72 hours in Malta

300 days of sunshine, crystal clear Mediterranean waters, 7,000 years of history, thriving local traditions and laid-back rural villages, delicious cuisine and a vibrant nightlife – Welcome to Malta!

Stay at the Grand Hotel Excelsior, two minutes away from Valletta, and relive the Knight’s of St. John legacy. Visit the medieval city of Mdina, one of Europe’s finest examples of an ancient walled city and extraordinary in its mix of medieval and baroque architecture. Head north to enjoy Mediterranean sun, sand and sea. Experience Gozo where tranquillity is still a way of life. Enjoy Malta’s religious ‘festas’, adorned churches and glittering firework displays. Discover megalithic temples, rugged countryside and dramatic cliffs or submerge into a diver’s paradise. Wine and dine in stylish surroundings and party in lively evening venues.

If you have only three days in Malta, do not attempt to see it all. Although the area covered by the Maltese Islands is just 316 km², there is plenty to see and do so we recommend you experience just a few of Malta’s highlights to get a feeling of the island’s character.

We will start by giving you information about Things to do in Malta on Day 1.

Day 1 – Valletta & Sliema

With the Grand Hotel Excelsior as your home, the Capital Valletta, is probably the most obvious place to start. With the entire city declared a UNESCO World Heritage site, walking through its streets is nothing short of walking through an open-air museum. Walk along Republic Street to St John’s Co-Cathedral, the jewel of Valletta, with its gilded interior enough to make one’s jaw drop. Look out for the Caravaggio’s only signed painting, The Beheading of St John. Exit the Catheral and dive into the open-air market in Merchants’ Street. All in all, Valletta is also a great place for shopping.

Do take the time to wander through the alleyways, up and down the lopes and stairways, and to sit under the sun with a coffee watching the pigeons. In whichever order you choose to do these, try to be at the Upper Barrakka Gardens at noon for the re-enactment and shooting of the cannon, and enjoy one of the most spectacular views in Malta, that of the Grand Harbour.

For the afternoon we recommend a Harbour Cruise which takes you to see the the Three Cities from a unique perspective and which offers an insight to the essence of Maltese History.

Tomorrow we will be giving you some tips on what to do in Malta on Day 2. So visit the Blogs of the Grand Hotel Excelsior Malta to stay updated.

Should you wish to experience one of our exclusive tours during your Holidays in Malta kindly contact our chauffeur driven service on: +356 21250520 or on transport@excelsior.com.mt.

Photos courtesy of the Malta Tourism Authority.



10 Things to Taste during your Malta holidays

Kinnie

Best described as one of Malta’s most distinct soft drinks, Kinnie is formed from an aromatic blend of bitter oranges, sweet spices and pungent herbs. While sounding like something a child might cook-up in their mother’s kitchen, Kinnie’s curious composites mysteriously align to form a devilishly tasty dark-amber nectar.

 

Twistees

Famously found in lunch-boxes around the island (adults included!), this popular snack helps to keep the wolves at bay between meals. Found in cheesy, chicken and bacon flavours, Twistees are the local version of naughty-but-nice nibbles.

 

Mqaret

Sweet and tasty, these deep-fried pastries are truly divine (so long as you don’t count all their calories!). Stuffed with dates and served as a warm dessert, often accompanied with ice cream, these fragrant and softly spiced treats are worth ditching the diet for.

Hobz biz-Zejt

The literal translation, being bread with oil, just doesn’t do this dish justice. A better description would be ‘ a rustic Mediterranean loaf ’. For this specialty, fresh crusty bread is fervently lavished with olive oil and stuffed with a combination of ingredients that include capers, olives, garlic, tuna, anchovies and sweet tomato paste. However, Gbejna – peppery cubes of succulent goat’s cheese, in my opinion, really takes the Hobz-Biz biscuit as the best addition to this delicious bread!

 

Gbejniet

Traditionally made from goats cheese you can find them pickled and plain or pickled and coated in black pepper. For a milder taste try them fresh. Enjoy them with Malta’s popular crackers known as Galletti. Nowadays these are available seasoned with sea salt and black pepper, herbs and even sun dried tomatoes in ready prepared packets.

 

Fenek

Often typified as the national dish, stewed rabbit has become synonymous with Malta’s cultural identity. Almost as important as the soft and succulent meat, however, is the act of going for the meal itself. Known traditionally as a ‘fenkata’, this festive feast is not only an excuse to gather all the friends and family but has become a seasonal occasion for most Maltese.

Timpana

Amalgamating two beloved dishes, Timpana gives you the ultimate pasta-pie. Made from macaroni pasta and bolognese meat, this traditional platter is baked in a puff pastry layer until lightly golden brown. A word of warning, however, this dish is best served with a subsequent nap.

Cisk

A premium lager, Cisk is one of Malta’s most significant exports. Locally brewed with a light and refreshing taste, Cisk can be enjoyed without fear of any beer-belly retribution. Unless, that is, you decide to down ten in row; then are making no such promise!

Bajtra Liquer

Formed from the flesh of the local prickly pear fruit (Bajtra), and shimmering in a translucent red, this luminous liqueur looks deceptively close to a cough mixture medicine. However, far from a revolting remedy, this sweetened solution slips down very easily as an after dinner treat. Some might even call it salubrious for the soul, (I said might…)

Pastizzi

With its very own Facebook page (complete with over 36,000 likes) Pastizzi can be easily deemed the nation’s favourite. Cut into diamond shaped pastries, these local delicacies are lovingly oven baked with a warm ricotta or a spicy pea filling. Transforming into an indulgent treat or tasty snack, Pastizzi perfectly epitomizes the sumptuous Maltese palette.

