2 Best Hotels in Valletta, Malta

This property is part of the wave of boutique hotels that has swept over the old city in recent years, turning aging palazzo town houses into enviably chic stays with minimal rooms and high prices. Many sacrifice facilities for style, but this classically chic affair manages both. You'll find a huge Jacuzzi plunge pool (formerly a cistern), steam room, and spa hollowed out of the vaulted cellar of this 400-year-old town house, while a rooftop pool and chill-out area ensure you're not short of skyline views while you soak. The lobby occupies what was a former chapel, and doubles as a breakfast room, while the bedrooms all offer a different take on Baroque grandeur—all luxurious rugs, gold-leafed furniture, and dramatic murals.

Considering few hotels in the capital have more than 30 rooms, thanks to the uberstrict building regulations, the 2021 opening of an 81-room hotel within the city walls is somewhat unusual. This building used to be a mall (even an old cinema has been preserved and moved it into the basement), and as a result, there's been much more leeway to create a modern stay. The hotel also has a gym and therapy room, as well as a heated rooftop pool (the largest in the city)---with fine views of Fort Manoel. On the ground floor you'll find a Costa Coffee (a legacy of its mall days) and an excellent Japanese restaurant (AKI). And while it's on the bar-filled Strait Street, the windows are tripled-glazed, so there's not much noise.