Spa treatments This year Malta will further establish itself on the spa scene with the expansion of the four-star Fortina Spa Resort in Sliema. On completion in September 2003, it will be the largest spa in the Mediterranean.
As part of the property’s £9.25 million expansion, its Spa Mediterranée will offer 14 treatment rooms and 63 spa bedrooms – offering guests spa treatments in the privacy of their own room.
The spa specialises in anti-stress and well-being treatments using in-house produced concentrated seawater that contains three times the amount of salts and minerals than natural seawater.
Other treatments include reflexology, shiatsu, Indian head massage, aromatherapy and beauty therapy.
Belleair Holidays offers a five-day spa package at the Spa Mediterranée for £175 per person. This includes four treatments per day with a programme devised specifically for each individual.
Two free thlassotherapy pool treatments are included in the packages for all guests at this all-inclusive hotel.
An extensive range of thalasso therapies are also offered at the Barcelo Riviera Resort and Spa, located in the quiet village of Mellieha on the island’s north coast.
Its luxurious Elysium Spa offers a Vichy shower, hydromassage bed, two hydrotherapy tubs, a solarium, massage rooms and a hydrojet pool.
Competition on the island comes from The Athenaeum Spa in the 155-room, five-star Corinthia Palace Hotel located at San Anton in the tranquil centre of Malta
The Athenaeum offers more than 50 treatments ranging from beauty packages, holistic therapies, such as reiki, and classical medical treatments such as physiotherapy and osteopathy.
Additional facilities include a hydrotherapy pool, Jacuzzi, gym, solarium and sauna.
The fourth spa property in the region, The Kempinski Spa, is located on Malta’s sister island of Gozo in the picturesque village of San Lawrenz. It boasts one of the largest and best equipped marine care and beauty centres in the Mediterranean as well as an authentic Ayurveda Centre.
Beauty treatments include algae body wraps, Vichy showers and hydrojet massages.
Tying the knot
With red tape kept to a minimum, being just a three-hour flight from the UK and offering year-round good weather, getting married in Malta is an attractive proposal.
Many operators feature Malta and/or Gozo in their dedicated weddings brochures.
Virtually all the packages featured are for registry office weddings in either the Maltese capital Valletta or in Victoria on Gozo. However, with more churches on Malta than there are days of the year, couples wanting a religious wedding are spoilt for choice. These range from elegant Baroque parish churches to secluded, quaint countryside chapels. Although Malta’s religion is Roman Catholic couples can also marry in churches of their own denomination.
Thanks to Malta’s close ties with Britain, legal formalities are relatively straightforward, involving regular documentation such as birth certificates and a letter from the diocese in the couple’s country of origin.
In addition, the islands’ location is another convenient attraction. The three-hour flight means that it is not too far for friends and family to travel to in order to join the couple for the wedding ceremony After the reception, couples married in Malta can choose to leave their friends and go on ‘honeymoon’ escaping for a few days to the beaches of Gozo, thereby splitting their stay.
A wedding package at the five-star Westin Dragonara Resort in St Julian’s with Thomas Cook Holidays costs £249 per couple and includes return taxi trip to the registry office, bride’s bouquet, groom’s buttonhole, a bottle of sparkling wine for the toast, a one-tier wedding cake and candlelit dinner. Wedding receptions and live entertainment can also be booked at an extra cost.
Getting sporty
For anyone looking for an active break, Malta and its sister islands offer no end of opportunities for adventure.
Walking is an ideal way to appreciate Malta’s stunning scenery. Incorporating sprawling fields and gorge-like valleys, some four-fifths of the island is rural and left almost untouched by modern-day life. Many farmers still use traditional labour-intensive farming methods of yesteryear and village life centers on the agricultural and fishing seasons.
Areas that are excellent for hiking include Mellieha, Dingli, Ghar Lapsi, Fawwara, Wardija, all the north and its various bays and the southern coast with its fishing villages and Delimara Point. En route walkers can visit medieval churches, cave chapels, prehistoric sites and rural villages.
Although paths do hug the cliffs along parts of Malta’s 140-mile-long coastline, by far the best way to explore the hidden coves, grottos and tranquil bays is via boat. Indeed, some inlets are so secluded they cannot be accessed on foot.
The views of the cliffs are staggering, rising up to 250 metres above sea level. The best views are at Dingli Cliffs on the west coast or at Ta Cenc in Gozo.
Kayaks can be hired from the main beach resorts such as Bugibba and St Julian’s Bay, alongside other water sports equipment including windsurfs, jet skis and snorkels.
Sailing enthusiasts can charter a yacht for a night or two, either skippered or bare boat, and explore the coastline at their leisure. Alternatively, Malta’s location in the Heart of the Mediterranean means that sailors are well placed to explore further afield. The Italian islands of Sicily, Pantelleria and Aeolian islands are only a few hours away by yacht.
For those who prefer to stay on dry land, Malta has one golf club. This 18-hole course at the Royal Malta Golf Club in Marsa is just a five-minute drive from Valletta. Although several of the holes are challenging par fives, this course is good for beginners.
Plans for a second course near Rabat in central Malta have been drawn up but further details are not yet available.
Did you know?
Tom Cruise and Penelope Cruz are rumored to be planning to tie the knot in Malta this spring. Watch this space!