Offering luxury, style and calm in the thriving hub of St. Julian’s, ME Malta provides the perfect location to relax when visiting the island of Malta in March. From sophisticated cocktails at the rooftop bar to an outdoor pool deck with panoramic views, enjoy a fabulous Maltese break with Jet2holidays.
Having first visited Malta back in 2006 for a wedding, we’d briefly explored the island and fondly remember the charm and beauty of key locations. Keen to return, we had the opportunity to visit with Jet2.com and Jet2holidays to explore the island in the quieter season. This four-night break offered some time to relax and unwind in our fabulous hotel, as well as having the opportunity to explore the island and soak up some of the Maltese charm.
Disclosure: This visit to Malta was a press trip organised by Jet2.com and Jet2holidays, including flights, accommodation and expenses. As always, all views and opinions are my own.
A SPRING MALTESE BREAK WITH JET2HOLIDAYS
Located in the Mediterranean, the Maltese Islands are formed of Malta, Gozo and Comino which are located to the south of Italy and Sicily. Steeped in over 7,000 years of history, these islands have Italian, Arabic and British influences and boast three UNESCO World Heritage sites including the capital city of Valletta. Where Gozo in the north is fairly rural, the smaller central island of Comino is largely uninhabited and the larger island of Malta is the main commercial hub.
The eastern side of Malta is the most built-up area, focused around the capital of Valletta, the Three Cities, Sliema and St. Julian’s. To the north and west, Malta has a more rural feel with coastal resorts and wilder landscapes, all of which provide a variety of holiday types for visitors to the islands. Staying in the areas surrounding Valletta provides more of a city-break style holiday, whereby the resorts in the north such as Mellieha offer a beach holiday type break. Regardless of which style of holiday you opt for in Malta, the small size of islands make them perfect to explore easily.
VISITING MALTA IN MARCH
Malta’s summer season sees significant crowds visiting the island hot spots and with average daily temperatures of 32°C and above, it can become very humid. The winter months, while much cooler, are still mild. Visiting Malta in March, the average daily high temperature is 17°C with infrequent rain, making it the perfect time to escape the cold of the UK but to be able to comfortably explore without the large crowds or heat.
On our first visit to Malta, we’d stayed to the north of the island in Mellieha Bay, so on this occasion we opted for St. Julian’s, or San Julián, located near Valletta. While St. Julian’s is renowned for its party vibe, particularly in the Paceville district, there are a number of fabulous hotels away from the busiest areas offering luxury and style. Locations such as Spinola Bay and Portomaso Marina also provide a much quieter and more relaxed evening atmosphere. We love to explore by foot and St. Julian’s provided the perfect base for some fabulous coastal promenade walks.
A STAY AT THE INCREDIBLE ME MALTA HOTEL IN ST.JULIAN’S
When searching out hotels in Malta, one stood out, quite literally, above the crowd. Our four-night stay in St. Julian’s was based in the stunning 20-storey ME MALTA BY MELIA hotel, located in the newly built Mercury complex. This cultural hub in the centre of St. Julian’s was designed by renowned architect Zaha Hadid and is a prime location for shopping, entertainment and dining, only minutes away from the night-time scene of Paceville. While this central location is lively, ME Malta offers a sense of quiet and calm once you step through the doors.
Entering ME Malta’s ground floor lobby, the doorman checked our details and directed us to the 7th-floor reception area where we were greeted, checked-in and offered a complimentary welcome drink. This stunning reception area with double height windows overlooking the adjacent Mercury Tower was airy and spacious with comfortable seating areas and a sweeping staircase leading up to the next level.
THE ROOMS AT ME MALTA
With a number of different room styles, our 13th-floor room was an ‘Always ME with Sea View’ room with views north west overlooking the Mercury complex and out to sea. Entering into a clothes and luggage storage space, there was ample hanging space along with drawers and a safety deposit box. Complimentary robes, slippers and pool towels were provided on arrival. The spacious room itself featured a king-size bed alongside a side table and chair, large flat screen television, drinks station with coffee machine and a mini-bar fridge (with chargeable items).
With sliding doors opening out onto a good sized balcony, there were two chairs and a table positioned with a view over the Mediterranean Sea, a perfect spot for a morning coffee or an evening pre-dinner drink. The bathroom featured a vanity area within the main bedroom space, with frosted glass doors separating out a WC area to one side and a luxurious rain forest shower cubicle to the other. Whilst the bathroom configuration differed on other room styles, this set up did not allow for much privacy so this room style wouldn’t be best suited for friends sharing.
The decor was subtle and stylish, with neutral tones on the walls contrasting with the bright teal shades around the television area. The full height black-out curtains did a great job of blocking out any light from outside. A turn-down service was also provided in the evenings, with a bottle of water each left at the bedside and some complimentary chocolates. Given the relatively small footprint and layout of the building, our floor only had nine rooms in total, accessed via the central lobby.
