A small island country in the Mediterranean Sea, Malta is nothing short of spectacular. The country has a coastline that is beautiful, filled with bays and cliffs. Beach season is pretty much half the year, from April till October and the weather is usually warm. Summers can be quite the scorcher though, so plan accordingly. When you visit Malta, you’re actually visiting an archipelago. Each island is known for its unique aspects- Malta has the most number of footfalls, Gozo has some of the most beautiful hills and scenery and Comino is where you should go to experience nature. The capital city of Malta, Valletta has a fabulous number of historical buildings. No wonder that it’s been declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO.
There are so many things for the history and architecture buff to do here. But Malta is also known for the many avenues it offers to the sporty traveller. Thanks to clement weather, Malta is a great destination for sports fans too. The traditional sport is lawn bowling or bocci and is played with great fervour here. Also popular is clay pigeon shooting, skeet shooting and tenpin bowling. Golf is big here, and you can choose to play miniature golf or go the whole nine yards in the 18-hole golf course, a few kilometres from the capital city.
Horse races take place on a weekly basis and are considered to be one of the most elite spectator sports here. This means, horse riding is another popular pastime. And of course, long-time equestrians and aficionados might even indulge in a bit of betting on their favorite horses in the race! So, if ever you want to place a wager on some horses when you’re there, make sure you have formed some understanding of it beforehand. You want to make some money and not lose all of in a foreign place! Check out GTBets or other popular sportsbooks and play a little on them before you go for the Malta derbies.
It goes without saying that water sports are massive here and you can choose to sail, ski, paraglide, waterboard or surf in the waters around Malta. If you’re a runner, then you’ll surely have the Malta Marathon on your bucket list. It takes place towards the end of February. Apart from all this, you can hike, walk and play tennis here on your holiday too.
Diving- the blue waters of the Mediterranean make it perfect for scuba diving. In fact, all the three islands have something to offer the avid diver. Take your pick- wrecks, reefs or caves- you can do it all at Malta. Visibility is near perfect and the sea is filled with harmless fish, making it perfect for novices. If you want more of a thrill, you can choose that too. Ghar Lapsi is a 12-meter harmless dive. Lantern Point is more than 50 meters in depth and is an underwater tunnel.
Accommodation is easily found here and caters to every possible budget. Most hotel chains have presence in the island and you can stay at the Hilton, the Le Meridien, the Westin or the Radisson Blu resorts. There are quaint B&Bs like the Dar tal-Kaptan in Gozo or the Hotel Juliani, the fabulous luxury boutique hotel in Malta. If you want to live like the locals- and you should- then you can choose among many apartments, studio apartments or penthouses in the main islands. This is especially useful when you’re travelling with a large group of people, all you need to do is search for “apartments for rent Malta” and you will get a lot of results on Google. Many villas come with pools and offer household amenities, including Wi-Fi and AC to make the most of your holiday.