Qawra Palace Resort & Spa, northern Malta's big all-inclusive

You go to Qawra Palace for the board basis, not the location. It’s a huge four-star in Qawra, with 561 rooms, sold all-inclusive, and that puts it in a very particular category. For a week by the pool with children and no wallet out, it’s a clear option. For getting to know Malta properly, I’d think twice.

A big four-star in Qawra

According to the Malta Tourism Authority it has four stars, 561 rooms and 1,124 beds, which puts it among the island’s large hotels. It’s on Triq il-Qawra in Qawra, at the end of the St Paul’s Bay peninsula, the northern resort area that shares its seafront with Buġibba.

Its rooms include Superiors with a sea view on high floors with a balcony. In a hotel this size, the gap between an inside room on a low floor and a high one facing the sea is enormous, and that’s the extra I’d pay before any other.

What does all-inclusive cover?

The hotel frames it as food, drink, recreation and entertainment with nothing extra to pay. The most developed part is the restaurants, four themed ones with very different menus. Da Vella does Mediterranean fusion, Lume serves Caribbean food with cocktails, Tsubu covers Asia, from sushi to curries and wok dishes, and El Vagabundo is South American, with grilled meats and ceviche. On top of that there’s a rooftop pool bar with panoramic views and the Caffè Royale in the lobby, with big windows onto the sea.

What the website doesn’t spell out is which restaurants each rate includes and on what terms, so ask before you pay. I explain how all-inclusive works on the island, and when it pays off, in all-inclusive in Malta.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Qawra Palace Resort & Spa before prices climb.

Spa, squash and mini golf

The facilities are designed so you don’t have to leave. There’s a spa and gym, an interactive squash court, a mini golf course in a courtyard full of greenery and water features, and a games room with pool, table tennis and board games. The Astrales Grand Hall hosts weddings, conferences and shows. Qawra also offers every kind of water sport, from paddleboarding to jet skis and diving.

For children, the mini golf and games room help a lot on hot days, and Malta’s National Aquarium is in Qawra too.

What I’d bear in mind

My doubt about this hotel is the same as with any big all-inclusive. If you’ll spend your days touring Valletta, Mdina or Gozo, you’ll be paying for meals you won’t eat. If you’ll live by the pool with the kids, it’s easy and predictable. To compare it with the other beds in the area, see my hotels in Buġibba and Qawra. If you’d rather pick the area before the hotel, the seafront at Buġibba and St Paul’s Bay has far more of a promenade feel, and that’s useful to bear in mind when booking. For a quiet, independent stay, I’d look elsewhere.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Qawra Palace Resort & Spa before prices climb.

If you would rather have a local show you round, book a guided tour in Bugibba and choose by the reviews.

A car frees you from timetables: search car hire in Buġibba on DiscoverCars and compare companies.

So you do not pay over the odds, look at trains, coaches and flights to Malta on Omio and pick the one that suits you.