“See how this clock has just one hand” points out Baroness de Piro, “that’s how you can tell it’s a traditional Maltese clock.”
“Not until the 19th century did the Maltese create clocks with two hands. I think it’s something to do with our relaxed approach to time”, she remarks with a glint in her eye.
We’re standing in one of the upper rooms in Casa Rocca Piccola – a grand, historic home in the heart of Malta’s capital, where her family has lived since the 16th century.
The historic Maltese clock sits on the mantlepiece, in a drawing room, amidst a house filled with treasures from the past, which we’re being led around by the current owner, who lives upstairs, 7 generations since her in-laws first built the house.
But despite what Frances the Baroness says about Maltese time-keeping, so far, everything on our trip to this southern European islands has run like clockwork!
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It helps, of course, that I’m here with Jet2.
Honestly, if you want you to enjoy a stress-free getaway, travelling with Jet2 Holidays from London Stansted airport is like being wrapped in a warm safety, travel blanket.
From the moment we arrive at Stansted, cheery staff in their unmissable, vibrant red uniforms are there to usher us through each step of the holiday process, making bag drop, boarding, airport arrival and hotel check-in, a doddle.
If, like my travel partner, you haven’t been away in a while, it’s reassuring and comforting that things go so smoothly and efficiently.
If, like me, you go away a little too often, it’s delightful that things can be organised so quickly and easily by someone else – the perfect excuse to take my foot off the travel pedal and slip seamlessly into holiday mode.
Which, as our cheery rep on the express transfer from Malta airport to our hotel tells us, is exactly what time on this island is all about.
And indeed, when we arrive, the AX ODYCY just screams holidays!
I mean the fact it’s one of the largest hotels I’ve ever stayed in – dominating a whole chunk of the coastal road in Malta’s north west– makes it’s hard not to hear!
But in case you didn’t, then the all-inclusive packages, 6 restaurants, 4 bars, 3 pools, water slides, seafront location and the tanned tourists milling through reception should give you a clue!
Part of the Jet2holidays LUXE collection, the AX ODYCY is located in St Paul’s around 40 mins from Valletta.
Our yet-to-be-renovated rooms while not glamorous, are filled with natural light, excellent shower pressure and comfy duvet-toped beds that more than do the job and, most importantly, still allow us to access the inviting facilities of AX Odycy’s 4* resort for a fraction of the usual price!
Quite frankly, the kind of holiday deal I’m more than happy to make the time for!
Modern, spacious and with the sort of white-trainer-clad, young staff that couldn’t do more to help you, it’s the buffet breakfast (with its nuts, seeds and salad selection, along with the usual pastries and cooked options) and the adult-only infinity-pool-topped roof terrace that do it for me personally!
Time begins to slow down and we barely make it off the sun beds on day 1.
On day 2 however, we decide it’s time to explore further afield.
The area around our hotel holds little appeal, so instead we decide to hit up the UNESCO-listed capital of Malta, Valletta, in the north east of the island.
Despite the warnings we’ve heard, the bus is perfectly on time and the stop, complete with displayed timetables, literally across the road from our hotel, couldn’t be easier to find.
Payment, by cash or card, is sorted by the driver onboard (a flat fare of 2.50€ during the day makes things easy) and then we’re away, the spires and domes of Valletta’s 2 main churches looming into view across the island’s light sandstone landscape.
Valletta, we realise in just a few hours, is a city that really needs 2 days – 1 more than we have!
It’s both larger, prettier and busier than I had anticipated, so we get cracking.
First stop at 10am sharp is St John’s Cathedral – the city’s flagship religious building, where we have tickets booked for a step inside this Baroque behemoth.
We’re not late and, judging from the long queue, nor is anybody else – a small worry until we realise we can skip the line, to enter straight into the Cathedral’s ornate interior and explore its unique collection of Caravaggio works and explanatory digital displays, with our pre-booked tickets.
