My Mother and I spent a really lovely holiday at Easter 2007 at the Soreda and enjoyed it so much we are returning this May for another 2 week all inclusive holiday. Nothing is too much trouble for the friendly staff and the food and all the amenities are excellent.

My wife and I had the good fortune to stay at the Soreda from October 24th to November 7th and can honestly say we had no complaints whatsoever. Not that we're ‘Put-up-and-shut-up' types, I can assure readers of this review that I'm always the first to complain if I find the slightest thing wrong with a hotel and/or its facilities that I'm paying good money to stay at.

LOCATION:
Contrary to comments in other reviews, the Soreda is NOT located up a steep hill. It's on a perfectly level street. However, if one wanted to go to Qawra sea front – not much there at all, except for two large hotels, a couple of smaller ones, a hotel lido and no beach – one would have to walk up a hill to get back to the Soreda. I have prolapsed spinal discs and have difficulty walking, yet I found the 100 yard walk up the hill was easy. Steep? Absolute rubbish. But, if there is a complaint to be made about this hill, don't blame the Soreda, blame the Tour Operator for not mentioning it in their brochure. However, if you wanted to go to Qawra centre, with all the shops, eateries and the bus station, it's a leisurely 10-15 minute walk away – with no hills to climb.
There is a new building being constructed in a street at the rear of the Soreda, 150 metres from the hotel front door and around two street corners, but there is no loud banging or obtrusive noise to spoil a holiday. All the ‘noise' work has been completed and the bricklayers are on site. Apart from this new building there is no building work being undertaken in the surrounding area.

ROOM:
Our room, with balcony, was large and far better than we expected. It was spotlessly clean when we arrived and was maintained in that condition by the daily visit from the friendly, smiling chambermaid. The whole floor was cleaned every day, beds were freshly made each day, bathroom cleaned each day and we were given fresh towels each day. The chambermaid was always smiling and extremely pleasant every single day. The air conditioning was perfect and our TV picked up seven English speaking channels, including CNN, BBC World News, two movie channels – English speaking and no subtitles – a travel documentary channel, Eurosport and a wildlife channel. A good mix bearing in mind one is on holiday and Soap Operas are best left at home.

FOOD:
Excellent and plentiful. Breakfast buffet had a variety of cereals, plus eggs – fried, boiled, scrambled – bacon, sausage, fried bread, beans, tomato's, toast, bread & butter. Plus, a variety of cold meats, croissants, cheeses, etc, for those preferring a continental style breakfast. Ample tea, coffee, fruit juice and fresh fruit was also readily available.
We only had lunch on one day – we arrived late evening, had missed dinner and so were given a complimentary lunch. The lunch was again plentiful and there was a choice of four main meals with accompanying veg. We had the poached salmon yummy.
Dinner was an absolute treat to look forward to. And the selection was second to none. With a soup starter, one was then spoilt for choice as to what to have for the main course. The gammon was succulent, juicy and perfectly cooked; as were the joints of beef, pork and lamb, all fresh from the oven and carved with a friendly smile by the chef. As well as the roasts, one could also opt for fish dishes, braised beef, lamb/pork loin and chops, stuffed veal and an abundance of various pasta and vegetarian dishes. These were accompanied with roast/boiled/mashed/sautéed potato, cauliflower, carrots, peas, broccoli and a choice of two gravy sauces. (One day, my wife counted the dishes on offer and found that one actually had fifteen main meals to choose from.)
The sweet course varied from apple sponge or crumble, pear sponge, rice pudding, bread & butter pudding, apple tart, all with a variety of sauces – custard, lemon sauce, chocolate sauce etc. There were jellies, fruit salads and fresh fruit too, and, of course, the obligatory cheese & biscuits.
My wife and I have stayed at a number of different hotels throughout Malta during the 22 years we've been visiting the island and we can quite honestly state that the food at the Soreda Hotel is second to none. It's most certainly the best hotel food in the Qawra/Buggiba area.

FACILITIES:
From 11:00am to 11:00pm (midnight during winter months) there is a bar open. Be it the roof-top pool bar, lounge bar or terrace bar. So soft drinks, alcohol or tea & coffee are always available. There is an extremely comfortable and tastefully decorated piano lounge with leather Queen Anne chairs ( and a massive sheepskin rug that wouldn't fit in our suitcase – wink) to relax in and there's the main bar with ample soft seating and nightly entertainment. On the roof there is a well proportioned pool and Jacuzzi, with loungers and a bar. Yes, as with all resort hotels, some people did go there early in the morning and put towels or a book on loungers, but there were enough to go round and not once did we find them all ‘occupied'. In fact, on every occasion we went to the roof top pool area, we found ourselves spoilt for choice as to where to sunbathe as there were always empty loungers available. The Soreda is also a net café area, library and TV area showing Sky TV. Indoor pool, gymnasium – with more equipment than our local leisure centre – and three restaurants. The hotel has seven lifts giving access to all six floors and easy-to-understand signs are clearly posted indicating which lift goes to which floor section for easy access to rooms. We were at the Soreda for two weeks and had no problems with lift breakdowns. The facilities are what one would expect for the star rating and the Soreda Hotel is well worthy of its 4 star status.