If you would like to taste some mouthwatering dishes visit one of the top Malta Restaurants at the Grand Hotel Excelsior!

Outdoor Dining in Malta - Chill with your colleagues!

Come chill and let the summer breeze carry away all the stresses and formality of your work!

Enjoy a sumptuous BBQ under the stars with your colleagues and let the capable staff at the Grand Hotel Excelsior indulge you with a truly unique dining experience!

An enticing staff BBQ menu offered at €23.50 per person is being offered on the hotel’s historic Bastion Terrace on the following dates only:

* Friday 27th July,

* Friday 3rd August,

* Friday 10th August,

* Tuesday 14th August and

* Saturday 18th August 2012

CLICK HERE TO VIEW BBQ BUFFET MENU

So book your table now in order to avoid disappointment!

Live the Grand (relaxed) Life.

For more information or should you wish to book your staff barbeque kindly contact Valentina from our Events Team on 2319 1890 or by email on valentina.briffa@excelsior.com.mt.

Malta Events - Celebrating Mnarja

Mnarja, or l-Imnarja (pronounced lim-nar-ya) is one of the most important dates on the Maltese cultural calendar. Officially, it is a national festival dedicated to the feast of Saints Peter and St. Paul. In fact its roots can be traced back to the pagan Roman feast of Luminaria (literally, “the llumination”), when the early summer night of June 29 was illuminated by torches and bonfires. A national feast since the rule of the Knights, Mnarja is a traditional Maltese festival of food, religion and music. The festivities still commence today with the reading of the “bandu”, an official governmental announcement, which has been read on this day in Malta since the 16th century. Originally, Mnarja was celebrated outside St. Paul’s Grotto, in the north of Malta; however, by 1613 the focus of the festivities had shifted to the Cathedral of St. Paul, in Mdina, and featured torchlight processions, the firing of 100 petards, horseraces, and races for men, boys and slaves. Modern Mnarja festivals take place in and around the woodlands of Buskett, just outside the town of Rabat.

It is said that under the Knights, this was the one day in the year when the Maltese were allowed to hunt and eat wild rabbit, which was otherwise reserved for the hunting pleasures of the Knights. The close connection between Mnarja and rabbit stew (Maltese: “fenkata”) remains strong today. In 1854 British governor William Reid launched an agricultural show at Buskett which is still being held today. The farmers’ exhibition is still a seminal part of the Mnarja festivities today.

Mnarja today is one of the few occasions when participants may hear traditional Maltese folklore songs “ghana “. Traditionally, grooms would promise to take their newly- or recently-wed brides to Mnarja during the first of year of marriage and, for luck, many of the brides would attend in their full wedding gown and veil, although this custom has long since disappeared from the Islands.

What to expect at Mnarja in Buskett

The night of June 29 is characterised by general merry-making and its sociable atmosphere, with people bringing along instruments and making music. Local folk and ethnic-inspired bands usually turn up to play and set the scene. Families have BBQs and picnics and kids romp around. Traditionally, people take rabbit (Fenek) stew to eat. It’s a Maltese national dish and there’s even a Maltese word for ‘going out to eat rabbit’ – Fenkata! Some families and groups of friends make a complete summer night of L’Imnarja and camp out.

The following day sees more organised rural pursuits: there is an agricultural show, which gets larger each year (seems to be a trend in Malta recently) as well as traditional bare-back horse and donkey races on Saqqajja Hill below Mdina.

Going There

We recommend that you use our private chauffer service as parking at Buskett may be chaotic. For booking please visit our Transport desk in the Grand Hotel Excelsior lobby.

Should you wish to stay updated about Things to do in Malta during your holidays check out the website of the Grand Hotel Excelsior Malta.

Valletta - the Capital City of Malta

Valletta can be described as a living experience of Baroque architecture, dotted with quaint cafes, and over 25 churches, testament to the centuries-old grained Catholic faith of the Maltese nation. With its fortifications and history-filled streets, is probably the best known place in Malta and gems such as St. John’s Co-Cathedral justify its reputation.

Malta’s majestic Grand Harbour is one of the most spectacular ports in the world separating the capital city of Valletta from the historic cities of Vittoriosa, Senglea and Cospicua. The harbour has been a hive of activity for over two thousand years. With its imposing fortifications and vast panorama, Grand Harbour is Malta’s principal maritime gateway and a popular port-of-call for ships that are cruising the Mediterranean.

The Three Cities of Cospicua, Vittoriosa and Senglea are three of the oldest towns on the island of Malta. The town of Vittoriosa played an important role in the 1565 Great Siege of Malta.

Vittoriosa was the town in which the Knights of Malta settled in on their arrival from Rhodes in 1530. Vittoriosa together with Cospicua and Senglea form three important walled cities along one side of the Grand Harbour. The town of Kalkara is located close to the Three cities. The town gets its name from the latin word calce (lime) since a lime kiln was located here during the Roman times. In Kalkara one finds the quaint hamlet of Santu Rokku and Fort Ricasoli which over the years has been used for the construction of film sets for important blockbusters like Gladiator and Troy and the recent Agora.

For information on Things to do in Malta during your holiday speak to the Transport Desk at the Grand Hotel Excelsior Malta and they will guide you with some of our popular Malta Excursions.