I am an Italian and I visited Malta several times and I liked it very much, but unfortunately it seems that Malta caters mostly for tourists seeking five star hotels, which are quite expensive and which not everybody can afford.

I came to Malta last summer to follow a course in the English language at one of the many schools of languages in Malta, which happens to be renowned the world over. Unfortunately I was not satisfied with the course since I expected an intensive course for which I was prepared to study hard because I need to improve my knowledge of the English language, which is compulsory for my profession. In my opinion I think that the courses offered by this particular school are suitable for teenagers seeking amusement rather than seeking to study English.

My story started upon my arrival at the hotel in Sliema where I paid for a double room but I ended up in a triple bedroom shared by five people. This was due to the fact that the two Russian students I shared the room with brought in two of their friends to stay with us. This was confirmed by the hotel after I filed a report about the abuse, which I did after enduring many sleepless nights with these students going in and out of the bedroom at anytime of the night, besides receiving and making calls on their mobile phones with no respect for whoever is sleeping in the same room. My worst experience with these students occurred when they brought in their boyfriends in our bedroom, which left me no choice but to ask the hotel to change my room.

Thanks to the school staff I changed my room and moved in with other roommates. I was happy in my new room but my happiness lasted only 10 days when my roommates left Malta and the receptionist at the hotel informed me that I had to move back to the original room with the same Russian students, because the hotel was full and they needed the room.

I complained saying that it was not fair for me to go back to that situation, but the reply I got was an arrogant one from the receptionist who referred me to the manager of the hotel. Eventually the manager confirmed my allegations that the Russian students were bringing in their friends to our bedroom against all rules and regulations of the hotel.

He also confirmed that the hotel was full and that the hotel needed my bedroom so I ended with two alternatives to choose from, either go back to the original room or move in a room with boys.

This situation left me no choice but to the change the hotel which I did with the help of the school. I moved to another hotel in Paceville, which was worse than the one in Sliema. Besides the fact that Paceville is an entertainment area, where it is very hard for residents to sleep, I ended up in a filthy hotel full of dust which triggered my asthma. To top it all even the flushing in the bathroom did not work properly, a situation I had to endure for another two weeks.

At the end of the course I expressed my disappointment regarding both the school and the hotels to the school manager. He spoke about considering streaming professionals and teenagers in different levels. As for the hotels he said the school could provide five star hotels if students are willing to pay for it. As for me I was not expecting a five star hotel but I did expect a clean and decent hotel. All this is bad publicity for Malta since all the students I met said that they will never go back to Malta.

A disillusioned

Italian student