Malta is a Mediterranean paradise, a small archipelago that boasts mysterious monoliths, Roman remains, colonial buildings and shops as authentic as the crafts they sell. There are agricultural towns where goats roam freely, cliffs where the sea dominates the landscape and so much baroque building that its skyline crowned by domes It looks like something out of a period movie.
But the Maltese archipelago has much more to offer: a lifestyle vibrant in which there is room for castles and palaces adorned by the weight of history, beach clubs where you can end the day with a cocktail in hand and prestigious restaurants and boutique hotels.
Rocca Piccola House.
CASTLES AND PALACES
malt guard grand palaces, fortifications and watchtowers that have remained unchanged over time, such as the verdala castle, in the 'buskett' area of Rabat, a palace surrounded by exuberant vegetation that was originally a military prison and years later, a silk factory; the Palace of the Grand Master, located in the center of Valletta, which housed for more than three centuries the Grand Master of the Knights of Saint John; either the impressive Albergue de Castilla, whose sculptural monumentalism leaves no one indifferent.
Castile hostel.
STARS
Astrological tourism in Malta is a reality, there are so many places from which to observe the immensity of the starry sky that the list would be endless: Zurrieq, on the west coast, the inland sea of the island of Gozo, the Dingli cliffs... However, there are other stars that have recently caught our attention (on the plate): those of the Michelin Guide (in addition to the four Bib Gourmands), since the cuisine of Malta, Gozo and Comino fuses like few others the culinary tradition with the most avant-garde techniques.
In Valletta we find Under Grain, Noni and ION - The Harbour; in Mdina it is the chef Kevin Bonello who is in charge of shaping creations with both style and flavor in mondion restaurant, located in the Relais & Châteaux The Xara Palace, and Bahia just moved into an early 1900's building in Balzan keeping the star of it and adding the historic architecture as part of the experience.
Dish in Noni.
DETAILS
eye! What the archipelago offers other types of much more 'simple' activities, but just as exclusive and luxurious because of the background they hide, as have a sunset picnic on Rambla Bay, a few meters from the Calypso's Cave in which the nymph Calypso held Odysseus for seven years as a 'prisoner of love', or walking wasting (or rather we should say gaining) time through the alleys of Mdina, known as the Silent City.
Tal Mixed Cave.
SUNSETS
If something characterizes Malta is that it is an island full of life, For this reason, its beach clubs have become a 'must' for both travelers and locals. Places full of style, but also of Maltese essence. There are many, but the sophistication and the infinity pool of Café del Mar are a classic; the cocktails at Merkanti Beach Club, the show and the views of Gozo and Comino from Baia Beach, unmissable.
Cliffs of Sanap.
MEDITERRANEAN
Sailing is a lifestyle in Malta. To contemplate from the sea the coves, bays and rocky cliffs of the Maltese islands you can either rent a yacht with all kinds of extras or browse on dgħajsa –the traditional Maltese boat similar to the Venetian gondolas– to set course for the Three Cities: Senglea, Vittoriosa and Conspicua. And the best? That each trip is articulated completely to measure.
Dgħajsa in front of the San Telmo Fort.
REGARDS
No need to bring props to Malta, the archipelago is a movie set… And lately from social networks. In general, Malta, and in particular its capital Valletta, are very instagrammable destinations, that concentrate in a single click the historical and vital essence of the islands and the city. The Triton fountain illuminated at night, the House of Parliament –signed by Renzo Piano– contributing the intense honey color of the limestone, so characteristic of the buildings of the islands, the opulent and spectacular interior decoration of the San Juan Co-Cathedral (watch out for the works of Caravaggio!) and those vibrant balconies of Republic Street, the busiest street in Valletta and one of the most photographed in the city.
Co-Cathedral of San Juan.
And to sleep? It all depends on what we are looking for, but boutique hotels are religion and the restored palazzos, a new (and at the same time old) way of sleeping in which we will share a bedroom with history while we are surrounded by recovered period pieces, original paintings by Maltese artists and statues of Roman gods.