Alavits Hotel by ST Hotels, Malta

When we visited Malta we stayed at Alavits Hotel by ST Hotels in the Il-Gżira area.

Here I will explain why I chose that hotel, share all the information and a pile of photos with you, and tell you about our experience.

This article may contain affiliate links. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on a link, I may receive a small commission. Read the full disclaimer here.

Just starting to plan your trip to Malta? Take a look at this guide to cover the basics.

Ready to jump straight to booking your accommodation in Malta?
Take a look at the prices and availability of The Alavits Hotel by ST Hotels here.

The front view of Alavits Hotel by ST Hotels, a modern multi-story building with colorful traditional Maltese balconies in blue, yellow, green, and red. The hotel sign is displayed at the entrance, and cars are parked along the street in front of the hotel.

Deciding Where to Stay in Malta

It’s always a fine balance to find somewhere suitable to stay. There are always plenty of boxes to tick, and almost always no single property ticks them all.

The things I was looking at when choosing our Maltese accommodation were:

It had to be central, making it easy to get to places like St John’s Co-Cathedral and Gozo to suit my Malta itinerary.
It had to have good transport links since we would be getting around without a car
It needed to be around 3-star standard
It needed to have breakfast
I’m always looking for a bargain, so a good price is important too
Access to restaurants, grocery stores and laundromats is a bonus when we’re travelling for a while.

A scenic view of Sliema, Malta, from a rooftop, overlooking a bay filled with anchored boats and yachts. Modern apartment buildings and hotels with rooftop solar panels border the shoreline, with a bright blue sea and clear sky in the background.

Initially, I was looking at places to stay in Valletta and Sliema and I saw some lovely places. I soon discovered they were a little more expensive than what I had hoped to pay.

So I widened the search to include nearby areas, and it soon became obvious to me that Il-Gżira suited us for location.

We were visiting in March, which for me is too cold for swimming (even though there were others enjoying the water) but I still enjoy water views and Il-Gżira sits on Marsamxett Harbour.

It has a long waterfront promenade with views across Manoel Island to Valletta beyond.

It was around 50m from Alavits Hotel by ST Hotels to the main street along the waterfront, and there was conveniently a bus stop right there at the junction to help us get around.

It was a pleasant 10-minute walk along the waterfront to the ferry terminal across to Valletta, or it was possible to catch the bus (every 4 minutes) the two stops if we wanted to.

If Il-Gżira is not the area for you, read about some of the other places you can stay in Malta to find your perfect location.

When I was looking for hotels, Alavits Hotel by ST Hotels first caught my attention with an incredible price.

Remember I was travelling in March, so the off-season, but still, I was very surprised to find a hotel that looked this good for €50/night.

Even better was that breakfast was included, there was free cancellation and reviews were good.

While I feel the prices we got were incredibly cheap, I searched for the same dates next year, and it is only slightly more expensive at €60/night. Still a great deal for that too.

A booking summary for Alavits Hotel by ST Hotels in Il-Gżira, showing a rating of 8.9 out of 10 with 2,888 reviews. The listing highlights 'Breakfast included,' 'Free cancellation,' and 'No prepayment needed.' The cost is €300 for 5 nights, 2 adults, with a double or twin room, and the hotel is located 850 meters from the beach. The screenshot includes a 'See availability' button and details on the hotel's distance from the center and nearby beaches.

Things to Know Before You Go to Malta: If you’re planning a trip, there are a few things to consider before booking your stay.

Malta’s public transport is reliable, but staying in central areas like Il-Gżira can make getting around much easier.

Also, remember that some hotels share facilities with others in their network, so check if you have access to additional amenities nearby.

About Alavits Hotel by ST Hotels

We booked a standard double room, and as far as I am aware, that is what we got. No upgrade for us this time.

A slightly different angle of the standard double room, with a focus on the desk area, TV, and the bed with red pillows. The room's modern decor includes neutral tones and geometric shapes on the wall.

Another view of the standard double room, showcasing the bed with red and white bedding, a bedside table, and soft lighting embedded into the wall. The room features a modern and minimalist design with geometric wall patterns.

A cozy hotel room with a large double bed, neatly made with white linens and bright red pillows and accents. The room includes a flat-screen TV mounted on the wall and a small seating area by the window.

The room was modern, spacious and clean. Everything was in good repair and overall the room had a really comfortable feel to it.

The room had everything you would expect from a good 3-star property. A decent-sized TV, a mini-fridge, and a safe. They claim to have cable TV, but we didn’t turn it on to check.

There were facilities for making tea and coffee – but we did have to restock the milk (don’t worry, there’s a little convenience store right across the street you can get it from).

A compact tea and coffee station in a hotel room, featuring a black electric kettle, two black mugs, and a selection of instant coffee, tea bags, and creamer. The items are neatly arranged on a black tray, with a power outlet above.

Our room had a small balcony, just big enough for one chair on it. It looked into an internal courtyard though, so while great for some outside air, there wasn’t a view.

It was helpful when I washed some clothes in the sink – I could hang them out on the balcony to get them dry.

The bathroom was similar to the room – modern, clean and with everything a guest needs.

A modern hotel bathroom with a large glass-enclosed shower featuring marble-patterned tiles, a rectangular sink on a sleek vanity, and a wall-mounted hairdryer. The bathroom is illuminated by soft LED lighting.

