MELLIEHA

Our hotel was situated in Mellieha and it was the perfect location for us - it was quiet, the views were spectacular, & it had easy access to the Islands nearby. If you're expecting buzzing nightlife then Mellieha isn't for you, try St, Julians.

THINGS TO DO: mellieha

• Bluewaves Watersports
• Għadira Bay
• Popeye Village (film set)

[DAY 1: arrival]

Our flight was at 6 am from Birmingham & it was around a 3-hour flight. Once we landed at Luqa Airport, rather than taking a taxi to the hotel we used a bus instead [€2] the journey took 1 hour, thankfully our hotel had a bus stop directly outside so there was minimum walking involved esp. with suitcases!

We used this day to catch up on sleep & explore the area on foot, the weather was perfect - not too hot & not too chilly (mid 20's) . Mellieha is home to Għadira Bay - Malta's longest beach, which we did visit but the weather wasn't hot enough to sit and relax on the beach. Whilst on our walk, we stumbled across a cafe overlooking the coastline called Sea View Cafe, this was our lunch & sunset spot! 🌅

In the evening we decided to check out the hotel's spa facilities, luckily we had the entire pool & jacuzzi to ourselves - oh the joys of off-peak season! 🥳

Ending the day with an Italian meal at the hotel's restaurant, Al Pointe - not halal but had plenty of vegetarian and GF options!

[DAY 2: private boat hire]

Before heading to the neighbouring Islands - Comino & Gozo, we found a watersports company - Bluewaves Watersports & decided to hire a speedboat. By the way, neither of us has ever driven a boat before, I mean it sounds easy, how hard can it be driving a boat in the sea?? WE WERE SO WRONG.

We hired Boat #1 [€90 / £76] the hire period is 3 hours, which is more than enough! We were given instructions on how to steer and anchor the boat, areas where you are not allowed to drive into and areas that are easy to anchor the boat. If you ask me, there was SO much information overload I started to panic internally because I have the responsibility of safely driving the boat in a big open sea - I CAN'T EVEN SWIM 😭!

Five minutes in & everything was going wrong, it was difficult to control and steer the boat, so we decided to ask if we would have a driver because we're not confident enough, thankfully they were able to get us a driver (for an extra cost at the time), so while we were waiting for the driver to set the boat up again, the boat had run out of juice and stopped working!

Bluewaves Watersports were kind enough to offer us a complimentary upgrade to a bigger & luxury boat at no extra cost to us!! We had a 7 seater boat [€260 / £220] all to ourselves, we could connect our phones to the music system via Bluetooth and play music whilst being driven on a boat around the sea and even to Comino! We had an amazing experience, the driver was kind enough to give us a tour of the hidden gems around the sea, you can swim in the sea too but since neither of us can swim we just admired everything from our boat. I 100% recommend doing a private boat tour or a self-boat hire (if you're feeling brave) with Bluewaves Watersports, outstanding service! 🚤

GOZO & COMINO

Gozo is Malta’s smaller & quieter neighbour, a much more rural island with beautiful scenery along its coastlines! Gozo is filled with culture and history, and the locals are not Maltese, despite Malta being such a close neighbour. They’re known as Gozitans & they speak their own dialect. 

Comino is a small car-free island located in between Malta & Gozo, it's a paradise for watersport enthusiasts, so if you can swim you'll have a lot of fun in the blue lagoon, other than diving into the pristine waters, there's not much to do in Comino if you can't swim.

[DAY 2: ISLAND HOPPING]

MELLIEHA > GOZO

• We took a bus [€2] from our hotel to Ċirkewwa Ferry Terminal
• The ferry [€4.65] took us straight to Gozo in 30 minutes, you can also hop on / off at Comino too.
• Read further information on the Gozo Ferry here

things to do: GOZO

• Villa Rundle Gardens - A beautiful garden in the heart of Victoria
• Ramla Bay - Golden sand beach
• The Citadel -  A small fortified city, an iconic landmark in Victoria
• Marsalforn Salt Pans - 350-year-old salt pans, an incredibly picturesque area
• Ta’Pinu Basilica Shrine
• Ġgantija Temples

VALLETTA

Valletta is the capital city of Malta, and is one of Europe's smallest capital cities! Valletta is filled with sites of historical significance, with buildings dating back to the 16th century.

MELLIEHA > valletta

• We took a bus from our hotel to Valletta [€2.60] the journey took 40-minutes.

THINGS TO DO: valletta

• Upper Barrakka Gardens
• Lower Barrakka Gardens
• Grand Harbour
• Merchant Street Market
• St. John's Co-Cathedral
• Republic Street

[DAY 3: exploring valletta]

This was our last full day in Malta, so we decided to use the entire day to explore Valletta.

After a 40-minute bus journey, we were finally in Valletta. We saw decorations hung up across the area, live music was playing and food stalls were all lined up. Only to our realisation (with the help of Google), it was Notte Bianca! An annual festival that takes place in October, one of Malta's biggest arts & culture festivals.

We started the day off with a sugary snack from Amorino (they also cater for GF!)

Valletta is a photographer’s dream, overflowing with colourful doors and balconies, pots of flowers, and little cobbled streets, you can get lost in your own world here! Whilst walking along the streets (Merchant Street MArket & Republic Street), we came across a Halal food stall Falafel Street - finally some meat on this holiday!

We then headed towards the Grand Harbour, also known as the Port of Valletta - it's one of the world's most impressive and spectacular natural harbours.

Plenty of photographers later, Upper (& Lower) Barrakka Gardens was next on our list to visit! These are small public gardens and offer a panoramic view of the Great Harbour.

We started to feel peckish so after some research, we found a Middle Eastern cuisine called Middle East Muse (Halal & GF) located in St. Julians, which was a 30-minute bus journey away.

Overall, I had no expectations for Malta before going. I just wanted a break somewhere, anywhere and Malta was the best option for that! There's SO much to see, Malta is enriched with history and it really is a photographer's dream.

In total, the cost of the trip per person (incl. flights, hotel, attractions, bus, food) was just under £300, a perfect escape if you want a budget holiday! 🤩