Our Vision for the Comino Hotel
The Project
The new Comino Hotel is being designed by world-renowned architect Antonio Belvedere and is currently in the permitting phase.
The project intends to exceed the expectations of the environment-conscious luxury traveller with the qualitative operating specifications and standards of a 5-star hospitality destination.
It will be a true sustainable luxury escape that appeals to all the senses. Located within a Natura 2000 site, this project is aiming to achieve LEED classification. Guests will come to experience the mystical, natural, tranquility, crystal clear blue waters, spectacular views, breath-taking sunset and Malta’s highest level of service, standards and care.
Great attention will be exercised in preserving the natural ecology, pristine seashore, clear Mediterranean waters and untouched strands of sandy beaches. The social and rich cultural history as well as the traditions of this unique destination will always be preserved and protected.
This unique property will offer guests a choice between hotel suites and serviced retreats. Set on well-preserved land, this stunning destination will boast traditions and characteristics for a truly memorable guest experience. Featuring a spa, destination restaurant and an outstanding array of cultural and leisure activities, this sustainable concept is designed to inspire and enlighten.
71 hotel suites nestled into the landscape will guarantee views onto the Mediterranean from private terraces. Each will provide internal space of between 50 and 85 square metres, designed with a fine palette of materials to create a luxurious comfortable stay and which will feel like an extension of Comino island’s beauty. There will be a crafted opening blur of the boundaries between outdoor and indoor space which encourage star gazing and total emersion with nature. Ground floor suites will have private infinity pools.
Guests will also enjoy exclusive access to the San Niklaw Bay beach.
The retreats, located a stone’s throw away from the beautiful Santa Maria Bay, will have breath-taking, unobstructed sea views and offer prime seclusion. The design of the retreats will ensure harmony between the built and natural environment, based on comprehensive design guidelines and operating standards.
Six Senses Comino
Six Senses Comino will be located on the shores of San Niklaw and San Marija bays. Designed by Belvedere Architecture, 71 low-rise suites will overlook the bay and enjoy easterly vistas across the Mediterranean Sea from their private decks. The natural palette of stone and timber echoes the island’s geology and garigue shrubland within comfortable and spacious accommodations that feel like an extension of Comino’s beauty.
Grow With Six Senses will keep children and teens happy and off screens through the six dimensions of wellness (social, environmental, physical, spiritual, emotional and intellectual). The 1,000-square-meter Six Senses Spa will offer locally inspired treatments, longevity therapies, and personalized wellness programs. Six Senses Comino will also be a healing backdrop for a range of guided retreats curated by experts and spiritual and artistic communities, where guests can learn, grow, and transform through dance, yoga, emotional and physical healing, and tap into the power of the island’s extraordinary nature.
Six Senses Comino will uphold Comino’s ambitious sustainability vision through practical measures and rigorous design. Investors HV Hospitality, a subsidiary of Hili Ventures, has set out to respect all aspects of the Natura 2000 Management Plan through a holistic design strategy that will carefully dismantle the existing structures, regenerate important portions of disturbed land, and improve the skyline by reducing the height of the retreats to a single level. The use of timber ensures a sensitive and sustainable construction strategy as its low embodied energy and compatibility with prefabrication, coupled with the use of hard stone cladding, significantly participates in the resort’s low-carbon and LEED certification objectives. Energy consumption will be drastically reduced through natural cross-ventilation, thermal mass, and installation of low-consumption systems and solar thermal units.
The Island Of Comino
Located between Malta and Gozo lies the uninhabited and secluded island of Comino. A tranquil haven, Comino boasts bright turquoise waters, a rugged landscape, spectacular panoramas, and indigenous biodiversity. Comino is home to the Blue Lagoon, a natural sea pool of unique azure colour providing one of the best swimming and diving locations in the Mediterranean.
Dominant is a sea breeze scent of wild thyme across the undulating landscape and shallow, crystal-clear waters. Protected by the Natura 2000 preservation protocol, it is home to marine species, diverse flora and wildlife. The island consists almost entirely of coralline limestone and the landscape is dominated by sloping hills, valleys, sandy bays and inlets that surround the island. It is accessible by a 15-minute boat ride from Malta or Gozo.
During the last 2,300 years Comino has been inhabited by farmers, some of whom were attacked by pirates who used the island’s natural cliffs and caves to stage a surprise assault. During the time of the Knights, Comino became one large recreational ground while the Comino Tower was manned.
In the Middle Ages Comino was used as a place of exile – the famous prophet Abraham Abulafia is said to have written the Imre Shefer while there. There is a collection of landmarks on Comino, remnants of its military past. St Mary’s Tower (1416) and St Mary’s Battery (1716) are the most well-known. A tiny chapel is dedicated to the Sacred Family Upon Its Return from Egypt. Comino has also been the location for Hollywood movies including Troy, The Count of Monte Cristo, and Swept Away.
