STAY AT THE GRAND HOTEL EXCELSIOR

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Hatha Yoga Session at Excelsior Hotel Malta

These days, Hatha is most often used to describe gentle, basic classes with no flow between poses. A Hatha class will likely be a slow- paced stretching class with some simple breathing exercises and perhaps seated meditation. This is a good place to learn beginner’s poses, relaxation techniques, and become comfortable with yoga.

Join the Le Grand Spa Malta Team every Wednesday at 17.30 hrs for a session of Hatha Yoga in Malta.

Sessions are complimentary for Our Grand Hotel Excelsior Guests. Towels and mats will be provided by Le Grand Spa.

Should you wish to experience any of the services at this leading Spa Hotel in Malta kindly contact us on 00356 21250520 or on spa@excelsior.com.mt.

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Living a Royal Christmas at the Excelsior Hotel Malta!


This Year Let Your Star Accompany You to the Grand Hotel Excelsior

&

Celebrate the Christmas Spirit with Your Family and Friends.


Check Out what this top 5 star Malta Hotel has to offer for this Festive Season!

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Learning Malta Holidays - English Courses in Malta


Would you like to enjoy a quick break in Malta whilst learning English at the same time?


Improve your English skills during your holidays in Malta. Add some English lessons to your accommodation package.

Private and semi-private courses in General and Business English are offered in-house at the Excelsior Hotel Malta by Britannia College Tutors, a Ministry of Education accredited English Language School.

Packages starting from € 700.00… choose from a variety of options.


 Should you require further information about English Courses in Malta kindly contact us on sascha.sammut@excelsior.com.mt or on 00356 21250520.

Terms and Conditions Apply.
Photo Courtesy of the Britannia College.

Monday, November 19, 2012

Malta Attractions - Walking Trails

Malta’s central position in the Mediterranean has made the Island a hub of history - from the landing of St Paul; through the times of the Knights of St John; to the modern epic of Gallant Malta.

A cultural mix makes Malta unique. Its language is based on Arabic, but English is widely spoken. There is a rich variety of country walking allowing visitors and locals alike to explore the Maltese Islands’ landscape of small ridges and valleys, seamed by tracks among stone walls and little farmsteads as well as lovely panoramic coastal paths. There are a number of attractive country walks in Malta. The ideal period for walks is autumn to spring as the weather would not be as hot and the countryside turns into a green paradise with blossoming wild flowers.

Gozo is greener, without the bustle of large towns. With some great walking across irrigated farmland, steep valleys, terraced fields and table-top hills, there is no better way of discovering the best the island has to offer. Through walking tours you may explore the hidden and secluded areas around the island and discover stunning views and hidden valleys. You may come across wayside chapels and old forts as well as villages that have remained practically untouched where elderly men and women still work the fields. There are also many historical and archaeological sites with breathtaking views.

If you are planning your next Malta holidays the Chauffuer Driven Service at this superior Malta Hotel can assist you with your Malta Walking Tours.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Santa's Swim in Aid of Charity - Excelsior Malta Beach



Spot Santa and The Three Kings doing a brave dive for charity at the Grand Hotel Excelsior!! Come and join us on Sunday 9th December 2012 at 10.00 hrs! Take a dip just off our private beach and give a donation for charity – All for a Very Good Cause.

For more information about Festive Season Events at the Grand Hotel Excelsior Malta kindly contact us on christmas@excelsior.com.mt or on 00356 21250520.

About Malta: Valletta - The Fortress City


Valletta - a fortified city
Valletta owes its existence to the Knights of St John, who planned the city as a refuge to care for injured soldiers and pilgrims during the Crusades in the 16th century. Until the arrival of the Knights, Mount Sceberras, on which Valletta stands, lying between two natural harbours, was an arid tongue of land. No building stood on its bare rocks except for a small watch tower, called St Elmo, at its extreme end. Grand Master La Valette, the gallant hero of the Great Siege of 1565, soon realised that if the Order was to maintain its hold on Malta, it had to provide adequate defences. Therefore, he drew up a plan for a new fortified city on the Sceberras peninsula. Pope Pius V and Philip II of Spain showed interest in the project. They both promised financial aid and the Pope lent the Knights the services of Francesco Laparelli, a military engineer, who drew up the necessary plans for the new city and its defences. Work started in earnest in March 1566 - first on the bastions and, soon after, on the more important buildings. The new city was to be called Valletta in honour of La Valette. The Grand Master didn’t live to see its completion and he died in 1568. His successor, Pietro del Monte continued with the work at the same pace. By 1571, the Knights transferred their quarters from Vittoriosa (Birgu) to their new capital. Architect Laparelli left Malta in 1570. He was replaced by his assistant Gerolamo Cassar, who had spent some months in Rome, where he had observed the new style of buildings in the Italian city. Cassar designed and supervised most of the early buildings, including the Sacra Infermeria, St John’s Church, the Magisterial Palace and the seven Auberges, or Inns of Residence of the Knights.

By the 16th century, Valletta had grown into a sizeable city and people from all parts of the island flocked to live within its safe fortifications especially as Mdina, until then Malta’s capital, lost much of its lure. In the ensuing years, the serious mannerist style of Cassar’s structures gave way to the more lavish palaces and churches with graceful facades and rich sculptural motifs that we see today. The new city, with its strong bastions and deep moats, became a fortification of great strategic importance. Valletta’s street plan is unique and planned with its defence in mind. Based on a more or less uniform grid, some of the streets fall steeply as you get closer to the tip of the peninsula. The stairs in some of the streets do not conform to normal dimensions since they were constructed in a way so as to allow knights in heavy armour to be able to climb the steps.

