Where to stay in Malta

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So you have booked your flights, but don’t know where to stay in Malta?
If you want a unique hotel experience on a budget, here are some suggestions on where to stay in Malta.
– Different areas, different budgets. On the lighter side of the budget anyway.

Where to stay in Malta:
Read, choose & book.

Where to stay in Malta

The “where” question lies in what you want to do and experience in Malta.
Are you are looking for a tranquil haven to swim in the pampering Mediterranean sea?
Or to escape the busy lifestyle? Or are planning to eat through this small island nation (as you should!), it all depends.

• San Gwann
• Valletta
• Gozo
• St. Paul’s Bay
• St. Julian’s

Whatever your reason for traveling to Malta, this post will help you to find a perfect spot to stay without breaking the bank.
Yet I do not list in this post the most affordable stays in Malta but try to keep the balance between your wallet and the quality of your stay reasonable.

Valletta

We are still at home in Belgrade while I research accommodation options in Malta.
We are planning a few-day work trip to this Mediterranean country on short notice, and I struggle to find any affordable accommodation.

A central apartment in Valletta seems perfect for our needs: Location in the middle of the city, equipped kitchen, peace of an own apartment.
Of course, someone snapped this before I managed to book it, so the search continued.

Our short trip absolutely requires a central location, practically in or very close to Valletta.
At this point, the cheapest accommodations for three nights started at more than five hundred euros.

I was already ready to throw our plane tickets in the virtual trash rather than pay such prices.
Or put it simply, I would have paid if our budget would stretch for that. (At least once in a lifetime.)

We made this trip to Malta right after the pandemic, so our travel-depended freelancer’s wallets were whispering for us to look for the most affordable place to stay.
Though, is there any situation we would pay for 5 stars..?

But still, for a short stay in Malta, especially if you are a first-timer, expensive Valletta is the most reasonable location to stay. Simply because of its location, duh.

San Gwann

San Gwann is a residential district ten kilometers north of the airport and six kilometers from the center of Valletta.
There we found a hotel for 60 euros per night.
Not exactly the cheapest one, but moderate in Maltese terms.

However, on a three-night trip, the savings were more than €300 compared to staying in Valletta, so there was still room for taking a taxi on our budget.
A taxi from San Gwann to the center of Valletta costs €13.50.

To be honest, San Gwann is pretty grim. There were not many services around our hotel, but there was Lidl and a few fast food restaurants around ten minutes walk away.

As we were on a food trip (like if there were other options), we dined in slightly better restaurants but carried our drinking water from Lidl.
Tap water purified from seawater is drinkable, but as locals don’t drink it, we chose bottled water this time.

Our hotel turned out to be great. It was not only clean but also peaceful.
There was a swimming pool in the yard and breakfast was included in the price.
All rooms have their own balcony and air conditioning. At least our room was also spacious and bright.

In theory, all rooms also have a small kitchenette, but at least ours was locked.
I didn’t ask why, because we had no use for it now.

If you are in Malta only for a short time and adventure mainly in Valletta, Sliema, and the Three Cities area, you should also primarily look for accommodation in those areas.

However, San Gwann is a great place if you plan to travel around Malta.
Especially if you travel by car, this is a sensible choice. Parking space is a way much easier to find than in the congested areas of Valletta and Sliema.

Gozo, St. Paul’s Bay, St. Julian’s

We only traveled around Malta, i.e. the main island of Malta, so I am not familiar with accommodation on the island of Gozo so far.
I also didn’t research the accommodations at the beach destinations, because I knew we wouldn’t be able to get to the beach and the most important thing for us was to be as close as possible to Valletta.

If you intend to spend your days on the beach or go hiking, in Gozo or, for example, St. Paul’s Bay could be your choice.

St. Julian’s, on the other hand, is known for its nightlife, so if party nights are your thing, head there.
For a business traveler or peace lover, it might not be the most recommended area to look for a roof over your head.

Accommodation for every taste

In Malta, you can find hostels, boutique hotels established in old palaces, as well as luxury accommodations from familiar multi-national hotel chains.

In this small island state, you often have to pay big bucks for short-term accommodation, but not necessarily: The time of the year you stay and when you make the reservation has a big impact on the price.

Wherever you stay in Malta, book your accommodation early.
A last-ditch traveler easily ends up spending a decent amount of euros without getting very special accommodation in exchange for his euros.
Those who book in time can stay in a palace for the price of a basic hotel.

The price/quality ratio of accommodation in Malta isn’t that bad, especially outside the holiday season.

During the summer, a room that normally costs over a hundred euros could be booked for twenty euros in November, also in the center of Valletta.
For example, *the price of this budget room varies between 24 and 114 euros depending of time.

Folks moving to Malta for a longer period can find apartments starting at around 400 euros per month. In this article, I will focus on presenting accommodation options for vacationers and briefly for business travelers visiting Malta for a few days only.

Boutique hotels

I was a sworn fan of boutique hotels. Although, in the real world of nomads, we rent apartments. However, when the budget allows and we are only staying for a few nights, I prefer booking a small unique hotel.

This *Palace-style boutique hotel located in Mosta attracted me hugely, even though we ended up with a cheaper option.
However, the price level of around €100 per night is quite reasonable, if the wonderful pictures on the site are to be believed. (Pics can be seen on the site behind the link.)

The same price range goes also with *the boutique hotel in Zebbug that has a rooftop swimming pool and huge bathtubs.
This hotel reminds me of my beloved Moroccan riads, – with the difference that here the pools are not for decorative purposes only, but…guess what: You can actually swim in them!
A big plus for a lodge located inland.

Middle-range hotels in Malta

Hotel Kappara, where we stayed, disappeared from the Booking.com listing a few weeks after our visit.
I wish they are still operating.
However, there are a few other similarly priced *basic hotels in San Gwann.

The further you are from Valletta and Sliema in general, the more affordable accommodation you can find.
In Mellieha, i.g. you can get a quite comfortable hotel room with a swimming pool for fifty euros.
For example, this *apartment hotel has been praised for being clean and comfortable. Also the beach isn’t too far away.

Apartments

Just like our hotel in San Gwann, the affordable apartment we originally looked for in the center of Valletta had mysteriously disappeared from Booking.com’s lists.
Perhaps it was rented for a longer-term tenant?

There is still plenty of choice in many price categories.

If your budget allows, for a couple of hundred euros you can get *a luxurious apartment right in the heart of Valletta.
This place has 1-2 bedroom apartments to choose from on Old Mint Street and Strait Street. At least one of those has a roof terrace.

How about *an apartment with a private sauna and a couple of bedrooms?
Such a one goes for 200-300 euros, but if you don’t need a sauna, you can get a stylish apartment for a hundred euros a night.

Hostels in Malta

For a budget traveler, the best, or at least cheapest option is naturally a hostel.
Many of those have also private rooms with a shared bathroom, which is great for couples.
I mean the private room part is.

As elsewhere, the cheapest beds can be found in the dormitories.
The most affordable beds in Malta are available for around ten euros.
These hostels are a great option for a solo traveler seeking new friends.

This *hostel in Saint Julian’s, about a 10-minute walk from Sliema, costs €13/night including a towel and bed linen.
The beach is only a few hundred meters away and the hostel has a swimming pool.

Do you have a favorite hotel in Malta you want to share it with others?
– Feel free to write your tips in the comments!