Cugó Gran Macina Grand Harbour

About

The Cugó Gran Macina Grand Harbour is truly a Hotel with a difference. Historical fortress walls contrast with modern interior design and bespoke luxury fittings. The 21 suites range from 40 square metres to an impressive 130 square metres. Most have unobstructed views of the Grand Harbour and the surrounding marina, high vaulted ceilings and ample natural light.

The Hotel offers a swimming pool, tucked discreetly on the rooftop of the annex building with a terrace looking out across the water to Vittoriosa and Cospicua. Other features include airy communal spaces, a fully fledged bar, a fine dining modern Mediterranean restaurant, an events rooftop with panoramic harbour views and a boardroom for small conferences.

Built in 1554 during the reign of La Sengle by military engineer Bellavante, the Sheer Bastion sealed off Senglea from Cospicua in preparation for the Ottoman invasion of The Great Siege of Malta. Later in the early 1600’s, Grandmaster Alof de Wignacourt built a massive structure; a large wooden crane eventually known as ‘il-Macina’ that was designed to hoist heavy cargo or galley parts and bring them ashore.

In 1864 this wooden structure was replaced by a fixed iron sheerlegs crane. When the Admiralty dismantled this crane in 1927, it crashed into the water with terrific force, breaking in two and creating a five- foot wave. Today, the Macina is a revived national landmark in a tentative UNESCO World Heritage Site, a luxury boutique hotel on the water’s edge.