A very British isle

We had been told by a fellow passenger on the flight over that you either ‘love Malta or hate it’. He was one of those who loved it, having had a timeshare villa there for 20 years, and I am pleased to say that we concurred.

How do you explain what Malta is like? Well, it’s quite different to any other Mediterranean country I have visited. When we holidayed there mid-May we were blessed with weather that reminded us of an English summer’s day — mid-70s, sun and cloud, and a light breeze. Just perfect for sunbathing, but not too hot to deter us from exploring.

And its British roots and allegiance are unmistakable — it became a British Crown Colony in 1814 and it was 150 years before it gained independence, in 1964. However, so revered is our Queen that she remains Queen of Malta, and that is just how the Maltese like it. One young waiter at our hotel summed it up: “My mother loves Queen Elizabeth — her picture is on our wall and mum drinks tea in the British way every afternoon!”

There is still a generation that remembers Malta’s brave battle in the Second World War. The island — a strategic prize since time immemorial — was awarded the George Cross for bravery. The history of Malta is notable and complex, and in a vain attempt to give readers a potted version, I did a search on the internet. It speaks volumes that everything I looked at ran to many pages, and it’s quite apparent that the words ‘Malta’ and ‘potted history’ do not go together! So, I will just tell you what we found . . .

We flew with Air Malta, landing at Luqa in the early hours. At this point we had our first encounter with Maltese roads, and Maltese taxi-drivers. Neither are good and, in the case of the roads, when you get off the main thoroughfares that criss-cross the island, they are just plain bad! We were whizzed by our taxi driver through the streets of the capital, Valletta, at breakneck speed — we were relieved to arrive safe and sound at the entrance of the city’s newest and best hotel, the five-star Excelsior Grand Hotel Malta, which sits in impressive splendour on the Marsamxett Harbour. It is in the chic suburb of Floriana and but a five-minute walk, gently uphill, to the gates of the ancient walled city of Valletta, which is a UNESCO World Heritage City, and simply stuffed with wonderful architecture and atmosphere.

Our luxurious ground-floor room at the Excelsior looked out over the hotel’s own marina, where expensive yachts bobbed gently up and down, the illuminated historic bastions of the harbour twinkling in the background.

We were pleased to find a kettle and English teabags in the room, though the evaporated stuff that passed for milk wasn’t ideal. Exhausted, we collapsed gratefully into bed, waking to a wonderful sunny vista and raring to get out and about.

It was a Sunday morning and The Excelsior was hosting a rally of the Malta Old Motors Club — so there was a wonderful line-up of vintage cars right outside our window.

Buffet-style breakfast was good, with a wide range of juices, fruit, cereals, pastries and, of course, eggs and bacon for the Brits. Our only complaint was that the DIY conveyor toaster was a bit ropey — you had to insert your slices of bread at least three times to gain the required level of brown toastiness!

We stayed at the Excelsior just a few months after its opening, so the finishing touches were still being made. This did occasionally result in a bit of noise and disturbance, but not to any great detriment of this impressive hotel, which offered all services and mod-cons delivered by cheerful and helpful staff — nothing was too much trouble.

Its position on Marsamxett Harbour is unrivalled and there is a huge pool with ranks of sunbeds where you can lie in the sun and watch the water traffic.

It was from the hotel's private marina one morning that we saved a very distressed green parrot. I can't imagine it's a species indigenous to Malta — more likely an escaped pet — but I noticed the bright green bird flutter into the marina wall and then slide down into the water. It made attempts to fly out, but with sodden feathers, it was going under.

By the greatest of luck, we had seen a maintenance man scooping debris from the marina earlier in the day with a large net, and it was still propped up against the wall. Grabbing it, my husband snatched the parrot from certain death. It didn't look too good, but some locals on the other side of the marina were fascinated, shouting 'cockatoo, you want?' Obviously we didn't want, and they looked kindly, so we passed the poor old parrot across the narrow strip of water in the net and they went off cooing over it. We can only hope it survived, and didn't end up on a barbecue somewhere.

On another day we took a ferry from Floriana to Sliema where we boarded a harbour cruise, which took us round Marsamxett and also the incredible Grand Harbour, surrounded by centuries of fortifications. This is a fantastic way to get a panoramic view of Valletta, with an informative commentary.

The hotel’s location is perfect. It was just a short stroll up to the gates of Old Valletta, where we were immediately struck by the sense of history. The beautiful crumbling buildings with their precarious balconies, the steep cobbled streets stretching down to the sea, the pretty pavement cafes and very Britishness of the place (note the red telephone boxes) all add up to an unmissable city. Within these walls you are away from the honking buses and exhausts of metropolitan Valletta, and can lose yourself in time. Seat yourself in one of thepavement cafes with a cold beer, perhaps a local dish of rabbit in garlic sauce, and watch the world go by. It was a Sunday, so the shops were closed, but some of the many historical attractions were open. We visited the Church of St Paul’s Shipwreck — just a tiny door off a tiny street takes you into a huge ornate church. In a display case is the wristbone of St Paul, who was shipwrecked on Malta on his way to Rome, converting the island to Christianity while there.

The compact size of the island means that you can either sight-see by catching the buses that traverse the length and breadth of the island, or, like us, you can hire a car. This was mostly fun, though as I mentioned previously, the country roads are potholed and bumpy, and the road signs sporadic, so a good map is essential. We didn’t have a good map, and got horribly lost — at one point, we went into the same town five times!

However, it was worth it as we got to see the beautiful silent city of Mdina, the Ggantija Temples, which are believed to be the oldest manmade structures in the world, and some of the pretty fishing villages — in our own time, and without having to wait around for buses.

Malta has been the backdrop for many movies and we were surprised on one of our unscheduled detours, to come across the latest filmset featuring a very large mock-up of the Sphinx on a hillside, and a lot of people in Egyptian costumes.

Of course, if you want to travel further afield you can visit the neighbouring islands of Gozo and Comino, which both have their own special character. We spoke to several Maltese who ‘holiday’ on Gozo, being great fans of its laidback style.

Back at the hotel there was a variety of ways to chill-out and relax including the spa, the warm indoor pool and sauna, the bars and restaurants. The food was very good, although you do need to be a fan of buffets, as that was the chosen style when we were there. The Friday-night Asian buffet was especially good, with suitably oriental entertainment provided by a soprano and guitarist.

If you haven’t visited Malta then this truly unique little Mediterranean island holds much allure — a peaceful sunkissed island, with friendly people, and rather bumpy roads!

The Grand Hotel Excelsior in Malta is an exciting new addition to the short-list of exclusive Mediterranean resorts. Situated in Floriana, its stunning views of Marsamxett Harbour make the picture-perfect backdrop to every holiday snap and superb facilities include a massive pool, health club, boutique beach and a choice of fabulous restaurants. For a wide variety of restaurants, shopping and culture, the vibrant capital city Valletta is a couple of minutes walk.

From November 2008 to March 2009, Grand Hotel Excelsior offers seven nights for the price of six and up to two children (under 12 years, meals paid as taken) may share their parents’ room free of charge. Priced from £355 per person, a lavish daily buffet breakfast is included. Based on two sharing, the price is subject to availability and cannot be combined with other offers/promotions. For reservations at Grand Hotel Excelsior in Malta call: +356 2319 2210 or e-mail: reservations@excelsior.com.mt