Malta: Where to Stay
It’s really between the St. Julians area and Valletta, if you ask me. Here’s my take on where to stay in this tiny island nation (and I’ll keep it short)
For partying and a more modern, westernized scene: Paceville/St. Julians
This place rages. It’s mostly tourists, which has its pros and cons. There are tons of great hotels, as well as restaurants. But there isn’t much culture either. Lots of people come here to party, and if that’s your plan, this is where you stay.
For culture and history: Valletta
It’s a UNESCO Site, after all. There’s a certain romantic aura to this city, which is kind of addicting actually. The longer we stayed, the less we wanted to leave this city. But, when it gets late, your only options are street bars. The real action at night is in Paceville. But during the day, this is where you want to be, no matter how old you are.
Where to stay in Paceville/St. Julians: Hotel Valentina
It was being renovated during our stay, which was slightly frustrating, but when it comes to location, this place was ideal. It’s walking distance to the parties of Paceville and beautiful dining around Spinola Bay. It’s cheap, so the mistake we made here was going cheap and not getting a larger room. The room was seriously small, with no view, and a below-average shower/bath situation. But, we made it work, and barely spent any time in the room anyway. The rooftop pool is beautiful, complete with multiple lounging areas and a full bar. The breakfast is included, and quite good.
Where to stay in Valletta: Casa Elul
This hotel is absolutely stunning. Perfect location and gorgeous design make it quite photogenic. The nine rooms in this boutique are all different, so choose wisely. We had Suite 1, but what you really want is Suite 7, 8 or 9. While there are no amenities on the property aside from a small restaurant and bar (which serves a nice and simple included breakfast), they do offer wine tasting off-site which we took advantage of and thoroughly enjoyed. Elul really is one of the nicest boutique hotels I’ve ever stayed in, so look no further.
Personally, I would avoid staying at the Westins or Hiltons of the island. I looked into them a lot, and they’re just overpriced and not that great. Stick to a boutique hotel. It’s more Maltese, if I may.