Many locals would surely know that at the borderline where Gzira meets Sliema there stands a grand hotel known as the Savoy Guesthouse. The now abandoned hotel, which can be seen in the image below, sits proudly at the top of Rue D’Argens, boasting indescribable seafront views!

The hotel is said to date back to the late 18^th century and early 19^th century and was designed in an architectural style that was typical of its time. Apart from its many entries, the building was known for its multi-faceted bay windows, which allowed visitors to enjoy distant views of Maltese waters… Sounds, lovely!

Surrounded with palm trees that still stand to this day, the hotel is no longer the only building in this prime location, as the surrounding area has now been built up.

Even though the building is in a state of deterioration, due to its heritage and great architectural value, the Local Plan listed the hotel as a Category B+ building. This means that it is legally considered to be a landmark building with historic value!

In fact, its suggested that the location in which it stands was actually named after the Savoy Hotel itself!

Even though the building has been left in a state of abandonment, the current owner, Alex Montanaro, who is the CEO of Exalco Group, is hopeful in his distant plans to restore the guesthouse.

Maybe one day we will get to see this iconic hotel restored to its former glory!