Pet-Friendly Hotels in Malta: Where Your Dog Is Genuinely Welcome
Ten Maltese hotels that accept dogs, what each one actually charges, and the paperwork you need before you fly.
Every summer I get the same question from customers who have just come back from a holiday they did not entirely enjoy: could we have brought the dog? For Malta, the answer is more often yes than people expect — but the hotel is the easy part. The paperwork and the flight are what catch people out.
I have done it myself. I took my dog Moli to Malta and stayed at Hard Rock Hotel Malta when it opened, which taught me more about the practicalities in one trip than a year of reading policy pages. What follows is the list of Maltese hotels that take dogs, what each one asks for, and the detail nobody puts on a booking page: where your dog can actually swim, what the vet needs to sign, and why the flight home needs planning before you book the flight out.
Start with the paperwork, not the hotel
Malta is an EU member state and applies EU pet movement rules, with one extra requirement that surprises a lot of British owners. Get this wrong and the airline will not board your dog.
What your dog needs to enter Malta
- A microchip. Fitted before the rabies vaccination, or the vaccination does not count.
- A valid rabies vaccination. In date on the day you travel, with the waiting period after the first dose already served.
- An Animal Health Certificate. Travelling from Great Britain, the certificate must be issued and signed by an Official Veterinarian (OV) no more than ten days before you enter the EU. It then remains valid for six months for onward travel within the EU and for six months for re-entry to Great Britain — but you need a new certificate for every new trip from Great Britain or Northern Ireland to an EU country. Full detail is on GOV.UK. If your pet holds an official EU or Northern Ireland pet passport, that document covers you instead.
- Tapeworm treatment — dogs only. This is the one people miss.
The tapeworm rule
Malta sits in a small group of countries that require dogs to be treated against Echinococcus multilocularis before arrival. The treatment must be given by a vet 24 to 120 hours — one to five days — before your dog is scheduled to arrive, and it has to be recorded properly in the health certificate or passport. The active ingredient is normally praziquantel. GOV.UK sets out the requirement in full. Cats and ferrets are exempt; this applies to dogs only.
The timing window is tight and it is a hard rule, not a formality. Book the vet appointment at the same time you book the flights, not the week before you go.
Coming home is simpler than you think
Here is the good news, and it is one of the quiet reasons Malta suits dog owners better than most Mediterranean destinations. You do not need to treat your dog for tapeworm if you are coming directly to Great Britain from Malta. The return leg needs your travel document and a compliant carrier, but not a second vet appointment abroad.
Rules change. Pet movement requirements are set by government and are revised from time to time. Everything above reflects the position as we write, but check the current requirements with your vet before you travel, and speak to us if anything looks different from what you have been told.
The flight is the hard part — plan it first
Hotels are flexible. Airlines are not. Cabin carriage of pets on the Malta route is genuinely restricted, and the restriction is not symmetrical, which is what trips people up.
On the national carrier, the pet-in-cabin service is offered on direct routes but is not permitted on flights from Malta into the UK, or on London Gatwick to Malta — it is allowed when departing from London Heathrow into Malta only (carrier's own pet policy). Read that twice. You can fly out with a small dog under the seat from Heathrow, and you cannot bring the same dog home the same way.
Practically, that leaves three routes:
- Cabin outbound, hold or cargo inbound. Workable, but it needs booking as two separate arrangements and it is not something to leave until the last minute.
- Hold or manifest cargo both ways. Straightforward for larger dogs, who were never going in the cabin anyway. Book early — capacity per flight is limited.
- Assistance dogs. A different regime entirely; recognised assistance dogs travel in the cabin free of charge, with advance notification.
There are also embargo periods on high-load flights when pets cannot be accepted at all, and carriers restrict certain breeds. Snub-nosed breeds — French bulldogs, pugs, boxers and similar — face additional restrictions with most airlines because of the breathing risk in the hold. If that is your dog, tell us before we quote anything.
Ring us before you fall in love with a hotel. We will check what the airline will carry on your dates first, then match a hotel to it. Doing it the other way round is how people end up cancelling.
