Verdala Wellness Hotel - AX Privilege, Rabat

The Verdala Wellness Hotel AX Privilege is a 5-star hotel run by the Maltese group AX Hotels. It opened in August 2025 on the site of the former Grand Hotel Verdala, famous in the 1970s. It overlooks the Rabat valley, in the centre of the island, close to Mdina. The group presents it as Malta’s first hotel entirely devoted to wellness. It is for adults only.

The hotel has 46 rooms and suites, all very spacious. Comfort rooms measure 43 m² and have a balcony. Deluxe rooms measure 51 m² and open onto a large terrace facing the valley. The 22 junior suites add a 75 m² terrace with a hot tub and hammock. Two penthouse suites and a signature suite, The Observatory, occupy the top floor.

As for dining, everything happens at The Griffin Brasserie. This Mediterranean restaurant, led by chef Victor Borg, serves breakfast and dinner. It also opens for lunch at weekends. The Living Room serves cocktails and afternoon tea. In summer, The Ridge Pool Bar offers light dishes by the pool. Residents also have a private lounge, The Nook.

The heart of the hotel is the V SPA, a 1,500 m² space. It brings together a heated indoor pool beneath vaults, a hammam, saunas and a salt cave. There are also hot and cold baths, seven treatment rooms and a gym. Yoga, Pilates and meditation classes are on offer. Outside, a heated infinity pool faces the countryside.

Recent reviews praise the team above all. The staff are mentioned in three out of four detailed reviews, from reception to the spa. Guests appreciate the warm service and frequent thoughtful touches. A birthday cake or an upgrade to a suite come up often. The spa comes a close second. The hammam, salt cave and sensory showers are considered outstanding. The very well-equipped gym and the included yoga classes round things off. The space is rarely crowded on weekdays.

The peace and quiet and the view over the valley come up again and again. The rooms are felt to be huge, and the suite terraces with hot tubs win unanimous praise. The restaurant scores very well for its seasonal cuisine. Rabat and Mdina are a quarter of an hour’s walk away, with plenty of restaurants. Breakfast is more divisive. The fresh produce is liked, but the buffet seems too conventional for a wellness hotel.

The hotel is still finding its feet. Several guests mention slow service at the bar or at lunch, wrong orders and billing errors. Minor faults also come up: air conditioning, coffee machines or hot tubs slow to heat. There is only one restaurant, and its menu feels short over a long stay. At weekends, the fairly small outdoor pool runs short of sunbeds with the influx of day visitors. Finally, the spa treatments are considered quite expensive.

The Verdala is best suited to couples and solo travellers looking for rest and pampering. It lends itself well to a short wellness break. It is also a quiet base for exploring the centre of the island. Beach lovers and night owls will be better off elsewhere. To make the most of the place, it is worth going for a junior suite and its private terrace.

The Verdala Wellness Hotel AX Privilege lies on the edge of Rabat, in the centre of Malta. It overlooks a valley of terraced fields. The heart of Rabat is 1 km away and the old city of Mdina 1.3 km. Allow 10 to 20 minutes on foot. The nearest beach, Golden Bay, is about ten kilometres away. Valletta is 12 km away, around 25 minutes by car. Buses leave from the centre of Rabat, and taxis are easy to book. The international airport is about 12 km away, 20 to 30 minutes by car.

Good to know: the hotel has a 20-space paid garage. A few guests also report building works around the hotel.