LuxuryHotels.best

The Collection · Malta

Luxury hotels
in Malta

15 hand-picked stays in Malta, independently reviewed.

15

Properties

The destination

Why stay at a
luxury hotel in
Malta

Malta is the smallest country in the Mediterranean with a serious luxury hotel scene — a handful of properties (the Phoenicia, the Iniala Harbour House, the new Rosselli AX Privilege, the Casa Ellul) clustered around Valletta's UNESCO-listed walled city and the surrounding harbor. What characterizes a Malta luxury stay is rarely the amenities — it's the combination of 7,000 years of history, deep-water swimming five minutes from the hotel, and a meal scene that has quietly become one of the Mediterranean's strongest.

The luxury hotels concentrate in two areas. Valletta itself (the Iniala Harbour House, Casa Ellul, the Rosselli AX) puts you inside the walled city — walking distance to St. John's Co-Cathedral, the Grand Master's Palace, the harbor for boat excursions. The Phoenicia sits just outside the city walls, with the best gardens of any Malta hotel. For a beach resort experience, the Corinthia Palace and Westin Dragonara on the northeast coast are the established choices. For a Gozo escape, Ta' Ċenċ is the historic option.

Visit in April–June or September–October. Summer (July–August) is genuinely hot (32°C+ daytimes) and crowded; the value moves to spring and autumn shoulder months. November–March are mild (15°C) and offer the best value at the same hotels — a swimming-week destination in late October still works.

15 of 15 hotels
Iniala Harbour House and Residences
★★★★★
Hyatt Centric Malta
★★★★★
Cugo Gran Macina Malta
★★★★★
Hyatt Regency Malta
★★★★★
Palazzo Bifora
★★★★★
The Phoenicia Malta
★★★★★
Hilton Malta
★★★★★
Malta Marriott Resort & Spa
★★★★★
Rosselli AX Privilege
★★★★★
Corinthia Palace Malta
★★★★★
Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz Gozo Malta
★★★★★
The Xara Palace Relais & Chateaux
★★★★★
AX The Palace
★★★★★
Corinthia Hotel St Georges Bay
★★★★★
Hotel Ta' Cenc & Spa
★★★★★

Editor's curation

The best Malta hotels — by purpose

Our editors group every hotel into the trips it best serves. Pick the one that fits yours.

Best for design & character

Hotels where the architecture, materials, and rooms feel considered — not just luxe by amenity checklist.

Best for honeymoon

Quiet rooms, serious dining, and the kind of service that earns repeat returns — chosen for couples.

Best for spa & wellness

Serious treatment programmes, indoor pools, and the kind of locker rooms where a guest could spend the whole afternoon.

Best for business

Conference facilities, fast Wi-Fi, and a central address that puts meetings within a short walk.

The city guide

Where to go in Malta

Malta is small enough to drive across in an hour and rich enough in history that the obvious sights — Mdina, the Grand Master's Palace, the megalithic temples — could fill a week. The list below is the curated short version: the meals that make the trip, the quiet 5,000-year-old corners, and the side island (Gozo) that most visitors regret missing.

01

Restaurant

Noni

Valletta$$$$

One Michelin star; modern Maltese in a Valletta cellar

Chef Jonathan Brincat reworks Maltese ingredients — rabbit, gbejna cheese, lampuki fish — through a French-trained, Italian-influenced lens in a stripped-back stone cellar two minutes from Republic Street. One Michelin star (the island's first). Tasting menus only at dinner. The lunch set is a more accessible introduction.

  • One Michelin star (island's first)
  • Modern Maltese cooking
  • Lunch set is accessible
View on map →Visit website ↗211 Republic Street, Valletta

02

Restaurant

Ta' Frenc — Gozo

Gozo$$$$

A converted Gozitan farmhouse with serious Italian cooking

Take the 25-minute ferry to Gozo, drive 15 minutes inland to Ta' Frenc — a 17th-century stone farmhouse turned into one of the most respected restaurants on either island. The menu leans Italian (the chef trained in Tuscany), the wine list is unusually deep, and the room itself — exposed stone, arches, candle light — is the right setting for a long dinner.

