My husband and I are considering a 10 day relaxing trip to Malta. Given what we've read, we know 10 days is sufficient to see both Malta & Gozo and also have a solid amount of time for relaxing and soaking up some sun.

For our hotel in Malta, we are looking for 5* accomodation, but a place that isn't too crowded and offers very nice rooms & bathrooms. I've looked at the Meridian and Grand Hotel Excelsior...but any others worth looking at, in that price range. Ideally we'd like to be close to/or on a local bus route into town.

Many thanks!

Is the Grand Hotel in Valetta? If so you're going to be about 45 minutes from the sand beaches in the north. The good thing about Valetta is the bus depot is there so you can get direct buses.

The Meridian in St Julian's is much nearer the beaches also better night life than Valetta or other towns. The buses to the north go through St. Julians so hopping a bus should not be a problem.

10 days is enough time for both Malta and Gozo. It's a very interesting place!

I also plan on visiting Malta in Oct./Nov. 2008. I was wondering whether anyone would have recommendations on where to stay? I'm looking for a 3 star hotel in a central location. Would Valletta be the best bet?

In March of this year we stayed at the Hotel Osborne in Valetta - it was in a great location and had good accommodation for the price - but be sure to ask for a renovated room.

Elizabeth

Thanks for the suggestion.

Kris

We stayed at the Westin Dragonara (5 star) in St Julians. It was wonderful. The Westin has some old rooms and some new rooms - the new rooms measure up to the 'heavenly' standard. There is no beach in the area close to Valetta ie. St Julians, Sliema etc. but the Westin made up for this by having pools on the waterfront and a small man-made sandy area (more for kids to play in). There was even a cordoned-off area where you could go into the sea.

Further on, we saw a Radisson which is also 5-star.

The Hilton in St. Julians is great. we were there last month and had a room in a wing that had just opened. The bed was brand new and the bathroom was enormous.
You not only have access to the Hilton's pools but also to a private "beach" club.
There were many good restaurants nearby and some shopping. You can take the bus into Valetta for more shopping.

Any of the Island Hotel group properties should suit you, although some are further out than others. The website is www.islandhotels.com