Escaping to Malta and Gozo

At the beginning of June, I was fortunate enough to be asked by the Malta Tourism Authority to visit Malta, and her sister Island Gozo, to sample some of the ‘active’ activities (sorry, just couldn’t resist) there are to do. I’d never heard of Gozo before I read the itinerary – geography isn’t one of my strengths. If you’re also wondering what I’m talking about then you owe yourself some alone time with Google images. When you’re done reading, naturally.

We flew with Air Malta from Heathrow. There is one airport on Malta but the island isn't huge, so there's no worried about massive cross country drives to get to your hotel. And to get to Gozo you need to take a short (but very beautiful) ferry journey. The flight time is around three hours, which is perfect for nervous fliers. I was able to sleep the entire way there and back, which to me – flying hater extraordinaire – was perfection.

There are going to be lots (and lots) of posts of what I got up to over the next few weeks, but if you’re looking to book a holiday NOW, then bear the following in mind:

Malta and Gozo are very, very different. Gozo has a much slower pace of life. It is less populated and is incredibly relaxing. There are stunning places to walk and cycle and just stare into the sea. Malta is much more inhabited. There are more tourists, and cities. The nightlife is better. Kings Landing, of Game of Thrones fame, was filmed in Mdina. Do you need more of a reason? Seriously?

The local food is to die for. I didn’t realise how much I liked fish. Actually I was fairly sure I hated fish. Turns out I just really like fish that was caught the a few hours before eating it. It's all about freshness. The tomatoes are something else. They deserve a review all of their own. The local honey was the best I’ve ever eaten. And I’ve eaten a lot. If you want to travel and consider yourself a foodie, the local restaurants serve incredible, fresh, simple and delicious dishes to suit every taste. And who knows, perhaps you'll find a new-found love for something you've never really been that keen on.

Overall, there is plenty to do. I didn’t step foot in a store – and I didn’t miss it. (It also meant I didn’t bring any gifts back, and there was no way I could feel guilty about it. Score.) If you need to escape from social media, texting, emails, your boss, your kids, or your life and just lose yourself in the real world, then Gozo and Malta are worth checking out.

Over my next few features I’ll be reviewing the hotels, food, the activities for ‘active’ people, and activities for those not so exertion inclined (that would be people like me). If I can’t sell it to you with words, then I hope the pictures do the talking!




Bess is addicted to Earl Grey tea and Classic FM. An amateur baker, she often has too many opinions and not enough tact. Her one great idea is to found a ‘breakfast and dessert’ delivery company, for all your sugar coma needs. When not exercising her right to point out bad manners, you can find her pursuing one degree too many.