The Best Hotels in Malta for Every Traveller

The creation of Malta’s late entertainment wizard Hugo Chetcuti, this snazzy boutique hotel in Malta sits on the marina in St Julians, within strolling distance of bars, clubs and restaurants. Decorated in blacks, golds and whites, all rooms and suites have either city or bay views. The larger suites also come with their own jacuzzis and saunas, while Pool Suites have swimming pools in the living rooms. Chetcuti’s audacious decor is featured in the onsite bars and eateries, too – especially the sultry whisky bar, Rocco’s.

This Malta five-star hotel and spa is in San Anton, a 10-minute drive west of Valletta, Malta’s capital – and just a 15-minute drive north of the international airport. As well as a guaranteed private balcony with each room, guests also have access to an exceptional culinary offering, including a five-course fish menu, the option of Maltese or British afternoon teas and Far Eastern dishes at the Rickshaw. Alternate eating and drinking with sessions by the indoor and outdoor pools and in the Athenaeum Spa.

BOCO Boutique offers six individually decorated rooms in a 400-year-old townhouse overlooking Valletta’s harbour. Rooms at this top hotel in Malta feature rustic furniture upcycled by local artists, and original elements such as tiles and limestone slabs – as well as air conditioning and stocked minibars. When not out exploring the magnificently preserved medieval areas of Senglea, Cospicua and Vittoriosa, head up to the Penthouse Lounge – where you can survey Malta’s oldest neighbourhoods from a hot tub with a drink from the honesty bar.

Impressively, this luxury hotel in occupies a landmark 16th-century building in Senglea’s medieval harbour. Unchanged aspects such as bare stone walls and vaulted ceilings blend with designer sofas and bathrooms of black tile and white marble. Onsite dining and drinking is at the Macina Restaurant and Bar, where you’ll find an innovative menu, a good selection of craft beers and a wine list of over a hundred local and international varieties. Couples get rose petals, prosecco and massages as part of the Romantic Special package.

Housed in a restored 17th-century palace in Valletta, 66 Saint Paul’s and Spa offers contemporary accommodation that enhances the structure’s stately elegance. One of the best places to stay in Malta, it has a rooftop pool and terrace, and an open-air courtyard for breakfast and drinks at the palace’s centre. Guests also have access to a comprehensive range of wellness treatments in the Myoka Sixty Six Spa, and attractions such as the 16th-century St John’s Co-Cathedral and the National Museum of Archaeology are a short stroll away.

SU29 provides a luxurious yet affordable base from which to explore Malta’s Unesco-protected capital. Surrounded by some of the island’s oldest structures and set in the harbour. As one of the best boutique hotels in Malta, it offers colourful, modern suites that sleep up to four. Go all out and book the Grand Harbour Sky Villa on the sixth floor, which features a large terrace with unbroken views of the harbour and the Three Cities. Breakfast can be brought to your room, or can be enjoyed at the Great Eight Bar – which also has a stellar stock of fine whiskeys and champagnes.

The Vincent boutique is named after the 400-year-old house in which a popular local character, Vincent Montanaro, lived in the 1930s. Situated in the historic centre of Valletta, surrounded by bars, cafes and restaurants, its individually themed suites are characterised by earthy hues, original beams, arches and brickwork – plus bold flashes of colour from murals and reclaimed furniture. The staff here make it one of Malta’s best hotels and they can arrange guided tours of Valletta and the Three Cities, as well as day trips further afield to attractions such as the Mediterraneo Marine Park and the island of Gozo.

Loggia Mariposa is set in a lovingly restored 16th-century mansion in Naxxar, an attractive town in northeast Malta. Accommodations feature antiques and exposed brick walls, while communal areas comprise a rooftop terrace with town views, a courtyard filled with plants and centred around a fish pond, and an intimate sun terrace with a plunge pool. Naxxar’s two star attractions, the 18th-century Palazzo Parisio and the 17th-century Parish Church, are both less than a five-minute walk away.

History buffs visiting Malta should check out Quaint Boutique Hotels’ twelve-room Rabat branch. Located in the centre of the island, Rabat boasts several architectural and archaeological attractions, including the 16th-century Casa Bernard and the Roman Villa, home to a world-class collection of mosaics from the first century BCE. Less than a 20-minute walk from this Malta hotel’s reception is the Unesco-protected, medieval hilltop town of Mdina, home to the must-see St Paul’s Cathedral.

Travelling to Malta by private yacht? Book a room at the fancy Grand Hotel Excelsior, which has its own private marina on Valetta’s Marsamxett Harbour, the northern of the capital’s two ports. Accommodation at this luxury hotel in Malta features classic, pale hues and richly-embroidered furniture and range in size from standard rooms to two-bedroom suites – the vast majority have balconies with views of the medieval city walls, the pool area or the gardens. Snack and sip cocktails at casual poolside eatery Tiki, which offers views of the harbour and Manoel Island, and dine and sample Maltese wine at the Admiral’s Landing restaurant.

Hotel Juliani is a family-run hotel in Malta, in the middle of Spinola Bay in St. Julians – surrounded by one of Malta’s leading commercial and entertainment districts. The facade is a seafront townhouse, while the interior has been meticulously converted with an eye for Mediterranean ambiance and modern decor, some of which was produced by local craftsmen and artists.

The Xara Palace Hotel is an award-winning boutique hotel in Malta, housed in a unique 17th-century palazzo in Mdina, the old capital of Malta. Once home to the noble Moscati Parisio family, the restored palace now boasts 17 luxurious rooms and suites equipped with antique furniture. Resting on a hilltop and surrounded by medieval bastions, hardly any cars roam the streets of the city – making peace and quiet an inevitable factor of a stay here.

Casa Ellul is a recently converted Victorian-era building, dating back to the 1830s. This family-run boutique hotel, located on Valletta’s narrow Old Theatre Street, describes its style as neoclassical with an overarching Maltese feel. Its interior design features traditional Maltese tiles and wrought ironwork, while a faithful interpretation the Farnese Hercules sits in the hotel’s courtyard. The rooftop terrace, standing above a facade of regimented Maltese wooden balconies, offers panoramic views of the capital.

The Phoenicia Hotel in Malta, standing just at the edge of Valletta’s historic bastions, was the first luxury hotels to open its doors on the island. It boasts 3ha (7.5 acres) of mature gardens, and commands impressive views of the surrounding harbour area. Those interested in local art history will be happy to learn that the hotel houses the largest private collection of one of Malta’s prominent portrait painters, Edward Caruana Dingli.

Once a family residence, Lloyd House is a whitewashed 18th-century palazzo dotted with wooden and wrought iron balconies. Following its restoration, the three-storey corner building now houses three suites and a studio apartment – all of which merge traditional features of Maltese townhouses with clean, minimalist design. Standing at one of the highest points of Valletta’s St. Peter and St. Paul bastions, the house overlooks the Upper Barrakka Gardens, with panoramic views of the Grand Harbor and the Three Cities – Senglea, Cospicua and Vittoriosa.