Within the ancient walled city of Mdina — Malta's silent, car-free medieval capital perched on a hilltop at the island's centre — a seventeenth-century palazzo that once served as the residence of the Moscati Parisio noble family was converted into the Xara Palace Relais & Châteaux, one of only a handful of hotels in the world where every room sits inside a fortified medieval city. The building's globigerina limestone facades, honey-coloured and worn to a fine grain by centuries of Maltese sun, give directly onto the Cathedral Square, where the exterior terrace visible in the images — shaded by cream canvas umbrellas, bordered by terracotta pots of geraniums — functions less as hotel amenity than as an extension of the piazza itself. Inside, the seventeen rooms navigate between two registers: some lean into a composed, almost Scandinavian restraint, with linen-upholstered headboards framed in raw oak, Persian kilims layered over wide-plank floors, and bottle-green accent walls, while others lean further into the palazzo's Baroque inheritance, dressing carved gilt headboards in natural fabric and grounding them with travertine floors and freestanding baths glimpsed through open archways. The rooftop terrace, framed by the carved stone domes and finials of adjacent baroque churches, and the covered dining terrace — its timber-beamed ceiling hung with cascading red petunias, its iron balustrade opening onto a panorama of the Maltese interior plain — anchor the property to its remarkable setting.

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The Xara Palace Hotel is a unique 17th-century palace hidden away in the medieval fortified city of Mdina, the old capital of Malta. Perched on centuries-old bastions, surrounded by stunning baroque architecture, The Xara Palace Relais & Châteaux, with its luxurious accommodation and award-winning haute cuisine, is truly a haven in which to pause and be pampered. Meticulously and sensitively restored to reflect its former noble standing, the exclusive 5-Star boutique hotel boasts seventeen luxury rooms and suites enjoying stunning views, all individually and tastefully designed with antique furniture and paintings, luxurious Parisian fabrics and king size beds. Our promise to our guests centres on an impeccable attention to detail - from the décor to the serene, unhurried pace of life at The Xara Palace Hotel, through every facet of our service - all setting the scene for nothing less than an exquisitely unforgettable holiday in Malta.