We booked a short beach holiday at the Romanian seaside in Mamaia near Constanta. We had a few days in Bucharest en route to Chisinau, Moldova and instead of staying in Bucharest, we decided to pay a visit to the Black Sea.
We stood at Hotel Malibu in Mamaia and decided to share our experience of this beautiful hotel. Great location on the beach, excellent service, wide sandy beach, amazing views towards the sea and/or Tabacarie Lake, comfortable room equipped with all you need and much more.
Why we chose Hotel Malibu, Mamaia
What you will find in Mamaia, is that the resort is a little bit old school. What I mean by this is that everything is fairly modular. Hotel/ Accommodation, amenities, sun beds etc. they tend to be provided by separate owners and hence the idea of a Turkish all-inclusive offering is fairly rare which means everything is sold separately.
Here we suggest you research the market and see whether a packaged holiday or booking the trip independently might make more sense for you. On this occasion we chose to book things independently and planned our own holiday.
We spent over 2 hours searching hotels on Booking.com that meet our requirements. As we were shortlisting the hotels and reading the reviews, we found out that many beachfront hotels don’t even offer you sunbeds and parasols and you had to pay extra every day to rent these.
Believe it or not, some hotels would charge for the use of the hotel swimming pool and we were really amazed that facilities like these were not included in the price.
We were pleased to find Hotel Malibu as the hotel that meets our criteria, here is why we chose it:
- Beachfront location
- Private beach with access to the pool and sunbeds included
- Modern interior
- Great breakfast offer (as we only wanted bed and breakfast)
- Very good reviews on Booking.com and on TripAdvisor
- Fit our budget
Overall, we had a great experience and would return to the hotel. To see why, read more about the hotel and our experience below.
Location and How to Get to Hotel Malibu
Hotel Malibu is located at the southern entrance of Mamaia resort, just outside of Constanta. It has a very unique location as the hotel is on the beach but also bordering the waters of Lake Tabacarie.
This unique location also means you get great views of the sunrise and/or the sunset.
We travelled from Bucharest to Constanta by train. From Constanta train station, we took a short Uber ride to the hotel. An alternative is to drive to the hotel from your destination.
Reception and Lobby
As we entered the hotel, we were impressed by the reception and lobby area. The interior is very stylish, welcoming and decorated with taste.
We had a very positive check-in experience as well. We arrived at the hotel before the check-in time. Although we were secretly hoping to get an early check in, we were dressed in a “beach-ready” attire and were ready to leave our luggage in the luggage room and head to the beach, should the room not be ready.
Thankfully our apartment was ready and we were allowed to check in earlier, which is exactly what we were hoping for 🙂
The lobby was also very impressive and furnished in a stylish way. We loved the modern touch and how clean it was.
Our Apartment
The hotel has 153 rooms in total. When booking you can consider the following options also listed on their website:
Standard Room (Double/Twin)
- 20 sqm
- Free Wi-Fi
- Typical amenities you would expect
Standard Apartment
- 35-40 sqm
- Free Wi-Fi
- Living room
- Balcony
- Typical amenities you would expect
Deluxe Apartment
- 60 sqm
- Free Wi-Fi
- Living Room
- Balcony
- Kitchenette
- Typical amenities you would expect
Each option is worth reviewing depending on your needs and circumstance. On this occasion we stood in one of the 22 apartments and had amazing views from the balcony.
The apartment was modern, clean and in nice summer colours. It didn’t feel that something was too overwhelming. The design of the room felt tasteful and in a way, we felt very much at home.
Living room
As you enter the apartment, you step into the living room. During the day, the lounge area is bright with a lot of natural light coming through the windows and the balcony.
We had a comfortable soft armchair and a good three-seater sofa. Opposite the sofa, we had a flat screen which was perfect in the evening whilst chilling in the living room or even watching a few shows after showering.
There was a bar area where you can find tea and coffee making facilities as well as the mini bar. This area was actually very useful as one can set-up a workstation there as well.
