Review of Xara Palace, by Arnie Wilson

Eating al fresco on the bastions of Malta's ancient capital is the nightly highlight of one's stay at the Xara Palace Hotel, a once crumbling 17th-century palazzo in the shadow of the baroque cathedral of St Paul's, now lovingly rescued and transformed into one of the island's most delightful luxury hotels. On balmy nights the roof-top Mondion Restaurant overflows onto the ramparts. As we savoured a Xara Dry - the hotel's speciality cocktail of Martini Bianco, white wine, peach schnapps and vodka - we contemplated the almost mesmerising view of Floriana, Valletta and St George's Bay as a dull orange moon loomed over a misty horizon. It was an experience which an earlier diner, Omar Sharif, had described in the visitor's book as "worth coming from Cairo" for.

The French chef of Mondion, Xavier Le Henaff, has worked in a number of two-star Michelin restaurants, including Le Manoir au Quat' Saisons. By the time we had lingered over hors d'oeuvres of avocados and tomatoes with crab and sherry dressing and followed it with beef tenderloin. scented with rosemary olive oil and pan-fried grouper with garlic and crushed potatoes in red wine sauce, the full moon had soared high above us, and we had stopped noticing the muffled cathedral bells. Unwilling to tear ourselves away from the view, we spent another half-hour on the ice nougat with rum and raisin raspberry coulis.

In times when one luxury hotel can be much like another; the Xara Palace - named after a Maltese family of nobles - stands out in a seductive and refreshing manner. Its location could hardly be bettered: it fills two sides of the limestone-clad Council Square (once St Paul's Square), whose "arteries are so narrow that they can barely be navigated by a carriage or a motorcar." In its less-fashionable times, the area was described as "the darkest corner of Mdina - unpaved and unlit." Much has changed since.

During World War II, the palazzo was used as an RAF mess. In 1949 it was purchased by Mabel Strickland, the daughter of a former Maltese Prime Minister. The Xara - named after a Maltese Baroness - was turned into a low-key guest-house cum tearoom, with 26 rooms. It had been empty for five years, gradually deteriorating, when it caught the eye of Susan Zammit-Tabona, a direct descendant of American Civil War General Robert E. Lee on one side of the family, and a grand-daughter of a Maltese chief justice on the other. She saw The Xara's potential, purchased it, and now calls the hotel "my jewel." When she first set foot in it, it was more of a wreck, but a listed building nonetheless. Her dream was to restore it: "I knew it would be a unique product" she remembers, "so we set to work. My son Justin led the restoration project. He worked like a dog. It took two and a half years.

The facilities

While getting rid of the old kitchen, workmen found foundations dating back to Roman times." Mrs Zammit-Tabona got rid of the main crumbling staircase in the courtyard and turned much of the ground floor into a large atrium, planting a pair of 200-year-old Sicilian olive trees and erecting a magnificent 18th-century wooden door made by Paulo Cellini, an Italian sculptor, at the end of the lobby where the staircase had been. Both the trees and the door leave you with the impression that they have been there forever. Mrs Zammit-Tabona also decided to reduce the number of rooms to 17 and establish each with a different character. All are furnished with antiques and original paintings; some have private terraces with whirlpool baths overlooking the bastions.

Our room - number 11 - was long and a touch narrow since it actually follows a bastion of the fortified square, where the Town Crier once read out proclamations issued by the Universita (Parliament). From our flower-bedecked walkway above the balustrades and arches we overlooked the square, dotted here and there with Jacaranda and Aralia trees, and Malta's imposing Corte Capitanale (old Law Courts) built in 1725, with their stone figures of Justice and Mercy. Dungeons and the execution chamber lurk below.

Many guests comment on the peace and tranquillity encountered in the luxury hotel, in marked contrast to the rest of Mdina, particularly on a Saturday morning. Outside the cathedral, just a short walk away, was a sign which read: "Silence please - this is a place of worship." Inside, the aisles were packed with at least six or seven tour groups of varying nationality making such a hubbub that any contemplation or prayer would have been impossible. Busloads of further parties jostled outside.

After strolling - with considerable difficulty, because of crowds of fellow-tourists - around the old city, we opted to escape by bus to St Julian's on the coast. In his cab, the driver had given almost equal prominence to symbols of the Virgin Mary and Derby County FC. On the day, this powerful juxtaposition did not help his team. While Derby County were labouring, we sunned ourselves by the harbour for a while, but as the sun began to sink, we were eager to return to our candle-lit table on the ramparts.

Apart from Omar Sharif's testimony, this luxury hotel visitors' book is already full of paeans from a global clientele, including this: "Remarkable transformation of a wonderful building. Well done to all involved." Mrs Zammit-Tabona is living her dream.