The Alavits Hotel by ST Hotels has a fabulous rooftop pool and spa. Sadly it was too cold for us to use it (we weren’t in Malta at the best time), but it looked like a great place to cool off after a long day of sightseeing in summer.

A small rooftop infinity pool with crystal clear water, surrounded by sun loungers. The pool area offers a panoramic view of the nearby cityscape and bay under a bright blue sky.

Rows of sun loungers neatly arranged on a rooftop terrace with a view overlooking the city and bay. The sky is clear and blue, with distant modern buildings and the sea visible in the background.

We visited the rooftop a couple of times, particularly to see the pretty sunset colours over the harbour.

There is also a small bar up here on the rooftop, which also looks to only be open in the busier months.

Breakfast was buffet style with a great range of options available, from hot items like bacon and eggs to cold cuts and cheese, cereals, yoghurt, pastries, fruit and a range of hot and cold drinks.

A hotel breakfast buffet featuring a variety of food options, including yogurt cups, fruit salad, bacon, sausages, and scrambled eggs. Warm dishes are kept in stainless steel trays under a glass cover, and guests are serving themselves from the spread.

A spacious hotel dining area with modern decor, featuring blue upholstered chairs and black tables arranged in rows. The room has a minimalist design with soft lighting, creating a comfortable ambiance for guests.

Talking about food – do you love to try local cuisine when travelling? Take a look at these foods you should try while you are in Malta.

The reception area has some seating available when waiting for tour guides or just passing some time. I had a late Zoom call and was able to do it down here without and problems.

The reception is staffed 24/7, and they can arrange tours or airport transfers for you if you wish.

The hotel's modern reception area featuring marble accent walls and comfortable lounge seating in vibrant orange and blue tones. Guests can relax in the seating area, while the reception desk is located at the back of the room.

As you walk around the Il-Gżira area you will notice a plethora of properties owned by ST Hotels. This means that facilities are often shared between them.

We had access to an inside pool, wellness centre and gym at the Bayview Hotel by ST Hotels (You can see it in the photo taken from the rooftop of the Alavits)

They also have several restaurants at the Bayview available to guests, but with so many other options along the street, we didn’t try them out.

What I Thought

You’ve probably already gathered that I am likely to give The Alavits Hotel by ST Hotels a glowing review. I do think it is fantastic value for money in a great location.

As always though, nothing is perfect, and there were a few minor glitches.

Breakfast, for example, was crazy busy every morning. I don’t know if we timed it poorly, it’s always like this, or if it was just due to the large group of teenagers (a school or sporting group) staying at the hotel that all ate at once.

But even if it was busy, we always managed to get a seat and the food was replenished quickly so it wasn’t really an issue, even if it was a little loud.

The food though was plentiful and delicious. We ate more than enough each morning to keep us going with a light lunch for the rest of the day.

There were also issues one day with the power going out.

We probably wouldn’t have noticed, but that just happened to be when were sitting in the foyer waiting for our load of washing to finish at the laundry across the street.

The power going out is not something the hotel could control – apparently, it’s common in Malta – but what was in their control was the backup generator, which wasn’t working properly and caused all sorts of staff to be running around looking for a solution.

Thankfully our washing soon finished, we put it in our room and went out for the rest of the day. When we returned all was back to normal.

The staff were all cheerful and helpful whenever we had a question. While we were waiting, we saw them calmly deal with some customers who were being completely unreasonable.

We were able to check in a little before the check-in time and they stored our bags after checkout until the time we needed to go to the airport.

So overall, it was a good stay and I would happily recommend it to anyone looking for the same characteristics in their accommodation that we were.

Don’t just take my word for it, click through and read all the reviews on Booking.com below

Booking.com

Ready to book your accommodation in Malta?
Take a look at the prices and availability of The Alavits Hotel by ST Hotels here.

Booking soon? Use the information below to get started

TRAVEL PLANNING ESSENTIALS

Find flights – I always use Skyscanner as my starting point when searching for flights. One search will give many options including airlines I may not have thought of. This means I can find the best possible flights to suit my needs

Book accommodation – my go to is always Booking.com for the best places to stay. It’s not just hotels anymore, but hostels, apartments, B&Bs and more. I love that the bookings are usually cancellable, and that I can book now and pay later.

Hire a rental car – RentalCars.com is my go to here. It allows me to do just one search and it finds cars from many of the different supplies, so no checking multiple websites to compare.

Get travel insurance – you would have heard by now that saying “if you can’t afford travel insurance, you can’t afford to travel”. If we’ve learnt anything from the last couple of years it should be how essential travel insurance is. I use CoverMore for my insurance.

Pick up an eSIM – I tried an eSIM on my last trip and it was fantastic. I set it up before I went so it was ready as soon as I landed, and I still had access to my home number for emergencies. Get your own eSIM at Airalo.

Book activities, tours & attractions – I use a few different websites for this. Viator and Get Your Guide tend to be the first places I look. In Asia, Klook often has more options, and in Australia it’s Experience Oz.

Manage your money – the best way to manage your different currencies is with an account from Wise. You can hold money in many different currencies, and use them with the ATM card or from your phone.