Paul had to log-in and check emails for an hour on one of the days and this was the perfect place for this.
We also had a conveniently placed shelf by the front door and a small wardrobe in the living room with extra pillows and covers. From the living room, you can go to the bedroom, balcony and the bathroom.
Bedroom
The bedroom was large, bright and really spacious. The double bed was comfortable and we had a very comfortable sleep.
In the bedroom we had a flatscreen TV, chairs with a little table, luggage rack and a spacious wardrobe with shelves and hangers, safety box, bathrobes and slippers.
From the bedroom, we also had access to the balcony and what a balcony it was – it deserves a separate section on its own!
Bathroom
Between the living room and the bedroom was the bathroom. The bathroom was modern and clean with a walk-in shower, illuminated mirror with an integrated magnifying mirror, hairdryer, towels and cosmetic products.
I was really impressed by the toiletries – shower gel, shampoo, body lotion, toothbrushes and toothpaste, soap, shower caps and vanity kit. Even if you don’t take your own toiletries or forget your toothbrush, the hotel has you covered.
The artificial flower also brought a certain colour contrast to the room and we felt it was a good addition overall.
Balcony
Yes, the balcony was a real highlight! This place was huge, probably the largest balcony we have had in a hotel!
The balcony was accessible from the bedroom and from the living room and offered amazing views towards the beach on one side and towards the lake on the other side.
We had two sunbeds on the balcony and the hotel had also provided soft sun lounger covers, that was very nice. In addition, we had two chairs and a table on the balcony.
These were perfect to enjoy the sunrise in the morning and chill in the evening.
The hotel also provided a clothes drier, which was really handy. There was also ample space for towels and swimwear to dry up outside.
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Beach
Beach was very important for us and one of the main reasons we chose the hotel was because of the beach-front location and private beach with sunbeds and parasols included.
Obviously these are subject to availability but we had no issues securing a place after breakfast.
Word of advice, do try to go early and secure your sunbeds as the prime spaces tend to get reserved early on by other guests.
Fine sand, wide beach and comfortable sunbeds made our experience very enjoyable. The entrance to the water is smooth and you don’t need aqua shoes, unlike the beach we visited in Paphos and the beach at Magic World Sharm El Sheikh.
A very nice addition to the beach experience were the hammocks. I didn’t expect these and spent a good amount of time on the hammocks as they were really comfortable.
This reminded me of our holiday to Playa del Carmen – relaxing on a hammock in-between the palm trees.
Swimming Pool
The swimming pool is a nice addition to the hotel offering and the hotel also offers it to outsiders for a fee. There is even a neck jet so you can massage your head, neck and shoulders, as you feel your muscles completely relax.
Although not huge, the pool area is a great place to relax and cool off whilst sipping some of your favourite cocktails from the bar.
At the swimming pool and on your way to the beach, you can also find a towel station from where you can rent (for free) a towel (using your card provided at check-in).
We had our own towels but if you prefer to travel light or forget to bring your beach towel, you don’t need to worry about this as you can always rent.
Food and Drinks
Food and beverages are an important element of any hotel stay. We were pleasantly surprised of the high quality food and drinks on offer.
Restaurant
Malibu Restaurant is modern and elegant and has a great atmosphere. We booked our stay with breakfast only but the hotel offers breakfast and lunch packages as well as an a la carte menu.
We ate at the restaurant for breakfast only and really enjoyed the food.
We enjoyed the breakfast and felt there was a good variety of hot and cold food and drinks. Scrambled eggs, sausages, bacon, great variety of cold meats and different cheese, vegetables etc. all looked and tasted good.
Similar to our Hotel Cismigiu experience, Paul also asked for some fresh fried eggs and the staff brought them at the table in a short time and cooked to perfection.
Yoghurts, muesli, cereals were offered as standard. There was a great selection of fruits, fresh watermelon, pastries and delicious sweet treats which we enjoyed very much and sampled with pleasure.
