Style Blog

Malta as an alternative sun destination ?

Malta is an excellent city or short break destination | Hiking in Malta is scenic though it didn’t involve much climbing.

They say some things spoil Italy – take those away and you might have Malta. You wont get charged extra to have a seat while you enjoy your coffee.

For a family I might just recommend Malta but I heard that Gozo might be better in the beach holiday regard. I only had 3 nights on the island of Malta but saw an experienced a lot to tell you about.

In short there are some nice points to consider:

• Malta has a lot of history
• Malta has an attractive capital Valletta.
• Malta has great weather
• Malta has perhaps the best diving in Europe
• Malta has some nice beaches (check proximity to hotel and reviews carefully I don’t think it has the number that say Greek islands have)
• Malta has a great nature reserve where you can go for a hike.
• Malta has the Popeye film set for kids.
• Malta is one of the cheaper European destinations
• Malta has an excellent area for cinema and nightlife including bars and nightclubs called Paceville sounds like patch-a-vil.

For people interested in a winter home away from the U.K. many love it. The British ties to Malta make things easy I met and spoke at length about this with one couple who were very happy in Mellieha.

Iguazu Falls is at the top of the list for any traveller to Brazil or Argentina, or indeed, South America. This thundering collection of waterfalls is twice the size of Niagara, and being surrounded by lush tropical rainforest makes it quite a sight to behold and no surprise it was named one of the world’s New 7 Wonders of Nature.

Argentinean side versus Brazilian side
There is a lot of debate as to which side of the falls provides the best view. From my research, the consensus is: Brazilian side for the big picture; Argentina for close-up action.

How I did it
I was travelling up from Buenos Aires so I visited from the Argentinean side, waiting to see whether I felt I needed to go to Brazil, too. As it was, I was more than happy with what I saw and experienced, and being on a tight budget, skipped Brazil. In Argentina, you stay in a town that has grown up by the falls – Puerto Iguazu – which has plenty of good quality hotels, restaurants and tour operators.

What to expect at the Argentinean side of the falls
It’s very well organised – you pick up one of the regular buses that leave from Puerto Iguazu’s bus terminal to the entrance to the site, a journey of around 18km. Once you’re through the ticket offices, stop in the visitors’ centre for useful background knowledge and an introduction to the falls and their position in the rainforest.