Fast forward a few centuries and the city built by gentlemen for gentlemen came under another siege; this time in the shape of World War II which brought havoc to Malta. Valletta was badly battered by the bombing, but the city withstood the terrible blow and, within a few years, it rose again. During the postwar years, Valletta lost many of its citizens who moved out to more modern houses in other localities and its population dwindled to 9,000 inhabitants. However, in the last few years many individuals with a flair for unique architecture are trickling back into the city and investing in old properties.

Valletta, the smallest capital of the European Union, is now the island’s major commercial and financial centre and is visited daily by throngs of tourists eager to experience the city’s rich history.

Valletta Attractions
Despite measuring just 900 metres by 630 metres, Valletta boasts over 25 churches, a testament to the centuries-old ingrained Catholic faith of the Maltese. In fact, the first building that went up in the city is the church of Our Lady of Victories along South Street, which commemorates the lifting of the Great Siege. The Co-Cathedral of St John is nothing short of a gem and quite simply a must for any tourist. Described as the first complete example of high Baroque anywhere, it epitomises the spiritual and military role of its patrons. The Cathedral is a showcase to Mattia Preti who intricately carved stone wall designs, as well as the painted vaulted ceiling and side altars with scenes from the life of St John. Among the treasures found in the Cathedral are the unique Caravaggio painting depicting the beheading of St John, the extraordinary paving of more than 300 marble tomb slabs (the burial place of several former European princes), and the splendid vaulted central nave with frescoes of Mattia Preti.

If you’re looking for enjoyable Malta City Breaks, then stay in one of the leading Malta Hotels close to Valletta with its superb attractions, museums, restaurants and shops.

Monday, November 12, 2012

The Grand Hotel Excelsior Autumn/Winter 2012 Newsletter



This publication offers information about activities organised by the Grand Hotel Excelsior and events taking place in Malta.

Should you wish to stay updated with what's happening at the Grand Hotel Excelsior Malta kindly like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/excelsiormalta.

Monday, November 5, 2012

Visit Malta - The Sacred Islands


Maltese Prehistory
The Mediterranean island of Malta figures in the historical record of Europe due to its association with the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem. However this small island, of 243 square kilometres, has a far greater importance in European prehistory due to its extraordinary collection of megalithic temples.

According to the studies of orthodox archaeologists, the remains of bones, fragments of pottery, and marks of fire indicate that human beings have lived on Malta since at least 5200 BC.

Malta temples
Evidence suggests, these early people lived in caves, but later built huts and villages. Approximately 1600 years after their arrival in Malta, these people began the formation of stupendous megalithic temples. The ruins now remaining are the bare skeletons of once magnificent structures, mostly roofed over, paved, furnished with doors and curtains, and beautifully decorated with sculptures and paintings.

On the Islands of Malta and Gozo, one may find around 23 temples in various states of preservation although the remains of 50 temples have been found. No particular pattern emerges from the distribution of these temples and this may be explained by the probability that numerous temples were destroyed in antiquity and that others remain to be discovered.

Amongst these 23 temples is the Hypogeum which is situated in Paola, and was discovered surprisingly by workmen digging at about 3.5 m under the road surface. The word Hypogeum comes from the Greek word “Ipogaina”, which means, “an underground construction sunk into the solid rock.” It is a UNESCO World Heritage site like the other temples in Malta. This underground temple is made up from a set of rooms and caves dug by Copper - Age people, most probably between the years 4100 B.C. and 2500 B.C. At the beginning of its existence, the Hypogeum was used as a temple or sanctuary as well as a burial place. This is
known due to its architectural resemblance to the freestanding Megalithic Temples outside. However the greatest evidence present is the several statuettes of the Fat Lady, their goddess of Fertility. A big statue of a “sleeping Lady” was also found in this temple. The discoveries of some 7,000 human bones were also found in the temple and many dead people were found buried with their personal belongings.

The megalithic temple of Hagar Qim is another historical wonder situated in the West of Malta, near the village of Qrendi and was built between 3600 B.C. and 3000 B.C. The name Hagar Qim means “freestanding boulders” and was first explored in 1839. Hagar Qim was the third temple to be built in the Maltese Islands and its layout is very similar in shape of the other temples. The original alters previously found in the temple can now be found in the Museum of Archaeology.

Though of more recent origin than the great megalithic temples, the Romanesque basilica of Ta’ Pinu is of importance as a pilgrimage site. Legends relate that in 1883, a local woman named Carmel Grima heard a voice telling her to pray by a 16th century chapel. A friend, Francesco Portelli, confirmed that he had also heard the voice and thus they prayed together for Francesco’s bedridden mother and she soon experienced a miraculous recovery. More miraculous healings were thereafter reported and from thanksgiving offerings the present sanctuary was built in the 1920’s.The sanctuary incorporates the early chapel, whose original caretaker, Pinu Gauci, lent his name to the site. The Ta’ Pinu Shrine is visited for its healing qualities and is also sacred to sailors. Many locals as well as foreigners visit the site to offer thanksgiving and pay for healings.

If you are planning your next holiday to Malta, stay in a top five star Luxury Malta Hotel that offers superior Accommodation. Our Chauffeur Driven Service can guide you on where to go in Malta during your stay.