The island’s climate is typical of the Mediterranean and is strongly influenced by the sea. Pleasantly sunny with hot day-time temperatures mitigated by a cool sea breeze is typical for summer days. Spring and autumn are cooler yet mild.
FAQs – Six Senses Comino Project
Why not just restore the current hotel instead of demolishing and starting a whole new project build?
The current hotel and bungalow architecture are alien to Comino’s rugged environment and the new design concept seeks to break down that mass and make it almost disappear into the landscape – by downscaling the building, pushing it back to improve public access and creating stratified structures which mirror the island’s geology and tectonic layering.
In the same manner that the limestone layers of Comino are covered with a patchy carpet of garigue flora, so too are the horizontal slabs of the architecture, blending and integrating it into the natural landscape.
The new hotel will also meet today’s sustainability, comfort and health and safety expectations and this is why the site was reimagined from the ground up.
Will the new project take up more space than the current hotel and bungalow site?
No. In fact, the proposed project will have a footprint that is 8,244 sqm smaller. This means that an area equivalent to around 32 tennis courts will be restored into landscaped areas. The project will also host fewer guests than the current hotel.
The buildings at the bungalow site will also recede from the foreshore, increasing public accessibility, and will be lower in height, while the roofs will be landscaped (green roofs). To allow for this change, a basement floor will hold the required services, and HV Hospitality will also restore substantial areas of garigue landscape around the site.
Why invest in Comino?
We are regenerating the hotel and bungalow site in Comino to enhance Malta’s tourism product and attract quality visitors. We are offering a unique proposition with a world-renowned brand and concept, while regenerating an already-built area and protecting the site’s sensitivity.
Every tourism expert says that Malta should move away from mass tourism and towards quality tourism that attracts more revenue for the country with fewer visitors and therefore a lower impact on the environment and the country’s infrastructure. This is why it makes sense to revitalise a former three-star hotel into one that can attract a top hospitality brand like Six Senses.
Do you plan to sell off the bungalows for permanent residences?
No, the bungalows will be operated by Six Senses as hotel rooms, and these are not for sale. The Comino concession only permits touristic use of the site.
There is nothing in the concession contract that prevents the title-holder from selling parts of the concession to third parties as long as the sites are used strictly for tourism purposes. However, a strategic decision was taken to keep the site intact, with both the hotel and the bungalows operated by one partner as two distinct offers, to ensure we achieve the task of attracting quality tourism to Malta.
Will public access to Comino and its beaches be affected?
Public access will actually be increased because the project will recede from the foreshore in both San Niklaw and Santa Marija bays.
Under the concession, the Comino hotel includes a very small beach – San Niklaw – for its guests’ use, just as most seaside hotels around Malta and Gozo have their own beach. Santa Marija Bay, where the Comino police station is located, has always been, and will continue to be, a public beach. Mariners and boat owners will also continue to enjoy access to Comino’s bays as before.
Is the new project sustainable?
Yes, the project is targeting ambitious LEED certification. Six Senses Comino – one of the world’s most eco-conscious hotel brands – will seek to attract visitors who value sustainable travel above all else.
Efforts are being made to ensure that the impact of this property is minimised and compensated for, including through recycling of construction waste, recycling of water as part of hotel operations, and through the priority towards energy efficiency.
Six Senses Comino aims to drive the Maltese Islands’ sustainability vision through practical measures and a holistic and responsible design strategy, where we will regenerate important portions of disturbed land and improve the skyline by reducing the height of the bungalows to a single level.
Will the project impact trees on Comino?
The project will remove invasive species and plant more than 55,000 endemic trees, shrubs and plants.
These will be used to regenerate the garigue landscape in areas where the footprint is being reduced. These will also be used on the roofs and terraces of the hotel and bungalows and general landscaped areas. In total, 1,831 alien and invasive plants and trees across the site will be removed. Another 132 protected trees will also have to be removed. However, a process is already underway for these to be replaced by 1,200 protected trees that are already being grown besides an additional 55,000 trees, shrubs and plants that will be planted across the site, under the supervision of the Environment and Resources Authority. This is the first exercise of its kind in Malta and requires a large site in Sicily for this quantity of plants and trees to be grown.
Does the project respect Comino's Dark Sky Heritage Area status?
Yes, minimal external lighting will be used to preserve the dark sky and protect birds.
An ensemble of overhanging terraces/canopies will prevent interior light from spilling out and from polluting the night sky. The skyline will also improve in some areas. The new bungalows will be one storey high whereas the current properties include some two-storey buildings. The hotel will rise to a similar height as the existing property.
