About this hotel
General information
The Xara Palace is the only hotel inside the walls of Mdina, Malta’s old hilltop capital, known as the Silent City. It occupies a 17th-century palazzo built as the home of a noble family, and its walls form part of the bastions that ring the town. A careful restoration has brought back its patrician character: tall ceilings and an arcaded piano nobile looking down into a glass-roofed courtyard.
There are just seventeen rooms and suites, each furnished individually with antiques, watercolours of the Maltese landscape and Parisian fabrics. The hotel belongs to Relais & Châteaux and to Malta’s Xara Collection. Its defining features are the view from the bastions across the island to the sea and the de Mondion restaurant, set into the fortification walls. The whole palazzo can also be taken on an exclusive basis.
Location
The hotel stands on one of Mdina’s old squares, facing Vilhena Palace, among the quiet baroque lanes of the medieval town. Malta International Airport is around 15 km away, and The Xara Lodge, where guests swim, lies on the edge of Rabat, five minutes by car.
Spa
Wellness here comes to the room: bespoke massages can be arranged in the privacy of a suite, and mornings can begin with a yoga session led by an experienced instructor.
Sports & leisure
The hotel has a fitness room, and the concierge handles restaurant bookings, private tours and gym sessions. Experiences the hotel arranges include:
- an evening visit to St John’s Co-Cathedral after it has closed to the public
- a private encounter with a Knight of the Order of Malta, with access to the Order’s Embassy in Malta
- private access to a secluded monastery, home to a community of nuns for over four centuries and to the Order’s most revered relics
- yacht and boat charters along the coasts of Malta, Gozo and Comino
- wine tastings of Maltese and Mediterranean vintages at family vineyards and cellars
For children
Families can take interconnecting rooms: the Deluxe Rooms with Panoramic Porch and the Duplex Suites interconnect, and the hotel suggests the Presidential Suite for families. Family rooms are arranged directly with the hotel, and Palazzino Belvedere sleeps two adults and two children.
Restaurants & bars
The kitchen describes its style as modern Mediterranean, built on olive oil, sheep’s and goat’s cheeses, fish, local vegetables and herbs. Breakfast is served at de Mondion, and dinner can also be taken in the room.
- de Mondion — fine dining set into Mdina’s bastions, with terraces and island-wide views; seasonal local produce, an extensive wine list, dinner service and private dining on request
- Trattoria AD 1530 — a relaxed trattoria with outdoor tables on the square in front of the hotel: pizza, pasta, salads and grills, open daily from lunch into the evening
Swimming
Swimming is at The Xara Lodge on the edge of Rabat, five minutes away, whose outdoor pool opens in the warmer months; the hotel provides complimentary transfers there and back whenever suits. Two suites on the bastions have private terraces with open-air Jacuzzis.
Pets
Dogs under 10 kg that are fully house-trained are welcome. The room is set up with a dog bed, a bowl and a towel. Dogs must be kept on a short lead in the hotel, may not be left alone in the room and are not allowed in food and drink areas, except the outdoor part of Trattoria AD 1530.
Rooms
The seventeen rooms and suites occupy the piano nobile and spaces built into the bastions, each decorated individually with antique furniture and king-size beds. The hotel also offers Palazzino Belvedere, a two-bedroom extension.
King-size bed with a duck-down duvet (hypoallergenic on request), individual air conditioning, safe, Wi-Fi, cable TV, direct-dial phone, trouser press, minibar, room service and a marble bathroom with heated towel rail, hairdryer, scales, toiletries, bathrobes and slippers.
Duplex Room
A split-level room on the piano nobile above the glass-roofed courtyard, where the tall ceilings allow separate levels for the king-size bedroom and the sitting area. Marble bathroom, original windows and a restored balcony over a Mdina street.
Deluxe Room with Panoramic View
A room set into the bastion, with a bedroom, sitting area, antique furniture and marble bathroom. A doorway cut into the fortification wall opens onto a view across the island to the sea.
Deluxe Room with Panoramic Porch
A room on the upper terrace above the glass-roofed courtyard that feels like a small apartment: king-size bed, marble bathroom and a private porch with table and chairs looking out over Malta. Rooms can be interconnected for families.
Duplex Suite
A two-level suite in the palazzo’s former reception rooms: a sitting room below that can double as a private dining room, and a spiral staircase up to the king-size bedroom and marble bathroom. Suites can be interconnected for families.
Deluxe Suite with Panoramic View
A single-level suite within the bastion walls, keeping original features, with a generous sitting area, king-size bed and a large, daylit marble bathroom. The windows frame an open view of the Maltese Islands.
Executive Suite with Panoramic View
A one-off suite with a Hästens king-size bed, a restored period headboard, antique furniture and a private dining area. It looks 180° across the island to the sea, and its balcony faces the main square, where the town crier read proclamations from the 17th century.
Deluxe Suite with Terrace and Jacuzzi
A suite at the highest point of the hotel with its own sun-deck terrace and outdoor Jacuzzi on the bastions, taking in 180° island views and the dome of Mdina’s cathedral. King-size bed, sitting area, antique Maltese furniture and marble bathroom.
Executive Duplex Suite with Terrace and Jacuzzi
A unique suite on two levels, with tapestries, period furniture, a king-size bed, a marble walk-in shower and a separate marble bathroom, both with a view, and a 180° island panorama. The upper level holds a lounge opening onto a private terrace in the fortifications with its own Jacuzzi.
Presidential Suite
The grandest of the duplex suites: the lower level has a living room with an antique dining table for six, a writing desk and a balcony facing Vilhena Palace. Wooden stairs climb under the original beams to the bedroom and marble bathroom; it also works well for families.
Palazzino Belvedere
A two-bedroom extension of the hotel with a kitchen, an inner courtyard and a gallery overlooking the Maltese countryside; one bedroom has a queen-size bed, an adjoining living room, balconies and a bathtub, the other panoramic windows and a shower. It sleeps three adults or two adults and two children, with breakfast at de Mondion and a personal experience curator.
Photos are for illustrative purposes only. Actual room layout, furnishings, décor, views and amenities may differ from those shown and may vary between rooms of the same category. Hotel and room descriptions are based on information provided by the property and are believed to be accurate at the time of publication, but are not guaranteed. The hotel may renovate or change its rooms, facilities, restaurants and services at any time without notice. The final details of your stay are confirmed at the time of booking. See our Terms of Use.