Malta in March
If you need a bit of sunshine and somewhere different for a little R&R before the School holidays, try a trip to Malta. I flew Air Malta and was welcomed at the airport by a very friendly rep from Bellair Holidays whom I would highly recommend.
I thoroughly enjoyed touring this tiny sun-drenched island in the heart of the Mediterranean. It’s not just for sun worshipers like me but for Divers too and also steeped in history.
We travelled around to learn more of the settlers that arrived on the island as early as 5300 BC, most of whom were farmers - independent and self sufficient, but soon Malta became the island of choice for sea farers and merchants becoming a very busy and successful port in Napoleonic times.
The Island is dusted with ancient temples, citadels and churches including the world’s fourth largest unsupported dome in Mosta.
The local language of Malti is closely related to Arabic, and English is the second official language on the island so it’s really easy to communicate with the lovely warm Maltese, and of course to shop! Italian and French are also quite widely spoken so it’s quite a cosmopolitan atmosphere.
Whilst Valletta, the capital, is a small city of less than one kilometre width, this makes it a great place to explore on foot. We took an extraordinary amount of time wondering aimlessly through the quaint streets exploring hidden Palaces, museums and some spectacular churches, Iconic havens of cool tranquillity.
The narrow streets are interspersed with a huge variety of shops from antiques to fashion, market stalls and cafes – great for people watching and great for sitting out in the sunshine just soaking up the sights and sounds. We particularly enjoyed the harbour, the marina and the stunning seafood.
For such a small Island Malta has a very sophisticated and tasteful variety of nightlife that suited us well, but still the areas we even saw for the party animals amongst us felt totally safe and fun to see.
With the lovely warm atmosphere we toured the beaches at Mellieha Bay, Ghajntuffieha and Golden Bay to check out the best, but there are too many more yet to be explored, so I will just have to convince my husband to take me back.
For my part I was thoroughly sold on Malta and would happily be dragged back there any time of the year – it has a charm all of its own and the weather to match.
Eve Ellis and her party travelled with Bellair Holidays and Air Malta for a girls trip away to the 5* Intercontinental Hotel, St Julian’s. 4* special offers and Diving Holidays start from £218 per person.