Sister trip to Malta

Knowing that I had some Maltese blood in me, Malta has always been on my list of places to visit. So my sister and I decided to take a few days to celebrate the end of my degree, the end of her GCSE’s and most importantly…get that summer tan!

I’m the kind of person who likes to move around when on holiday, to see the most of any country and experience everything it has to offer, but this time around all we wanted was a few days to relax and so decided to stay in one place, Cirkewwa.

We took an airport transfer from our hotel, included in our holiday package. When we arrived we dropped our bags and went for a tour of the hotel and surrounding area.

For our first meal we knew we had to try something traditional, so ordered the Maltese platter which we quickly learned that anything Maltese consisted off goats cheese, Maltese sausage and sun-dried tomatoes (all things we love).

We also ordered a big bowl of fresh mussels which came in a gorgeous white wine sauce so we ended up eating loads of crusty bread soaking up the sauce. Since it was already the afternoon we got a spot by the pool and spent the rest of the afternoon soaking up the sun and drinking cocktails.

Paradise Bay:

Easily one of the most gorgeous beaches I have ever been to. Clear waters, soft sand and a delicious beach restaurant serving up fresh food. It is pretty easy to get to; those staying outside of Cirkewwa can get the 101 bus right to the top of the stairs which takes you down to the beach. For anyone staying in the Paradise Beach hotel (like us), it is a hill walk/step combo of about 15 minutes (although my sister and I managed the walk fine and quicker than this). Not recommended for older or less abled people. If you want a good spot best getting there before 12 when it’s still pretty empty. You can rent an umbrella or sunbed at the beach shop for less than 10 euros as well as kayaks and other water activities.

Being a massive foodie, I was so impressed with the food in Malta as well as the low cost in price! The Beach restaurant really did good quality, fresh food, and very big portions. We had lots of calamari, salmon, and a range of different salads- all gorgeous! Their cocktails are yummy too! Anyone in the Paradise Bay Hotel, K-Lounge food is really good, low cost, big portion, and good quality, however, I would recommend staying away from the hotel buffet at IL-MERILL, was awful, we never returned!

Gozo island:

We were lucky enough that our hotel was right opposite the Gozo Ferry channel which meant that we could pop to Gozo whenever we wanted. The ferry runs all night long which was great news since we go to the terminal for around 9. It is a short 20-minute journey and is really cheap at only around 4 euros (as you only pay on return). We took a quick bus from the terminal to the capital of Victoria (from here you can take buses to all over the island). From here we walked around the town towards St. George’s Square and had a great dinner and some drinks. We tried the traditional meat of Rabbit in a ravioli as well as salmon and prawn skewers and lots of cheesecake. We were pretty tired this day and so after lots of wine and desserts we made our way back to the main island.

Valletta:

I had heard good things about Valletta, and after spending a few days on the beach and by the pool, we thought it would be a nice change to spend a morning in a city. We took a bus from outside our hotel that went directly to the capital. It took over an hour to get there so we regretted getting the bus at 10 instead of earlier. It was absolutely baking so we spent much of our time fanning ourselves and searching for shade.

The streets are so cute, coloured balconies and flowers and there are lots of stalls where you can buy local artisan gifts. We ate at Kantina Cafe & Wine restaurant and I got the special of the day which was a medley of fish (Whitebait, Seabream, Sardines, and Prawns). It was so tasty and nice and fresh.

After getting our souvenirs we got ourselves a big gelato ice cream to try to cool ourselves down. I got a cookie dough ice cream, and my sister got a candyfloss flavour which melted instantly and so she spent the next half an hour drinking it like a soup and trying to clean it up! The bus back was so long, we were falling asleep on the bus and so instead of spending the afternoon in Comino/Blue Lagoon as planned, we decided to stay at the pool, tan and relax.

Mellieha:

Apart from the great beaches, I had seen lots of restaurants in this town as we passed through it on the bus and so was determined to come one evening for dinner. We took the bus from our hotel and was told it was only a 10-minute journey. Being dark we couldn’t see much and so actually ended up passing the streets of restaurants and ended up at a random bus stop on a hill with the next bus, not for another hour. After this mistake, we had to get a taxi back to the town of Mellhia, and after lots of reading of different menus finally decided on the Hilltop restaurant.

Now, when I say incredible food I really mean INCREDIBLE. We ordered the Bruschetta with Cheese, Deep fried local Cheeselets (honey and walnuts), Bowl of fresh Mussels, Spinach, and Ricotta tortellini, and the obvious side of fries (which I think are the best chips I have ever had!). After this we thought we would see if we fancied a dessert and asked for the menu. The waiter came out with a dessert trolly so we could actually see each dessert, very good business move because they looked so good we couldn’t decide and ended up getting two desserts: one hot mini brownies with ice cream and the other (my ultimate favourite dessert from now on) pistachio and cookie cheesecake. The food was fantastic, the drinks were great and by the end of our little getaway, my skirt no longer closed!

Next time…because there WILL be a next time:

There is so much more that I still need to do on my next trip to Malta. Including the island of Comino, Blue Lagoon, travel around Gozo, more time in Valletta plus other towns. Also, next time I plan on hitting the party spots as I am told by the locals that Malta is the best place to party!

For more photos, check out my instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karinaenrile/?hl=en