Northern Malta in the early morning has a light of its own. Pale gold, soft, falling across limestone and water until everything looks almost too beautiful to be real.

Gillieru means fisherman in Maltese and from your balcony at the Gillieru Harbour Hotel, with the old fishing boats moving quietly below and St Paul's Island shimmering in the distance, you understand immediately why the name stuck.

With a history stretching back generations, the Gillieru carries the kind of ease and confidence that newer hotels spend years trying to achieve. The hotel's visitors book carries the signatures of Roger Moore, Robin Williams, Bon Jovi and Chris De Burgh, among others. They came, as most guests do, for honest hospitality, a view worth sitting with, and food that earns the journey.

Breakfast is a generous daily buffet, taken with harbour views. The area around the hotel is lined with restaurants, cafés and casual eateries. Maltese home cooking, fresh seafood, international cuisines and casual street food, all within easy reach of the hotel. Something for every mood and every appetite.

The outdoor pool and poolside bar offer a perfectly civilised middle ground between ambition and laziness. For those wanting more, Soul Solutions Spa provides massages, body treatments and a sauna. The nearby diving centre opens Malta's remarkable underwater world - crystalline visibility, dramatic caves, wrecks - to anyone ready to go beneath the surface.

Above the surface, the north of Malta is outstanding walking territory. The Xemxija Heritage Trail starts just minutes from the hotel - a Roman road that winds above dramatic limestone cliffs with views over Mistra Bay that most tourists never find. Golden Bay and the vast sandy crescent of Mellieha Bay are a short drive north. Gozo - quieter, greener, slower - is reachable by ferry from Cirkewwa, fifteen minutes up the road. On days when culture calls, the bus stop is just a stone throw away from the hotel entrance, with frequent direct services to Valletta and the medieval hilltop city of Mdina.

The Gillieru Harbour Hotel is the kind of place that feels like it has always been there. Because it has. And somehow, after a few days, it feels like you have too. Book your stay here at gillieru.com.

Prefer to be based inside Valletta itself? The Republic Boutique Hotel offers boutique city-centre stays on Malta's most iconic street.