Diving in Malta
Walking along sandy beaches with crystal clear waters, scuba diving one of the world’s most gorgeous islands, and eating an amazing blend of Italian, French, and African food are just some of the things possible in Malta. After our lovely New Years trip and a cancelled COVID trip, we desperately wanted to return! Thankfully, travel restrictions eased for UK residents and we booked a one way flight to Malta during the summertime nights.
Logistics:
Although the island is rather small compared to the UK and USA, there are a few considerations. Head over to our previous posts for everything on cars, public transportation! Below I’ve listed out what we did for our last minute summertime trip.
Public Transportation
Malta has excellent bus links throughout the island. Bus fares have to be purchased in exact change on the bus (2E a ride) or you can buy the bus card or pass. The bus card is 12 rides for 15E or a 7 day pass for 21E and can be purchased via mini marts or hotels. We did the 12 rides for 15E and it was well worth it!
By Car
On the island, a car or scooter would either mean a death trip or a blessing. The Maltese are insane when it comes to roads, driving with no laws or lanes and preferring to hit corners and turns at high speeds. If that sounds like fun, rent a car!
Travel Tip: I utilize Skyscanner.net to find the best rental car deals!
Lodging
Compared to our last trip in December, we wanted to stay near the beach and dive sites in one of the top beach spots of Melihha. We did debate for a few days on whether or not we should stay in Valetta, but we ultimately preferred staying in one location for the full five days. For our full week’s lodging, we also wanted a washer/dryer available, as well as a kitchen to cook our food.
After I spent hours looking at possible AirBnBs and hotels, we actually went with the scuba diving place’s recommendation of Luna Holiday Complex. After reading their Tripadvisor reviews, we contacted them for a special deal for our five nights!
In all, our stay at Luna was decent. Despite the lack of hardly any to zero wifi, we really enjoyed the rooftop pool with unbelievable views of Mellieha Bay.
Another positive was the lack of wifi made me go to the gym more often to use their slightly better wifi. Plus, we enjoyed the kitchen to prep our own meals! More importantly, we really liked being in the same building as the scuba dive shop so we could sleep in as much as possible.
Travel Tip: For non-brand hotels, I usually use Hotels.com for their loyalty program unless booking directly offers a special discount. Other sites such as booking.com and expedia offer similar programs!
Food & Drinks
As we mentioned in our first post to Malta, the food is INCREDIBLE in Malta. While the prices are relatively the same as mainland Italy, there is an amazing blend of Italian, French, English, and African foods available for any budget. While we enjoyed our budget meals in, we really enjoyed some of our favorites in the city, plus new options! Our big date night dinner was the classic Zero Sei which we loved on our last trip. However, nothing will beat the good pizza from Made in Sud in St Paul’s Bay while we did our laundry!
At Made in Sud in St Pauls Bay, we ordered two pizzas - one which was a pig cheek and the other a flatbread with fresh mozzarella, basil and tomato. While we enjoyed the pizza, it was just okay. While we were starving, we were not crazy about the pig cheek pizza. We were expecting bacon! However, the tasty tiramisu is wonderful!
For our Thursday night date night dinner at Zero Sei, we had a lovely table outdoors and started with the classic caprese salad. For our mains, we had their tasty pastas with MF having the house special, fresh tomato and chicken pasta, and I had their classic carbonara. To end the night, we obviously had to have their caramel panna cotta. Yummy!
Click here for our Malta Google map pins for all of our hard research of the top food and drink spots!
Activities
Because we came to Malta for the beaches, scuba, surf, and sunshine, our activities were solely focused on those activities. Because we were in a different area, we looked up another PADI certified scuba diving resort. Rather than obtain our Advanced Open Water certification in Cyprus, we decided to go for it in Malta! For great prices and options, we chose AquaVentures.
Mary Frances does our scuba research and spent many hours planning our dives. Initially, she researched the top 5 star PADI resorts on the island. Because we wanted to stay by a beach and near the main scuba point at Cirekkwa, she found two resorts. In the end, the cost differences and the glowing reviews on TripAdvisor led us to AquaVentures. Boy, are we glad they did!
Located in the heart of Mellieha Bay, Lee and Paul are an amazing diving team! After a December 2019 visit to Malta, we knew that we wanted to stay further north and this dive shop offers immediate access (less than 5 minute drive) to the main onshore diving point of Cirkewwa. We took our advanced open water certification course with Lee and we are extremely pleased with the level of service and attention. Because it is a small shop, we had Lee’s direct attention for the entire two days.
Before, during, and after diving, Lee provided clear directions and provided a wealth of knowledge of how we should dive and our ultimate dive experience. She was so useful!
In terms of equipment provided, everything was really clean and felt new. It is also included in the price so that is really nice!
In the end, Lee (and Paul) provided a wonderful experience as we gained our advanced open water certificate. We cannot wait to return and we highly recommend!!!
