Xlendi, Gozo (Malta): Good Price, Poor Execution Led To Sub-Par Meals

Zafiro Ristorante

Xlendi Promenade

Xlendi, Island of Gozo, Malta

Phone: (+356) 2156 5555

Website: hotelsanandrea.com

Prices: €€€€

OK, so we paid $72 for a double seafront room with breakfast included. I should be jumping up and down, right? Well I am not and here is why ..

I found the hotel through Booking.com for $72 per night, including breakfast, at their restaurant Zafiro where we also had dinner ... the first night.

The room had a fantastic view of Xlendi Bay, a gorgeous inlet in a cute little town on the Southwest coast of Gozo, but two people could barely fit on the small balcony overlooking the bay.

We went to the restaurant, Zafiro, for dinner, €16 each (hotel guest price - €21 for others) for a fixed price menu. My wife had the vegetable soup, meatloaf, and coconut tart with vanilla ice cream. I had the spaghetti Bolognese, pan fried chicken breast with tomato sauce and melted cheese, and apple pie with vanilla ice cream. Our server, Merriam from Belgium, could not have been nicer or more attentive, she was the highlight of the meal.

My wife's pureed veggie soup was bland and what can you say about meatloaf (polpettone) other than it was meatloaf and OK. The grilled veggies and roasted potatoes accompanying our meals were pretty good and her coconut tart was tasty.

My Bolognese was lukewarm and the sauce way too sweet. My chicken had the same sweet tomato sauce on top and was also not very warm. The apple pie was decent, but not as good as most you would find stateside. At €16 ($19) a pop, I guess we could not complain too much, it was a decent deal even with all of the flaws.

Breakfast was actually pretty good with eggs over medium, English-style (undercooked) bacon, and pork and beans. They also had fresh, local bread, salami, ham and cheese as well as yogurts, cereals, and two types of cake. You had to get your own coffee out of an automatic coffee machine, but it was decent. The only drawback being some rather large eggshells in the scrambled eggs on our final day that my wife nearly choked on.

The hotel is nice for a 3-star and $73+ for a seafront room ain't a bad deal, but here is why I am deducting stars (Bombs) for Zafiro:

1. Dinner was a bargain, but was poorly done with bland, cold food.

2. Eggshells in the scrambled eggs ... unprofessional and unsavory, even dangerous

With all that being said, I can only give them a below average rating, even with the excellent prices ...

CombatCritic Gives Zafiro Ristorante 4 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Four Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Bend Over, Here It Comes Again"

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Title: Xlendi, Gozo (Malta): Good Price, Poor Execution Led To Sub-Par Meals

Key Words: Xlendi, bay, Gozo, Malta, oceanfront room, hotel, hotels, Zafiro, ristorante, San Andrea Hotel, san, Andrea, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp

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