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Published: June 23rd 2020
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Main Square @ Upper Barakka Gardens
This is a main square just outside the Upper Barakka Gardens Malta Blog
Malta, what an island. I went into this place with very little expectations. But it managed to sway me massively and I now cannot wait to return there.
Booking and Day 1
I booked this trip with my family as a last minute idea to surprise my grandparents on their 50th wedding anniversary and it was the best decision I have made. We made our way to Gatwick airport for a late afternoon flight with British Airways from Gatwick (LGW) to Malta Luqa (MLA). After a very uneventful flight down over France, Corsica and down the coast of Sicily for a nighttime approach in Malta International Airport. On the way in I witnessed the beauty of Malta at night and a number of fireworks from the south of the island. After collecting our bags and booking a relatively cheap taxi from the airport to St Julians/ Paceville we arrived at our hotel for the next few nights.
First impressions so far were very good. The trip from the airport was entertaining to say the least. The cab drivers seem to have little to no road sense and drove at whatever speed they felt. But I
Maltese Skyline @ Night
This is the view from the rooftop restaurant! loved it. St Julians is a beautiful little town a few miles to the north of the capital Valletta. We went on a short walk down to St George’s Bay, which seemed to be where all the nightlife seemed to be. Which was class. We spent a few hours at a local bar with other family members we met out there and arrived back at our hotel post midnight.
Day 2:
We awoke on the first full day with a slight headache but we had to get up early and surprise our grandparents who were staying in Valletta, near the Upper Barrakka Gardens. The drive into the Maltese capital was beautiful. It was the first time for me seeing Malta during the day. The history, the small winding roads, the hills and shops all made for a very memorable drive. We arrived at their hotel and surprised them, it was a great moment for all! After an hour of tears from my grandma, myself and my grandad decided to visit The Battery, a superb war and history museum outlying the role Malta played in WWII and other historical wars. I’d highly recommend the tour to anyone! We were
Beautiful Maltese Street
A picture of a generic Maltese street on the tour for about an hour or 2 and once this had finished we met up with the family and made our way back up to the Upper Barakka Gardens. We were very lucky to see a cruise liners maiden voyage into Valletta harbour. This was met with a 12 (I think) cannon salute as a welcome.
As a last minute surprise my granddad had arranged for his and my grandmas vowels to be renewed without my grandma knowing. We lured her into a cab with the incentive of going out for a nice dinner downtown. Once we arrived at the church my grandparents were surprised by the other members of family who made the trip out. What a nice moment that was. Later on in the night we made our way to a roof top restaurant with stunning views over Valletta and the majority of the island. It was one of the most beautiful sights I’ve seen. After a superb dinner I spent most of the evening in awe of the beautiful views and the backdrop of fireworks over Mdina. What a beautiful evening it was.
Day 3:
Day 3 was a more relaxed day as there were no more secrets or surprises. The 6 staying in St Julians (myself and family) met my grandparents at their hotel in Valletta and all 8 of us decided that we should head down to Marsaxlokk (apologies for the spelling!). After a drive through the beautiful Maltese countryside and mostly dirt roads we arrived at a quaint town. Marsaxlokk is a rural fishing town/ village located at the very south of the island. We arrived to see a beautiful seafront market on selling all the holiday tat people needed and woolly hats and coats (in 30 degrees Celsius!!). By the time we finished walking along the seafront it was easy afternoon and we decided to stop off for a nice lunch. The table sat literally 4 foot from the harbour and offered beautiful views of the surrounding area. I was in love, with both the quality of the fresh fish I had and the location. I loved it. After an hour or so we made our way to a bar to watch the football.
By the time it finished it was late afternoon and we all decided to head back to our retrospective hotels. Once I got back to the hotel I decided that me and other family members should head to the sea and got a swim. A great decision! The Mediterranean was beautiful and warm. The sea wasn’t too harsh but not too gentle. It made for perfect swimming conditions. I spent a good hour just swimming around the bay and enjoying the conditions. Once I made my way back to the hotel I met the rest of my family on the rooftop bar looking over St Julians and St George’s Bay. Yet another beautiful view of a beautiful island.
Once again, that night we headed back down to St George’s Bay and back to the same bar. I estimate that we were at this bar for at least 6 hours. Getting there at 19:00 and getting back sometime between 1-2 am. It’s a sign of a great night when you realise you drink 3/4 of a bottle of rum.
Day 4:
Day 4 was a far more relaxed day, but the first thing we did was see off most of our family who departed Malta that morning. Seeing as there was only 4 of us left on the last day we decided to go on a walk down to Spinola Bay, and surrounding areas. This was a really nice walk which lasted an hour or so. The small narrow streets of Malta make it such a magical place to walk around and just admire. Early afternoon we made our way to the rooftop bar and pool at our hotel and just had a really nice afternoon drinking, eating, swimming and admiring the stunning scenery for one last day.
Later that evening we decided to have one last walk down to St George’s Bay and Paceville. It was sad knowing that this will be the last time I saw this place before the mid morning flight tomorrow. We decided to get something to eat and made what we could of the last evening in Mediterranean paradise.
Final Day:
The final day saw us get up early to check out the hotel and make our way to the airport for our flight with British Airways back to Gatwick. Malta International Airport is very small and there isn’t too much to do there. But what did surprise me was the Costa Coffee airside of the airport. When I visited Malta International Airport I didn’t have my Priority Pass but there is an airport lounge that Priority Pass gives you access to. The flight home was once again uneventful and gave us some amazing views of Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, the French Riviera and some beautiful views of Paris.
Conclusion:
Malta is a stunning place, everyone should try and visit this beautiful little island sometime in their life time. There is still so much that I need to see there, that’s why I’d love to return ASAP! The 3 pictures show the main square outside the Upper Barakka Gardens, a beautiful narrow Maltese street and the view from the rooftop restaurant!
Ratings:
This is a rating system that I will give places that I have been to. The categories I have included are Scenery (what it’s like naturally), People (how good/ bad the people are), Food (how good and varied the food is), Pricing (How cheap/ expensive it is. The higher the number the cheaper it is), Things to do (self explanatory) and Overall.
Scenery- 4/5
People- 4/5
Food- 3/5
Pricing- 3/5
Things To Do- 5/5
Overall- 19/25
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