Five Sunny Winter Days in Malta

Choosing a short-break destination in December can be a bit of a minefield. If like me what you really want is some sunshine the question is how much time (and money) do you want to spend on flights for four nights away? The other option is to embrace the cold of Europe and have a “proper” winter weekend – not like the British wash-out winters. Think Christmas markets, big coats, perhaps some snow and mulled wine.

After much researching, comparing and deliberating, and a couple of glasses of wine, I booked my flight to Malta. I have a passionate interest in the history around The Crusades and Malta has long been on my “must visit one day” list. I have never quite got around to it because I always perceived it as being quite an intense City break-esque destination. As someone with a very busy life I typically want a more relaxing short-break.

However, it turns out that when you know who to ask you can learn quite a lot about the options for a visit to Malta! After speaking to the wonderful Hannah Ingle in our Europe team about what I was looking for from my holiday she immediately recommended The Verdala Wellness Hotel, a brand new adults-only wellness hotel opened in August 2025.

The fragrance as you enter the hotel lobby immediately tells you that it is time to relax. Located quite centrally in Rabat, just outside of Mdina, you are immediately in an oasis of calm in the hotel.

Wellness Retreat in Malta

Everything about The Verdala is designed to focus your attention inward, all décor is with earthly tones and the scents, the music and the attentive service are all designed to help you let go of your worries. I stayed in a gorgeous and gargantuan Junior Suite with a fabulous round bathtub, a huge terrace with sun loungers and a Jacuzzi.

Every hotel guest is entitled to a complimentary wellness consultation with a qualified practitioner. My session with Maria was emotional, enlightening and empowering. With gently probing questions she was able to draw out the tensions in my life that could be impacting my wellbeing. There was no judgement, just understanding and reassurance. She then suggested several rituals and treatments that might help to reset and recentre me. It was no hard-sale and I did not say yes to everything, but she recommended treatments that I would not have considered, such as a scalp and neck treatment that really addresses the pressure points where I was likely to be holding tension.

The spa facilities have been done to a very high standard with indoor and outdoor pools, hot and cold plunges, a salt cave, Hamman, infra-red sauna, traditional sauna and tropical showers. There are also complimentary yoga or meditation sessions twice a day which are just exceptional. I joined Yoga Nidra, Guided Meditation and Classic Yoga and left each session feeling so relaxed and grounded.

I enjoyed the Signature Facial with Gua Sha which was deeply cleansing and relaxing. Anita my therapist did a wonderful job on the treatment and allowing me to wind down after a full-on day touring Valetta, more on that below! At the end my skin was glowing and whilst the treatment did raise underlying blemishes, by the next morning my skin was so much clearer.

At Maria’s recommendation I also opted for the Conscious Breathing Ritual which Maria took me through. This is both an hour of focusing on your breathing in the moment and learning techniques to support yourself in stress management in every day life. Maria guided me through the techniques and made sure I understood the principles to be able to utilise them as tools when I need to wind-down or snap out of a stressful situation.

My final treatment was the aforementioned Scalp Treatment. This was deeply relaxing and whilst there was some product put in my hair, it was not drenched in oil. The therapist Mia explained beforehand that there would be some gentle hair pulling to stretch the scalp – a sensible warning! She worked the pressure points at the back of my head and identified that I had tension on the right side of my neck, so put some extra effort into that area, in addition to a broader shoulder and decolletage massage. It felt so much longer than 30 minutes as I drifted into a that delightful space between waking and sleeping.

I cannot speak highly enough of my experience at The Verdala Wellness Hotel. I did not specifically go there for the wellness but it is the reason that I will go back! I honestly feel rejuvenated and that the mindfulness reset could not have come at a better time, as one year ends and I set my priorities and mindset for the next one.

I won’t belabour the point but the breakfast was very good, the restaurant is in a stunning location in the hotel for views and capturing the morning sun. I did not have dinner at the restaurant but after leaving the spa one evening completely relaxed I did order the divine Taglioni and a side of BBQ zucchini from the room service menu and they proved to be as exceptional as everything else I experienced at Verdala Wellness Hotel.

The People and Sightseeing in Malta

My motivation for visiting Malta was the rich history of this small but geographically significant island. I will admit, I had not done my research – that is what the holiday was for and it turns out what I thought I knew was, unsurprisingly, a scratch on the surface of the deep and complex history of Malta. I was so lucky to have the phenomenal Martin Bonnici as my guide for two days during my trip. He calls himself an Australian Maltese as he was born in Melbourne, Australia to a Maltese father and Swedish descent mother. It was only in later life, after the passing of his father that he made the move to Malta having worked in Europe as a photographic journalist over the years. However, some key elements of Maltese culture had been embedded in is upbringing to the extent that he did not find the transition from Australian to Maltese lifestyles too challenging. I know all this because Martin generously shared this information about himself with me and whilst his Australian accent is immediately obvious on first meeting I honestly didn’t even notice it after a few hours. The passion with which he discusses Malta quickly overcomes any juxtaposition from the accent that delivers the message.

