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Accommodation in Malta: My 100+ Best Recommendations

Looking for the best accommodation in Malta for your upcoming trip? You’ve come to the right place.

Here’s what I’ll help you with in this article:

Info on how to choose the best accommodation to suit your needs.
The best rates and deals on a large selection of accommodation options in Malta from hotels to self-catering apartments, B&Bs and hostels, based on my personal recommendations and local knowledge.

Best deals and rates on Malta accommodation

Have a look at these articles to get the best deals and rates for different types of accommodation in Malta:

A few quick facts and tips

The high season in Malta is considered to be June to September, during which period accommodation prices will be significantly higher.
Book well in advance – 3-6 months if you can. With year-on-year increases in tourists the better accommodation options are snapped up quickly, and prices also increase as a result.

How to choose the best accommodation

Everyone has their own specific requirements and ideas of what would be their ideal accommodation option for a Malta holiday, so it wouldn’t make sense for me to present you with a “one size fits all” approach.

Instead, these are my recommendations to help you make up your mind:

If you’re looking for a lazy holiday with your partner and you don’t intend to do a lot of exploring: Malta offers a number of resorts that can provide all the comfort you need and in most cases offer a few easy options to go for a tour.
If you’re looking for an all-inclusive package for a family with children: Several hotels offer value holiday packages in areas that are generally more popular among tourists, most notably Buġibba / Qawra / St. Paul’s Bay (usually more budget-friendly options in this cluster of villages in the North) and St. Julian’s and Sliema (which is where you’ll usually find hotels that are a little more expensive, as well as the more luxurious offerings).
If you prefer cooking your own meals and having more flexibility: There are self-catering options that are offered by local hotels, but Airbnb will usually provide more value, with good quality properties and reputable owners.
If you’re planning a trip to explore the country or you want to be close to Malta’s sandy beaches: This is a more location-oriented requirement, where accommodation isn’t necessarily the most important factor to decide on. Your first step (before looking at accommodation options) is figuring out where to stay in Malta (more on that below). You will also want to decide whether or not you’ll be renting a car, because some locations in Malta are notoriously difficult to find public parking spaces in. If you decide on places like Sliema, St. Julian’s and the Buġibba area, make sure your accommodation of choice offers private parking. You’ll be better off using public transport, otherwise (unless you like a challenge and master the art of meditation while driving).

Where to stay and popular locations

I have an article dedicated to help you decide on the best location for you here: Where best to stay in Malta?

These are the most popular locations for accommodation:

Types of accommodation in Malta

Hotels are by far the most popular choice, although value varies depending on time of booking as well as location (see my tips further down)
Self-catering apartments are a little less popular but if you know where to look it’s easy to find good value options (as long as you book well in advance). More help on that further below.
Villas, the way you know them from other destinations, are a much rarer find in Malta than you’d expect. In fact a more popular (albeit a little less luxurious) variant can be found mostly in Gozo where so-called farmhouses can offer a similar experience. Don’t be put off by the name, they’re usually nicely refurbished/modernised houses with outdoor pool and other amenities.
Malta knows a few luxury resorts, although there aren’t that many on offer.
B&Bs vary in quality and value quite significantly and you won’t find many around, especially not in the more popular locations. Nevertheless, there are a few really good offers if you know where to look (and that’s where I come in 😉 )
Hostels are a popular option for backpackers and budget travellers and in recent years a few new hostels have popped up that offer a good level of comfort at reasonable rates.

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What accommodation is available in Malta?

In this section I’ll provide an overview of the types of accommodation you’ll come across in Malta. For most types of accommodations you can click through to other pages on my site where you can find my recommendations and the best rates available.

Hotels in Malta

As you’d expect in a popular holiday destination like Malta, hotels are the most popular type of accommodation. A few quick facts:

You’ll find most hotels in the more popular tourist destinations of Buġibba / Qawra / St. Paul’s Bay (cluster of villages), Sliema, St. Julian’s, Mellieħa and Valletta.
More historically significant places like Valletta and Birgu also offer boutique hotels, often laid out within refurbished historical buildings, either on half-board or self-catering basis.
Most popular hotels range from 3 to 5 stars
Most luxury hotels can be found in the St. Julian’s area as well as Valletta
The better budget hotels (where you get best value for money) are generally located in Buġibba or Qawra.

Interested in booking a hotel in Malta?

Get the best deals and rates on the 25+ best hotels in Malta here.

