Hotel Juliani — A Boutique Hotel on Spinola Bay, St Julian's

Hotel Juliani is a four-star boutique hotel set in a beautifully renovated townhouse on Spinola Bay, in the heart of St Julian's, Malta. Originally a family townhouse, the building has preserved its charming, traditional Maltese facade through the renovation, while the interiors have been transformed into something altogether more contemporary and stylish. Step through the door and the contrast is immediate: classic exterior, ultra-chic interior — the best of both worlds, and very much the hotel's calling card.

As a family-run establishment, Hotel Juliani has built its reputation on personalised service rather than scale. Every guest is looked after individually, not processed through a system, and that ethos runs through the entire stay — from the 24/7 reception team to the concierge staff who know the neighbourhood well enough to send you to the right restaurant, not just the nearest one. It's this combination of boutique intimacy and genuine local knowledge that earned Hotel Juliani a TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice award in 2023, alongside recognition as one of the Top 100 Boutique Hotels in the world — placing it among the most highly rated stays on the island.

The hotel looks directly out over Spinola Bay and its quaint fishing cove, where the traditional, brightly painted Maltese fishing boats known as luzzus bob gently in the water — a view that changes character completely between a bright Mediterranean morning and the golden hour before dinner. Just steps from the hotel, you'll find a dense concentration of traditional Maltese and international restaurants, bars, and shops, along with the transport links that make the rest of the island easy to reach.

Hotel Juliani offers a genuinely different kind of St Julian's stay — one built around a family-run boutique sensibility rather than a large hotel's amenities checklist. From the café terrace and rooftop lounge, and from many of the rooms themselves, you can watch Spinola Bay's fishing boats at work while a string of restaurants along the water serve both traditional Maltese and international cuisine.

The hotel's central position means Malta's most talked-about St Julian's nightlife — the bars and clubs of Paceville — is only a few minutes' walk away, while the hotel itself remains a genuinely quiet place to sleep once you're back inside. That balance, a lively neighbourhood with a peaceful hotel at its centre, is one of the more consistent things guests mention. For UK visitors planning ahead, flights to Malta run regularly from most major airports, with direct routes from London making St Julian's an easy long-weekend or week-long destination.

Sustainability and social responsibility sit at the core of how Hotel Juliani operates. The hotel works closely with cultural groups across Malta as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility programme, supporting local creative work rather than treating community involvement as an afterthought. It's a small but genuine part of what makes staying here feel different from a purely transactional hotel stay — more than a team, the hotel describes itself as a family, and that's the atmosphere guests are invited into.

Hotel Juliani's rooms are arranged across five categories, each designed around comfortable, well-proportioned space rather than excess for its own sake, and each with a virtual 3D visit available online for anyone planning ahead. Standard Rooms, from €70 a night, offer 22 square metres with either one double or two twin beds and sleep up to two guests — everything needed for a comfortable stay without the sea view. Deluxe Sea View rooms, from €110 a night, step up to 25 square metres and look out over Spinola and St Julian's Bays, and it's this room type most guests choose specifically to wake up to the fishing cove each morning.

For those wanting more space, the 35 square metre Junior Suites Sea View, from €125 a night, sleep up to three and include a private balcony overlooking Spinola Bay, ideal for sitting back and unwinding with the view rather than just glimpsing it through a window. The 39 square metre Juliani Suites Sea View, from €150 a night, offer the fullest version of the hotel's signature experience — exceptional sea views paired with a balcony for morning coffee or an evening drink, and enough space to genuinely relax rather than just sleep. At the top of the range, the 45 square metre Designer Suites Sea View, from €180 a night, add a dedicated lounge area alongside the sea view and balcony, for guests wanting an extra touch of luxury on top of everything else the hotel already offers.

Every room comes with free high-speed WiFi and air conditioning as standard, and guests throughout the hotel have access to the rooftop pool and terrace — one of the more genuine draws of staying here in the warmer months, given the view it commands over the bay.

Dining at Hotel Juliani centres on two genuinely distinct restaurants, both on-site, both worth planning a meal around rather than treating as an afterthought.