Ten Maltese hotels that accept dogs
Malta's pet-friendly stock is broader than most Mediterranean islands, and it spans the range — grand harbour-front five-stars, big resort hotels in Qawra and St Paul's Bay, and lifestyle properties in St Julian's. Pet rooms are always a limited allocation within the hotel, so the room type matters as much as the hotel.
| Hotel | Area | Pet policy |
|---|---|---|
| The Phoenicia Malta | Valletta | Pets up to 12kg; designated pet-friendly rooms, garden access, registration form required in advance |
| InterContinental Malta | St Julian's | One pet up to 25kg; dogs and cats; fee from €25 per night in Classic Rooms |
| Ramla Bay Resort | Marfa, Mellieħa | Up to two dogs per room in designated rooms; €40 per dog per night plus a €100 pre-authorisation |
| Hard Rock Hotel Malta | St George's Bay | Up to two pets per room, maximum 10kg each; designated pet zones, bed and welcome gift included |
| INNSiDE by Meliá Bugibba | Bugibba, St Paul's Bay | Up to two dogs per room, no weight limit; welcome gift and dog food via room service |
| Hilton Malta | St Julian's | Pet-friendly rooms subject to availability by date and room category |
| DoubleTree by Hilton Malta | Qawra, St Paul's Bay | Pet-friendly; restrictions and charges confirmed at the time of booking |
| ME Malta | St Julian's | Pet-friendly accommodation; weight limit and fee confirmed at booking |
| Hotel Levante St Julian's, Affiliated by Meliá | St Julian's | Dogs and cats accepted; fee in the region of €25 per pet per night |
| Soreda Hotel | Qawra | Pets accepted on request, with dedicated dog facilities; policy varies by room type |
How to read this table. Pet fees and weight limits are set by each hotel and are revised more often than most hotel policies. We confirm the exact terms in writing with the hotel for your specific dates and room category before we take your booking — we do not rely on what a listing page says.
The Phoenicia Malta, Valletta
The grandest address on the island and, to my mind, the most comfortable place to arrive with a dog. The hotel sits just outside Valletta's city gate with its own gardens running down towards the bastions, which solves the single biggest problem with a city hotel: somewhere civilised to go at seven in the morning.
The policy is precise. Pets must not exceed 12kg, other than certified guide dogs, and a fee of €50 per room applies for pet-friendly accommodation. For cats a litter tray is provided and serviced daily at a further charge. The hotel asks for a completed pet registration form to be sent to reservations at the time of booking, and hotel management retains final say on whether a pet is accepted. In-room bed and bowls are available on request.
Best for: couples and short breaks, small dogs, anyone who wants Valletta on foot.
Ask for a garden-facing room. The dog gets the quiet side, and you get to walk out into the grounds rather than through the lobby.
Ramla Bay Resort, Marfa
Our long-standing Malta best-seller, and the one I would pick for a dog that wants space rather than pavements. It sits on the Marfa peninsula at the northern tip of the island, which puts you within easy reach of the cluster of dog-friendly coves around Armier — more on those below. The resort's own frontage, the open ground behind it and the coastal paths give you a genuine morning walk without getting in the car.
The policy is two dogs per room maximum, in designated rooms only, at €40 per dog per night with a €100 pre-authorisation held against the room. The designated rooms are a limited block, so this is one to book early rather than decide on in June.
Best for: families, larger dogs, walkers, and anyone who wants the beach rather than the bar.
Marfa is the right base if the dog is the point of the holiday. You are ten minutes from the Armier coves and forty from Valletta — the reverse of what most people assume.
INNSiDE by Meliá Bugibba
The newest option on this list and, on paper, the most generous. The hotel opened on 12 July 2026 in the heart of Bugibba Square, a few steps from the seafront, with 86 rooms, three dining concepts and a rooftop infinity pool.
On pets, the brand does not hedge: the programme accepts up to two dogs per room with no weight limits, and amenities include a welcome gift on arrival, natural dog food available through room service and a local guide to nearby pet-friendly attractions. Note the wording — the programme is written around dogs specifically.
Because the hotel is new, I would confirm the pet extra is added at the time of booking rather than assumed. It is selected as a rate add-on, not applied automatically.
Best for: larger dogs that would fail every weight limit elsewhere; couples who want a lively square on the doorstep.
Bugibba Square is one of the few places in Malta where you can eat outside at three or four different places within sixty yards, with the dog under the table at all of them.
Hard Rock Hotel Malta, St George's Bay
The island's big new opening, and the one I know first-hand — I stayed here with Moli when the hotel opened. It runs to 397 sea-view rooms including 25 suites with private heated pools, and more than ten restaurant, bar and lounge concepts.
The pet programme is called Unleashed, and the hotel's own terms are up to two pets per room, maximum 10kg each. Within that limit the offer is generous: a bed made up for the dog, a welcome gift, a dedicated room service menu, designated pet zones, and pet accessories in the shop. But read the limit carefully — 10kg is one of the tighter ceilings on this list, so a labrador or a collie is not going in here whatever the brand's marketing suggests.
St George's Bay is the busy end of St Julian's. That suits a sociable, confident dog and does not suit a nervous one.
