Attard, Malta

Casa Bonavita

Price per night from$630.87

Price information

If you haven’t entered any dates, the rate shown is provided directly by the hotel and represents the cheapest double room (inclusive of taxes and fees) available in the next 60 days.

Prices have been converted from the hotel’s local currency (EUR553.00), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.

Casa Bonavita Photos

Style

Frescoed fantasia

Setting

Inland idyll

Explore

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Translating to 'good life', there's no doubt that Casa Bonavita lives up to its name. After spending several centuries as home for generations of families, its latest owners decided its beauty was best shared and set about restoring a collection of artful rooms to spotlight original features and island-spun ceramics. In the ethereal gardens, timeworn sculptures and fountains weave between parasols, pools and a soothing spa. And a provenance-proud restaurant shows this moniker is no idle boast.

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Facilities

Photos Casa Bonavita facilities

Need to know

Rooms

17, including four suites.

Check–Out

3pm, and check-in is at 11am. Both are flexible, on request and subject to availability.

More details

Rates include an à la carte, Mediterranean-style breakfast.

Also

The hotel is generally easy to navigate, with level access throughout and one ground-floor Standard room that’s been adapted with widened doorframes, ramped entrances and an accessible bathroom. However, the swimming pools and spa may challenge wheelchair-users.

At the hotel

Beach nearby; boutique; gardens with citrus trees, date palms, stone paths, fountains and an outdoor games area; charged laundry service, and free WiFi throughout. In rooms: TV, radio, air-conditioning, minibar, coffee machine, free bottled water, bathrobes, slippers and Ortigia bath products.

Our favourite rooms

Each has its own distinct style: some with marbled wallpapers and traditional Maltese balconies, others with garden views and animal-shaped pottery crafted by Suzanne and Christopher’s daughter. Seven rooms sit in the Main House, but if you’re after extra seclusion, we'd suggest a Suite in the Dower House — or, even better still, the standalone Folly Suite, restored from an abandoned 19th-century build and now touting its own pool and palm-fringed gardens.

Poolside

There are two outdoor swimming pools: one shaded by palms and butter-yellow parasols in the Main House’s garden, and a second by the Dower House. Neither are heated, so summer swims are more appealing, though the braver of souls are welcome to plunge year-round.

Spa

Wine-red Moroccan tiles create a cocooning ambience at Casa Bonavita Spa, where a duo of treatment rooms host healing facials, scrubs and massages. The top-rate sauna allows temperatures to be tailored to your preferences, and you’ll also find a cold plunge and relaxation room.

Packing tips

Eagle eyes for spotting all of Casa Bonavita’s intricate details — and if you’re heading into Valletta, a pair of shoes sturdy enough to mount its steep cobbled streets.

Also

There’s a small gym for fitness fiends, with a treadmill, stationary bike, weights, exercise balls and floor space for stretching.

Pet‐friendly

Only certified service animals are allowed at this otherwise dog-free retreat. See more pet-friendly hotels in Attard.

Children

Over-12s are welcome, though this retreat is best suited to adults. Under-16s must be accompanied at the pool, and extra beds can be added to Suites and the Folly Suite for an additional charge.

Sustainability efforts

Casa Bonavita’s owners built on its 18th-century bones, repurposing original wood and stone to strengthen the structure and decorating its interiors with handmade crafts from local artisans, including ceramics from their daughter’s neighbouring studio. Single-use plastic is kept to a minimum where possible; energy efficient lighting systems have been installed; the building’s design minimises the need for air-conditioning, and all produce is sourced from sustainable, Maltese suppliers.

Food and Drink

Photos Casa Bonavita food and drink

Top Table

Under the frescoed arches in the restaurant, or between orange trees and date palms in the courtyard.

Dress Code

Allow the artwork to take centre stage with earthy, neutral hues.

Hotel restaurant

An ornate, hand-painted fresco, grand arches and a tree-shaded courtyard set the hotel restaurant’s illustrious tone. And it’s one well maintained by head chef Dex Osman (of River Café acclaim) across an enticing line-up of seasonal dishes, each inspired by Malta’s Mediterranean climes and flavour-packed produce. Come morning, the House Kitchen’s pastries lull you from a post-slumber state; and during the afternoon, orange tarts make for palate-pleasing post-scripts to plates of hand-rolled pasta.

