Trip Report: Magical Malta
For our final destination on our festive Christmas trip, we travelled to the exotic and warm Malta! Once we stepped off the plane into this warm Mediterranean paradise, we knew that we would an awesome time!
Logistics
I would hurry to read our overall Christmas 2019 travel planning post here to get some tips!
The Holiday Inn Express is as advertised - it is in the middle of the popular Paceville bar and restaurant scene. Whilst it can be in a great location, the rooms are small, bed is just okay, and the breakfast is just okay. Overall, for the winter when the beaches aren’t an option, it is a good cheap hotel option in a popular area!
Buses, cars, mopeds, oh my!
To and from the airport, there are essentially two options - cheap bus service using the TD2 service or a private direct taxi with a 20E flat fare. We chose the private taxi on the way there (see below), but used BOLT on the way back!
Because of the transportation situation, I am not sure it is an ideal spot to explore the entire island. For beach clubs and nightlife, you cannot ask for anything more! However, it was about an hour away on the bus to the top locations or to the capital. That being said, there is no way I am ever renting a car on this island as that would be madness!
In Hindsight...
To explore the island, I would highlight the area of Silema for a local experience whilst still being really close to Valetta and the other islands and still having great bus links! I would highly advise using this site to plan your trip to Malta - as well as my personal experience below of course!
Malta Activities
- Scuba: With many underwear wrecks and beautiful coral reefs, scuba diving should definitely be on the itinerary! We went with Cresta in St Julians and highly recommend them! Read about it here!
- Walking Tour: Initially we wanted to go with Colour My Travel’s casual free walking tour, but the timing wasn’t right. Instead, we ended up on a great paid historical tour!
- Wine Tasting: One of the last activities we expected on Malta is wine tasting! With the beautiful vineyards, read about our experience here!
- Valletta: I highly recommend simply walking around the old town. The amazing houses with the gorgeous balconies provide a great backdrop to any picture!
- Sliema: A do-it-yourself walking tour from Sliema to St Julian is well worth it especially on a sunny day!
Food and Drink
Throughout the island, there are terrific restaurants and little cafes - similar to Italy! The European and African influences have an unique influence on the island’s food. We found many places that we simply ran out of time to try them all! If we had one suggestion, I highly recommend Zero Sei and definitely make reservations ahead of the trip!
Here are all the restaurants, bars, and cafes we found and want to try!
The Escape to Sunshine
Escaping the Polish winter to the majestic island of Malta, we spent our day exploring the capital and soaking in the sunshine!
The Ultimate Arrival
As I stepped off the budget airplane’s steps into the glorious sunshine, I shed my heavy coat and embraced the wonderful day! For the first time in weeks, I was in my short sleeve t-shirts and hoping that I was getting a tan. It was going to be a great day - as long as I made it to the hotel!
At the time, I only knew of one way to get to our hotel in St Julians. Thus, we ended up in a death taxi. From the airport, it should have taken 20 minutes. Our guy made it in 10 minutes. Not only did the guy weave in and out of traffic, he sped and forced us to relive our lives as we faced death. It was the scariest ride of our lives!
Thankfully, the ride didn’t last as long and the amazing views from the hotel was really nice! While St Julians does not have the best beach, it still is more than what we expected! However, the weather turned its back on us and it was starting to get very cold! That is how MF ended up with her heavy jacket in all our photos!
Andrew’s Self Guided Valletta Tour
Originally, we had a free walking tour at 2pm so we were going to grab a bite to eat, then see the historic sights. Suddenly, our tour was cancelled and I stepped up and led us through the city center!
Taproom
Thanks to Mary Frances’ hard and dedicated reserach, we instantly knew where to go once our long bus ride ended! Obviously, since we are a hop, skip, and a jump away from Italy, she wanted Italian at Zero Sei. Despite the long lines, the amazing decor and great smells looked heavenly!
