One-Minute Hotel / Xara Palace, Malta
The superstar stay in Malta’s old capital, the fairytale city of Mdina.
So, where are we?
Mdina. The golden, UNESCO World Heritage city with layers, layers and even more layers of history (Phoenicians, Normans, Greeks, Arabs, Knights of St. John have all had a go), and arguably the most beautiful city in Malta. Not that anyone’s arguing.
And where we’re staying...?
Xara Palace, the superstar hotel of Mdina. It’s not showy, mind, just classy and beautiful and old - 17th Century old – with gorgeous, sweeping spaces, an always-buzzy outdoor terrace and, up top, the Michelin-decorated de Mondion, one of Malta’s most celebrated restaurants. For very good reason. We’re still talking about it to anyone who’ll listen.
What’s the style?
When the bones of the place are already beautiful, you don’t want to go messing around. Sensitively lush, with warm and inviting corners filled with recherché antiques and spots for lazing around, martini in hand, taking in the original art pieces, exchanging those bons mots of yours with fellow guests. All very lovely indeed. It’s a Relais & Chateaux, for heaven’s sake, what do you expect?
And the rooms?
There are only 17 of them, all classic in style, modern in amenities. Some come with terraces with enormous views and the odd jacuzzi, others with roll-top baths looking out across the Maltese countryside. We mentioned lush already, right?
Is there a story?
Formerly a private palazzo, Xara has only been a hotel for 20 years and, though it’s a Relais & Chateaux, the vibe doesn’t get all stuffy on our back-bottoms - and that’s down to the family that owns it, who are a big deal round these parts. Owner/Big Cheese, Nicky, is a superstar (as is her dad, actually, who’s the mayor of Mdina and has a juicy tale or several to tell) and she has nurtured a pitch-perfect atmosphere round the place, with staff who are just the bee’s knees; fun, friendly, right side of cheeky, know their stuff, will do anything for you, we could go on.
And to eat?
Well, there’s that de Mondion we mentioned. It’s Michelin-starred after all, one of five such starry restaurants on Malta and, as you would expect, the food is extraordinary. We had the vegan tasting menu, awash with local flavours and the freshest of produce from Xara’s very own kitchen garden. Speaking of which, they take sustainability very, very seriously here, with any leftover food going right back to said garden, broken down via a very clever bio-organic, er, system (they’ll show you! It’s very impressive) and used as fertiliser. Then there’s the more laidback Trattoria AD1530, the outdoor terrace that is delicious in all senses of the word.
So, to sum up...
Malta’s having a bit of a renaissance, having been the byword for… let’s just say holiday makers in the supper of their lives. The Queen (RIP, Your Maj) and Prince Phillip (ditto) lived on the island as newlyweds when PP was stationed there as a Navy officer, so that had a lot to do with it. But the island - the Mediterranean’s sunniest/warmest, no less - has upped its game. The gays are heading over in droves - Malta’s hosting EuroPride in 2023, come to mention it - and there’s a definite new energy to the place. And Xara Palace pretty much - and prettily - encompasses that energy. History to die for, gorgeous to look at, and a whole load of fun.
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