In terms of drinks, a coffee machine was available with freshly ground coffee and a selection of espresso, americano, cappuccino, latte etc. You can see how sleepy I look on the photo, the coffee was strong as I like it and really helped me wake up haha 😉
If you prefer tea, a selection of teas was also available. There was a hydration station with still and sparkling water and a variety of juices to choose from.
If you prefer a breakfast with a view, then definitely have this outside at the Malibu Terrace. Meters away from the beach, you can enjoy a superb view of the sea. Needless to say that this is what we did as well.
Bars
The hotel has two bars – Beach & Pool Bar (outdoors) and the Lobby Bar Malibu (indoors). As we went on a beach holiday, we didn’t really use the Lobby Bar but if you are visiting for business or just want to relax, this is a great place to grab a drink.
The pool bar offers a variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks prepared by experienced bartenders. We particularly enjoyed the ice coffee, mojito, Aperol Spritz and cold beer on a sunny day.
The Beach & Pool Bar is conveniently located by the pool and easily accessible from the beach area. We were pleased to see that there was beach service with orders taken and delivered to your sunbed. How cool is that?
Unlike other hotels, you should be aware though that you can’t put the drinks on your room tab, at least for the pool bar. So you need to have either cash or card available. We would love to see the addition of this payment method in the future.
Hotel Amenities
SPA Centre
The hotel has a SPA centre on the top floor with wet and dry sauna which can be used free of charge. You can also take advantage of paid services such as massage, hairdresser, cosmetics etc.
We wanted to use the saunas but were disappointed to see that they weren’t warm enough at the time of our visit. The staff member did reset them but after waiting for 15 minutes or so, we didn’t see a significant improvement and left the SPA area.
Whilst we understand there could be a running cost to the hotel it would be great to see these facilities working even if only 10% of hotel guests would use it. Otherwise, one should call the Spa centre 1-2 hours ahead, announcing their visit so the facilities are working as expected in time.
What we really enjoyed though, were the great views from the top floor overseeing the beach and the endless sea. Just that made our trip to the SPA worth it.
Children’s playground
If you are going with kids, then you will be pleased to hear that the hotel offers an outdoor playground on the beach as well as an indoor playground. The beach playground was very popular with kids playing around all day.
Free Bike Hire
To our surprise, the hotel even offers free bike hire for their guests. We love exploring places by bike and saw this as an opportunity to cycle alongside the coast and visit the North part of Mamaia.
The hotel bikes can’t be compared to the bikes we have at home but were a great way to explore the resort and enjoy an evening ride. Believe it or not, we cycled almost 15km that evening.
Final thoughts
Overall we really enjoyed our stay here and felt welcomed by staff members. We wished we could stay longer as the hotel was indeed what we were looking for and even exceeded our expectations.
We believe Hotel Malibu is an excellent option for anyone looking to go to Mamaia for a beach holiday or even a weekend break or business trip.
Its beach front location, excellent service and amazing views towards the sea and the lake, make it a great contender for your next trip to the Romanian seaside.
To see the best deals available, check the prices here for Hotel Malibu.
Ready to book? Below are some recommendations to get your trip started:
- Flights – we use flight aggregators such as Skyscanner and Google flights to find the best options. You can find more information about finding cheap flights here.
- Accommodation – would recommend booking your accommodation through an aggregator such as Booking.com, Trip.com or Agoda to get the best rates. We also use TripAdvisor to read reviews.
- Transport – consider Rentalcars.com for car renting or if you rely on public transport, you can use Omio for trains, coaches, ferries, airport transfers and even flights.
- Activities – a great option is GetYourGuide, Klook or Viator for tours, excursions, experiences and tickets to many tourist attractions.
- Travel money – we have Starling Bank accounts (UK residents only) with 0% fees on FX and a good Mastercard exchange rate. Revolut is another good option.
- Internet abroad – with Airalo or Nomad you can access a wide range of eSIMs (digital SIM cards) available for different countries and regions.
- Luggage storage – if you need to store your bags whilst exploring the destination, you can use Radical Storage to find your closest luggage storage and enjoy your journey until the very end.
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