  • 17th-century farmhouse on Gozo
  • Italian-leaning menu
  • Pair with a Gozo overnight
View on map →Visit website ↗Marsalforn Road, Xagħra, Gozo

03

Attraction

Hypogeum of Ħal-Saflieni

Paola$$$$

A 5,000-year-old underground temple, capped at 80 visitors a day

A subterranean burial and ritual complex carved into solid limestone around 4000 BC — one of the oldest indoor spaces still accessible to humans. To preserve it, the Hypogeum admits only 10 visitors per hour and 80 per day. Tickets sell out weeks ahead and selling 'extra' last-minute tickets at the museum counter is the only backup. Book the moment you confirm your trip.

  • Book months in advance
  • 10 visitors per hour
  • 5,000-year-old underground temple

04

Attraction

St. John's Co-Cathedral

Valletta$$$$

Caravaggio's Beheading of St. John, plus a baroque interior to overwhelm

Built by the Knights of Malta in the 1570s, the Co-Cathedral's deceptively plain exterior hides one of the most ornate baroque interiors in Europe — every inch carved, painted or gilded. The Oratory contains Caravaggio's largest canvas: The Beheading of St. John the Baptist, painted on Malta in 1608 and signed in the spilling blood. An hour minimum.

  • Caravaggio's Beheading of St. John
  • Baroque interior overwhelm
  • 1+ hour
View on map →Visit website ↗Republic Street, Valletta

05

Attraction

Mdina at Sunset

Mdina (Central Malta)$$$$

The walled medieval capital, after the day-trip buses leave

Mdina was the island's capital until the 16th century — a fortified hilltop city now home to about 250 people. The streets are narrow, traffic is restricted, and 90% of visitors arrive between 10am and 4pm. Time your visit for 5pm onwards: the buses are gone, the swallows are circling, the limestone glows. Dinner at Fontanella (rooftop) is the classic finish.

  • 5pm onwards is the move
  • Dinner at Fontanella rooftop
  • 250 residents in the walls

06

Attraction

Marsovin Cellars — Wine Tour

Marsa$$$$

A 1919 wine cellar under the Marsa power station

Malta has a small but serious wine industry — Ġellewża and Girgentina are indigenous grapes that produce remarkable wines if you find the right growers. Marsovin is the island's oldest house (1919) and runs daily tours of the cellars under their Marsa headquarters, finishing with a serious tasting. Two hours; book a day ahead.

  • Malta's oldest winery (1919)
  • Indigenous grapes
  • Tasting included
View on map →Visit website ↗The Wine Cellar Tunnels, Hompesch Buildings, Marsa

07

Experience

Blue Grotto by Boat

Wied iż-Żurrieq$$$$

Twenty-minute small-boat trip to the limestone sea caves

A handful of southwest-coast sea caves whose walls reflect a startling neon blue around mid-morning. The 20-minute small-boat tours from Wied iż-Żurrieq are well-organized, cheap (€10), and only run when the sea is calm. Arrive by 10am; afternoon swells often cancel the trips. Pair with the megalithic temples of Ħaġar Qim a few minutes inland.

  • Calm-sea mornings only
  • 20-min boat trip
  • Pair with Ħaġar Qim temples
View on map →Wied iż-Żurrieq

08

Experience

Comino — Crystal Lagoon

Comino (between Malta and Gozo)$$$$

Day-trip swimming in extraordinarily clear water

Comino's Blue Lagoon is on every Malta postcard and crammed with day-trippers by 11am. The trick: book a private charter or take an early-morning organized boat that's at the lagoon before 8:30am, swim for an hour in empty water, leave before the crowds. Alternatively, the adjacent Crystal Lagoon (less famous) is reliably quieter all day.

  • Arrive before 8:30am
  • Crystal Lagoon as alternative
  • Private charter via concierge
View on map →Comino Island

09

Bar

Café Society Wine Bar

Valletta$$$$

A small wine bar in Valletta's Strait Street

Strait Street was the bar district of Valletta during British naval rule — the original 'Gut.' After decades of decay, the past ten years have brought a quiet revival. Café Society is the warmest of the new bars: small, candle-lit, fifteen Maltese wines by the glass, and one of the few places in Valletta that stays open past 11pm.