Zest Restaurant, on the hotel's first floor, has held a Michelin Plate award for four consecutive years — recognition reserved for restaurants offering excellent quality and a genuinely enjoyable overall experience, not just good food in isolation. Zest serves a modern take on Asian and Japanese-Peruvian Nikkei cuisine: sushi rolls, bao buns, ceviche, tiraditos, gyoza, and curries, served against a stylish, trendy interior with an open wine cellar and sushi bar where you can watch the chefs work. It's open Monday to Sunday, 18:30–23:00, and booking ahead is genuinely recommended — this isn't a quiet hotel restaurant, it's a destination in its own right for anyone exploring the best of restaurants in St Julian's. Hotel guests receive 10% off food when ordering two or more courses, Monday to Saturday.

Café Juliani, on the ground floor lobby and outdoor terrace, is the more relaxed, all-day option — open daily from 07:00 to 23:00. Breakfast and brunch run through the morning, from a full English breakfast to pancakes, with a brasserie-style menu taking over from midday featuring sharing plates built from grain, sea and farm — sushi, gyoza, dim sum, and bao buns alongside signature mains like the Prawn Tempura Burger and fresh poke bowls. With free WiFi and plenty of charging points, it also doubles as a genuinely usable spot for remote working or a quiet afternoon with a book.

Spa Royale, on level -1, is a proper destination spa rather than a token hotel amenity, and the menu reflects it. Signature facials are led by Dr Thiago Freire, an anti-ageing medicine specialist and University of Moscow lecturer — his Revival Facial (85 minutes, €180) uses natural sea buckthorn oil, while the Glowing 24K Gold Facial (85 minutes, €250) applies EMK's 24k gold peeling gel for one of the spa's most transformative treatments. Spa Royale's own signature treatments include the Royale Mediterranean Ritual (85 minutes, €125), which pairs a lemon zest foot soak with a warm shell body massage, and the Royale Massage Treat (85 minutes, €120), with a choice of Benzoin & Patchouli or Bergamot & White Tea oils. Couples can book the Royale Couple treatment (from €200 for 55 minutes or €250 for 85 minutes, including lunch and a glass of prosecco) or the two-hour Royale Ritual (150 minutes, €185).

VOYA's organic, ocean-inspired treatments run alongside these, including the Self Discovery Radiance Facial and a full range of body scrubs, wraps, and massages, among them the Voyager Massage Journey (55 to 85 minutes, €95 to €125) and the Mindful Dreams Sleep Ritual (85 minutes, €130). Institut Esthederm's non-invasive facials, including Active Repair, Esthe-Lift, and Esthe-White, start from €75, and sit alongside a genuinely comprehensive holistic and Ayurveda menu covering deep tissue massage, reflexology, Kizhi massage, and Udwarthanam. Guests recovering from long-haul travel can also book the three-day Traveller's Secret Recovery programme (€270), designed specifically to counter fatigue and disrupted sleep. Guests receive a 10% discount on any treatment lasting 55 minutes or longer, and the spa can be reached directly from any room by dialling extension 1199.

Hotel Juliani sits at 25 St George's Road, in the historic core of St Julian's — a genuinely central position within easy walking distance of Spinola Bay's restaurants and Paceville's nightlife district. Malta International Airport is approximately 14km away, and the X2 bus route runs directly from the airport into St Julian's, with full route details covered in our Malta public transport guide. A complimentary airport pick-up is available for guests booking four nights or more directly through the hotel, though this offer doesn't extend to bookings made through third parties.

Hotel Juliani currently offers the Juliani Signature Package: daily breakfast at Café Juliani, plus an exquisite three-course sharing dinner for two at Michelin-rated Zest Restaurant, valid for one night per person during your stay and available across all room types, subject to availability. If Hotel Juliani sounds right for your trip, you can check availability and book directly through VisitMalta.co.uk using the search tool above. If you're still deciding where to stay, our Malta holidays page covers packages, regions, and prices for UK travellers, and our wider guide to hotels in Malta is worth a look if you want to compare St Julian's against other parts of the island before booking. For a closer look specifically at hotels in St Julian's, our dedicated guide covers the full range of options in the area.