Address: VLT1429, 81 Old Theatre Street, Valletta, Malta
Website: risette.com.mt
Caffe Cordina
Valletta’s main people-watching spot since 1837—as the date chiseled on stone above the entrance points out—this is an essential port of call if you’ve never been to Valletta before. As well as watching life go by, along with the black-bowtied waiters carrying trays of tea and cake, you can catch up on the island’s history by looking at the murals that adorn the interior and depict appearances by the Greeks, Romans, Knights of Malta and the British, all the way up to its entry into the EU in 2004. As for what to order, take your time at the counter, with its regiments of rum babas, ricotta cannoli, Maltese puddings and cheesecake.
Address: 244 Republic, Il-Belt Valletta VLT 1114, Malta
Website: caffecordina.com
Cafe Society
Come summer and the stone steps alongside Café Society quickly fill up with people clutching mango basil mimosas, Orson Welles (gin, Cynar and vermouth) and other cocktails from the list here. Since opening in 2015 on a corner between St John Street and St Paul’s, Jake Page’s little bar has gone from strength to strength, with LGBTQ-friendly events and music from regular DJ and music sessions spilling out at weekends. A lot of fun.
Address: 13 Triq San Gwann, Il-Belt Valletta, Malta
Website: @cafesociety_valletta
Where to stay in Valletta
Rosselli
Valletta’s streets are lined with thick-walled townhouse palaces, many of which have been transformed into small hotels while keeping the original character—this one on Merchants Street, one of the prettiest addresses in the city, was once home to Don Pietro Rosselli, a 17th-century Knight of Malta, who would doubtless appreciate the swimming pool that now caps the building. The 24 rooms are all slick spaces with halo lighting, dove-grey fabrics, vivid strips of floral wallpaper and geometric tiles; for a small hotel, there’s a lot going on food-wise, with the basement Michelin-starred restaurant Under Grain, a small-plates bistro Grain Street on the ground floor and a rooftop bar called Over Grain. All Valletta’s sights—the cathedral, Fort St Elmo and Grand Master’s Palace—are an easy walk away.
Iniala Harbour House
For many years, The Phoenicia—once the hangout of young Princess Elizabeth and her new husband Philip when they lived on Malta—was the city’s finest hotel, but the arrival of this harbourside hotel in 2020 took things to another level. It’s an impressive architectural feat, combining four blue-shuttered townhouses and palazzos overlooking the Grand Harbor—best views from the rooftop dining terrace—with interiors by three of Europe’s most imaginative design studios, including Istanbul’s Autoban (which also worked on Joali’s two Maldives resorts). Bedrooms are peacock flamboyant but not over-the-top, with fan-like golden bedheads and bespoke wallpaper depicting tropical palm-trees flitted by jewel-like birds; the spa is equally as immersive, while the restaurant is steered by Simon Rogan of three-star L’Enclume fame.
Casa Ellul
This characterful townhouse near the historic Manoel Theatre has been in the Ellul family since the early 19th century and still has many original details such as the wooden ceiling beams, colorful Maltese tiles and antique furniture. Opened in 2014, it was one of the first boutique hotels on the island, with nine suites individually designed by local interiors specialist Chris Biffa—clear favorites are the two rooftop ones, which have their own plunge pool and sunloungers for up, close and personal views of the cathedral and Grand Harbor. On the ground floor is Risette, one of the city’s best restaurants with a creative menu that stirs up dishes such as a seabass brioche with a beer sauce.
Senglea House
Not a hotel, but in many ways much more appealing. Suzanne Sharp is a Maltese-born designer and all-round renaissance woman who co-founded the London-based Rug Company with her husband and is currently hard at work transforming her Maltese family home into a hotel. She’s passionate about the island’s artisanal crafts, taking over the century-old Villa Bologna Pottery workshop in order to protect it, and her eye for interior design is evident in the two one-bedroom apartments she furnished in Senglea. The well-placed furniture was sourced from auctions and antiques markets around Europe; traditional Maltese tiles from the workshop line the floors, and bathrooms are wrapped in Sicilian marble. With windowed balconies and a penthouse roof terrace, they make excellent perches from which to watch life unfold on Valletta’s Grand Harbor below.
A version of this story originally appeared on Condé Nast Traveller UK.