While there is great soundproofing within the hotel, light sleepers might hear some noise late into the night due to the location. It should also be noted that despite the calm and relaxed atmosphere within the hotel, ME Malta is located on one of the busiest roads passing through St. Julian’s so the surrounding area can be fairly hectic at some points of the day.
ENJOYING ME MALTA’S OUTDOOR POOL AND DEE SPA
Wanting to balance our trip with enjoying the hotel’s facilities and exploring, we found that after an early breakfast, we’d spend a few hours relaxing at the hotel before setting out late morning or early afternoon. This gave us a real opportunity to relax without feeling like we were cramming too much into our days.
Located on the eighth-floor roof terrace, ME Malta featured a stunning outdoor pool surrounded by Balinese beds. This calm retreat offered fabulous views across St. Julian’s and the coastline, as well as views across to the Mercury Tower. The outdoor pool would be the perfect spot to cool down on those balmy summer days, but even with the cooler March temperatures, we spent some time lazing around on the beds. A number of outdoor tables were also located next to the pool, with a food and drink service from the adjacent Cabana Club.
We spent a few hours one morning relaxing at Dee Spa; the spa and wellness facility located in the basement area of the hotel. This stunning space featuring stone walls and arched ceilings was a beautiful and a calming sanctuary away from busy streets above. With comfortable areas to relax, a sauna, steam room and treatment rooms, the highlight was the heated pool located within an adjacent cave area. Dee Spas was the perfect spot to relax for a couple of hours, and with specific hours where children were allowed and others which were adults only, all guests had the opportunity to enjoy the space.
RESTAURANTS AND BARS AT ME MALTA
There are three dining options at ME Malta – Luciano by Gino D’Acampo, Cabana Club Malta and Radio Rooftop Bar, all offering a different experience for your stay. Breakfast each day was served at Luciano by Gino D’Acampo, a bright and airy space with the addition of a large outdoor terrace in the summer season. With an àla carte menu offering varying egg dishes and some Maltese specials, there was also an extensive buffet for hot and cold options, all freshly prepared. With the combination of great freshly prepared dishes and the buffet selection, this was one of the best hotel breakfasts I have experienced.
LUCIANO BY GINO D’ACAMPO | ME Malta’s main restaurant is Luciano by Gino D’Acampo, located on the fifth floor of the hotel. The first international restaurant for this celebrity chef, Luciano offered a creative Italian inspired menu, utilising the best Maltese ingredients. The restaurant space was beautifully decorated, having a sense of warmth and the tables were nicely spaced.
Luciano is open for breakfast from 07.30 to 10.30, with dinner service from 18.30 to 22.30
CABANA CLUB MALTA | Located on the eighth floor of the hotel, Cabana Club Malta is the hotels poolside daytime dining option. This stylish restaurant offers a fabulous Mediterranean menu of Small Plates, Iberian Ham platters and local Il-Ftira dishes which are a pizza style dish made from handmade Maltese and Gozitan dough. Alongside these, there is a fabulous drinks menu, with service also available at the pool. A great spot for a relaxed lunch, or an afternoon drink or two.
Cabana Club Malta serves food from 12.00 until 19.00, with the bar service available from 10.00.
RADIO ROOFTOP BAR | Our favourite spot at ME Malta, Radio Rooftop Bar was located on the twentieth floor of the hotel, providing 360° panoramic views of the surrounding area including Valletta and the coastline. This fabulous space offered a warm and intimate bar space to one side serving signature cocktails, wines, spirits and beer, with the remainder of the room set up in a restaurant style offering incredible Sushi and Asian-inspired cuisine. Taking up the entire top floor of the building, floor to ceiling windows offered sweeping vistas and the outdoor balcony was the ideal spot to take in the views, especially as darkness fell. At weekends, Radio Rooftop Malta transforms into a lively space to spend an evening with entertainment including DJ’s and live artists.
Radio Rooftop Malta is open from 18.00 until 23.30 Sunday to Thursday and 18.00 to 01.00 on Fridays and Saturdays.
We couldn’t fault our stay at ME Malta but the one thing that stood out above the rest was the impeccable service throughout. From the reception desk to the housekeeping, along with everyone we encountered at the restaurants, the friendly and welcoming interactions really made our visit a great experience.
THE BEST THINGS TO DO WHEN VISITING MALTA IN MARCH
Being based in St. Julian’s provides great access to some of the highlights of visiting Malta in March. From exploring the capital city of Valletta to the Three Cities which are nearby, Valletta and Sliema also form a base for several boat trips around the harbour areas, and to Gozo and Comino. Jet2holidays also offer a wide variety of excursions in Malta. On arrival at the airport, the Jet2 representative provided a welcome pack, detailing several interesting excursion options to take during the stay.
