Why e book?
Here’s a primary for the tiny Mediterranean island. Malta’s resorts have ramped up their culinary credentials of late (see Simon Rogan’s restaurant at ION Harbour House) however this newcomer has a really interesting wellness slant. Set away from the crowds within the quiet city of Rabat, Verdala makes a relaxed base from which to see the sights of Valletta and Mdina, then return for a swim within the infinity pool – and as many or as few remedies as you may have time and inclination for. Malta’s 300 days or so of sunshine (even winter will be T-shirt climate) make this a year-round vacation spot lodge.
Set the scene
Swim as much as the sting of the infinity pool right here and also you get Renaissance views that Caravaggio would have recognised. Across the valley from the lodge is a patchwork of fields of their spring greens – earlier than the panorama turns into burnished with the ochres of the Maltese summer season – and a small copse partly camouflaging the dome of a church and the turrets of a citadel tower. Steps lead all the way down to a backyard terrace and sunloungers behind lengthy grass and craggy boulders. Set on a ridge on the fringe of the traditional city of Rabat, Verdala strikes a clean-cut modernist pose, with tiered balconies rippling down outdoors, and a dramatic, triple-height atrium forming the primary bubble of the lodge, an enormous olive tree rising within the center and gauze curtains cascading down the lofty glass wall. Guests, some in towelling robes, drift out onto the terrace to sprawl on sofas; others will be seen within the plunge pool, set beneath a sweeping arch lower into the stone. All is quiet, save the sound of birdsong and the rustle of the lengthy grass.
The backstory
Grand Hotel Verdala was fairly the scene-setter when it opened within the early Nineteen Seventies, a landmark for the island’s vacationer growth. Designed by modernist architect Mario Loreti – the hand behind the Nineteen Thirties Art Deco traces of Rome’s Hotel Mediterraneo – and with furnishings by Gio Ponti, the Grand Hotel’s white concrete tiers lower a placing silhouette on the hillside. Islanders flocked to its weekend nightclub, Lee Marvin and Roger Moore stayed whereas filming Shout on the Devil in 1976, and the Adolf Stahuber Band from Munich performed oompah-pah throughout Oktoberfest – the lodge even performed an element in Zimbabwe’s independence, internet hosting negotiations between politicians of the African nation and the UK and USA. But historical past marched on and it closed in 1997, steadily falling into damage till the location was purchased by the Maltese-based AX Group, which already had a clutch of boutique resorts beneath its wing, together with The Victoria in Sliema and the Rosselli in Valletta. Promising to not flip it right into a golf lodge, it demolished the unique Verdala to make approach for its smaller, adults-only successor, which additionally sports activities modernist tiers, stacked up above the pool and gardens. It’s not fairly the design icon its predecessor was (there’s one thing slightly “Death Star brutalist” concerning the facade and the atrium walkways) however the views outward are impeccable.
The rooms
What would you like from a wellness lodge room – nerve-jangling maximalism or a stripped-back design with soothing earthy colors? The Verdala favours the latter throughout its 46 rooms and suites, with a palette of browns, lotions and taupes given some curiosity with textured plaster, mushroomy ceramic pendants and ornamental wall hangings. There’s loads of filtered water to glug, which will get topped up repeatedly, and the mini-bar has power snacks if wanted. My junior suite got here with a lounge space with couch and angular chairs, a round stone tub within the lavatory and an costly terrace overlooking the Rabat Valley to the glitter of the ocean and the white-walled cities of Sliema and St Julian’s – with the selection of angling sunloungers in direction of the view, or taking it in from the hammock or scorching tub. Sounds drift throughout the island, from the cry of peacocks within the morning to the distant crackle of the occasional firework at evening – mendacity right here on a transparent evening you may see epic starscapes above. The solely quibble was the terrace is kind of a stark area and extra planting would simply soften its edges.