Best for: small dogs, big-hotel facilities, families who want the pools and the kids' club as well.
InterContinental Malta, St Julian's
Central St Julian's, walking distance to Spinola Bay and the promenade, and a practical choice if you want restaurants and shops on the doorstep. The policy on this one is one pet per room up to 25kg, dogs or cats, with the fee starting from €25 per night in the entry room categories — the exact figure moves with room type, so we confirm it per booking.
Best for: a city-and-sea mix, one medium dog, guests who want to walk everywhere.
Hotel Levante St Julian's, Affiliated by Meliá
A smaller, more contained St Julian's option. Both dogs and cats are accepted, at an additional fee in the region of €25 per pet per night. Worth knowing that this is one of the few properties on the list that is genuinely relaxed about cats as well as dogs.
Best for: couples, cat owners, guests who prefer a smaller property.
Hilton Malta and DoubleTree by Hilton Malta
Two very different properties under one group. Hilton Malta sits in Portomaso, St Julian's — a large resort hotel with its own marina, gardens and several pools, which makes it easier to move a dog around discreetly than the room count suggests. DoubleTree by Hilton Malta is in Qawra, on the St Paul's Bay side, with a more relaxed and more affordable resort feel and a good stretch of promenade for walking.
Both are listed as pet-friendly, but at both the pet allocation depends on the dates and the room category, and the charges are set locally. These are the two on the list where I would not quote you a fee from a website — we get it in writing from the hotel first.
ME Malta, St Julian's
Design-led, adults-oriented in feel, and part of the same group programme as the INNSiDE property above — though the terms are set per hotel rather than centrally. Pet-friendly accommodation is available; the current weight limit and per-stay charge need confirming directly, and the fee here can be materially higher than the €25-per-night end of the market.
Best for: couples without children, small to medium dogs, guests who care about the room.
Soreda Hotel, Qawra
The value option, and an interesting one. Soreda is a large four-star in Qawra, above the bay and a short walk from Bugibba, with indoor and outdoor pools and full-board style dining — the kind of hotel where a fortnight with the family does not need a second mortgage.
Pets are accepted on request, and listings for the hotel describe dedicated dog facilities including a dog area. I will be straight with you: the published information on Soreda's pet policy is inconsistent across booking channels, so this is one where the confirmation genuinely matters. We will get the current terms, the fee and the room types in writing before you commit.
If you are travelling with children and a dog and the budget is finite, Qawra is the right area — big hotels, flat promenade walks, and everything within reach without a hire car.
Where your dog can actually swim
This is the part that decides whether the holiday works, and Malta is stricter than most people realise. Dogs are not simply allowed on any beach.
The Commissioner for Animal Welfare publishes the official position: 16 designated dog-friendly beaches — 12 in Malta and four in Gozo — with dogs also permitted to swim in any area that is not a designated bathing area. During the summer months dogs are not allowed on Blue Flag beaches.
The second thing to know: Imġiebaħ Bay in Selmun is the only official sandy dog-friendly beach in Malta and Gozo — every other designated dog beach is rocky. Maltese rocky swimming spots are pleasant and often better for dogs than sand, with easy access to deeper water and natural shade, but pack accordingly. Paws and hot rock in August do not mix.
The northern cluster
If you are staying at Marfa or Mellieħa, you have the best of it. Daħlet ix-Xmajjar near Armier, the inlet close to the White Tower, Ramlet il-Qortin near Armier Bay and the small cove at Ħirkewwa are all within a short drive of each other. Rocky, mostly quiet, and used by Maltese dog owners rather than tourists.
The south
Żonqor Point in Marsascala is one of the largest dog-friendly areas on the island and easy to reach by car. Worth the drive on a day when you want the dog to properly stretch out.
Look for the sign, and if there isn't one, ask. Not every designated beach is signed as dog-friendly, and some local councils apply their own additional restrictions. Fines for taking a dog onto a non-designated bathing beach are substantial. When in doubt, the hotel's front desk will know.
Practical notes from the road
- Heat is the real constraint. July and August surface temperatures in Malta are punishing for paws. Walk before eight and after six, and plan the dog's day around shade. May, June, September and October are far kinder — and they are the months I would book anyway.
- Public transport is limited. Dogs are not straightforward on Maltese buses, and taxi acceptance varies by driver. If the dog is coming, budget for a hire car or expect to stay local.
- Restaurants are relaxed. Outdoor terraces across St Julian's, Sliema, Bugibba and Valletta are generally happy to have a dog under the table. Indoors is the exception rather than the rule.
- Vets are good and accessible. Malta has a well-developed veterinary network including out-of-hours provision. Ask your hotel for the nearest practice on arrival rather than at two in the morning.
