14 of the best hotels in Gozo

2. Ta’ Cenc Hotel, Sannat

£££ | SPA | POOL | Best for nature lovers

With its striking location on the edge of the towering Ta’ Cenc cliffs, this hotel offers on-your-doorstep walks 145m above the sea with stunning views that become especially fabulous at sunset. Beneath your feet are sweet-smelling herbs and endemic plants; look out too for local birds and harmless reptiles. There are a couple of prehistoric stone dolmens too, dating back to the Bronze Age. Service is not always up to the hotel’s five-star rating, but the 83 rooms are all bungalow-style or fun, circular trulli, and the indoor-outdoor pool is a delight in all seasons, particularly as the vegetation outside lights up at dusk (there are also standard outdoor pools surrounded by sunbeds). A few minutes’ walk takes you into the traditional local village; a clifftop saunter or complementary minibus ride brings you to the sunbeds of the private “beach”, on the rocky side of an idyllic inlet of deep crystal-clear azure water, perfect for swimming and snorkelling.

3. The Duke Boutique Hotel, Victoria

££ | Best for city centre

Don’t be put off by the entrance, which is within a shopping centre; the Duke is a quiet, comfortable, modern urban hotel in the heart of Gozo’s little “capital”, Victoria (known as Rabat by locals). Its spacious contemporary rooms — some with their own mini-spa (hot tub/sauna/steam, in-room treatments bookable) and terrace — are up above the fray. An excellent buffet-and-more breakfast is served in the inside-outside dining room, staff are helpful, and the hotel is less than five minutes’ walk from the heart of the city, the central bus station, restaurants and the main sights including the historic citadel with 360-degree views of the island.

4. Viewpoint Boutique Living, Xlendi-Munxar

££ | POOL | Best for chilling out

In a rural setting between the coastal village of Xlendi and inland Munxar, the hotel and its pool terrace overlook a verdant valley running down towards the sea. A peaceful spot, it is just over half a mile to Xlendi Bay for swimming, snorkelling and diving (there’s a dive centre for kit, guides and courses) as well as waterside bars and restaurants. Bikes for exploring the island can be borrowed from the hotel for free, and it’s only a mile and a half into Victoria.

5. Quaint Boutique Hotel, Xewkija

EXPEDIA

£ | Best for village life

This little boutique hotel surprises with its urban-inspired interiors of concrete with brightly coloured designer touches. The setting, like its name, is definitely quaint — it sits at the heart of the village of Xewkija, almost within touching distance of its huge parish church. Known as Xewkija “rotunda”, the church is a dramatic sight in the village square, which also has lovely local features like the parish band club and bar, where local musicians practise for the annual festa (held on the closest Sunday to June 24) and villagers gather at any time of year.

6. Georges Boutique Living, Xaghra

£ | Best for value

Service always feels personal at this tiny guesthouse with just eight rooms — each with glowing Gozitan limestone walls set off by colourful contemporary prints and. Location-wise it’s handy too: just a few minutes’ walk from the centre of Xaghra, Gozo’s second town (or largest village) where you’ll find a handful of excellent restaurants and the parish church with an ornate marble interior. You’re also close to the Unesco-listed Ggantija temples, which shows off some of the oldest stone architecture in the world. Also within walking distance is Victoria, and — in the other direction — a gorgeous red-sandy beach at Ramla Bay.

7. Maria Giovanna Guesthouse, Marsalforn

££ | Best for seaside stays

A long-time Marsalforn favourite, this place is run by two Gozitan sisters and named after their grandmother and mother who ran it before them. There’s rustic decor and tasty local specialities like gbejniet (miniature goat’s/sheep’s cheeses) at breakfast; some rooms have balconies and partial sea view. Just off the seafront of Gozo’s main resort village, the guesthouse is two minutes from the two beaches (one small and sandy, the other long and rocky), multiple bars and restaurants, local shops and dive centres. Walking out of town to the northwest, you’ll find glorious trails along sea-sculpted coast and secluded bays for a swim.