Our key goals were to explore by foot as much as we could. We were also keen to visit Valletta and Mdina. While the boat tours to Comino and the Blue Lagoon were tempting, the sea temperatures are still cold in March, so we felt this wouldn’t be the best time of year for the trip.
TAKING TIME TO EXPLORE ST. JULIAN’S
While St. Julian’s felt very busy compared to other places we visited, we did have the opportunity to explore and search out some of the quieter spots. There are several rocky beach areas around the St. Julian’s headland but St. George’s Bay featured a sweeping sandy beach which I imagine would be popular in the warmer months. This area does currently have a lot of construction with some large-scale hotels being built.
SPINOLA BAY | Our favourite area locally to St. Julian’s, Spinola Bay was a lovely spot to wander, dine and drink with fabulous waterfront views. There were a number of restaurants and bars in the area, many of which had outdoor terraces overlooking the bay. We dined at GULULU – an authentic restaurant offering traditional Maltese dishes in a lovely setting.
PORTOMASO MARINA | A perfect spot to wander and make plans about how to spend your lottery win, Portomaso Marina was home to a wide variety of yachts of all shapes and sizes. A short walk from ME Malta, it was a peaceful spot to meander during the daytime and offered a variety of restaurants. We opted to eat at SALE E PEPE one evening, a charming Italian restaurant with great service.
MERCURY COMPLEX | With ME Malta at the heart of this complex, there was the opportunity to browse the shops in the Mall or try out the fabulous ODYSSEY MALTA – Malta’s first flying theatre experience. This attraction featured an interactive walk through the history of Malta, followed by a simulated flight over the islands with several special effects. Tickets were €25.00 each, which included access to the outdoor viewing platform on the 32nd Floor of Mercury Tower, allowing time to take in some incredible views.
PACEVILLE | If I was 30 years younger, I’d have probably spent the evenings partying in Paceville. This district in the centre of St. Julian’s is home to many bars, clubs and rooftop pool parties. We were likely in bed every night before the fun really kicked off in Paceville, but we did have a wander through one evening to see the bright lights.
A PROMENADE WALK IN SLIEMA AND BOAT TRIP TO VALLETTA
There’s nothing better on a sunny day than a beautiful walk along the coast. Visiting Malta in March, with the cooler temperatures, makes this a relaxed and enjoyable experience. Leaving St. Julian’s and heading to the waterside at Spinola Bay, the promenade snakes along the coastline passing the attractive Balluta Bay beach and the beautiful Knisja tal-Karmnu church. Continuing on, this scenic walk heads along the coast of Sliema and the rocky Exiles Beach providing some great views back towards St Julian’s.
Sliema’s promenade offers a number of places to stop and dine. We stopped off for a delicious lunch at SURFSIDE, sitting on the outdoor deck with the background sounds of crashing waves. Continuing past the impressive SLIEMA POINT BATTERY, we headed south through Sliema to arrive at the Sliema to Valletta Ferry terminal. Running every 30 minutes throughout the day, the ferry provides a quick journey across to Valletta, a return journey costing €9.60 per person. The ferry provided some great views across to Valletta during the journey. The walk of 3.5km from ME Malta to the Sliema Ferry took approximately 45 minutes at a steady pace.
EXPLORING THE CAPITAL CITY OF VALLETTA
Having briefly visited Valletta on our first visit to the island, we wanted to revisit and spend more time at leisure wandering the narrow streets of Malta’s capital city. The smallest capital city in the European Union, Valletta is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. With a grid like layout, Valletta is an easy city to navigate albeit there are a lot of steep streets and a lot of steps to climb.
Arriving into Valletta just after lunchtime, we took some time to explore the beautiful streets, taking in some of the key landmarks during the afternoon. Our plan was to stay in Valletta until dusk before taking one of the last ferries back to Sliema. With cathedrals, palaces, gardens, museums and forts to explore, we managed to see quite a lot but at a leisurely pace.
ST. JOHN’S CO CATHEDRAL & MUSEUM | This incredible church in the centre of Valletta dates back to 1577, built by the Order of the Knights of St. John. With a Baroque style interior, the beautiful painted barrel vaulted ceiling in the nave is jaw dropping. For art lovers, this location is home to the stunning Caravaggio piece, The Beheading of St. John the Baptist. Tickets can be purchased online or in person for €16.05 for adults, with reduced pricing for seniors and students. Children under 12 go free.
UPPER BARRAKKA GARDENS AND THE SALUTING BATTERY | After tackling Valletta’s hilly streets, another must-do stop in the capital city is to head to Upper Barrakka Gardens. The gardens themselves are on the small side, but the views are the big selling point. Stroll through the gardens and grab a drink at the cafe before heading to the balcony for incredible elevated views of Valletta’s Grand Harbour and across to impressive Three Cities of Birgu, Senglea and Cospicua.