However, there are loads of other sightseeing opportunities here!
- South Side
- Blue Grotto: One of the highlights is the Blue Grotto. A beautiful magnificent blue bay is only accessible by boat.
- Marsaxlokk: Located on southern part of the island, the village has the most colorful fishing boats seen on every postcard.
- Mdina and Rabat: One of the oldest cities on the island, the former capital of Mdina and the sister city of Rabat holds more authentic charm than Valletta. Because Mdina is much smaller than Valletta, wandering does not take long and the views are entirely worth it!
- North Side
- Gozo and Comino: The two islands north of the main island have amazing charm and are well worth a visit. The ferry has many departures.
- Popeye Village: Formerly a Robin Williams’ movie set, Popeye Village is now an overpriced theme park. However, the overlook has fantastic views at sunset!
- Beaches Galore! Since it is an island, there are many beaches. In Melihha Bay, there is one of the most beautiful beaches at Għajn Tuffieħa. There is also Golden Bay on the west side of the island. Maltaese beaches are not full of pebbles like their European counterparts which is one of the nicest things.
Fixed Costs:
In Malta, our fixed costs were much higher than usual because we paid 300 each for the advanced open water course. In the end, we managed to keep our costs down by cooking in and eating light.
Category
Cost (Euros)
Lodging
79/night
Flight
98
Transport
15+4
Scuba
600
Onto Malta
Despite us flying from Malta a mere seven months ago, I forgot the flight was really long (by intra-European standards). I thought we would never get there from Dublin after a four hour trek. In the end, we arrived and we breezed through the temperature checks and handed in the required documentation. At customs, they did not even question our American passports which was one worry of mind! It was most likely due to the form that said we had to be in certain countries for 14 days before coming to Malta!
After we got our luggage, I called a Bolt (Malta’s version of Uber) and we were whisked away to the other side of the island in under 30 minutes and only 25E. It is much better than paying a taxi at full price! Once we arrived at Luna, we were seamlessly checked in and instantly crashed in our room since it was 1am, way past our bedtime!
Travel Tip: Use our BOLT code for money off your first ride!
Pool Days
Rooftop views
On our first day, because we arrived really late, we wanted to have a chill day by the pool and/or beach. Because we slept in, this meant the pool since the beach was likely already too busy and hot for us!
One of the main reasons we chose Luna was it had a terrific rooftop pool. Surprisingly, the website pictures and descriptions do not do it justice! We loved the amazing view of Mellihna Bay and the village of Mellihna and cathedral. Plus the water was a great break from the hot sun as it cooled us off. Afterwards, MF did not want to leave, but I had special date night plans!
St Paul’s Bay.
Because we stayed in the southern part of Malta on our last trip, we really wanted to explore the other towns on the north side. One of the most famous towns is St Pauls Bay, known for the site of the apoloste St Paul’s shipwreck. At the very end of the bay, there is a little church. For us, this town is slightly more important because it is the only place with a laundromat!
Traveling on the road has one pitfall - laundry. Normally, we try to do it at convenient locations and this spot was kind of one of them. While we wanted to see St Pauls Bay, we also did not want to go to this part of town. Thankfully, I made up for this slight error by finding a one of the kind pizza joint. While I waited on the laundry to dry, Mary Frances grabbed our table and begin to order. We split two different kinds of pizza - one with pork cheek and the other normal margherita. We definitely enjoyed the margethiita, but the pork cheek was very chewy… It was okay! In the end, we were in the historic St Pauls Bay, and had good pizza. We just wish the scenery was a little bit nicer!
Dive, Dive, Dive!
Because our primary mission in Malta was diving, we were thoroughly excited about our dive days! We had two full days - one on Wednesday and the other on Friday. Since we were going for our advanced open water certification, we had three dives to do on our first day. It would be pretty tough since we had never done 3 dives in one day. Today, we did our peak buoyancy, navigation, and naturalist dives. Each one has different requirements for the certificate.
On our first dive, we would do peak buoyancy, which means floating in the water. It sounds much easier than in reality! On my GoPro, I captured a fantastic video of MF trying to float underwater. After the dive, the video made me laugh constantly!! Thankfully she doesn’t have any videos with myself screwing up!
On our second dive, we practiced an old skill - underwater navigation! Surprisingly, both of us were better than expected when we used a compass underwater. In fact, I was much better at my breathing when I had something to do rather than staring in space!
For our final dive, we did the naturalist. Initially, we were hesitant to do this rather easy speciality, but we were very tired by this third dive! Compared to the other dives, we could swim, dive, and enjoy the sea while looking out for fish, grass, and other sea creatures! For the speciality, we had to remember a few different types of sea creatures and plants. Thankfully we were allowed a helpful Mediterranean book on plants, fish, and other creatures. By the end of thee 40 minute dive, we saw everything from octopus, starfish, barracuda, loads of fish, and other bits! It was fascinating - and I wish the GoPro hadn’t died on me!
