Weekend in Malta

Weekend in Malta

My weekend in Malta was both lucky and unlucky. Lucky in that my friend Fi was in town visiting her family which resulted in a long and rather wonderfully boozy lunch one afternoon at the family abode overlooking the Mediterranean. Unlucky in that there had just been a snap election and the victory party had taken to the streets, which made traveling outside the immediate vicinity of my hotel difficult if not impossible. I would have loved to visit Valletta, for example, but after surviving the cramped and hot bus ride over, I discovered that the official election victory party was in fact that very morning IN Valletta. The leisurely stroll through Valletta’s’ cobbled streets that I had imagined was obviously not going to happen. I tried to brave the crowds — really I did — but in the end, I turned around and went back to my hotel —Le Meridian St. Julian’s — to regroup at the rooftop pool.

Visiting Mdina

After my Valletta failure and a long discussion with the hotel concierge, I decided to hop in a taxi and head in the opposite direction of the rest of the population — inland — to explore the walled city of Mdina. It’s a beautiful old city and I had it practically to myself given the election party.

 

I wish I could tell you I did something special, but I didn’t. I just wandered the streets, found a place to have lunch — a cheerful little place called Don Mesquita — and then headed back to town for more rooftop pool action. (The return journey was made a tad difficult by the dearth of taxis, leading to a panicky call to my hotel and imagining what life would be like if I found myself stuck in Mdina forever.)

Staying at Le Meridian St. Julian’s

During my weekend in Malta, I stayed three nights at Le Meridian St. Julian’s in a club level room. While the hotel is a little bit in need of an upgrade, the location — smack dab in front of the harbor — and the balconies on the harbor-facing rooms are hard to beat. I had a full view of the election festivities. (ALL NIGHT LONG.)  I would stay here again just for the rooftop pool and spa — I booked myself in for a manicure and massage — as well as the friendly service. The club lounge was small but I enjoyed the complimentary breakfasts and hotel happy hour. Oh, and of course, I also liked the Starwood points I got with my stay. The #spglife is real.

Eating in St. Julian’s

Because I had access to the club floor at my hotel, most of my food was taken care of. But one afternoon, I walked all the way down to the front of my hotel (!) to have lunch at the very friendly U Bistro. The street noise was a little crazy because the restaurant is right there on the harbor, but perhaps without an election party, it wouldn’t be so bad. I liked U Bistro and would gladly return. (Malta is not stingy with the lemons.)

Regrets about My Weekend in Malta

Malta demands a do-over. Firstly, I turned down a trip to Gozo with Fi and her family in favor of some me-time, not really realizing what I was giving up.  (You know I’m a sucker for a boat ride.) I would also really like to see Valletta and more of the rest of the island — when there’s not a snap election!  Lastly, this was a three-night stay which really only gave me two full days to explore, so if I return, I think I will go for a four-night stay so I can see more.

Malta Tour