Hotel bar

When it came to designing Valletta Bar, Suzanne knew she wanted to recreate the view of Malta that you get as you arrive into its harbour. She drew on her own memories, as well as Alberto Pullicino’s storied 18th-century depictions, to adorn its walls with sea-toned wallpapers and anchor its central shelf with an intricate model ship. Classic cocktails keep the island close with citrus notes from Attard’s orange groves; and during the summer, a Guido Toschi-made tent is set up for alfresco sips.

Last orders

Breakfast is 7.30am until 10.30am; lunch is noon to 3pm, and dinner is 7pm to 10pm. Valletta Bar is open from 4pm till midnight.

Room service

For an extra €20, dishes can be brought up to your room at any hour you please.

Location

Photos Casa Bonavita location
Address
Casa Bonavita
147 Triq San Anton
Attard
1285
Malta

Casa Bonavita sits in the central Maltese village of Attard, between Valletta and Mdina, and around 15 minutes from the coast.

Planes

Malta International Airport is in Luqa, around 20 minutes from Casa Bonavita by car. Private four-person transfers can be arranged on request for €50 each way.

Automobiles

The historic format of Malta’s villages (and surprisingly heavy traffic) makes driving a feat best left to locals. If you're set on bringing your wheels, you'll have to find street parking as the hotel doesn’t have its own carpark.

Other

Ferries from Sicily and Gozo dock in the Grand Harbour. If you’re coming by private yacht, there are berths at Portomaso or Msida marinas.

Worth getting out of bed for

Casa Bonavita’s slap-bang-central setting makes exploring this small island's vast beauty an easy affair. Arcadian pursuits fill spring and summer calendars, hiking coastal trails, floating in the Med or boating across it to neighbouring Gozo and Comino. Ancient Neolithic temples adorn its historic villages, if that’s what you’re into; and Malta’s capital, Valletta, is a 20-minute drive away for more landmarks to admire, including St John’s Co-Cathedral and the Grand Master’s Palace. There are also boutiques and market squares to roam. For hands-on immersion, nearby Villa Bologna Pottery (owned by Suzanne and Christopher’s daughter, Sophie) hosts two-hour sessions, where you’ll learn about (and dabble in) this centuries-old craft.

Local restaurants

Pottery isn’t all that Villa Bologna excels in — these all-stars have mastered their hand at cooking, too. Dishes are lovingly crafted by Sophie and her talented team, who use hand-picked ingredients from the adjoining gardens to elevate traditional Italian favourites. Also in Attard, Amuri is devoted to dough, stretching and firing the pillowy form into a delightful selection of pizzas. If you fancy something a little more refined than a cheesy slice, Michelin-recognised Scala in Mdina fulfils your fix with its inventive Mediterranean flavours and first-class, seasonal produce. 

Reviews

Photos Casa Bonavita reviews

Anonymous review

By Mr & Mrs Smith

Every hotel featured is visited personally by members of our team, given the Smith seal of approval, and then anonymously reviewed. As soon as our reviewers have returned from this intimate hotel in Malta and unpacked their Villa Bologna ceramics, a full account of their island break will be with you. In the meantime, to whet your wanderlust, here's a quick peek inside Casa Bonavita in Attard… 

Heritage and homeliness are expertly woven into the fabric at Casa Bonavita, so it won’t come as a surprise that its owners — Suzanne and Christopher Sharp — are also the masterminds behind interiors institution, The Rug Company. Their latest creative endeavour comes in the form of an intimate boutique hotel, set in the historic heart of Malta’s lesser-known Attard and once their beloved family home.

Over the past decade, the duo has slowly restored the Casa’s 18th-century standing — secluding swimming pools and a spa between ivy-clad statues, orange trees and date palms. They stripped back ceilings to expose ancient arches, and transformed a forgotten folly into a luxury, standalone suite. But that sense of kinship never once wavered: striking ceramics have been hand-spun by their daughter and her husband, the bar's wallpaper was inspired by Suzanne’s childhood memories of Malta, and the island’s growers provide fresh, seasonal produce for its revered restaurant.

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Price per night from $627.44