If you followed our stories while we were in Malta… you saw we were obsessed for so many reasons.

First off, it was a quick 45 minute flight on Air Malta for us from Catania, Sicily. Air Malta was a very nice, easy to use airline which allowed carry on for free (many discount European airlines you have to even pay for carry on bags). We were at our hotel by 8:30 in the morning. We assumed we’d just drop off our bags and then explore for the morning. However, the Hilton Malta Hotel in St. Julian’s where we stayed was beyond amazing for families.

We were able to check in when we arrived, and because we have Hilton Honors (free with your Amex card, and free with active duty military), we also were able to have breakfast in the honors suite right away! The views were amazing. 

It felt like we were back in Laguna. Peaceful and beautiful. And while it wasn’t warm, the kids didn’t care. The outside pool was not heated, but they swam for HOURS jumping between the pool and hot tub outside and had the whole thing to themselves. 

Because we were intentionally making this a “cheap relaxing” trip, we spent a lot of time at the hotel. Between free breakfasts, free afternoon “high tea” with snacks, and evening happy-hour, we really milked it for all it had. But when we did explore, we had a blast.

Malta is an independent country in the EU, but for 150 years it was a British colony. So most people in Malta speak English. Their native language however is Maltese, which is a combination of Italian, French & Arabic. The people of Malta reminded us of Sicilians in many ways, and their country felt similar to us. 

It was more modernized than Sicily was however. There were high rises, nicer buildings than we see in Sicily, and things like juice bars and health food stores everywhere! We could also walk safely in the cities, and that was comforting. In Sicily, the sidewalks and streets aren’t well kept, there aren’t sidewalks to go for a run or jog… but in Malta, it was different. 

Food was very inexpensive and you could find any kind of food you wanted!! We got everything from churros to Maltese Pinsa, doners, sushi, rabbit, Maltese chocolate and we even found a Starbucks! 

The other nice thing about the restaurants in Malta was that everything was open “normal” times. We didn’t have to take an afternoon nap just to be able to keep the kids up for European dinner times.

Malta has so much to see and do…. and to be honest, we just scratched the surface in our 3-day weekend. So many movies & shows were filmed there including Game of Thrones, Popeye, World War Z, Jurassic Park, and so much more. 

The history of Malta is so rich, you could see everything from locations noted in the Bible, WWII sites, the Great Siege, Knights of Malta and more.

Walking around the capital of Valletta was really fun to see. From old forts to the St. John’s Cathedral with tombs of the knights, it was beautiful. 

We also spent a few hours going through the Aquarium at St Peter’s bay. It was small, but it was perfect for the kids. 

Next time, I’d love to explore Gozo, some of the beautiful hiking trails that look like Ireland’s cliffs, maybe take the kids to Popeye’s village and the city of Mdina is a must for the next visit! 

“Everyone” says not to go to Malta in the winter… but we would 100% recommend it! There were no crowds and everything was still open. The only thing we didn’t do, that most people do in the summer time, is go to the beaches. They are beautiful, but we’ll come back again in the off-season if we had a choice!