Hilton Malta - La Valletta, Malta

I dislike Hilton Hotels.

They are loud: golden handrails, fussy lamps, red fluffy carpets, several pools, all the decorative clichés one associates with American nouveau riche expensive hotels; but you'll find cheap details that immediately tell you they are not worth the money you pay.

In Malta (hotel in St. Julian's, a short car ride to La Valletta, the capital), you'll have to pay 4,5€ for a bottle of water in your room; no free wi fi, which I find inconceivable. Adaptors are available at a charge.  

Pool services close - even in mid-September summer days - at six o'clock.

One may encounter in the lobby or the elevators, sometimes in the breakfast room, guests coming from the pool in swimsuits, dripping from the hair. The piano is ubiquitous, it is hard to read a newspaper while waiting for a taxi - yes, you have to move by car if you want to see the city or cultural interesting sites. Location is a minus.

Breathtaking sea views - but it's really difficult to get to the sea. Perhaps that's the reason everybody prefers the pools and no one dives into the Mediterranean...

Prices start at 180 € per night, single room. But you'll waste your money. 

The Westbury Hotel - Dublin, Ireland

Ireland’s got it all!

Not only it holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union but is also preparing “The Gathering”, a major clan or family & friends get-together throughout 2013 (over 70 million people worldwide claim Irish ancestry).

I’ve been in Dublin twice these past two months. I had the chance to stay at The Westbury Hotel, and it is one of the finest hotels I’ve ever been at. It has that unpretentious chic of the Irish: amenities, services and attentions of a five-star hotel wrapped up in a relaxed atmosphere; a superb breakfast along with a smile; marvelous rooms and the morning newspaper together with a witty remark. Those luxury extras, such as preparing the bed in the evening. Comfort, taste, discretion, refinement.
As a bonus, location. You’ll be at the heart of the city. Less than one minute walk to Bewley's, ten minutes to Trinity College or to St. Stephen's Park.  A little bit more to Temple Bar.

Prices from 200€ per night, single room.