3 Best Hotels in Vittoriosa, Senglea, and Cospicua, Malta

This luxury waterfront hotel is one of the slickest in Malta, yet just a few years ago it would be unthinkable to find it in sleepy Senglea, which just shows how times have changed. It occupies a 300-year-old fort originally built by the Knights of the Order of St. John, but the building has had multiple lives, including being a shipmast repair yard and even the HQ of Malta's Labour Party. Sandy limestone and black slate floors weave around the building's original features, with sections of the old wall merging into the rooms themselves. There are only suites here, with those overlooking the Grand Harbour the most prized. The rooftop pool is a serene affair, and breakfast is served in the Little Bastion restaurant and bar. 

With most stays on Birgu tending to be bed-and-breakfasts, this slick boutique hotel in the shadow of the Dominican Priory is a refreshing option. It has been studiously adapted from a pair of buildings, and some of the suites even keep the original height of the ceilings, meaning you can lie in bed and stare some four meters upwards. The rooftop is a real delight, with a small seasonal pool (November–March) for cooling off and food and drink readily available to guests while they lounge. There's nothing else quite like it in this city. 

What was once a youth club for Malta's Labour Party has, somewhat ironically, been transformed into a rather bougie boutique by its owners, a pair of charming French expats who fell in love with Malta. Their own art collection adorns this large town house, with its huge, inconspicuously chic rooms. A library of books on design and magazines is also available to peruse. The honesty bar and roof terrace overlook the neighboring Maria Bambina Church and harbor, making for the best sundowner on the peninsula. Breakfast, meanwhile, is served in the internal courtyard. Plenty of parking in the square outside means you'll never face the kind of long walk common to stays across the water in Valletta.