From here we hustle to the city’s art gallery, La Muza, before pressing on to the Grand Master’s Palace, stopping only for a quick Qassatat (traditional Maltese pastry street snack filled with ricotta) and espresso in local must-visit haunt Gambrinus – the perfect 2.65€ pick-me up!
Well-fuelled we scrabble on, by chance actually, with the crowds to arrive just in time for the free 12 noon canon firing at the Saluting Battery.
As expected, it’s mostly a quick, loud blast and not much action, but the sight of the historic 3 cities, which lie just across the water, is worth staying put just 10 minutes for, until the majority of tourists retreat and leave the stunning view unobstructed for us!
As the TikTok videos I’ve been served relentlessly since I touched down in Malta have told me, a simple stroll to the lower gardens would then allow you to catch 2€ gondola across the water to explore the beautiful 3 cities, but we’ve got the rather less aesthetically appealing, but historically hyped Fort St Elmo & the National War Museum to hit up instead.
As you’ll know from the introduction of this article, time (and going back in it) is a crucial point in this Malta meander, so our decision to visit the War Museum (the one Valletta’s cultural treasure to visit if you’re pushed for time FYI) was a well made one.
Naively thinking it would be focused only on the WWII history of the island (Malta remains the only country to be awarded the George Cross for its bravery and tenacity during the relentless bombing it endured during WWII), the museum instead starts from prehistory and runs right up to the modern day.
And that’s because, as the considered curation subtly points out, pretty much the entirety of Malta’s narrative is one of conflict.
Found on the edge of the EU, but only a stone’s throw from North Africa, the sight of Malta’s light-coloured, flat-roofed buildings that blend in with the dry, crumbling background of the island, immediately throws me back in time to previous trips – Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Israel, Jordan.
And it’s no surprise really.
From the Phoenicians to the Carthaginians, the Romans to the Ottomans, the Spanish to the Italians, just about every empire and his dog has tried (successful or otherwise) to conquer Malta at some stage.
Despite being home to only half a million people, this is small island so importantly placed in the Mediterranean, a mere 90 km of Sicily and under 400km from Tunis, that it’s a key stepping stone in a journey that, for centuries, has been the ambition of just about every autocrat going.
And in many ways, Malta remains a stepping stone today, although perhaps more in time than space.
After all, the day’s 30,000 steps (many of them in an uphill attempt to conquer Valletta’s undulating streets) certainly had us making the best use of our day, not to mention our Heritage Malta Multisite Pass!
But there was still time for one more stop – Casa Rocca Piccola – where a fortuitous tour by the current owner (they don’t give them everyday you know!), leads us to the discovery of the Maltese one-handed clock and tales of a time when the Knights of St John began constructing this walled city as long ago as 1566.
While I dream about the ancient stories hidden in the city walls, and return to my never-ending fantasy of moving to southern Europe, golden hour is perfectly illumining historic Valletta, as she ebbs into the distance from our ferry deck view.
Moving from the past to the present, we’ve decided to finish the day in Sliema.
After the 2€, 6 minute ferry shuffles us seamlessly across the body of water separating this bustling condo-lined, modern costal enclave from the capital, we manage a hurried sea dip at Fond Ghadir before the light totally disappears, and then a sedate stroll to St Julien’s for dinner, twinkling harbour lights pointing out the way.
As if we hadn’t completely smashed our step goals the day before, we woke keen for adventure again, and so, on day 2 of our Malta Jet2holiday, we head out to the public ferry at Ċirkewwa for a day trip to neighbouring island, Gozo.
Translated from the Spanish as island of joy, Gozo is one of 3 islands that make up the nation of Malta – the middle-sized and the most northerly of the trip.
If you’re staying in Valletta, Sliema or St Julien’s, the foot ferry connection from the capital would be easiest, but for us, up in St Paul’s, the quicker northern crossing is the best option.