Wellness
Thankfully, this isn’t a spartan medi-spa the place that you must chew your meals 20 instances each mouthful or starve your self. But then neither is it a purely floaty area with only a handful of pampering remedies on supply. Set throughout the entire of the lodge’s lower-ground ground, it’s centred round a hammam-like leisure area with a vaulted adobe ceilings and a flickering chiminea set on a rock-hewn plinth; by way of floor-to-ceiling home windows is the spa pool, naturally lit by a semi-circular window out onto the gardens – the reflection makes a lovely full circle on the water. The pool results in the precise hammam, Finnish sauna and salt cave, with hot-and-cold plunge swimming pools for various dips, submerging your self all the way down to neck degree for just a few seconds (chilly) or minutes (scorching).
Ahead of my keep, I had a video session with spa director Kelly, mapping out areas of concern and preferences; on arrival I used to be handled to a health evaluation utilizing Technogym to check my mobility, stability, power and different standards (the Wifi was slightly glitchy, so this took a while; hopefully that’s been ironed out now). Over my three days at Verdala, I had day by day one-on-one health courses with the personable Claudia – “You will hear my voice in your head when you practise these at home!”. She’s an enormous believer in specializing in purposeful health and mobility (“those are the most important things as you get older”) and set me to job, wobbling on stability domes to enhance my stability (a difficulty), and on a succession of gymnasium machines. There are twice-daily drop-in courses for yoga and meditation, which happen in a round room fragranced by scented candles and are led by Maria, an interesting presence who additionally leads silent walks of Mdina.
As for remedies, there’s an impressively lengthy listing to select from, a few of which could have you reaching for the wellness glossary, overlaying all the pieces from life teaching and postural evaluation to PEMF remedy (which makes use of electromagnetic pulses to hurry up therapeutic) and EFT tapping (which makes use of acupoints to alleviate stress and unfavorable feelings), with a complete vary of facials – throughout my hydrating one (it turned out my pores and skin was as dry because the Maltese hinterland), we mentioned the significance of pores and skin microbiome as my face grew to become a canvas for a shelf-full of lotions and serums. Several rituals mix components of breathwork, therapeutic massage and aromatherapy – and a flourish of theatre. My 90-minute Body Sculpture therapeutic massage, which goals to cut back fats slightly and tighten the physique, was a flurry of speedy strain strokes to assist lymphatic drainage, adopted by a bamboo therapeutic massage and a heated mud wrap. A foot ritual – cleaning, exfoliating and moisturising – offered a soothing wake-up for my drained legs, whereas a 20-minute sofa journey on one of many spa’s two power loungers used near-infrared mild to hopefully deliver some psychological readability again. But the spotlight was the immersive sleep remedy, a slow-burn session involving meditative breathwork, the chimes of a ringing bowl, my toes being evenly caressed in water, and a lie-down scalp and physique therapeutic massage – it will have been all too straightforward to go to sleep at 7pm had I not had dinner booked.
Food and drink
Executive chef Victor Borg – a well-recognized face right here due to latest appearances as a choose on MasterChef Malta – has been championing his island’s flavours for years and brings so much to the desk from his time at eating places reminiscent of Gordon Ramsay’s Aubergine and his personal one-starred Under Grain in Valletta. So whereas the menu on the centrepiece Griffin Brasserie is Mediterranean, it side-steps the clichés by bringing an ingenious, curious angle to substances – memorable dishes included the stuffed courgette flowers 3 ways and a very good lasagne produced from octopus bolognese with a bechamel foam. The crisp-skinned gilthead bream (a stunning fish and a pleasant various to sea bass) got here with nuggets of smoked eel and a porridge scented with preserved lemon; elsewhere chef Brady Dilli has enjoyable with fermenting chilli for a cured oyster starter, serving gherkin ketchup with the fries, and including fascinating veggie choices within the form of a celeriac and mushroom pithivier, and a blush-red salad of beetroot variations. It’s the type of menu that makes you need to eat on the restaurant greater than as soon as. Desserts are rather less formidable, with tiramisu and sorbets on the menu.
