The harbor at St Julian’s. The weather was beautiful during my 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

A street in the walled-city of 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.

The Maltese Lunch Platter at Don Mesquita in Mdina in Malta

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

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

Simple lunch at U Bistro in St. Julians, Malta

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

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