- Book the pet room, not the hotel. Pet-friendly allocation is a subset of rooms at every property on this list. A confirmed hotel with an unconfirmed pet room is not a confirmed holiday.
How booking Malta with us works
We are a Malta specialist, and this is exactly the kind of booking where that matters — three moving parts that have to line up rather than one.
- We confirm the hotel's current pet policy in writing for your dates and room category before anything is booked.
- We check what your airline will carry on your specific flights, in both directions, before we quote.
- On Malta bookings your deposit is the cost of the flights, and the balance is due 12 weeks before departure.
- Your holiday is ATOL protected under licence 11211, which covers you financially if we were to fail. It is not travel insurance, and it does not cover your pet — arrange pet cover separately.
Talk to us at hi@gotobeach.co.uk and tell us the dog's breed, weight and age in the first message. It changes everything that follows.
Frequently asked questions
Can I take my dog to Malta from the UK?
Yes. Your dog needs a microchip, a valid rabies vaccination, an Animal Health Certificate signed by an Official Veterinarian within ten days of entering the EU (or an official EU or Northern Ireland pet passport), and a tapeworm treatment given 24 to 120 hours before arrival. A fresh certificate is needed for each new trip from Great Britain. The bigger practical constraint is the flight rather than the paperwork.
Do I need a tapeworm treatment for Malta?
For dogs, yes. Malta is one of a small number of countries requiring treatment against Echinococcus multilocularis before entry, given by a vet 24 to 120 hours before your dog arrives and recorded in the travel document. Cats and ferrets are exempt.
Do I need a tapeworm treatment to come home again?
Not when returning directly to Great Britain from Malta. Malta is on the exempt list, so the return leg is one of the simpler ones in Europe.
Can my dog travel in the cabin to Malta?
Only on some routings. The national carrier permits pets in the cabin departing London Heathrow into Malta, but not on Gatwick to Malta, and not on flights from Malta into the UK. Any dog coming home from Malta by air travels in the hold or as cargo. We check the position for your exact flights before quoting.
What about flat-faced breeds — pugs, French bulldogs, boxers?
Snub-nosed breeds face additional airline restrictions, and in many cases outright refusal for hold carriage, because of the breathing risk. If you have a French bulldog, pug, boxer or similar, tell us at the enquiry stage — it determines which flights are even possible, and it is a bigger constraint than any hotel policy.
Which Malta hotel has no weight limit for dogs?
INNSiDE by Meliá Bugibba operates a programme accepting up to two dogs per room with no weight limit. It is currently the most generous policy on the island, which makes it the obvious first call for owners of larger breeds.
What does it cost to take a dog to a hotel in Malta?
The range on this list runs from roughly €25 per pet per night at the mid-market properties to €40 per dog per night at Ramla Bay Resort, with The Phoenicia charging a flat €50 per room. Some hotels also hold a refundable pre-authorisation against the room. Charges change; we confirm yours before booking.
Can I take my dog on the beach in Malta?
Only on the designated dog-friendly beaches, of which there are 16 across Malta and Gozo, or in areas that are not designated bathing areas. Dogs are banned from Blue Flag beaches during summer, and fines for getting this wrong are steep.
Is there a sandy dog beach in Malta?
One. Imġiebaħ Bay in Selmun is the only official sandy dog-friendly beach in the Maltese islands. Every other designated dog beach is rocky.
Are cats accepted as well as dogs?
At some properties. The Phoenicia, InterContinental Malta and Hotel Levante all accept cats alongside dogs, with The Phoenicia providing a serviced litter tray for an additional daily charge. Several other pet programmes are written for dogs specifically, so cat owners should assume nothing.
Which area of Malta is best with a dog?
Marfa and Mellieħa in the north, if walking and swimming matter most — the dog-friendly coves around Armier are all within a short drive. Qawra and St Paul's Bay for a flat promenade and value. St Julian's if you want restaurants and city life on the doorstep and your dog is unbothered by crowds.
When is the best time of year to bring a dog to Malta?
May, June, September and October. The sea is warm, the ground is walkable, and the hotels are not running at full pet allocation. High summer is manageable if you plan the day around early mornings and late evenings, but it takes discipline.
Planning Malta with your dog?
Tell us the breed, the weight and your dates. We will come back with what the airline will carry and which hotels have confirmed pet rooms available — in that order.
Explore Malta holidaysGoToBeach is a trading name of Caria Holidays Ltd. ATOL licence 11211. Pet policies, fees and entry requirements are set by hotels, airlines and government authorities and are subject to change — we confirm the current position for your booking before you travel.