However, today was not our day because they did not have room, but we made reservations - for Tuesday at 2pm…
Thus, we stumbled on the Taproom. Similar to a fancy English pub, the decor was really relaxing - plus we were ready for food! Since MF wanted Italian, she ordered a really good tagliatelle with beef sauce and I went super healthy to a beef strip salad.
Lower Barrakka Gardens
Beginning our tour on the coast, we walked along the crystal clear blue water. The sea definitely has a calming effect on us! Plus, the sunshine doesn’t hurt - even if MF wore her heavy coat!
Our first stop was the Lower Barrakka Gardens located towards the end of the Valletta tip. Twinning with the Upper Barrakka Gardens, the Lower sections offers spectacular views of the Grand Harbour, including the two forts! Other than breathtaking views, the garden also holds many commemorative plaques and statues. We enjoyed the gardens for the sun and views.
Upper Barrakka Gardens
As we strolled through the city to reach the more famous Upper Barrakka Gardens, the stone walls combined with the Grand Harbour views made our walk much longer! Entering into the green and lush gardens, I could spend all day here! If it was hot, the gardens would protect us from the heat while enabling us to soak in the magnificent views!
These gardens sit on top of the main Malta gun battery that originally protected the harbour. In the afternoon, the gun battery does a really interesting cannon demonstration. MF had a front row seat as the soldier loaded the bag of flour into the cannon and then fired it into the harbor.
The Historical City
Randomly wandering through the streets became one of our favorite activities because the marble streets full of little balconies, colored doors, and sandy colored buildings. Compared to the “main streets”, these local streets were very quiet despite the limited space in Valletta! Plus, there is no way that we could get lost as we would just end up at most a further 10 minutes away.
Valletta Food Market
As we wandered through Valletta, we stumbled on an amazing hidden gem - the Valletta Food Market! Inside this massive building are many local restaurants and other stalls. We sat down at the wine bar and started to look around for which tasty treats to try!
By far, my favorite was a Italian and Maltese nutella treat. Because we sat so close to the stall, we had fresh, warm nutella! I kept going back to for more! Rather than start walking around Valletta at night, we decided to get our dinner here. We decided to try a prawn pad thai and it was satisfying! We definitely enjoyed our hidden gem!
Seeing Sliema
On Sunday, we went scuba diving into the cold Maltese waters and then explored the sleepy Sliema neighborhood!
Read about our scuba adventure!
Rest and Burgers
After our surprisingly exhausting scuba adventure, we begrudgingly walked downstairs for much needed food. Next to our hotel was one of the top burgers in Malta, Hugo’s Burger Bar. Reminding me of a burger chain in the US, we were happy for much needed protein! I ordered a Rosso Burger with bacon, fried onions, and BBQ sauce while MF had a classic bacon burger. The burgers were good and almost reminded us of Shake Shack! Because we almost went into a food coma, we had to get moving!
Walk along the Coast
Because it was a beautiful sunny day, the coastline looked perfect for a walk. In fact, one of the top activities in Malta is the walk from St Julians to Sliema along the beach and coastline. For us, we were happy to have the sea near us! Although the weather was beginning to turn to windy and cold, we were insistent on the walk!
Throughout the walk we had great views! Each inlet or cove has colorful boats and blue waters. Several times we stopped to just admire the view and soak in as much sunshine as possible. I am not sure if we were recovering from our frigid dive earlier or we were just lazy…
For the grand finale, we ended up directly across the inlet from Valletta. Normally, folks can hop a ferry over to the mainland but today’s rough waters made it was impossible. The waves were raging and we just missed getting soaked a few times!
Hole in the Wall
As we explored the great streets of Sliema, we were totally lost. We kept walking up and down the streets, admiring the quiet and beautiful houses. Eventually, we took a wrong turn somewhere and found a bar called Hole in the Wall. It literally was a hole in the wall, called Hole in the Wall! Inside this hip, young bar, the decor was very casual and they even had live music setup. If we lived here, this would be our bar.
