Valetta Grand Harbour – Photo by Antonio Caselli
Enjoy a guest post by Ben from The Fortina Spa Resort.
Malta is most certainly a place to revel in when it comes to tourism and offers much for anyone visiting its shores. Below is just a little guide of what to expect upon your arrival of this most perfect of islands.
Malta’s Capital City of Valletta
The capital of Malta covers an entire area which is less than one square kilometre. The city is quite literally steeped in history, rich architecture, alleys and squares, old fashioned wood balconies, museums, monuments, forts and palaces. The capital has a good range of eateries and cafes for all to enjoy. One can take a relaxing walk and view Valletta’s panoramic and awe inspiring Grand Harbour. This particular harbour is considered one of the world’s biggest and most influential natural harbours and most certainly plays a pivotal role for Malta in regards to history, which goes back as far as the Phoenician civilisation.
The Island of Gozo
Gozo is slightly smaller in regards to Malta and is situated north of its sister island. The travel is only 30 minutes away by boat and as one arrives one can see exactly what Malta originated from decades ago. The pace of life is slower and the locals are most certainly welcoming. The country side views are certainly worth checking out as well as the traditional crafts and locally sourced food produce. Some of the best attractions which Gozo has consists of Ggantija Temples, Citadella, Dweira and ta’ Pinu Santuary.
Sea, Sand and Sun
The island of Malta has most certainly its fair share of historic areas, however with the climate being what it is and with the Mediterranean Sea being extremely clean, it definitely makes for a great beach vacation anytime! There are of course many popular beaches here in Malta as well as some very rugged and rocky coastlines. The island of Gozo possesses a good number of beautiful beaches and of course one of the main attractions is the Blue Lagoon in Comino, which is most certainly something to see! The waters from within the Lagoon itself are a unique shade of turquoise and certainly give the feel of a paradise in heaven. When compared to other holiday locations, the island of Malta has relatively small beaches; nonetheless Malta is covered with gorgeous coves, inlets and bays with natural surroundings that will quite literally take ones breath away. With Armier Bay facing Comino in the north, and Golden Bay in the north-west, the range of beaches are varied.
Malta Gozo Blue Lagoon – Photo by Ingrid Sinclair
Nightlife and dining in the Mediterranean
Malta most certainly has its fair share of restaurants and eateries. One can eat food which is just so fresh and also really get a good feel for what Mediterranean cuisine is really all about. The wine bars are just superb, laid back and one can really enjoy the atmosphere. With anything from Casinos to nightclubs ones choice of entertainment is really quite good. Bugibba and St. Julian’s are very popular to the younger generation as the number of nightclubs certainly extend themselves to more than one.
Megalithic Temples
The Megalithic Temples are some of the most beautiful and ancient in the world. They currently date back to around 3,600 B.C. and the temples themselves are listed as World Heritage Sites. One temple in particular, Ggantija, is considered one of the oldest and freestanding temples on the planet. The Hypogeum is also something one must see as this underground site is most certainly a significant find in Malta’s history. Another fantastic attraction is the Hagar Qim Temples. Being one of the most picturesque out of many of such temples these Megalithic structures are located on top of a hill with an awe-inspiring back-drop of the Med Sea. Dating as far back as 3600-3200 B.C., the Hagar Qim Temples were discovered in 1839. Additionally, a good number of artifacts were also found which have been of considerable interest to historians. Only 500 metres from the Hagar Qim temple, close to the cliff edge, exists another interesting temple landmark named Mnajdra and is situated in a hollow directly above a southern facing cliff. The encompassing area is a typical Mediterranean shrubby site, which has also been named a Heritage Park.
BIO: The Fortina Spa Resort offers accommodation within the Sliema area and caters for visitors from all over the world. The resort additionally was the first in the world to establish therapeutic spa bedrooms.
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