Grand Hotel Gozo

Grand Hotel Gozo is a practical base for a diving holiday on Gozo, with the harbour, ferry terminals and several beaches within easy reach. You get the useful bits for a day built around the sea: air conditioning in the room, a minibar for cold drinks, free WiFi throughout the hotel and places to eat without having to organise an expedition every evening.

The atmosphere shifts with the day. The indoor pool is available all year and reserved for adults, while the seasonal outdoor pool looks across towards Malta. When your legs have had enough of walking, the Elemis Spa, the fitness centre and the rooftop dining give you somewhere to spend the evening without turning the hotel into a compulsory entertainment programme.

You are in Għajnsielem, Malta, at the top of the gateway to Gozo Island and beside Mgarr Harbour. The ferry terminals are a few minutes away on foot, which makes the location particularly useful if you are combining Gozo with time on Malta or arriving with a car. The hotel is by the sea, but it is not a beach resort in the walk-out-of-your-room-and-hit-the-sand sense.

Several small coastal spots are close enough for a change of scenery. Ramla taz-Zewwieqa Beach and Gorgun Beach are each about 0.4 miles away on foot, while Iz-Zewwieqa Bay Beach is about 0.5 miles away. Hondoq ir-Rummien Beach is about 1.7 miles away, and Mġarr ix-Xini Beach about 2.1 miles. For a meal away from the hotel, Tmun Mgarr is about 600 feet away on foot, with Eugenes Restaurant and TaPhilip also nearby; Il-Luzzu Bar and Gleneagles Bar are about 1,000 feet away.

The room choice is less about collecting category names and more about deciding how much space and outlook matter to you. The country-view double room keeps things straightforward for a couple who mainly need a comfortable base, while the sea-view rooms make more sense if you want the harbour and Malta to be part of the morning rather than something you visit later. For three people, the superior sea-view room with terrace gives you more room to spread out than the smaller options.

Every room has air conditioning, tea and coffee-making facilities, a minibar and satellite TV. That combination earns its keep when you return warm, salty and ready for a cold drink before dinner. Most rooms have either country or sea views, and the soundproofing is worth noting if you plan to sleep while the rest of the building is still awake. A wardrobe, desk, private bathroom, hairdryer and daily housekeeping cover the less glamorous but rather important business of staying organised.

The balcony or terrace options are the natural pick for a couple who want somewhere outside to sit with a drink, particularly the superior sea-view categories. A lift reaches the upper floors, and the hotel has heating as well as air conditioning, so the room is set up for more than one season.

Breakfast is a buffet served at Il-Migiarro, the main restaurant, which also serves dinner with Mediterranean and Italian cooking. You can choose à la carte dishes or a changing set menu, while the air-conditioned dining room keeps the evening civilised when the weather has been doing its Maltese best. Half board, full board and all-inclusive options are available; with half board, drinks are not included.

There are three restaurants in all. Mediterranean Breeze moves dinner onto the rooftop terrace with a barbecue buffet, which is the obvious place to aim for at sundown, while Level Nine is the hotel's fine-dining restaurant. The Bar & Terrace handles cocktails, local wine and a selection of drinks, with cakes for the important post-dive interval. A snack bar, room service and minibars in the rooms give you alternatives when a full meal feels like an unnecessarily ambitious project.

The indoor adults-only pool is heated and open throughout the year, giving you a quieter option when the outdoor pool is out of season. From May to September, the outdoor pool adds a view across towards Malta, with sun loungers, umbrellas and pool towels available. The hotel also has a games room and billiards, so a quiet afternoon does not have to involve heroic levels of sightseeing.

The Elemis Spa offers massages, facials, waxing, scrubs, body wraps and other beauty treatments, along with a relaxation lounge, foot baths and spa packages. Sauna access and the hot tub are available, and couples can book a couples massage. A fitness centre covers the basic urge to move after sitting on a boat, while bicycles, cycling, walking, boat trips and cultural excursions give you more active ways to see Gozo when you are not in the water.

Malta International Airport is about 15 miles away, with the drive taking around 45 minutes. An airport shuttle service is listed, but it is currently suspended; car hire can be arranged, and free private parking is available on site. The parking garage has a narrow entrance and height restrictions, so check the vehicle before committing to the underground approach. The ferry terminals at Mgarr are only a few minutes' walk from the hotel, which is the simpler arrival route if you are already on Gozo.

Check-in starts at 3 pm and check-out runs until noon. You will need photo identification and a credit card at check-in. Early check-in and late check-out are available on request. Luggage storage, a 24-hour reception, an ATM, a tour desk, a safety deposit box and free WiFi throughout the hotel cover the useful gaps around travel days. The hotel is non-smoking throughout and does not accept pets; children of all ages are welcome, with extra beds and cots available on request.