Does The Palace in Sliema earn the right to your weekend break plans?

We spent a weekend at The Palace to find out if this five star hotel stay earns its place at the heart of one of the weekend break frequenters.

When it comes to weekend breaks, the Maltese sure know a thing or two. Popularity of the best weekend stays usually travels by word of mouth where almost everyone is looking for the same things; a comfortable room (preferably with a view), great food (the more the merrier), great value for money and great service. We also enjoy knowing that there is a gym in the hotel, even though we never have any intention of using it.

Credits: axgroup.mt

The first thing we noticed at The Palace was the car park just underneath the hotel. No need to go on the never-ending scavenger hunt in Malta’s Sliema village for a free parking space. We walked into the rather large reception area, which was artistically designed. The reception, although well designed, felt welcoming for a casual drink or coffee with friends.

We were given two rather comfortable sized rooms; one of which had a bed big enough to fit a family of 4 comfortably. The balcony and view were pleasant. Although we had not been given gowns, bathroom slippers or coffee for the coffee machine, we were told that these can be easily requested at reception. Should that decision have been taken to reduce waste, we respect that. 

Credits: jet2holidays.com

Being in the heart of Sliema, there are plenty of restaurants in the area. However, we definitely recommend that you try the restaurants at The Palace. You cannot go wrong with a lovely lunch at Talk of the Town, which later becomes The Tabloid or our favourite choice of the stay, TemptAsian. Keep reading. We’re about to tell you the food we tried at both places!

First things first, we were hungry on arrival so we went straight to lunch. Talk of the Town (name changes to The Tabloid according to the time of day of your visit) was our choice. With indoor and outdoor seating options, we opted for an outdoor table. 

We immediately fell in love with the presentation of the food served to us. The Octopus fingers were beautifully presented and included edible flowers in its aesthetic. It was well cooked and really enjoyable to eat. Jon opted for the Lamb Koftas which although not as beautiful as the octopus dish, was very spicy, well cooked and the flavours blended well together. Afterwards we shared a Fritto Misto platter to share, which was actually the server’s personal recommendation. We loved it.

For those of you hoping to elevate your experience to the full relaxation level at The Palace, Marion Mizzi spa resides on level 4 where you can treat yourself to a massage, facial or simply a stay at the spa. If you haven’t tried the Hot Stone Massage, definitely try this one. You’d leave feeling like a completely new person!

Later on in the evening, we decided to treat ourselves to a meal at TemptAsian. TemptAsian restaurant is situated on the top floor of The Palace hotel. The indoor area is quite spacious and well designed, whereas the outside area has a beautiful pool overlooking the Sliema area. During the night we opted for Japanese Wok Fried Prawns cooked in Japanese Applesauce – which impressed us with its exotic presentation. We also enjoyed a sushi platter.

The next day we woke up and headed our ways to the Continental breakfast buffet. We tried to limit ourselves to not overeating as we had booked a typical Sunday Lunch at TemptAsian and had been looking forward to it especially after last night. TemptAsian Lunch is set at a fixed price of 39 euros per person and includes 4 courses and free-flowing cocktails. 

Starter platter has a selection of ribs, chicken, pork, prawns,fritters, seaweed, duck parcels and sauces. Honestly there was enough food for it to be a full meal all on its own. The next course was the Peking duck pancakes, which is my absolute favourite. I’m a little biased because I do really enjoy and look forward to Peking duck pancakes whenever I’m at an Asian restaurant. The duck was tender and was a great addition to the pancakes.

The final course (the main course) was a table full of different main dishes; Thai chicken with curry paste, sweet and sour pork, Indonesian beef, Egg fried rice and Chow Mein Noodles. For dessert we had mango sorbet with coconut ice-cream which was a great finish to a great meal. The overall selection was perfect, allowing us to have a great variety and generous portion of each dish. By the end of lunch we had consumed a great number of cocktails (I believe the top drinker got to 5 cocktails by the end of it) and we were quite satisfied. The best meal of the weekend.

Overall it was a very pleasant stay at The Palace. Although both five star hotels, Rosselli and The Palace both differ in character. If you’re looking for a luxurious and intimate stay, maybe to impress that special someone, we definitely recommend that you book a stay at Rosselli. Don’t forget to book a dinner at Michelin star winner, UnderGrain. Read about our experience at Rosselli and UnderGrain here. If, however, you are looking for a five star hotel with all the amenities all in one hotel; you know the restaurants, cafeteria, spa, reading room, and the whole she-bang, you’re probably wiser looking at The Palace.