Inside the bar, we fully embraced the spirit and ordered a few rounds of drinks. We then discovered they had a snacks menu. If anyone knows MF, she loves a good snack, especially when all they serve are grilled cheese sandwiches! I ordered a wonderfully spicy salami and cheese and MF had a super grilled cheese.
Suddenly, as soon our sandwiches were done cooking, the power went out. On the entire island. Apparently this happens a few times during the year and the bartender was very chill about it. Thankfully we had a few Euros so we didn't have to rely on credit cards! It was a such a surreal experience drinking, eating, and waiting in the dark. We fully enjoyed it!
Wine and Dine
On our final day of our NYE holiday, we wined and dined!
After a very relaxing morning at our hotel, we immediately went to the vineyard around 11am.
Read about Malta’s hidden vineyard located in the middle of the island!
Zero Sei
After two days of patiently waiting, we finally had the amazing opportunity to eat at Zero Sei, one of the best, local restaurants in Malta. Inside the place, the decor is really great with old family pictures and receipe books. I am not sure how they managed to fit it all into the tiny place!
Further inside was their own wine cellar where you could choose your own bottle rather than read it off the menu!
To celebrate getting a reservation AND our very successful Christmas trip, I had the honors of picking our Italian wine from the cellar. Next on the list, we ordered a burrata with honey and pistachio. It was very tasty and fresh! Now for the main event - the fresh homemade pasta! MF ordered the Americana tomato sauce, while I had the carbonara with black truffle. Although we both won the tasting event, I believe that mine was the best!
For the grand finale, we ordered and split the panna cotta with nutella. While it was certainly good, it was not as good as Nella in Florence or MF’s own recipe.
Rain, Rain, Go Away
Throughout the day, we had touches of rain. Now, It was pouring rain like we remembered in Florida or Alabama with no end in sight. Even the island wasn’t use to this torrential downpour! So, we did what anyone would do, go to a movie theater and watch the new star wars!
Happy New Year!
As the party was getting started, we were going to learn about Malta’s history and then jet back home!
Baggage Storage
In my deep dive for baggage storage, I found a great deal just inside Valletta’s city walls! For 2.5E a bag, you can store your luggage for the entire here at a souvenir shop. The shop provided peace of mind and an easier walking tour!
Read about our walking tour here!
After we picked up our bags and called a BOLT to the airport. Valletta is only 10 minutes away via car, but about 30 minutes by bus. We did not feel like waiting or carrying our bags on a bus. While we were sad to leave Malta, we were ready to back home a day early.
Warning - Old Airport
Inside Malta’s airport, I thought that it would be a modern airport. While slightly modern, I would be careful going through security until absolutely need to. In the end, we rushed to security because we were told there was a two hour security wait and it was all lies! I learned my lesson yet again, but MF was not pleased - especially when there are limited food options!
The UnChartered Summary
Many people asked if Malta was worth it and we would say yes! The unique blend of Arabic, Italian, French, and English influences provide an amazing culture and vibe to the trip.
- To get around, I would highly recommend the public bus system if you’re not in a hurry. When you’re in a hurry, use BOLT (similar to Uber!). Use the code YRC9Y5 for a discount off your first ride!
- There are a few activities that we didn’t get to in Malta because of the rain. We thought about doing an AirBnB experience exploring the island but simply ran out of time!
- Whilst we enjoyed the Holiday Inn in St Julians, it did not have the historic charm of Valetta but had plenty of bus links to the surrounding areas
- Our favorite restaurant was Zero Sei. However, most restaurants required bookings - not sure if this was a product of NYE or not?
- For diving off the main island, Cresta is a great choice. Their motto is no hidden fees and that is especially true! Plus the staff is extremely nice and provide a great experience. Whilst their van and shop might need a little sprucing up, the equipment is good and we enjoyed it!