The glamorous five star Phoenicia hotel, located next to the city walls and by the entrance gate to Valletta, Malta’s capital city, is a historical building, built in 1947 as the country’s first luxury hotel. This is definitely one of the treasures of the city, having hosted celebrities and politicians through the decades and still operating to very high standards of service.
The façade of the building, a Grade II National Monument, is an impressive display of art and architecture adding to the character of the hotel. The chic entrance leads into The Palm Court Lounge, a large lobby with a piano bar at the centre, opening into a large dinning room with a beautiful terrace that overlooks 7.5 acres of gardens and the Grand Harbour of Valletta.
The hotel is ideally situated in very close proximity to the ancient city of Valletta, a UNESCO world heritage site, packed with houses, buildings and magnificent churches built of limestone. It is a rich cultural city full of interesting stories, ranging from the Knights of St John to defense against Ottoman forces, being conquered by Napoleon to welcoming British forces to kick out the looting French army.
The garden is a haven of peace with a charming corridor of trees which is a pleasure to stroll through. The gardens are also home to a variety of organic vegetables and herbs grown to be used in the hotel’s kitchen. Saul Halevi, the renowned Executive Chef of the hotel who created this smallholding looks after it to ensure guests get the best taste of the local produce.
The beautifully designed garden leads to the swimming pool and the Bastion Pool Bar and Restaurant which, as the name suggests, are next to the rampart walls of the city. It is a perfect location to relax, swim and have a light lunch served by friendly staff during hot summers.
Guests also have the choice of dining in the award-winning Phoenix Restaurant with a wide variety of Mediterranean and Maltese cuisine. Or you can try Pegasus restaurant, which offers a lovely atmosphere to enjoy traditional dishes, made from local vegetable produce and seafood.
The Phoenicia has a reputation for as the perfect place to celebrate weddings, having a choice of seven venues including the Ballroom with 284 Sq. Metres of floor area and a capacity of up to 800 people.
It is ideally located for visitors to tour all attractions in Malta and it is only a 10 minute drive from Medina, Malta’s first capital city with it’s mixture of Roman and Medieval architecture and fortification walls.
For more information on this hotel visit “www.phoeniciamalta.com”:http://www.phoeniciamalta.com/.
For more information about Malta, visit “www.visitmalta.com”:http://www.visitmalta.com.
For more images of Malta visit “www.amirinia.com/malta/”:http://www.amirinia.com/malta/.
