HOLM Boutique & SPA

HOLM Boutique & SPA

In Saint Julians, the rooftop pool at HOLM Boutique & SPA is painted an unapologetic pink, its water set against views of the sea and the neighbouring valley, and that alone tells you what kind of stay this is. HOLM builds itself around excess rather than restraint: the overview describes a hotel that dismisses minimalism and moderation as falsely elegant, choosing contemporary exuberance, humour and what it calls weirdo decadence instead. Rooms number 29, each designed differently, so no two stays look alike, and the range runs from a 27-square-metre Comfort Room to a 50-square-metre Deluxe Suite with its own living room and balcony, plus a Penthouse Room with a high-floor view for guests who want the highest vantage point in the house. Wellness runs deeper than the pool: alongside the heated indoor pool that stays open year-round, guests get sauna, steam room, massage and a spa tub, with an on-site doctor if something more than relaxation is needed. A compact fitness room covers a workout, though anyone training seriously will want more than what's on offer. Families are welcome, with babysitting, highchairs and a diet menu at the table, but the indoor pool is off-limits to children under eleven between eight and three, a detail worth knowing before booking. Business travellers get meeting space, photocopying and fax, an odd pairing with the hotel's avant-garde streak but a practical one. This suits travellers who want design with a sense of humour and don't mind a scene; it does not suit anyone hoping for quiet, muted, boutique-minimalist calm. The pink pool is the one thing here nobody else in Saint Julians can copy. HOLM Boutique & SPA in Saint Julians is built around excess, not restraint, with an unapologetically pink rooftop pool overlooking the sea and a year-round heated indoor pool for balance. Its 29 rooms are all designed differently, and wellness stretches from sauna to on-site doctor. Quiet minimalists should look elsewhere.