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8. San Antonio Guesthouse, Xlendi

£ | POOL | Best for families on a budget

A well-established guesthouse with an outdoor pool and children’s paddling pool on a terrace above the sea, San Antonio is well-located on a quiet residential road with lovely views over the Mediterranean and a historic tower from the Knights period. It sits just up the hill from the coastal village of Xlendi, only a couple of hundred metres walk down to Xlendi Bay, with its swimming, snorkelling, diving, and a handful of seafront bars and restaurants. Ta’ Karolina serves pizza and Mediterranean dishes (including fresh fish) right on the water — kids can paddle while adults sit over their lunch — and Ic-Cima rooftop restaurant serves excellent dinner with panoramic sunset views.

9. Murella Living, Marsalforn

£ | Best for local design

On a side street just off the seafront in Gozo’s main resort village of Marsalforn, Murella Living is owned by three Maltese brothers who transformed their family summer home into a 24-room hotel, each individually designed. Spacious “suites” merge contemporary style and Gozitan life, each with a mural related to a different local tradition, from fishing to cheesemaking, salt pans to architecture. Some have standalone in-room baths, others balconies; all have access to the dining room and terrace where breakfast is served and seating is available all day. Masalforn’s beach, shops, bars, restaurants, water sports and dive centres are just a couple of minutes away.

10. Casa Gemelli Boutique, Victoria

££ | Best for Gozitan tradition

This guesthouse is the former home of the owner’s grandmother. Now fully renovated and converted, its traditional style has been retained with colourful tiled floors and iron bedsteads. There is comfortable, contemporary outdoor seating, however, and all necessary mod cons such as air conditioning. The guesthouse sits between the Gozitan capital’s two parish band clubs, which double up as bars and opera theatres, with an opera festival each October. Just across the street is Victoria’s main square, It-Tokk (“the meeting place”), which is full of cafés; around the corner, the steep (but short) Castle Hill leads up to the historic citadel.

11. Santa Lucija Boutique Hotel, Santa Lucija

££ | SPA | POOL | Best for winter weekends

This boutique pad, in a semi-rural village setting, is perfect in every season. There’s an outdoor pool and whirlpool bath plus an indoor pool and spa, as well as underfloor heating for winter warmth. Families are welcome, with cots and adjoining rooms available, and the restaurant plates up everything from cocktails to afternoon tea, as well as breakfast and Mediterranean lunches — indoors or alfresco. The hotel sits just outside Victoria, en route to the coast at Xlendi or Dwejra.

12. Grand Hotel, Ghajnsielem

££ | SPA | POOL | Best for boat trips

On the hill above Mgarr Harbour (where the Gozo ferry comes in), the Grand is a well-established hotel with fabulous sea vistas, indoor and outdoor pools and a spa. Many of its 93 rooms (across five types) have balconies with either sea or pool-and-country views — both benefiting from the hotel’s hilltop position. Just 400m from Gozo’s little harbour, the Grand looks down on traditional, brightly striped boats bobbing among more modern craft, and offers very easy access to round-island bay-hopping trips as well as the short crossing to Comino and the luminous Blue Lagoon, Malta’s favourite swimming spot. Behind the hotel is the village of Ghajnseilem with its oversized parish church.

13. Dar Ta’ Zeppi, Qala

££ | POOL | Best for relaxing stays

Although designated a B&B, Dar Ta’ Zeppi has more facilities than many small hotels: 24-hour staffing, pool, lounge-cum-art gallery, library, activities and a well-established reputation. Run by a Belgian artist and her Gozitan-Maltese husband (and numerous cats), it is close to the centre of Qala, a lively little village with a music bar and restaurants. No children under 14 makes for a peaceful setting where you can indulge in interests and activities from yoga and Pilates to art workshops. Breakfast is fresh, local and plentiful. The bus from the ferry stops just outside.

14. Il-Logga Boutique Hotel, Xaghra

££ | POOL | Best for history buffs

With a rooftop pool and shaded sunbeds commanding expansive views over the island and beyond, this little boutique hotel with just 12 rooms takes full advantage of its high-ground position on the Xaghra plateau — also home to the small town with its bars and restaurants, a Knights-period windmill and the Unesco-listed Ggantija temples. Il-Logga is run by a local family and has a range of rooms to suit different budgets, from standard rooms, all with balconies, to penthouse-style rooms with private terraces. The restaurant is great for local specialities such as aljotta (fish soup), risotto, lampuki (the national fish) in season, and rabbit (the national meat dish), as well as wider Mediterranean cuisine.

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