Top Hotels in Malta

How we choose

How we pick a top hotel in Malta

Three tests, applied on site. Does the location earn the price — can you walk to a ferry, a promenade or a beach, or are you dependent on taxis? Is the building maintained rather than merely refurbished in the lobby, which on a salt-exposed limestone island is a real distinction? And is the breakfast good, because where most hotels are bed and breakfast, that meal is most of what you are buying.

The list

The hotels we recommend

Seven, grouped by base.

Sliema · Bed & breakfastThe Preluna Hotel
On the seafront at Sliema front, with the Valletta ferry a walk away and the island's best evening promenade outside the door.
Sliema · Self cateringPlaza Regency Hotel
Studios and apartments rather than rooms — good for longer stays, and for anyone who prefers breakfast from the bakery downstairs.
Sliema · Room onlyBarceló Fortina Malta
The largest hotel on the Sliema seafront, opposite Valletta's bastions. Book it for the view and position rather than quiet.
St Julian's · Five-starCorinthia St George's Bay
The grown-up choice in St Julian's and Paceville, on its own shore away from the noisier end. Also in our selected luxury list.
Mellieħa · Bed & breakfastRadisson Blu Golden Sands
Above one of Malta's few genuine sandy bays, in the bay at Mellieħa. The best beach setting we sell on the island.
Mellieħa · Room onlyPergola Hotel & Spa
Up in Mellieħa village with the church, the bakeries and a real high street — a different Malta from the seafront hotels.
Gozo · Bed & breakfastSt Patrick Hotel
On the harbour at Xlendi on the island of Gozo, where the pace halves. The one I book for people who found Malta busier than expected.

If you want everything covered instead, our all-inclusive hotels in Malta set out the four properties that genuinely offer it, and our adults-only hotels in Malta cover the grown-up options.

The bases

Where exactly to stay

Sliema is the sensible default: promenade, ferry to Valletta, shops, restaurants, swimming off the rocks. St Julian's is livelier and later, and Paceville at its heart is genuinely loud. St Paul's Bay and Qawra is the resort end, flatter and more family-oriented. Mellieħa is beach and countryside; Gozo is slower entirely.

Two practical points: Valletta has very few hotels and is better visited than slept in on a first trip, and Gozo works best as a day out from the north or a proper two-centre split. The full picture is in our Malta and Gozo programme.

Practical

What to know before booking

Most hotels are bed and breakfast or room only. Normal here, and it works, because eating out is a pleasure rather than a chore. Budget for it.
The coast is limestone. Swimming is mostly off lido platforms and rock shelves into exceptionally clear water. Sand exists at Mellieħa and Golden Bay, and little elsewhere.
Flights and transfers. Malta International (MLA) is quick to clear and close to everywhere, and your airport transfer is included in the package.
The season is long. May to October is the swimming window, but March, April and November are genuinely enjoyable for sightseeing and walking.
Entry and cover. Passport validity rules apply and entry requirements change from time to time — check the official guidance before you fly, and arrange arranging suitable travel insurance to sit alongside a UK GHIC.

On protection: a Malta package including flights falls under ATOL licence 11211, and the certificate lists each covered element. A hotel booked without flights sits outside the scheme — see our ATOL protection page.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Sliema or St Julian's?

Sliema for a calmer week with the best promenade and the Valletta ferry. St Julian's if you want restaurants and bars at the door. They are twenty minutes apart on foot, so you can use both.

Is Malta a beach holiday?

Only partly, and it is the most useful thing I can tell you. The water is superb and the swimming excellent, but most of it is off rock and platform. If you need sand underfoot, base yourself at Mellieħa.

Should we stay on Gozo?

For a second week or a quiet break, yes. Gozo is greener, slower and more rural, with a citadel at Victoria. For a first week, most people are happier based on Malta with a day or two on Gozo.

Do we need a hire car?

Not for Sliema, St Julian's or Qawra — the buses reach everywhere and taxis are plentiful. A car earns its keep in Mellieħa or on Gozo, or for the western cliffs and Dingli.

When is the best time to visit?

June and September for swimming with manageable heat. April, May and October for walking, sightseeing and the best prices. July and August are hot, busy and the most expensive weeks of the year.