My first day with Martin was a tour of Valetta, the “new Capital” – new since around the 1570s when The Knights of St John Hospitalier’s built it! Martin had already been briefed on my interest in history and the Crusades specifically and so he had tailored my tour to focus on those elements. There was honestly so much fascinating information that I simply cannot recount all of it. But Martin took me along some of the original fortifications overlooking the all-important naturally protected harbour, he pointed out the important buildings from the times of The Knights of St John’s rule and also those that are important now, often both apply! We touched on the significance of some elements from World War 2 but as that was not my priority Martin did not over do it. However, if that is your interest I am confident that he would have the same depth of historical fact and anecdotal stories to offer you an equally enriching experience to my own.

My tour of The Grand Master’s Palace under Martin’s guidance was so engaging. His knowledge of specific details around the art was incredible and possibly unique since he learned some of it from working with a PHD student studying the art in recent years. He could also talk me through the weaponry on show from maces to armour to rapiers to what Martin considers the most deadly weapon on display – the stiletto (no, not the shoes I wore on Saturday night!) knife.

Next stop was St John’s Co-Cathedral. Now I am not particularly interested in Churches and as I said, I had not done any research. So, walking into the most gilded space I have ever seen was really quite overwhelming!

Martin focused on the history in his narrative to me, but of course all orders from the Crusades were Catholic and religion is an integral part of the history, the Crusades was a Holy War! A Church literally covered in gold also attracts controversy and Martin explained the politics and how this magnificent building of art has survived through the centuries.

Talking of works of art… there are two Caravaggio’s at St John’s Co-Cathedral Valetta. The first is huge – it fills a wall and the impact as you walk into the room is immediate. Nevertheless, I would have not appreciated the significance without Martin’s explanation of the piece both in the content of the painting and the importance of that in where the painting is in the Church. I don’t want to give it all away – you need to go and hear it for yourself. Even an online account or guide book is never going to bring this iconic piece of art to life like Martin will, whilst standing in that oratory marvelling at it.

Whilst touring the many Chaples Martin had been explaining the heraldry within the headstones, which literally pave the floor of the Co-Cathedral. I did question one with a leaping hare as the family crest and Martin was happy to explain the symbolism of a hare or rabbit in a medieval martial context.

The second Caravaggio in a side room is no-less striking for being a fraction of the size of the first (but still much larger than a typical painting!) Once again Martin explained the subject of the painting, the significance of both the piece and some of the decisions that Caravaggio had made in the depiction. Alone I would have admired a fantastic work of art, even having read the signs etc. With Martin’s information I marvelled at a glimpse into history both Caravaggio’s perspective at the time of painting and of the event he brought to life.

Can you believe all of that and we hadn’t stopped for lunch yet! Martin had booked a table at the King’s Own Band Club for their traditional Maltese set menu. Honestly, you would walk past without a second glance and if you did stick your head in the tables and layout would not encourage a discerning traveller to stay. But that is the beauty of being guided by a local expert who understands the needs of a luxury traveller.

Martin quickly explained that Band Clubs were introduced in the late 1800s as social hubs for people to meet and develop a hobby. Anyone can join and learn an instrument – no previous skill and no payment required. If you can’t afford it you will even be gifted an instrument. As one masters their instrument they pay it forward by teaching others for free. What an incredible community initiative and insight into the mindset of the Maltese people!

Now, back to the restaurant… To help fund themselves many Band Clubs have taken to leasing their ground floor and this one is operated by two sisters, one being an exceptional chef and the other running front of house. The nature of the setup, I inferred because I do not want to put words into Martin’s mouth, means that many of the permanent niceties of a restaurant are not really feasible. The tables and chairs are light, and I imagine easily stackable and the space is an almost internal courtyard of an incredible wrap-around staircase (which I am now wishing I had taken a photo of!) which appears to go all the way up four of five stories.

Regardless, Martin did rightly point out that the mark of a good restaurant for tourists has to be if locals eat there and this restaurant was jam-packed on a Monday lunchtime. The service was attentive and the food was simply divine. Five courses of incredibly well cooked traditional Maltese cuisine perfectly portioned so that I was full afterwards, but I would not say that I over-ate.

Somewhere I would never have entered proved to be such an enriching experience.

I haven’t yet explained that with his background in photo-journalism Martin was very willing to take photos throughout our time together and boy is he good at it! I was armed with a DSLR that I had never used before, my colleague configured all the settings for me and talked me through the buttons I needed to point and shoot! I think I did alright, but it was wonderful to have Martin able to capture me in the shot and he offered at different points so that I did not feel awkward having to ask.

Thank goodness that my day in Valetta was sunny and 16°c because the next day was unfortunately not a sunny day in Malta and I woke up to rain. However, I am the luckiest person ever because the plan for the day was to visit a winery and then make traditional Maltese Pastizzi – both indoors!

Martin took me to the Markus Divinus winery, a very boutique Maltese winery with a stunning space. When I say boutique I am referring to the size, it is small and only produces around 7,000 bottles per year but it is by no means rustic! The stroll from the road to the winery is along a dirt access “road”, cars cannot go down there, in the rain it was not ideal but by no means a problem. Martin had warned me and be had an umbrella and it’s December for goodness sake I am certainly used to some rain!

