Osborne Hotel, Valletta

The Osborne Hotel is a 3-star hotel with 63 rooms. It occupies a former palace built by the Knights of the Order of St John. It stands at 50 South Street, within the walls of Valletta. Republic Street, the main thoroughfare, is 200 metres away. Yet the street stays quiet, away from the crowds.

The rooms come in four categories. Standard rooms sleep up to three adults. Superior sea-view rooms look out over the city and Marsamxett Harbour. Deluxe rooms, sea-facing or street-facing, have been redecorated. They add a coffee machine, bathrobes and a stocked minibar. All have air conditioning, a safe and tea and coffee facilities.

The ground-floor restaurant serves the breakfast buffet from 7 am to 10.30 am. It offers an English and a continental option. Gluten-free choices are available on request. The hotel does not serve dinner. In the evening, the Blue Lounge bar welcomes guests until 11 pm.

For relaxation, the roof terrace has a small pool and sunbeds overlooking the city’s rooftops. The pool is mainly for cooling off. A vaulted gym completes the facilities. Families are welcome, with a free cot on request. However, the hotel has neither a kids’ club nor a children’s pool.

Recent reviews praise the location above all. Valletta’s main sights are a few minutes’ walk away. The street is quiet, and guests sleep well despite being so close to the centre. The staff are the other strong point. The reception desk, open day and night, is happy to share sightseeing tips. The housekeeping and breakfast teams also receive plenty of praise. The cleanliness of the rooms and public areas is very often highlighted.

The breakfast buffet is seen as generous and varied, with hot and cold dishes. A few guests find it repetitive over a long stay. The rooms are often described as spacious, clean and elegant. Those on the upper floors enjoy fine views over the city or the sea. The beds divide opinion: many find them comfortable, others think the mattresses too firm. The Blue Lounge bar is popular for a quiet drink in the evening.

Criticism focuses mainly on the rooftop pool. It is very small, with few sunbeds and little shade. Several bathrooms are cramped, and some have a high bathtub. The air conditioning is the most frequently mentioned flaw. Depending on the room, it is noisy, weak or hard to adjust. A few rooms are also small or dark, with a tiny window. In others, the glass bathroom door lets light through at night.

The Osborne Hotel is best suited to couples and solo travellers exploring Valletta on foot. It offers a good level of comfort for a 3-star hotel, with attentive service. It is best to ask for a room on an upper floor, with a view. Those looking for a proper pool or dinner on site should look elsewhere.

The Osborne Hotel stands at 50 South Street, in Valletta’s historic centre. Republic Street is 200 metres away. St John’s Co-Cathedral and the Grandmaster’s Palace are less than 10 minutes’ walk away. Our guide to the places to visit in Valletta will help you plan your days. The bus terminus is about 7 minutes’ walk away, and the ferry to Sliema 5 minutes. The bus network then serves the whole island. The international airport is 8 km away, around 20 minutes by car.

Good to know: the hotel has no car park. A free public car park is 150 metres away, but it is often full during the day. A paid multi-storey car park is 750 metres away, outside the city walls.