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16th Century House in World Heritage City

Valletta G-House is as far removed from the blandness of hotels and normal holiday lets as you can get. It has been featured for its beauty in magazines and voted travel writer's choice by both the Guardian Travel Section and by Lonely Planet Guide.

Valletta G-House has one large double bedroom with a traditional Maltese wooden balcony, a sitting/TV room, a fully equipped kitchen/dining room and bathroom.

Bedroom:
The feeling is that of sumptuous luxury, a queen-sized bed with large dark wood posts and a subtle hanging Knights' cross tapestry. Romantic and comfortable, the attention to detail in the room's accessories is breathtaking.

In the evenings settle comfortably in the two leather armchairs and have a read of the available books on Malta and other reading material in the niche-library. A sound system along with a choice of Maltese and Classical Music CDs will help create the mood.

Kitchen:
The crossed stone arches (hnejjiet) are a real feature in this recently refurbished cellar-kitchen with traditional stone cupboards, full-sized country kitchen sink and refrigerator, electric oven and hob.

Lounge:
Settle down with a cup of tea and watch digital TV or a DVD (DVD Player and library) to while away the evening after a fine dinner or a theatre evening at the Manoel Theatre in Valletta.

The big artwork above the solid wood bench is an original photographic interpretation of the famous painting by Eugene Delacroix. Eugene's original is at the Musee du Louvre.

Lonely Planet: 'Affordable luxury and lashings of local character'

The City of Valletta:
With its magnificent baroque architecture and floodlit bastions, numerous beautiful churches, palaces and lively people, Valletta is a delightful city. It's slightly faded glory and its narrow side streets, its Grand Harbour will all remain imprinted in your memory long after your holiday in Malta has ended.

The design of the city by Vatican architect Laparelli in the 16th century saw a rigid grid plan of uniformly designed houses dotted with palaces, baroque churches and squares. There were to be eight auberges, one for each language in the Order, a Grand Master's palace as large as Palazzo Farnese in Rome, a conventual church and a hospital.

The building started on the 28 March 1566 with the church of Our Lady of Victoria. In honour of the Great Siege commander who had led the Order to victory, the city was named Valletta. Gerolamo Cassar was the architect who continued the work on the city when Laparelli left. Combining the two architects work, Valletta remains the beautiful and elegant baroque city they envisaged. Valletta suffered greatly with World War II as well as in the hands of successive governments who perhaps could have done more to maintain it but the two original architects vision still manages to shine through.