And for a coffee - la Crema also in the main strip.

The overall stay was very nice. Very convenient location in the heart of Valetta with very good restaurants in the surroundings. |Beds were very comfortable and the room is very stylish. For those who love a buffet breakfast the hotel offers a la carte instead. Recommend.