The Malta Airbnb reality check (2019 edition)

We spent three months in Malta staying in Airbnbs. Here’s what we found.

By late 2019, Malta had around 3,000 active Airbnb listings — a figure that had roughly doubled in three years. The platform had arrived in force, pulling properties off the long-term rental market and converting them for short-term visitors, and the effects were being felt in both the housing market (rents for locals climbing as supply tightened) and the tourism experience (visitors sometimes getting exactly what they’d hoped for, sometimes getting something quite different from the photographs).

We spent most of the summer and autumn of 2019 in Malta, working remotely and using Airbnb as our primary accommodation. We stayed in Valletta, Sliema, St Julian’s, and a week in Gozo. Here’s what we learned.

Where Airbnb works well in Malta

Valletta townhouses are the clearest category of genuine value. Many of the properties within Valletta proper — the old capital, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site — are 18th and 19th century townhouses converted into multi-level apartments. The conversion quality varies, but the best of them offer high-ceilinged rooms with original limestone walls, wooden-beamed ceilings, and sometimes a roof terrace with views over the baroque streets.

These properties are genuinely distinctive and often represent better value-for-money than hotels of equivalent quality in Valletta. A 2-bedroom Valletta townhouse apartment in autumn 2019 was available from around €80-120 per night — competitive with the boutique hotels and offering more space and the particular character of living inside a historic building.

Gozo farmhouses are another strong category. Gozo has a tradition of farmhouse conversions — old stone rural buildings with courtyards, built in local Globigerina limestone, sometimes with pools. The quality is generally high (there’s a long tradition of this type of accommodation on Gozo, predating Airbnb), and the experience of staying in a Gozitan countryside property — silence at night, a courtyard to have breakfast in, the smell of thyme from the fields — is a meaningful part of what makes Gozo different from Malta.

Long-stay discounts are significant and real. Most Malta Airbnb hosts offer substantial discounts for weekly or monthly stays. If you’re staying 14+ nights, the weekly rate typically drops to 60-70% of the nightly rate. For digital nomads or anyone spending more than a week in Malta, this makes Airbnb significantly cheaper than the equivalent hotel.

Where it gets more complicated

Sliema and St Julian’s apartments are the riskier category. The Airbnb supply here is dense and the quality is very variable. Many listings are apartments in modern blocks that have been furnished to a minimum standard and listed at ambitious prices based on the neighbourhood desirability rather than the property quality.

We stayed in one Sliema apartment that was exactly as photographed (a reasonably nice 1-bedroom with a sea-view terrace) and one that substantially misrepresented its condition — listed as “newly renovated,” the renovation appeared to consist of painting over the damp rather than remedying it, and the “sea view” was visible by standing on a chair and looking diagonally past an adjacent building.

The advice for Sliema and St Julian’s: read the reviews extremely carefully, look specifically for references to noise (both areas have nightlife, traffic, and construction), and ask the host explicitly about air conditioning (Malta in July without AC is genuinely unpleasant, and not all listings include it despite listing photos that show a pleasant-looking bedroom).

The noise question is significant across Malta. Valletta has churches that ring bells at unexpected hours. St Julian’s and Paceville are busy until 3-4am on weekends. Sliema has ferry noise in the harbour. Bugibba has a music scene at certain points of the seafront. None of these are dealbreakers, but they need to be accounted for.

Summer pricing is eye-opening. Malta’s Airbnb market has embraced dynamic pricing enthusiastically. A property that’s €80 per night in November can be €250 in August. The peak-season surcharge is often larger than the hotel equivalent, which erodes Airbnb’s typical price advantage at exactly the time when most people want to visit.

The practical questions to ask before booking

Is it genuinely air-conditioned? In July and August, this is non-negotiable. Look for specific confirmation in the listing rather than relying on the climate icon in the amenities.

What is the noise environment? Mention the location specifically (near a church, near Paceville, near the ferry terminal) and ask directly.

Is there parking? Malta’s urban areas have extremely limited street parking. If you’re renting a car, confirm the parking situation before booking. Many Valletta listings note explicitly that street parking is not available — there’s a large public car park under the city, which resolves this but adds €8-12 per day.

What is the check-in arrangement? Malta has a number of listings that operate with key safes or lockboxes rather than in-person check-in. This is usually fine, but confirm the logistics, especially if you’re arriving late at night.

Is the listing in the listing’s photograph actually the listing? Some Malta Airbnb listings use stock photography of the general area or similar properties. The reviews will tell you if there’s a significant gap between photos and reality.

The accommodation landscape beyond Airbnb

Malta has other strong options at different price points:

Boutique hotels in Valletta (The Phoenicia, Casa Ellul, Trabuxu, Ursulino, Rosselli) are consistently excellent and, in winter, not dramatically more expensive than a decent Airbnb. If you’re staying 3-4 nights and quality matters, these can be the better choice.

Guesthouses in Sliema — family-run B&Bs, typically in older residential buildings — offer good value for shorter stays and often have genuine local knowledge embedded in the hosts.

Gozo farmhouse agencies (Gozo Farm Rentals, Malta Farmhouses, various local operators) have curated stock that’s generally more reliable than searching Airbnb blind for Gozitan properties.

The honest summary

Malta’s Airbnb market in 2019 is maturing but uneven. The best properties — Valletta townhouses, Gozo farmhouses, genuine long-stay deals — represent excellent value. The worst — inadequately described apartments in tourist areas with ambitious pricing — represent exactly the problem that gives Airbnb critics their material.

The decision framework: for a short stay (4-7 nights) in peak summer, a well-reviewed boutique hotel is often better value and lower risk than Airbnb. For a longer stay (10+ nights), particularly in shoulder season, Airbnb with careful property selection wins on value. For Gozo, the farmhouse rental market — whether via Airbnb or specialist agencies — is consistently worthwhile.

Read the reviews. Ask about the noise. Confirm the air conditioning. Know what you’re getting before the ferry from Cirkewwa.