Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz is the full-service resort choice on Gozo: a low-rise hotel built from the island's honey-colored limestone, with pools, gardens, six places to eat and drink and a large spa with an Ayurveda center and a traditional hammam. It sits in the farming village of San Lawrenz at the quiet western end of the island, a few minutes by car from the Inland Sea at Dwejra and the Xwejni salt pans.
It suits couples who want Gozo's slow pace without giving up hotel comforts. Most of the island's romantic lodging is converted farmhouses with private pools, which is lovely but means cooking your own breakfast and driving to every meal. Here someone else handles all of that. You can still be swimming off the rocks at Dwejra fifteen minutes after leaving your room.
The trade-off is the sea. The hotel is inland, so the views are of countryside and pool decks rather than the Mediterranean. Rates are approximate and change a lot by season, but this is usually priced well below comparable resort hotels on the Maltese mainland.
Highlights at a glance
- Large spa with an Ayurveda Centre and a traditional hammam
- Six restaurants and bars focused on Mediterranean and Gozitan food
- Balconied rooms built from local limestone
- Dwejra and the Inland Sea a short drive away
- Residences with kitchens for longer stays
Why Couples Choose San Lawrenz
Gozo's west end is the island at its most rural. Stone walls divide small terraced fields, the village church bells mark the hours and the coast nearby drops away in cliffs. San Lawrenz itself is tiny, with the Ta' Dbiegi crafts village on its edge, where you can watch lace and glass being made.
The hotel works as a calm base for that landscape. Mornings can be spent on the clifftop paths or snorkeling the Inland Sea, afternoons on a lounger by the pool and evenings at one of the in-house restaurants or a short taxi ride away in Victoria or Xlendi. The building is laid out low and wide around its gardens, so it feels like a resort rather than a city hotel. It is quiet at night. That combination of countryside, service and a serious spa is rare on an island this small.
Rooms and Suites to Book
Rooms are finished in traditional Gozitan limestone with private balconies. The categories climb steadily:
- Superior Rooms, about 35 m², face the countryside or the pools.
- Deluxe Pool View Rooms, about 40 m², add a little space and Mediterranean styling.
- Grand Deluxe Rooms, about 46 m², have a sofa area and a bathroom with a separate walk-in shower, with pool or garden views.
- Junior Suites and larger suites add living space. The Kempinski Residences are apartments with their own kitchens.
For a honeymoon, the Grand Deluxe Pool View Room is the sweet spot: enough room to spread out for a week, a separate shower and a balcony over the palms. If you plan a long stay or like cooking a meal from the market, a Residence gives you an apartment with hotel service. Mention the occasion when booking and ask for an upper floor.
Food, Drink and the Spa
The hotel lists six venues focused on Mediterranean and Gozitan cooking. L-Istorja and Il-Baldakkin cover the main dining, L'Ortolan and the Gazebo add variety and the Pool Bar handles long lunches in the sun. Gozitan food is worth seeking out on the menus: ftira flatbread, sheep's cheese called ġbejniet, rabbit stew and fish landed that morning at Mġarr or Marsalforn.
The spa is the hotel's signature. It includes an Ayurveda Centre with practitioner-led treatments, a traditional Oriental hammam and a full menu of massages and facials. A hammam ritual for two is a good rainy-day plan in winter, when Gozo can be cool and windy. Book treatments when you book the room in summer, since the best slots go first. For dinner out, Xlendi Bay's waterfront restaurants are a short drive south and make an easy change of scene.
Why guests fall for it
Things to Do Nearby
The hotel's location is its quiet advantage: some of Gozo's best scenery is within about fifteen minutes.
- Dwejra and the Inland Sea, where small boats run through a rock tunnel to the open sea and snorkelers float above sheer drop-offs.
- The Xwejni salt pans on the north coast at sunset, when the pans turn pink and silver.
- The Citadel in Victoria, walled and compact, for views across the whole island.
- Ramla Bay, Gozo's red-gold sand beach, for an afternoon swim.
- An early boat to Comino's Blue Lagoon before the day-trippers arrive.
Divers have some of the Mediterranean's best sites close by. Non-divers can book a guided kayak along the cliffs. Wear sturdy shoes for the rocky coast and take water on summer walks, since shade is scarce.
Getting There
Fly into Malta International Airport (MLA). From there it is about 45 to 60 minutes by car or taxi to the Ċirkewwa ferry terminal at the northern tip of Malta. The Gozo Channel ferry crossing to Mġarr takes about 25 minutes and runs frequently around the clock. From Mġarr the drive to San Lawrenz is roughly 20 minutes across the island.
The hotel can arrange transfers, which saves you dealing with the ferry and luggage after a long flight. A fast ferry also runs between Valletta and Mġarr on some schedules, a handy option if you start or end the trip in the capital.
Once on Gozo, a rental car makes the most of the location, because San Lawrenz is a village and buses are infrequent. Taxis can be booked through the front desk for dinners out. Driving is on the left and roads are narrow, so take it slowly.
Is It Worth It?
For couples who want a resort hotel on Gozo, yes. It is the island's most complete package: a large spa, several restaurants, good pools and the polish of an international brand, at prices that are usually reasonable for what you get. Shoulder seasons in spring and autumn tend to bring the best value and the most comfortable weather for walking.
Pick elsewhere if a sea view matters most. The hotel is inland, so you will be driving to the coast for every swim. Couples who want total privacy and a pool to themselves will be happier in a restored farmhouse. Those who want to walk to waterfront restaurants each night should look at Xlendi or Mġarr instead.
A smart plan for a longer honeymoon is to split the stay: a few nights here for the spa and service, then a few in a farmhouse or by the harbor.
Insider tips
- Book a Grand Deluxe Pool View Room for the extra space and separate walk-in shower.
- Ask the hotel to arrange the airport transfer and ferry so the first day is effortless.
- Drive to the Xwejni salt pans about an hour before sunset and walk the coast path east.
- Reserve spa treatments in advance in summer, when the best times sell out.
