Malta:

Malta was probably my favorite location we visited due to it being the most cultural and least touristy. Malta is a small island off Italy, once part of a British empire. The island had plenty to see, from magnificent architecture, roman baths, blue lagoons and of course gay pride! The locals were all very nice and more than willing to help understand their culture. We stayed in a town just outside the popular town Sliema called Gzira due to Airbnb prices. Gzira is just a 10 minute walk into Sliema.

Need to know:

Currency is euro.
Credit cards are accepted in most places, however it’s helpful to have cash on hand in the event a taxi, smaller cafe or store doesn’t accept credit cards.
Primary language is English, Maltese and Italian are also spoken.

Getting around:

The towns in Malta are fairly small and very walkable, if you don’t know me by now I encourage walking everywhere when you travel to see it all!
Bolt is their version of Uber, very easy and quick.
Public bus transportation is also an option

Things to see:

Sliema - Strip of restaurants, bars and shopping. Check out Roman Baths while you’re there.
Valetta - The old town heart center of Malta with the most amazing architecture. Also, gay pride was happening while we were there, amazing. Gay pride was one of my favorite experiences from this trip, the energy was so alive and there was such a diverse crowd. We arrived in Valetta for the parade and jumped right in with the floats where we quickly got face painted and danced into the heart of Valetta where the parade ended and everyone gathered. The speeches that were given were so empowering and enlightening for me, I am so grateful to have been a part of that experience
St. Julian’s Bay - Gorgeous city with amazing views of the bay and historical landmarks.
St. Peter’s Pool - I suggest waking up early to beat the crowd to really enjoy the serenity St. Peter’s Pool has to offer. Once you arrive, the “pool” is just a short walk down, sandals are fine. I couldn’t get over the color of the water, deep sea blue against the light rock formations, truly breathtaking. After pausing for a moment of reflection and taking a mental snapshot, it was time to get in the water. There’s only one way to get in the water, cliff jump! Not really, but any other way seemed boring. It took me about 5 minutes to actually commit to the jump, but I did it and man did it feel good.
Il hofra I-Kbira - Hidden gem near St. Peter’s pool.
Gozo/ Camino - Malta is actually made up of 3 small islands, Gaza and Camino being the other two. I definitely suggest visiting either or both! We did a boat tour through Hornblower cruises which was a very seamless and enjoyable experience. The boat drops you off in Gozo for 4 hours to explore, take the bus up to the center and walk around from there. Plenty to see in Gozo, but we had limited time. After Gozo, you boat to the blue lagoon and spend an hour and a half swimming (watch out for jelly fish), going down the slide off the side of the boat, walking around and or course drinking out of a pineapple. The beach at the lagoon is VERY small and likely will be full before you even arrive. If you want to spend the whole day at the lagoon, arrive early.

Roman Baths of Sliema

Pride in Valetta

Valetta

St. Julian's Bay

St. Peter's Pool

St. Peter's Pool Cliff Jump

Il hofra I-Kbira

Blue Lagoon

Gozo

Food & Drinks:

Cafe Del Mar - Relaxed day beach club with a pool overlooking the sea, if you want to spend a day relaxing and sunbathing, this is your place to go to spend hours. Drinks and food delivered to your sun chair! Do yourself a favor and stay for sunset, it was definitely one of the most amazing sunsets I have ever seen.
Naar - St. Julian’s Bay, vegan options.
Grassy Hopper - Healthy and vegan food options.
Black Sheep Bar - Vibey craft cocktail bar with fun staff and excellent espresso martinis.