Bolt, as you will quickly learn if you visit Malta, is the driving force behind the island (literally) and Ahmed amazingly pulls up outside our hotel within seconds of me making the booking.
Grabbing the 4.50€ ferry tickets at the terminal, and hopping onboard and up to the sun deck for the best snaps (obvs!), within just 20 minutes we’re pulling into beautiful Gozo, which seems to unfurl like a dusty, mythical creature in front of us.
Once on land, it immediately becomes clear that if you’re going to travel around the tiny island of Gozo, home to under 30,000 people spread across just 14 villages, then the only way to do it is in a barbie pink tuk-tuk… obviously.
Thankfully Mike, from Yippee, has just the set of wheels.
Having taken on the merciful task of also hurtling us around the island in said wheels, Mike leads us to all the island’s top sights – the UNESCO-listed prehistoric Giant Temples (actually the oldest freestanding structures in the world), quaint, cafe-laden Xaghra square, the balconied-houses of capital Rabat, the city’s looming stone Cittadella and, finally, the stunning Tal-Mixta Cave lookout above red-sanded Ramala Bay – before dropping us, wind-blown and wild round the edges at Il-Kartell – the ideal spot to stop and savour the sea for an hour alongside a moist mushroom risotto and stand out bottle of Maltese Chardonnay.
But time was still ticking on, so we crammed in meeting with Josephine, the 5th generation owner of Xwejni Gozo salt pans, learnt the story behind the rather sorry-named Fungus Rock and paid our respects at the site of the famous former iconic Azure Window, which met its sad demise in a 2017 storm.
Quieter, calmer and less commercialised than Malta, with more time, Gozo is certainly the place to stay and savour longer; 2-3 days would be a wonderful retreat from the world, but alas time was not something we had a lot of in Malta!
So, as the ferry docked back on the main island, we quickly grabbed a Bolt and headed straight to the famous sunset spot of Riveria Bay.
With the usual Instagram trappings of a scenic swing and bright parasol bay below, we quickly realised that the beach and its loungers were rapidly emptying as sunset approached, leaving us to enjoy a local craft beer from nearby restaurant Singhita in near solitude on the sand – bliss!
We’d missed the 3 cities and the renowned Blue Lagoon, but the last thing we did manage to tick off our Malta list was M’dina – the island’s former capital, now beautifully restored in all its original Baroque glory.
Small, but picture-perfect, we spent an hour or 2 strolling the Medieval sandstone streets and colourful beautiful balconies here, enjoying beers in the scenic squares and gelatos the melted into our hands as we peered over the ancient walls to endless views across the island.
Like so often on the last day of a holiday, time just seemed to evaporate.
Despite the amount we’d seen and the number of steps we’d taken on this last-minute holiday, we had definitely slowed down.
Was it Malta time rubbing off on us?
Or was it just those holiday clocks kicking in?
It certainly wasn’t the unfairly rumoured slow Malta buses that’s for sure!
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Quick Travel Guide to Malta & Gozo
When to Visit Malta?
Shoulder season months of May or September are best for cooler temperatures, thinner crowds and better prices.
How to Get There?
Flights to Malta with Jet2 run from London Stansted twice a week.
How Long to Stay?
7 days is a good amount of time to explore Malta and Gozo.
How to Get Around?
Use the free local Tillanja app for bus timetables and journey planners.
Bolt journeys between towns average around 15€ for 20 mins.
Ferry crossings to Gozo are available through Gozo High Speed or Gozo Channel.
Travel Insurance
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Travel Money
Malta uses the Euro as its currency.
I always travel in Europe with my Wise card, which makes spending abroad cheaper with real exchange rates and no sneaky transaction or ATM fees.
Wise cards works just like a debit card and link easily with Google and Apple pay – grab yours here.
eSIM for Malta
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Elements of my trip to Malta were sponsored by Malta UK Tourism but, as always, all views are my own.
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