Elite Traveler Spring 2022

EXPLORE MALTA GUIDE TO MALTA

It turns out Malta has been misrepresented. It’s true that it’s almost always sunny — locals bask under more than 300 blue-sky days each year — and it’s still tremendously good value, but this tiny Mediterranean nation (comprising the main island of Malta and its more spiritual, serene sister island Gozo) is so much more than a budget-holiday mainstay. Discerning travelers started to take a second glance at this overlooked destination after Michelin threw a slew of stars at its restaurants, and years-in-the-making luxury hotel Iniala Harbour House fi nally opened its doors. They liked what they saw. Beyond the bastions of dainty Valletta (incontestably one of Europe’s most charming capitals), the country is crammed with architectural marvels and dramatic natural wonders: From millennia-old temples and the most extravagant Renaissance-era churches, to its towering coastal cli ff s and Comino island’s radiant Blue Lagoon, whose temperate shallow waters gleam the most brilliant Maldivian hues. The country’s humble footprint means everything is within relatively easy reach, too.

by John O’Ceallaigh