Sliema Marina Hotel, a balcony on Valletta without five-star prices

Sliema has dozens of hotels with the sea in their name and far fewer that genuinely put Valletta in front of your bed. The Sliema Marina Hotel is one of the few, as long as you book the right room. It’s at 163 Tigné Seafront, the stretch of promenade looking across Marsamxett Harbour, and it’s an unpretentious three-star whose selling point is the window.

A 78-room three-star on Tigné Seafront

The Malta Tourism Authority register lists it as three-star, with 78 rooms and 149 beds, and it’s run by ES Hotels, which has several properties on the Sliema and St Julian’s seafront. The hotel describes all its rooms as refurbished; they measure 20 to 25 m² and every one has a shower or bath, Wi-Fi and air conditioning. The building has a rooftop hot tub, two lifts and a 24-hour reception.

What it doesn’t have matters too. There’s no car park, no pets and no wheelchair access. For a couple arriving from the airport by taxi or bus, none of that counts. For a family with a hire car, it’s a reason to look elsewhere among Sliema’s hotels.

Which room is worth paying for?

This is the crux. The hotel has seven room types and almost all the difference between them is the window. The Economy single and double have no outside view and face an inner shaft. The Standard looks inwards or onto the street. The Superior adds space, with a seating area, a sofa and coffee facilities. The Sea View and Superior Sea View are the ones over the water and the harbour, with a big balcony, a south-facing aspect and light all day.

I wouldn’t stay here in an Economy room. At that price there are other options nearby that don’t promise the sea. But a Sea View with Valletta opposite is exactly what people picture when they search for a hotel in Sliema, and the hotel admits there aren’t many, so book early.

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Breakfast, times and the practical side

Check-in is at 3pm and check-out at 11am, and late arrival is fine if you warn them, because reception never closes. Rooms are prepaid and extras can be paid by cash or card. Breakfast runs from 7.30 to 10am and, if your rate doesn’t include it, costs €12 per adult and €6 per child. Reception will hold your bags on departure day, which I appreciate when the flight home is in the evening.

On distances, the hotel says the airport and Valletta are both about 15 minutes by car. Valletta by road I can believe. The airport, with Sliema’s traffic, I’d allow more time for, and I set out the transfer options on Malta airport transfers.

Getting around from Tigné without a car

The location is the strong argument. Within five minutes you have bus stops, the sightseeing buses and the Sliema ferry, which crosses to Valletta non-stop and is the most comfortable way into the centre and back. I list the fares and sailings on the Valletta ferries. The Point shopping centre at Tigné Point is a short stroll away, and the promenade runs from the door towards St Julian’s.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Sliema Marina Hotel, Sliema for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.

Is this hotel right for you?

I can see it working well for a couple or a solo traveller spending the days in Valletta, the Three Cities and Mdina, who wants to come back in the evening to a balcony with a view without paying five-star prices. It also suits anyone arriving without a car, because everything they need is a five-minute walk away. For a family with a pushchair or anyone with limited mobility, it doesn’t. The hotel isn’t wheelchair accessible, and that rules it out however good the view. Nor is it for those who want a pool, since the only water on offer is the rooftop hot tub and the sea off the promenade.

If this hotel suits you, my advice is simple. Pay for the sea view or don’t book it, because without a balcony on the harbour it’s just another three-star among the many in Sliema.

So you do not lose the morning at the ticket office, browse tickets and tours in Sliema on GetYourGuide.

If you would rather go at your own pace, see the car hire deals in Sliema: the earlier you book, the more cars are left to choose from.

Before you fix your dates, compare tickets to Malta: the same journey can cost very different amounts from one day to the next.