The lovely Priscilla welcomed us in and took us on a private tour. A family owned and run winery that started in the founder’s garage, after planting vines in his Grandmothers old vegetable patch. The current winery was built by Mark including excavating the two-storey cellar and lining it with the best stone for cold insulation and the maintenance of a consistent temperature.

After seeing the stills, casks, demijohns and bottles it was time to taste! I was guided through six Markus Divinus wines; two whites, one rose and three reds. There are two grape varieties endemic to Malta and a few of the wines include blends of these wines with the familiar Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. Nevertheless, all the grapes are grown by local farmers in Malta and blended by Mark each year to create the perfect flavour profile for that harvest. This is all alongside Mark maintaining a full-time job by the way – this is his hobby!

It was such a delightful experience. The range of flavour profiles means that I would be confident that everyone who likes wine would enjoy at least a couple. Whilst I obviously had preferences I enjoyed all six, especially when paired with the delicious cheese board.

Next was the most wholesome experience that I think I have ever done whilst on holiday. Martin took me to meet Gulinu and Nancy, at their house whilst they showed me how to make Pastizzi. They welcomed me into their kitchen and despite Nancy having a slipped disc this lovely elderly couple chatted away.

They aren’t any elderly couple; for their working lives they ran a hugely successful Pastizzi shop in Rabat. 10,000 hours is a fraction of the years of mastery that Gulinu and Nancy have when it comes to making this Maltese traditional pastry and they are exquisite!

They talked me through the traditions around eating Pastizzi – often families buy large bags after Church on Sunday for the family to enjoy as well as for an everyday snack. They also shared their own stories, Gulinu learned from his aunt as a boy, the eldest son of seven children, before going to open his own shop with he married Nancy at 22, she was 21. They talked me through the process of making Pastizzi with demonstrations and some, “here’s one I made earlier” to cover the overnight in the fridge step. It’s very important to use half pastry margarine and half normal margarine and never butter! I was invited to make some myself but they graciously accepted my decline and showed me up close how to do it. It’s always simple when someone who knows what they are doing shows you, right? It’s safe to say with my non-existent baking skills that my memory of the process will never be put to the test.

The experience of Gulinu and Nancy sharing this insight into their lives was beautiful. We chatted about their 3 sons, 8 grandchildren and 1 great-granddaughter and their plans for Christmas. Their generosity of spirit was profound.

In addition to Martin I was fortunate enough to spend some time with Damon the co-founder of the absolutely incredible local specialist experience provider that we work with in Malta. Damon kindly gave up his Sunday night to show me Mdina, the hilltop city founded by the Romans around 218 BC, which served as Malta’s capital for many generations until 1570 and known as both The Silent City and The Noble City. Damon had recommended that a night visit was the best way to go, when the city is less busy and I definitely felt the Silent City vibes! This self contained fortress City is so striking and even more so at night.

We then went for a few drinks and dinner in Valetta. The quirky Café Society makes a wicked cocktail and equally quirky Sailor’s Paradise in the old sailors stomping ground also made dangerously good cocktails! Dinner at Legligin was delicious. A set menu of perfectly executed traditional Maltese food in very old brick building simply filled with wine – I was in heaven! It felt true to the historic roots of the City without being cheesy or trying too hard. It was just lovely.

Small but Mighty Points of Difference

Just a 3-hour flight from London and for me the timings were perfect! A 12:30 flight out and 15:00 flight home meant a reasonable start to the day and a reasonable arrival time both ways. They also have British plug sockets, FYI.

I had the same driver throughout my time in Malta – Ryan. Ryan is a down to earth affable Maltese man in his early 30s. Friendly and chatty without being over-bearing and driving a lovely Mercedes. One morning he generously shared some of the Yule log that his sister-in-law had made and he was very happy to receive some of our pastizzi. It was nice to have his familiar face throughout and when I sadly had to depart with no guide in tow it was still Ryan getting me safely back to the airport.

The Business Class Lounge at Malta airport is without a doubt the very best non-airline lounge that I have ever experienced. Now I am no airport lounge buff but I have been to a few around Europe and the quality and selection of food, beverages (alcoholic and non) and the general facilities were significantly better than many others I can think of. There is also a delightful sun terrace. Yes, it is for smokers but it is also for the rest of us capturing those last minutes of sunshine.

16 degrees is no tropical paradise, but compared to the 6 degrees back in London it is delightful! An opportunity to explore the fascinating architecture and history without having to constantly don and remove hats and gloves and also without fighting the lethargy faced by Brits in Southern European summer. Yes I was in my coat, but it was my sunglasses that were most on-and-off.

I had the most wonderful holiday in Malta thanks to the people I was able to spend time with, the huge amount of fascinating information that I learned and the space to switch off and wind down every evening. I have returned home having had a real break from the stresses of my everyday life, having truly reflected on 2025 and I have set my mindset for 2026. I got so much more out of my time in Malta than I imagined I would. I will be planning a return visit in the Spring or Autumn of next year.