On a narrow street in the Maltese capital of Valletta, a few steps from the Grade I listed grandeur of The Manoel, Europe’s third oldest working theatre, is a stately neo-classical building, once the family home of the island’s esteemed Ellul Wines and Spirits family. Now Matthew and Andrew - the great-grandsons of the founder - who still run the business, have converted the house into an eight suite hotel.
Originally part of a group of buildings, architect Chris Briffa has smartly stitched them together to form one seamless façade, creating one singular palazzo, with three tiers of regimented balconies and Maltese galleriji that overlie the street-level shops and doorways. Inside, timber-beam ceilings, colonnaded fireplaces and traditional patterned tiles are tempered with sleek, modern furnishings.
Suite eight has a jazzed-up galleriji with a wood-panelled Jacuzzi affording sensational views over the architectural arabesques of Valetta's heritage-heaped skyline, but we suggest plumping for number five, in which the brothers’ grandmother’s piano nobly presides next to the freestanding bath.
ADDRESS
81 Old Theatre Street
-
China’s Alila Shanghai hotel is a stylish hub of idle tranquillityAlila Shanghai, the brand's first urban resort in Greater China, is a serene bolthole amidst the pulse of the Jing'an district
-
Pharrell Williams’ latest Louis Vuitton show celebrates a ‘friendship for life’ with streetwear legend NigoLouis Vuitton men’s creative director Pharrell Williams looked towards his long friendship with BAPE founder Nigo to create a collaborative A/W 2025 menswear collection shown in Paris this evening (21 January 2025)
-
Think small, think electric, as Hyundai attempts to revolutionise the classic Indian three-wheelerHyundai’s Micro Mobility strategy, in collaboration with Indian manufacturer TVS, has revealed two conceptual takes on small electric urban transport in a bid to cut the country’s crushing pollution issue
-
The world’s most enticing new hotel openingsExplore the best new hotels in the world, from luxe new suites at Badrutt’s Palace to the long-awaited Zaha Hadid-designed Romeo Roma
-
Villa One at the One & Only Palmilla — Los Cabos, Mexico -
Martim — Wroclaw, Poland -
Tattersalls Hotel — Armidale, Australia -
KLoé Hotel — Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia -
Casa Hoyos — San Miguel de Allende, Mexico -
Littlenap — Hangzhou, China -
Casa Santa Teresa — Corsica, France