STAFF:
All the staff at the Soreda are pleasant, courteous, helpful and honest. We had cash lying around on our dressing table for the duration of our holiday and, though our room was visited by the chambermaid every day, not one cent went missing. Another reviewer states she and her friends had money taken from their wallets. Sorry, but I don't believe a single word of it. Sounds more like she was working a scam.

IN SUMMARY:
If anyone is considering a holiday to Malta, we would have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending they stay at the Soreda. The staff – from reception to maintenance - are friendly, helpful in every respect, (I forgot to pack my phone charger and was able to borrow one belonging to a member of the reception staff) and extremely courteous. And to elaborate on the helpfulness of the staff; the cereal dispensers - made in Italy - in the dining room aren't on the market here in the UK and two friends we'd met asked where they might possibly be able to purchase them. Sharon, one of the waitresses, knew of a store in Buggiba which sold them. So, at the end of her days shift, she met our friends, took them in her car to the store, waited for them whilst they bought a couple of the dispensers, then drove them back to the hotel before continuing on her way home. What one might call ‘Service above and beyond the call of duty', which is exactly the type of service one gets at the Soreda.

If you're planning your first trip to Malta or, have been before and want to stay in the Qawra/Buggiba area, go to the Soreda; you won't be disappointed. We'll certainly be returning there, that's for sure.

Staff were great, the food was very good, one of the most friendly hotels I have been to. Rooms could do with a bit of a make over more 3 star then 4 but would stay at this hotel again.

Just arrived back from the Soreda Hotel and was pleasantly surprised after some of the bad reviews i have read. The location is ideal as everything is in walking distance. The hotel itself is in need of a little maintance but on the whole it was very clean and had everything you could need. Staff were friendly and helpful and worked very hard. We were on an all inclusive basis and i have to say the food was very good and varied from day to day and there was plenty of it. Entertainment was provided every night which was better than most hotels ive been to in the past. So i would like to take this opportunity to say thankyou to all the staff at the Soreda Hotel for a Wonderful holiday.

I also read the reviews and was most apprehensive, but after initial problems that the receptionist quickly sorted out, I have nothing but praise for the hotel. All the staff were helpful, the cleaners and hotel maintenance staff were pleasant and considerate. The rooms were clean and bedding changed regularly. The pools were clean and the entertainment on the roof excellant. The breakfast was varied and would suit all tastes There is work in progress, but that did not interfere with the enjoyment. I did make a complaint on my last evening that the lights were not on, on the verandah on my block, this was quickly remedied. Our taxi didn't turn up for us for the airport on our last day and the girl on reception went out of her way to sort this out, even though she was very busy at the time. We had a fridge and kettle in our room (much appreciated)I would go back to this hotel,don't listen to all those negative reviews,we had a lovely time. The Maltese people are so welcoming and they actually like the English.

I came to Malta for the fifth time and I have stayed at the Soreda for the first time. it was a very nice stay if I have to do it again I will first in the check in it was excellent, restaurant excellent, near the terrace excellent as well all of the staff was very helpful don't be disappointed of the messages you received because you were excellent

This hotel seemed to have many returning guests particularly of the more mature age group, so we were a little concerned at how our very young family would be received in a hotel that didn't really cater for the very young, especially after reading some of the alarming stories on this website....How very wrong could anyone be, don't believe some of these reviews. This hotel was managed and run by simply the best staff we have encountered on many trips all over the world. Granted the hotel is in need of a makeover but I think this is a work in progress and the management don't try to hide this fact. My children have never enjoyed so much care and attention. The staff were genuinely interested in looking after us all. The food was excellent with a very wide choice considering the buffet style dining. The hotel was clean and the maid service was also 1st class. Nothing was ever too much trouble and we were quite sad to leave in the end. I think most reviews must have been submitted by the type of people who have paid very little for their holidays and then expect to be staying in five star opulence. Five star luxury it definitely isn't, but for the money it is well worth it and as said, the staff would be a credit to any hotel anywhere. Thoroughly enjoyable holiday. Thank You.

Fantastic hotel, was my 4th visit, would go back, again and again, staff very friendly and food is good.