Scuba Day 1 views
Eat, Sleep, and Relax
After nearly 8 hours of diving, we were exhausted. We desperately wanted to enjoy the other part of holiday - relaxing! Too bad we just wanted food and sleep! Because the Luna rooms had a kitchenette, we cooked our own dinner of tomato, feta, and couscous salad. Yum…..
Magical Old Mdina
On our second to last day, we reserved it to go sightseeing and experience new sights! We had reservations in the beautiful capital of Valletta, but wanted to go to the old historic capital of Mdina. Because we didn’t have a car, it meant a long day on public buses - oh joy! Instead, we decided the weather was too hot so a morning at the pool wouldn’t be the worst idea… whoops!
Located in the southern part of Malta, Mdina is a beautiful walled city that is completely surrounded by giant walls. In the early days, Mdina was the capital and main fortress of the Knights of Malta. The Knights could see any ships in the harbor and prepare the defenses as the enemy marched across the barren land. Personally, I prefer the new capital with waterfront views!!
Once we were in the city, the beautiful architecture really stood out! Mdina is a very small, pedestrian friendly village. Every street had its own beautiful doors and balconies. They have beautiful colors, draped full of great flowers, and amazing sandstone colors. Similar to our first visit to Valetta, we were amazed at Mdina. While we aren’t sure what else we would do, wandering through the streets is worth the trip!
Travel Tip: Head to Mdina around 4-5pm once the sun begins to set and most of the alleys are in the shade. Plus, this will help avoid any day trip tourists!
Views of Old Town
Valletta at Night
On our last trip to Malta, we really enjoyed Malta. If we weren’t diving for our advanced open water, we would be staying in this lovely capital. As soon as our bus arrived in the city, we instantly remembered why we love this country! The beautiful alleys are lit and decorated with colorful windows and balconies. Unlike our New Years visit, the streets are much quieter and we enjoyed wandering through the streets - as long as we didn’t walk up hills!
By far, our favorite restaurant in Valetta is Zero Sei. A cute Italian restaurant located off the beaten track, but well worth the trip! Because we were one of the first visitors, we had a great seat outside where we could enjoy the cooler weather and people watch! For our starters, we had a wonderful CAPRESE salad and a nice bottle of Italian red. To finish off our meal, MF had the house special, a tasty tomato and chicken pasta, and I had the carbonara, which is the original house specialty!
Dive, Dive, Dive!
On our final day in Malta, we had two intense deep dives planned in the wonderful Blue Grotto. First, we would do a dive up to 30 meters! Then, we would do the El Faroud aka Big Fluffy wreck dive. Sank in XXXX, El Faroud is a memorial to scuba divers who died in a tragic accident. It is a massive tanker ship that now has split into two large pieces and sits at a depth of around 20-30 meters, at least for us beginners!
On our first dive, it was relatively simple other than diving to an insane depth, further than we had ever gone. At this depth, we could lose awareness with decompression sickness and begin to act drunk so MF and I had to be really careful. However, we just fine in the deep blue seas. Our instructor Lee brought some breakfast along. She broke an egg and the underwater pressure kept the yolk together.
On our last dive in Malta to the Big Fluffy, it was a long underwater swim. Unlike our other dives where we saw the ground, we were swimming in the open water and it was surreal! Floating in the ocean, Mary Frances did not like it so she made me swim faster to the Big Fluffy. Once we arrived, we dove onto the ship and saw the memorial plate. We then took a swim around the outside of the ship, going into the gangway, trying to float but ending up bouncing around. We had a terrific dive!
Blue Lagoon
Popeye’s Village
After a hard day underwater and the pool, we went to the famous Popeye’s Village located on the Western front. Built for Robin Williams’ movie, Malta has kept the village open and the village is now a theme park. Most people do not recommend going to it during the day because it is more overpriced than Disney World.
Popeye's Village
However, the overlook is worth the pictures especially at sunset! While we did not get our perfect sunset, we did see amazing views!
The UnChartered Summary
For our second Malta trip, we explored the sunny (and hot) side of Malta, dived into the beautiful blue waters, and wandered past colorful doors and balconies.
- While we were a little hesitant about staying in the more rural village of Mellieħa, we enjoyed the peaceful serenity. We just wish we rented a car or something for our day trips rather than rely on the very hot buses.
- I would highly recommend AquaVentures! Lee and Paul are terrific dive instructors and guides! The personalized service is fantastic!
- Unless you go for sunset, Popeye’s Village is not worth the visit. However, we did love our pictures at sunset!
- Avoid the airport bus unless you’re in Valetta! It is not pleasant and the only time I regretted going the cheap way…