  • Maltese wines by the glass
  • Late opening
  • Strait Street revival
View on map →13 St. John's Street, Valletta

10

Shop

Mdina Glass — Ta' Qali

Ta' Qali (15 min from Valletta)$$$$

Traditional Maltese glassblowing, watchable through a window

Mdina Glass has been producing hand-blown glass since 1968 in a craft village outside Valletta. You can watch the glassblowers work from a viewing platform, then browse the shop — the smaller pieces (sea-inspired bowls, paperweights, drinking glasses) make excellent gifts that survive the flight home. Free entry to watch.

  • Watch glassblowers work
  • Hand-blown since 1968
  • Small pieces fly home easily
View on map →Visit website ↗Ta' Qali Crafts Village

Editor's picks · Updated regularly · No paid placements

Good to know

Common questions about Malta

The questions our readers actually ask — answered honestly.

Which is the best 5-star hotel in Malta?+

The Phoenicia Hotel (just outside Valletta's city walls) is the consensus historic #1 — the best gardens of any Maltese hotel, an extensive pool deck, and a 1947 building recently renovated. The Iniala Harbour House inside Valletta is the editorial favorite for character — 24 suites in three connected 16th-century townhouses, the strongest dining of any Malta hotel. The Rosselli AX Privilege (opened 2021) is the strongest recent entry, with the best rooftop view in Valletta.

How much does a luxury hotel in Malta cost?+

Five-star rooms in Malta run $300–$900 per night. The Phoenicia and Iniala Harbour House start around $400; smaller five-stars (Casa Ellul) run $300–$500. Suites at the named hotels begin around $800. May–September are the peak rate months; November–March offer 30–40% discounts.

What's the best neighborhood for a luxury stay in Malta?+

Valletta itself (Iniala Harbour House, Casa Ellul, Rosselli AX) — walking the UNESCO city for an extended stay is one of the small pleasures of European travel and pays better dividends than basing in the beach resorts. The Phoenicia, just outside the walls, combines proximity to Valletta with proper hotel infrastructure (gardens, pool). For a beach-focused trip, Sliema (across the harbor from Valletta) and St. Julian's are the convenient bases. Avoid St. Paul's Bay area — heavy package-tourism.

When's the best time to visit Malta?+

April–June and September–October are the strongest windows — warm enough to swim, not yet uncomfortably hot, mild crowds. July and August are genuinely uncomfortable (32°C+ in shade, packed beaches). November–March are mild (15–18°C) and the value months — sunbathing weather marginal but everything else (Valletta, Mdina, the Hypogeum, the prehistoric temples) is at its best. Malta is one of the few European destinations that legitimately works year-round.

Should I also visit Gozo?+

Yes — Gozo (Malta's smaller sister island, 25 minutes by ferry) is part of any serious Malta visit. Day trips work but 1–2 nights at Ta' Ċenċ Hotel & Spa, the Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz, or the recent boutique Mūżika are well worth it. Gozo is quieter, greener, more rural — the right contrast to Valletta's density. Combine ideally as 4 nights Valletta + 2 nights Gozo.

Do Malta hotels offer airport transfers?+

Most arrange private cars (€25–€45 each way, 20–30 minutes from Malta International Airport). The X4 public bus from the airport to Valletta is €2 but isn't ideal with luggage and takes 50 minutes. Concierges handle car transfers; for groups or families, the short drive makes private transfers the obvious choice.

Also worth considering

If you like Malta

All destinations →

Editorial

T

Edited by Tor Lindberg

Founding editor

First published
Last reviewed

We refresh ratings and prices monthly; full editorial review at least twice a year.

How we choose

Every hotel on this list is cross-checked across Google, Booking.com, Tripadvisor, Agoda and Hotels.com — plus first-hand traveler accounts on Reddit, Instagram, and TikTok. We screen aggressively for fake or incentivised reviews and weight only verified, recent, substantive guest feedback. We accept no paid placements and no sponsored reviews. When affiliate links earn a small commission, we disclose it; it never influences which hotels appear here.

Read our full methodology →