Ok, the first question we’ve got to deal with here is this: what do we mean by ‘central’? In Malta pretty much everything is central. It’s so small that no matter where you base yourself, you’re never too far away from anything. There are literally dozens good hotels to choose from in ‘central’ locations.
Valletta is the capital city, so a good place to start. Apart from being an amazing historical town, it is the centre of commerce and government in Malta. It has excellent transport links to the rest of the island. It gets very quiet in the evenings with deserted streets and not much by way of entertainment. However, a new trend of wine bars and cantina-style restaurants have provided some much needed rejuvenation to the city by night.
Sliema is a major shopping destination as well as a large residential town. It is close to the sea, has excellent transport links, a lovely seaside promenade and is full of hotels, restaurants and bars.
Another seaside town, St Julian's, is just as crammed with hotels. These include many major hotel resorts. It is a very popular town, with similar transport links as Sliema. It is also close to Paceville, the island’s nightlife centre. St Julians seems to have a bit of everything – beaches, hotels, restaurants, a seaside promenade, a lovely bay full of fishing boats, winding streets…pretty much the lot!
If sandy beaches are what you’re after, then it’s probably best to stay somewhere like Mellieha or St Paul’s Bay. Both are seaside towns, close to Malta’s main sandy beaches. They are, however, a little further away from Valletta. They can be quite quiet and people might have problems finding somewhere to go outside their hotel after dark (this is less so in Mellieha, certain areas of which are full of bars and restaurants).
Finally, another central location is Bugibba and Qawra. This is a big tourist destination and is jammed full of hotels. Very popular with English tourists, this part of Malta is sort of half way between the sandy beaches on one side of the island, and the main towns on the other side. It is full of restaurants, bars and other forms of entertainment, is by the sea and has a seaside promenade.
Hotel Valentina. Situated in the heart of Malta’s nightlife capital Paceville, this hotel offers a four-star facilities at three-star prices. A perfect place to stay if you want to be in the thick of the action. For more information either call (+356) 2138 2406 or visit www.hotelvalentina.com
Alexandra Hotel. This wonderful hotel is situated in St Julian’s, just 5 minutes away from the beach, shopping centres, supermarkets, casinos, conference halls, a yacht marina, cinema, bowling centre, restaurants, bars, discotheques and many other facilities. For more information either call (+356) 2135 1151 or visit www.alexandrahotelmalta.com
The British Hotel. Located in the heart of Valletta, the British Hotel enjoys unobstructed views of the majestic Grand Harbour. It lies within walking distance of the Capital City’s major attractions and the island’s largest shopping district. For more information call on tel: (+356 ) 2122-4730 or (+356) 2123-9022/3 or log on to www.britishhotel.com
