Best Western Premier Malta

If you like your diving base with a proper roof, a choice of pools and somewhere civilised to eat, Best Western Premier Malta is built around that brief. Set in Qawra, the hotel has 170 suites, balconies, air conditioning, free WiFi and the sort of practical room facilities that matter when your day has involved salt, sun and a wetsuit that refuses to dry quickly.

The mood is more polished city hotel than barefoot dive lodge. You can start with breakfast upstairs, spend the warm part of the day by the rooftop pool, then move to the spa or a bar without having to organise an expedition. The hotel also welcomes children, with family rooms and cots available in selected options, so it can work for a diving couple travelling with family as well as for two adults who simply want a comfortable base.

You are in St Paul's Bay, at the Qawra end of Malta's northern coast. The setting is coastal rather than sandy: the shoreline here is rocky, with clear Mediterranean water and a promenade backed by bars, cafés and restaurants. Bugibba Perched Beach is about 0.3 miles away, while Qawra Point Beach is roughly 0.5 miles from the hotel.

The useful local landmarks are close enough to shape an afternoon without turning it into a full day out. Malta National Aquarium is about 0.5 miles away, and Tax-Xama Bay Beach is around 1.4 miles away. Valletta is a short drive away, while Malta International Airport is about 9 miles from the hotel, with a drive taking around 18 minutes.

The room choice is broad enough to make the selection matter. For two, the deluxe balcony rooms keep things straightforward, while the side-sea-view versions give you a little more of the coast to look at without turning the room into a family arrangement. If you are travelling as three or four, a Junior Suite with its sofa bed gives everyone a defined sleeping place and more room to spread out.

For a couple wanting something less ordinary, the Junior King Suite adds a hot tub and balcony. At the other end of the scale, the Executive Suite is the one to look at when space matters more than keeping things compact. There is also a roll-in-shower room with disability access, and the hotel has wheelchair-accessible facilities and toilets with grab rails.

Air conditioning is useful in Malta's warmer months; soundproof rooms should help keep the night from following you back upstairs. A desk is there if you need to deal with practicalities, while the minibar and tea and coffee facilities cover the small recovery rituals between returning to the hotel and going out again. Daily housekeeping, a hairdryer, bathrobes and free WiFi keep the evening uncomplicated.

Alta Cucina occupies the ninth floor, where breakfast comes with panoramic views rather than a view of the toaster queue. The buffet covers local and international choices, freshly baked pastries, fruit, cereals and omelettes made to order. Breakfast is included in the standard formula, with continental, Italian, full English and Irish, American, vegetarian, vegan, halal, gluten-free and kosher choices available, along with breakfast to go.

Dinner stays in the same restaurant and gives you two routes: an à la carte menu, or a buffet selection of starters and desserts with a plated main course. Mediterranean, local and international cooking all feature. Wednesday brings a barbecue dinner, which is a useful change of pace when another evening of choosing from the same menu feels like work.

There are two named bars. Sema Sky Bar & Lounge sits beside the rooftop pool and serves cocktails with panoramic views of the surrounding landscape and sea; its wet bar is seasonal, and food is available around the pool. Down on the ground floor, Vida Lounge Bar handles premium spirits, wines, beers and signature cocktails in a more settled lobby setting. A snack bar and on-site coffee house cover the less ceremonial moments, while room service is available when going out again is simply not happening.

The rooftop Sema Sky Bar & Lounge pool is the obvious place to spend a non-diving afternoon, with sea views, loungers and a pool heated during the colder winter months. There is a second pool indoors at the spa and fitness facility, which gives you a quieter option when the rooftop is busy or the weather has turned distinctly less Mediterranean.

The SPA & Fitness Room is run under the DEE SPAS name and brings together massages, a sauna, steam bath, hydrotherapy bath and relaxation room. Treatments include body treatments, scrubs, wraps, facials, manicures and pedicures, while couples, full-body, back, neck, head, hand and foot massages are available. The City Beat Fitness Room adds cardio equipment and free weights if sitting still starts to feel suspicious.

For slower evenings, you have a leisure room, library, games room and billiards. Live music, evening entertainment and broadcast live sport can add some noise to the evening, while the pool area shifts into a social setting after dark. The hotel can also arrange walking tours, bike tours, local-culture tours, cycling, hiking, horse riding, fishing and snorkelling through the listed activities, with the off-site options taking you beyond Qawra.

Check-in starts at 15:00 and check-out runs until 11:00. A 24-hour front desk, private and express check-in or check-out, luggage storage and a tour desk make early arrivals and late departures easier to manage. Shuttle service is available and should be arranged with the hotel; car hire is also available.

Free public parking is possible nearby without a reservation, which is handy if you are driving rather than relying on transfers. The hotel has a lift, facilities for disabled guests and an accessible bathroom option. WiFi is free throughout the property, and packed lunches are available for days when you are heading out rather than sitting down for another full meal.

Children of any age are welcome. Children aged four and over are charged as adults, cots depend on the accommodation option, and extra beds are not available. Pets are not allowed, and cash is not accepted, so those are two small details worth settling before arrival rather than discovering them at reception with luggage in hand.

Best Western Premier Malta holds GSTC Certification from the Global Sustainable Tourism Council. The hotel's stated approach covers responsible use of energy and water, waste management and support for the local community through local suppliers.

The policy also includes respect for Malta's cultural heritage, stronger governance and transparency, and encouragement for guests to make more mindful travel choices. It is a framework rather than a reason to pack a smaller suitcase, but it gives the hotel's environmental and local commitments a defined structure.