the delightful food at this 5-star hotel here<\/strong><\/a>. Suffice it to say \u2013 the choice of food is wide, the quality is unbeatable and the quantity is striking.<\/p>\nThe Phoenicia Hotel towers over the old town of Valetta. It\u2019s imposing, confident and solid. It was commissioned by Lord and Lady Strickland and designed by architect A.M.B. Binnie. They wanted to build a hotel of distinction as would befit its location just outside Valletta\u2019s Porta Reale. Building started in 1939 – just in time for the Second World War!<\/p>\n
During those long years of conflict the construction was halted and the part-finished hotel was used by RAF personnel for R and R. The left wing of the hotel near what is now the Pegasus Brasserie was hit by bombs, as was so much of this island \u2013 it was actually awarded its own medal for bravery. Alec Guinness, eventually Sir Alec Guinness, and Jeffrey Hunter were here when they were filming \u201cThe Malta Story\u201d in October 1952. It\u2019s a record of the hardships of the war years, the heroism of the islanders and servicemen, and the reasons the island deserved its George Cross medal.<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"http:\/\/www.mostlyfood.co.uk\/img\/Phoenicia_sofas_2288.jpg\")
An icon of hospitality<\/h4>\n
The Phoenicia Hotel was finally opened for regular guests in 1947 by Lady Margaret Strickland and Lord Francis Campbell, then Sir Francis, Governor of Malta. This was destined to become an icon of hospitality and provide facilities and services equal to that found in any mainland-European city.<\/p>\n
In November 1949, Princess Elizabeth, later Queen Elizabeth II, and Prince Philip stayed in Malta. They visited the hotel on several occasions and danced in the Grand Ballroom. The royal association continued, as in November 2005, during HM Queen Elizabeth\u2019s state visit to the island, the hotel was chosen as the venue for an official reception hosted by the Queen. The Phoenicia has welcomed many other distinguished guests over the last decades. The hotel also played important roles in historical events on the island. Celebrations marking the independence in September 1964 were held mainly at the Phoenicia.<\/p>\n
In August 1966 Charles Forte, chairman of Trust House Forte, purchased the Phoenicia.\u00a0 It was he who undertook a major programme of refurbishment at the hotel which was now a couple of decades old. These works took two years between 1968 and 1970. One of the major changes was roofing over the internal courtyard, which is now the beautiful Palm Court Lounge. In 1990 another refurbishment was initiated and that lasted three years. This upgraded public areas and bedrooms and added another floor. The hotel now offers 136 rooms and suites.<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"http:\/\/www.mostlyfood.co.uk\/img\/Phoenicia_palm_2286.jpg\")
The air of the 1930s<\/h4>\n
A well-intentioned refurbishment programme has been the kiss of death to many a good hotel, but the Phoenicia has balanced modern convenience with tradition. The public spaces still have the air of the 1930s but are light and luxurious. The bedrooms offer Art Deco furnishings along with flat-screen TVs. The hotel exudes a mellow charm that is impossible to find in new builds.<\/p>\n
The Phoenicia remains a classic grand hotel but it boasts such conveniences as Wi-Fi, and it also has its popular pool \u2013 the Phoenicia was the first hotel in Malta to have a swimming pool. One doesn\u2019t have to venture far to find culture: the hotel owns and displays the largest private collection of Edward Caruana Dingli paintings. One can view the permanent exhibition on the ground floor; he is considered to be one of Malta\u2019s most significant portrait painters.<\/p>\n
The hotel sits in 7.5 acres of mature gardens. There are corners for tranquil contemplation, for some comforting shade and for watching vegetables grow. The Phoenicia has a celebrated Kitchen Garden that will likely provide dinner later. Malta throngs with activity but these grounds provide an oasis away from the buzz of modern life, and just a step away from historic city gates. The Phoenicia Hotel is timeless.<\/p>\n
Phoenicia Hotel
\nThe Mall
\nFloriana \u2013 FRN1478
\nMalta<\/p>\n
Tel: (+356) 21 225 241
\nFax: (+356) 21 235 254
\nUK freephone number: 0800 8620025
\nEmail: info@phoeniciamalta.com
\nReservations Department
\nTel: (+356) 2291 1023
\nFax: (+356) 2125 0461
\nEmail: res@phoeniciamalta.com<\/p>\n
Visit The Phoenicia Hotel here<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Hotel review by Chrissie Walker \u00a9 2018<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
What do we look for in a vacation? Some pampering \u2013 that probably isn\u2019t like home. Sun is good \u2013 that\u2019s different from home. Food \u2013 you won\u2019t be doing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23801,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,29],"tags":[2231,2232],"class_list":["post-8210","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hotels","category-outside-the-uk","tag-malta","tag-phoenicia"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mostlyfood.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8210","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mostlyfood.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mostlyfood.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mostlyfood.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mostlyfood.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8210"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.mostlyfood.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8210\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27333,"href":"https:\/\/www.mostlyfood.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8210\/revisions\/27333"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mostlyfood.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23801"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mostlyfood.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8210"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mostlyfood.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8210"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mostlyfood.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8210"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"The](\"http:\/\/www.mostlyfood.co.uk\/img\/Phoenicia_pegasus_2355.jpg\")
What do we look for in a vacation? Some pampering \u2013 that probably isn\u2019t like home. Sun is good \u2013 that\u2019s different from home. Food \u2013 you won\u2019t be doing the cooking as it\u2019s not home. Language \u2013 mostly the same as home would be nice.\u00a0 That adds up to the Phoenicia Hotel in Malta. Luxury, weather, ease of communication, and then there are memorable meals.<\/p>\n