The bar workforce have been having enjoyable experimenting with native spirits reminiscent of prickly pear liqueur (ask to attempt the bitter) however can whip up the classics, or level you in direction of a favorite Maltese white or crimson wine. And breakfast options the same old suspects, finest taken out on the terrace (a favorite was the truffle scrambled eggs with kale on a muffin, which felt wholesome), together with specialities reminiscent of tofu balbujata, a variation on Maltese scrambled eggs, and wellness fixes reminiscent of adaptogenic mushroom espresso and ginger photographs. There could possibly be slightly extra joined-up pondering between spa programmes and restaurant menus, however I’m advised a nutritionist will likely be becoming a member of the workforce quickly – and the menu on the Living Room café, which will be taken by the pool, has loads of lighter choices reminiscent of tomato and burratina or kale and pear salad, flatbreads with hummus and aubergine focaccia.
The service
Effusive and enthusiastic; lots of the workers have expertise within the Middle East, which exhibits within the constructive, can-do angle. The majority are newcomers to the island, although, so if you need the within monitor finest ask Maltese-born lodge supervisor Camille Brincat.
The neighbourhood
Malta’s honey-stoned capital, Valletta (voted finest metropolis on this planet in our 2025 Readers’ Choice Awards), tends to get a lot of the consideration, however Rabat, simply over eight miles away, is an intriguing snapshot of Maltese historical past and day-to-day life. It dates again to pre-Roman instances, although grew in stature through the island’s Arabic interval from the ninth century, when it shaped the suburbs of the adjoining city of Mdina. The sense of historical past is tangible, from Domus Romana, the 1st-century BC Roman villa on the outskirts – with its shiny ground mosaic of two birds atop a fountain – to St Agatha’s Museum and its a higgledy-piggledy assortment of vases, cash, statues and Seventeenth-century alabaster statue of the saint. Like a lot of Malta it is a city of saints, with one other well-known determine celebrated on the St John’s Catacombs, burrowed into the rock beneath, and St John’s Grotto, the place Jesus’s right-hand man is alleged to have preached. Game of Thrones set-jetters may want to cross by the cloisters of St Dominic’s Convent, the place Ned Stark met Cersei Lannister. If that’s not sufficient Catholic symbolism for you, finish the afternoon at The Confession, a cocktail bar that’s additionally a considerably kitsch showcase for church statues gathered by the proprietor, together with Roman stones seen by way of a glass panel by the counter.
On the city sq., queues type for almond nougat and pastries for each event on the vintage-fronted Publius Parruccan and at Serkin Crystal Palace, the place the tea is made with Carnation milk; the close by Falzon Bakery is favored for its pistachio croissants and anchovy-briny sfinegs. Another couple of finds on my most up-to-date journey have been the Chalk café, squeezed right into a slim townhouse on Republic Street and Roman’s Den, a time-capsule bar from the Nineteen Seventies proper all the way down to the Godfather cocktails and Julio Iglesias on the speaker. For eating places, the atmospheric Grotto Tavern and 103 Townhouse are nicely regarded.
The centre of Rabat is only a 15-minute stroll from the Verdala, and the walled metropolis of Mdina is just a bit additional – over a stone bridge and beneath the gaze of two stone lions (Game of Thrones followers will recognise it as the doorway to King’s Landing). Once Malta’s capital, it grew to become generally known as the Silent City after most of its inhabitants moved to Valletta within the sixteenth century, abandoning baroque palaces reminiscent of Palazzo Falson (now a museum) and Palazzo de Piro (now a bar-restaurant with tables on the traditional metropolis wall).
Eco effort
Single-use plastics have been eradicated wherever potential, and water recycling methods are used for irrigation, with ceiling followers in bedrooms to minimise air con. Organic and responsibly sourced merchandise are used within the spa, and domestically sourced seasonal produce is prioritised within the eating places.
Accessibility
The Verdala has two accessible rooms with tailored loos – and all flooring of the resorts will be accessed by lifts, whereas all public areas will be accessed by wheelchairs. Guests with restricted mobility can entry a lot of the spa services.
Anything left to say?
There are bikes to rent for exploring the island and close by Rabat and Mdina, whereas a silent strolling tour of the latter gives you a extra aware perspective. For a capsule expertise of Maltese meals, in the meantime, e book the afternoon tea – it’s obtainable in a standard English possibility however the native variation is extra enjoyable, with cheese and pea-filled qassatat pies, mqaret (that’s date parcels with marmalade) and cheese cannolo.