Located below this balcony, the Saluting Battery is an other popular landmark in Valletta. Dating back to the Great Siege in the 1500’s, this is one of the oldest saluting batteries in operation. With 12pm and 4pm daily gun salutes, the area draws a crowd wanting to witness the cannon fire from the balcony. Arrive early and you can watch from Upper Barrakka Gardens, however for only €3.00 you can get up close to the cannons during the event.
TRITONS’ FOUNTAIN | For visitors to Valletta arriving by car or public transport, Tritons’ Fountain is one of the first landmarks to see. Located in a large plaza outside the City Gate, the fountain depicts three mythological gods of the sea. From here, you can cross a bridge and pass through the fortress like City Gate into Malta’s capital.
SCENIC STREET HIGHLIGHTS IN VALLETTA
To be fair, there were very few streets in Valletta that were not scenic, but there were a number of stand-out locations which really captured the essence and beauty of the city. Despite traveling to Malta in March, Valletta was still relatively busy in the hot spots, but significantly quieter than it would be in high season.
ST. LUCIA STREET | The northern end of this steep street heads up from the ferry terminal and captures all the stunning features of Valletta with the honey coloured buildings and Maltese balconies. To the southern end, the section between Merchants Street and Triq Sant’ Orsla is a popular social spot with restaurants and bars spilling out onto the narrow stepped streets. Stop for a drink or food at GRANO and watch the world go by. We stayed here until dusk, where the atmosphere and lighting changed, providing a beautiful street scene. The lower section of street was adorned with flags with the backdrop of the Knisja ta’ Santa Luċija church.
TRIQ SANT’ ORSLA | The intersection of Triq Sant’ Orsla and Triq San Gwann opens into a small square. This square, home to a number of restaurants and bars, offers a fabulous outdoor seating area to enjoy a drink or a meal, but there are some great views from all aspects. A steep set of iconic steps leads up from here towards the Saluting Battery and Upper Barrakka Gardens. In the other direction, an elevated view of Lvant Street shows off the traditional architecture of Malta and the beautiful balconies. Despite a daunting amount of steps to climb in the area, it was a joy to wander these narrow streets.
VISITING MDINA, THE SILENT CITY
Located on a hilltop in central Malta, Mdina is a must visit destination on the island. Malta’s old capital, Mdina dates back some 4,000 years; its quiet streets and alleyways steeped in history. Being mostly car-free, Mdina has a very different feel to Valletta. There’s an air of silence and calm, hence its nickname of the Silent City. Visiting in March, the streets of Mdina were much quieter, and we were completely alone wandering around some of the alleyways.
The beauty of Mdina is quite breathtaking. The maze of narrow alleyways with sunlight casting golden hues onto the building walls was beautiful. Game of Thrones fans (as myself) would recognise the main entrance into the fortified city, Mdina Gate, as the entrance into Kings Landing in the popular TV show. With a number of small piazzas set among the labyrinth of streets, around every corner another beautiful scene unfolded.
A number of areas within Mdina offer great vantage points from where to view the surrounding landscapes of Malta. A raised observation deck to the north of the city at Bastion Square provides views north east towards Mosta, with the Mosta Dome standing out above all other buildings. We had lunch on the roof trace at THE KNIGHTS KITCHEN – a lovely restaurant set above the western city wall, serving a range of fresh dishes including some delicious Pinsa – a hand pressed pizza style dish.
USEFUL INFORMATION ABOUT VISITING MALTA
Jet2.com and Jet2holidays offer flights and package holidays to Malta from a range of UK airports in both summer and winter. Visiting Malta in March provides a host of benefits compared to travelling in the busier summer months – the crowds are lighter and the weather cooler.
TOP TIPS | Temperatures in March average at 14-17°C during the day, but it can get cooler in the evenings so layers need to be considered. Currency is Euro (€) but we found prices quite reasonable on the island. Malta use a UK style three-pin plug rather than the European two pin style plugs. The Maltese also drive on the left, with right-hand drive cars – another British influence.
GETTING AROUND | Malta has a good public transportation system with regular buses travelling between all destinations. We didn’t use the buses, but they did seem fairly crowded around St. Julian’s, even in March. Car hire is available from a number of places, however, driving in the built-up areas was erratic and fairly chaotic during busier periods. That said, if staying outside of the bigger towns and cities, it would be a great way to explore the island. The most popular taxi apps were Uber and Bolt, with Bolt being significantly cheaper. We used Bolt to travel to Mdina from St. Julian’s and the cost was around €11.00 one way, with cars available with 5-10 minutes. We found this a great way to get around quickly.
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