Self-catering apartments

Rental of self-catering apartments in Malta is done mostly directly from owner as most resorts and hotels don’t offer self-catering options.

The best local owner of self-catering apartments I can recommend is Tony of Seaside Apartments Malta. He’s got comfortable apartments on offer that are reasonably priced, in some of the most popular holiday locations, offers a reliable service and gets great reviews as a result.

These are the apartments he has on offer:

Sliema penthouse

Sliema apartment

Mellieha Bay apartment

Mellieha Valley apartment

Villas in Malta

As mentioned, traditional villas are tough to find in Malta, and you’ll normally encounter what’s referred to as farmhouses locally. These are large, traditional countryside houses that have been refurbished and are suitable for group stays, usually quite affordable if you decide to travel to Malta in a group.

The pros:

Good quality accommodation
Usually located in the countryside, so plenty of peace and quiet
Most include a private pool and are well equipped to be a “home away from home”

The cons:

Hard to find on the island of Malta, much more popular option in Gozo instead.
Not all villas and farmhouse rentals are equal when it comes to interiors. There are a lot of rentals out there that offer accommodation with outdated furnishings and interiors.
Unless heating is provided, keep in mind that these types of buildings can get humid and particularly cold during the winter months (Dec – Mar).

Interested in renting a villa or farmhouse?

These are my recommended options in Gozo

Cheap accommodation in Malta: Hotels, hostels and B&Bs

Setting expectations right and facts

You can find cheap accommodation in Malta mostly in areas that are popular among tourists, specifically St. Julian’s and Sliema being popular areas for this type of accommodation. Both are busy places but have good public transport connections and from Sliema you can travel over water to different places in the Maltese islands.
Overall accommodation in Malta isn’t the cheapest you’ll find across holiday destinations in Europe, so pay close attention to reviews to make sure you’re getting value for money.
Particularly budget hotels are known to trick visitors with hidden charges for things like air conditioning and Wi-Fi. Always read the small print!
There are a few dodgy budget properties out there, unfortunately, which means my recommendations here are limited. More on that below.

Here are a few quick recommendations for cheap accommodation to consider:

Budget hotels with cheap rates

Most budget hotels that offer cheap deals can be found in the more touristy areas of Buġibba/Qawra/St. Paul’s Bay and Sliema and there are a good number of rotten apples in there. For that reason I only have a few recommendations to make – I would hate to recommend a budget hotel that might not meet your expectations.

Porto Del Sol – Xemxija (outskirts of St. Paul’s Bay – good location for some of the better beaches)
Topaz Hotel – St. Paul’s Bay
Carlton Hotel – Sliema
Marina Hotel – Sliema
Pebbles Boutique Aparthotel – Sliema

Hostels – Cheap but comfortable

There are just around two dozen or so hostels around in Malta, so there isn’t an awful lot of choice, however, there’s a good number of options that consistently get high ratings and praise. You’ll find most of them around Sliema and St. Julian’s, which are popular area among young travellers, being close to the nightlife at Paceville.

Cheap but highly rated B&Bs

The Stonehouse – St. Julian’s
Green Grove Guesthouse – St. Julian’s
Five Trees B&B – Sliema

Still not sure what to do?

I’m happy to help – Leave a comment at the end of this article with your questions.

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4 comments

Tracie says:

27 July 2018 at 8:00 am

Thanks for the comprehensive guide! We are trying to decide if we need to stay in one area or move around to a couple of different places during our visit. For example if we stayed on Gozo, how easy/fast could we get to Valletta? Would it make sense to stay just a night or two on Gozo (if at all) and then one other place?

Reply
1. Edward says:
  
  29 July 2018 at 10:27 am
  
  Hi Tracie, it’s not worth planning a visit to Valletta when staying in Gozo because of the transit time (more so if you’re planning on using public transport). If you’re set on getting a taste of both Malta and Gozo then yes, it makes sense to stay at different places. In Gozo, unless you’re renting a car, you’ll have more flexibility moving around by staying in Victoria, where most bus routes start/terminate.
  
  Reply
David Browne says:

26 June 2017 at 1:13 am

Some great ideas but where do I find the information about Gozo farmhouse stays? Some links or listings would be good.

Reply
1. Edward says:
  
  29 June 2017 at 5:28 pm
  
  Hi David, I have recommendations on that here: My top 25+ Hotels, Farmhouses, Villas and other accommodation in Gozo.
  
  Reply

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