thepinkginpassportHow to spend a week on this jewel of the med island including where to stay, what to do and how to get around.
Where to stay?
As the island is very easy to get around on public transport and Uber, I would recommend staying in more than one location if you’re staying for a week.
The Three Cities
For the bulk of our trip, we stayed at an Air BnB in Senglea, one of the historic Three Cities just across the harbour from Valletta. It was far less busy than Valletta, easy to access via ferry or traditional boats (3 Euro each way), lovely restaurants on the water and charming cobbled streets.
St Paul’s Bay
A tourist hub closer to the north of the island, it was easy to book boat trips to Comino and Gozo from here. There are a variety of restaurants and bars and some swim spots too. We enjoyed our stay at the Mayflower and were very impressed with the infinity pool at the rooftop.
Marsaxlokk
This was my favourite place we stayed. Famous for it’s markets on a Sunday, it also offers access by boat to St Peter’s Pool where you can jump into the water off small cliffs and climb back up the stairs. A traditional fishing village, we had an amazing meal on our last day here. La Reggia Seaview Guest House was exceptional, great aircon, a lift, super clean and even had milk tea and coffee waiting for us in the room.
What to do?
Boat trip to Comino, Blue Lagoon and Gozo
If you’re solo and in a small group it is easier to book an organised boat tour from St Paul’s Bay to visit the smaller islands off of Malta including the popular Blue Lagoon. If there are more than 5 of you it may be cheaper to hire a boat and captain off Viator or Get Your Guide where you will still visit the popular spots like Blue Lagoon and Crystal Lagoon (great for snorkelling and cliff jumping) as well as quieter more luxurious spots.
Visit Mdina
This fortified city is fairly small and can be visited in an afternoon or morning but it defintely worth the trip. There are many buses that stop here via Rabat and we found it very easy to get the bus from St Paul’s Bay. The buses take contactless card payment too which made it very easy. We took a look at the shops, the walls (you won’t miss the sound of the canons) before having a few glasses of wine at Fontanella wine bar.
St Peter’s Pool
This place is packed on a Sunday but still worth the trip. We picked up a boat from Marsaxlokk and spent an hour at St Peter’s Pool before getting picked up again.
Qwara Rock Pools
If you’re staying at St Paul’s Bay, while there are no sandy beaches this rock pool was very fun to stop at on our way back from our boat trip. It wasn’t too busy either with plenty of room to swim some lengths.
Where to eat and drink
Skuna, Marsaxlokk
Starting with my favourite meal of the trip, this fish restaurant had a lovely view of the harbour where you could see fishing boats coming in with the catch you’d liekly be eating. The tuna carpaccio and mixed grill of fish were so delicious and fresh. We had to wait about 10 minutes for a table on a busy Sunday afternoon so I would book way in advance if you’re in a group (there was just 2 of us to squeeze in).
Fontanella wine bar, Mdina
This rooftop bar boats magnificent views and also gave us a chance to try local wines and the Maltese speciality pastries “Pasties”.
Grano, Valletta
This sandwich shop on the cobbled streets of Valletta has an array of amazing sandwiches it was hard to pick. Great spot for a bite to eat rather than a sit down meal (but 100% worth it).
Nine Lives, St Paul’s Bay
Dinner and cocktails on the beach, what more could you want? DJs playing music in the background this is a great option to get dressed up and leave the hotel for dinner. Food was excellent and had a nice selection (and the same can be said for the cocktails).
LOA, St Paul’s Bay
This was our first meal and while we were jet lagged we really enjoyed it. The outdoor setting is done really nicely with a very elegant looking bar. As we were there for an early dinner on a Tuesday we got their taco board deal and 2 for 1 cocktails. South American fusion is one of my favourite cuisines so I did really enjoy this.
