Malta Is The Holiday Destination For 2017, This Is What You Need To Know
Beautiful old towns, picture-perfect buildings and vivid rose vines, illuminated by bright Mediterranean sunshine and surrounded by deep azure sea, the island of Malta is becoming a holiday hot-spot, and it’s easy to see why.
Just a couple of hours flight from Gatwick, the island sits off the southern tip of Italy, surrounded by miles of glistening Mediterranean sea and is a dreamy getaway location for late-season sun seekers. Steeped in history, with divine food, delicious local wines, a lively nightlife, and some of the clearest waters in the Med, it’s safe to say Malta has won our hearts.
Looking for something a bit more romantic? The nearby town of Mdina is the perfect place for a stroll with a loved one (or, you know, your bezzy mate). The ancient walled city streets form a labyrinth, and the flowers, plants and streetlamps give it a fairy-tale feel. Cutesy couples steal kisses under archways of the ruins and you can’t help but feel warm and fuzzy inside. At dusk make your way to Rabat, just outside Mdina, where the light coloured limestone walls glow pink and gold at sunset.
Vittoriosa is more chilled than the hustle of Valletta and a little more secluded, here you can have the streets to yourself. The kinda of place you imagine a famous script writer might hide out to write the next big blockbuster... Don’t forget to look up while you meander through the streets - brilliantly colourful window boxes five and six floors high, maids shaking blankets out of windows and cats snoozing on balconies - there’s a whole life going on above you. The harbour is a great spot for some fresh sea air and you can relax in view of the fishing boats bobbing on the glittering sea front.
Take the ferry to the relaxed, laid-back island of Gozo for a peer through the famous Azure Window and take in the crystal blue sea. With the clearest waters in the Med at 100m deep it’s popular with divers, and people travel from all over to check out the reef and shipwrecks that lie beneath. If you’re more of an ice-cream-and-chill type, the paradise-like Blue Lagoon on Comino Island has got you covered. Desperate for sun, sea and sand? These are the most pinned beaches on Pinterest right now.
For pure luxury, where every detail is thought about, we love The Intercontinental Malta. For sundowners on the terrace, and the biggest tub to recline in after a hard day of sun lounging, it’s also in the heart of the nightlife district so you can party to your heart’s content knowing the world’s most comfy beds are just a sashay away. There’s also a gym, huge outdoor pool and luxuriant spa, not to mention the personal service - you’ll feel utterly pampered.
Do
We love Malta as it sits somewhere between a city break and a beach holiday, where you can either explore the local towns, or chill by the pool, or do both! Here’s what you don’t want to miss:
- Make your way to The Bridge Bar in Valletta for drinks at dusk. Don’t mind the crowds, take a seat on the outdoor stone staircase and enjoy a glass of wine under the fairy lights and the roses.
- Boat trips around the islands to view the caves and deep blue crystal waters will make you feel at one with the sea.
- Re-enact your favourite film scenes on the filming spots of Game of Thrones and more!
- Go wine tasting - with a vibrant wine scene and so many local wineries, you may as well get involved! San Niklaw Estate shares their vineyard with a 17th Century Chapel, Marsovin will give you a tour of their beautiful old cellars and Ta’ Mena Gozo has a lush garden where the wine makers will take you on a guided tasting through their different wines. Along with delicious Chardonnay and Syrah you’ll get to taste and compare some funky grape varieties you can’t get in the UK.
- Enjoy a spa treatment at the Intercontinental Carisma Spa – their relaxing full body massage and salt scrub will leave you feeling light on your feet, and at sundown you can relax by the huge outdoor pool with a cocktail. Dreamy.
Words and photos by Abbie Moulton.