Will construction methods be eco-friendly?
Yes, prefabricated construction methods and waste reuse will minimise waste and the environmental impact.
The aim is to reuse construction waste from the existing buildings as much as is practically possible, including in the restoration of the garigue landscape. In line with the project objectives of minimising waste disposal, prefabricated wood components will be utilized, which will also reduce the intensity of construction work on site (such as the amount of concrete needed). The restoration of areas such as the tennis courts to their original natural state will be implemented with recycled material. Any other construction waste will be disposed of in line with all Maltese environmental legislation.
How does the project comply with Natura 2000?
The project respects Natura 2000 through the removal of alien and invasive species, the planting of 55,000 endemic species, the regeneration of garigue and various measures such as low energy systems and treatment and reuse of wastewater, in addition to respecting the Dark Sky Heritage.
The fact that this project has already received the green light from the Environment and Resources Authority confirms that every effort has been made not only to respect Natura 2000 rules but to abide by certain responsibilities and obligations that are necessary in such an area, such as the removal of alien species. To date, all wastewater from Comino is discharged at sea, without any form of treatment including from the new public toilets that were constructed in recent years at the camp site. The installation of a wastewater treatment plant will eliminate this.
Only electric buggies will be used for movement of guests and goods around the property, and we are also looking at the possibility of using electric boats for transport between Comino and Malta/Gozo. Low energy and alternative cooling systems are also being studied to minimise the amount of noise generated and the amount of electricity consumed from machinery once the hotel is open.
Who owns the land on which the hotel is constructed?
HV Hospitality obtained legal title over the land on which the Comino hotel and bungalows are built in 2019.
HV Hospitality acquired the concession at a cost of over €55 million. The land was originally leased out by the government in 1960 for 150 years, so there were 90 years remaining at the time of purchase. After 90 years, the site is to be returned to the Maltese government.
Will you pave concrete, create roads and cause traffic in Comino?
No. Transport around the hotel and bungalows will be via electric buggies on paths made up of stone and soil, using an ancestral stone paving method which promotes rainwater drainage.
The architecture firm of Antonio Belvedere (who worked with Renzo Piano on the City Gate Project and the Parliament Building) were inspired by the French calade tradition of streets paved with pebbles or stones, as well as ancient Roman roads found in the north of Malta.
Will there be a marina?
No. There are no plans for a marina in the project.
There is also no land reclamation in this project. If anything, efforts are being made to move both sites away from the shoreline to respect the site and provide more space for the public to enjoy.
Will the property operate all year round?
The property is expected to close for maintenance during select months each year, as is customary in such resorts, but this will be determined by Six Senses as the operator. The seasonal downtime allows for upkeep that supports the long-term quality and sustainability of the property.
Why do holiday bungalows need basements?
Since the design concept includes landscaping on the roof, to ensure cohesion with the landscape, building services must be housed elsewhere. Placing them in basements means we can maintain a smaller footprint, helping to preserve Comino’s natural skyline and ensuring that the resort blends more discreetly into the surrounding environment.
What are the actual green credentials of this project?
The project is designed with a range of sustainability measures including:
- – A commitment to restoring endemic vegetation
- – Eco-conscious construction practices
- – Maximising natural energy use for heating and cooling
- – Low-impact lighting that respects Comino’s Dark Sky Sanctuary designation
- – Advanced waste and water management systems
This is why we are targeting ambitious LEED certification, a globally recognised sustainability benchmark.
Will the facilities be open to the public?
Some facilities are expected to be available to non-guests on a per-visit basis, subject to availability. This access will be managed by Six Senses Comino.
How will waste and sewage be managed?
We have planned a robust system that minimises our impact and maximises water recycling. Reuse of waste water especially for maintaining the plants and trees around the resort is crucial to meeting our environmental goals as well as those imposed by Six Senses.
How big is the hotel? How many guests will it accommodate?
The new hotel will include 71 suites and 16 bungalows, along with a restaurant, bars, indoor and outdoor pool, a spa, a clubhouse, and other ancillary facilities as one would find in similar remote locations. The total guest capacity will be reduced compared to the former hotel and bungalows – a shift toward lower-impact, higher-quality tourism.
Comparing the numbers:
How much is being invested in this project?
The project investment is estimated to exceed €170 million.
What is Six Senses?
Six Senses is a globally recognised luxury brand and the flagship eco-conscious label within the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) portfolio. In May 2023, HV Hospitality signed a 25-year hotel management agreement with Six Senses. The award-winning brand known for its commitment to sustainability – every hotel in its portfolio is LEED certified and supporting a strong sustainability programme focused on the local environment where each hotel is located. Each property is required to invest a percentage of its revenue back into the local environment and community.