missing malta
This post is sadly coming you you from a very miserable London while I sit here and reminisce over the flaky pastizzi, celestial oceans and picturesque sunsets Malta has to offer (can you tell I miss it terribly?). The Maltese archipelago truly are beautiful islands. Without a doubt. I’ve had the privilege of visiting there every summer to be able to catch up with my mother’s side of the family. I recently spent two weeks on the much more relaxed island Gozo; laying by a pool, hosting family barbecues, and showing two of my friends my beautiful second home.
Malta is a country worth visiting for multiple reasons. The history, culture, beaches, and nightlife. Maltese history is long and complicated, featuring invasions from many empires such as the Ottomans, French, Arabs and British, some won and some lost. This led to Maltese culture being a mix of southern Europe and the Middle East, one of the strangest mixes being the language. The Maltese language is of semitic origin yet also shares some similarities to French (e.g. “Bonswa” and “Bongu”) and Italian (e.g. “Grazzi” and “Gurnata”). Arguably Malta’s most famous historic site has to be Mdina, dubbed the silent city, which has one of the best viewpoints of the entire island and is a beautiful city to walk through. Mdina used to be the country’s capital until Valletta was built, solely designed to be the new capital, as Mdina was said to be too guarded as its original purpose was to defend. Or you could visit the Citadel in on Gozo island, which was recently restored, and has just as gorgeous views as Mdina offers, but of Gozo instead. Both places obviously include a fascinating and detailed retelling of Malta’s interesting history.
Of course, one of the bigger attractions in Malta, is the sea. Malta’s home to lovely sandy beaches, intriguing caves (particularly around Comino and Gozo) and fun water sports locations. My personal favourites are Ghadira and Paradise Bay for when you just want to relax. However, there are others that feature fun jumping spots instead of just lounging by the sea such as the other-side-of-Marsalforn, Peter’s Pool and Hondoq. As mentioned, Malta’s also great for certain water sports (sadly not surfing as there are never enough waves) but water skiing, parasailing, kayaking, scuba diving and paddle boarding are all extremely popular. By far my favourite places to do these activities are at Dwejra Inland Sea, Hondoq, Wied il-Mielah and Comino. But, of course, a list of Malta’s best swimming spots is never complete without fully mentioning Comino- and by that I mean the Blue Lagoon. Unfortunately as Maltese tourism grows, so do the number of people visiting Comino. Don’t get me wrong, it’s wonderful that people are visiting (that’s not the issue) it’s just that the particular part of the Blue Lagoon that people visit is very VERY small which makes it extremely overcrowded and polluted. But there are other locations around Comino just as worth visiting and slightly more secluded, my personal favourite being the Crystal Cove just on the other side of the island and the Comino caves.
Initially I talked about the fact that I come to Malta to visit family, which basically means that the trip normally includes long days at the beach and then quiet family dinners. But this year I turned 18 and my friends came to join me for a week… and so they had to take me clubbing. I interrogated the family I have there who were around my age for the best places to go and many told me to check out Ta’Qali for Uno Village, Zebbug for Gianpula Village and Valletta for live jazz music and bars where the people spill onto the narrow streets for fresh air. However, despite those wonderful recommendations, my friends and I had to check out Paceville which is the number 1 tourist destination for nightlife. I will say that it does make this place rather dangerous as due to it being solely tourists, the people here are more vulnerable than in other areas of Malta. Also, if you ask a Maltese person where to go for a night out, I can pretty much guarantee you no one will tell you to visit Paceville as as the area is now more tourist-aimed and dangerous. But, despite the stories I was being told, my friends and I were tourists for a week, so we did still go… and, luckily, had a great time. The drinks are incredibly cheap as well as club entry fees, so it’s great for young travellers and the music is great (mainly being French and Spanish that I encountered). I will say that I was lucky to find a big group of people that we went out with which was 100% much safer than being just two or three of us. We also left pretty early, and thank goodness we did, as past 3am from 2 different people we met: they told us they’d been pickpocketed and received no help whatsoever from police (FYI the Maltese police are renowned for being incredibly corrupt and particularly unhelpful to tourists). All in all, I’d say Malta is a good place for nightlife with thriving piazzas and many clubs putting on events in the summer which are always good fun- just, if you do still decide to go to Paceville, the best advice I can give is to go out in a big group, whether it be your own friends or to join some kind of pub crawl that loads of hotels in the area run.
Overall, despite my bias, Malta is a beautiful country that is definitely worth visiting. I must stress to try and be as safe as possible especially in the overcrowded tourist spots for scams and muggings especially with the police’s famous lack of help but I hope this doesn’t deter you too much from experiencing the beautiful Maltese culture, just please be vigilant. Below I'll include a list of my personal favourites to do on the islands. <3
FOOD: Il Pirata, Roza’s, Trabuxu, The Harbour Club, Naar, Zen, Fontanella, Sole by Tarragon, David’s Bakery, Osteria Scottadito
SWIM: Paradise Bay, Ramla Bay, Wied Il-Ghasri, Hondoq, Mellieha / Ghadira, St. Peter’s Pool, Crystal Cove
SHOP: Ta’Qali crafts village, Ta’Dbiegi crafts village, Valletta, Sliema
EXPERIENCES: Gozo Fun paddle-boarding, Ta’Miema boat hiring, Parasailing Comino, Joyride Watersports Gozo
