Beach Hopping in Malta

Sandy Beaches in Malta

As a rock situated slap bang in the middle of the Mediterranean, Malta often holds the impression that it doesn’t have any sandy beaches. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

While Malta does have many rocky beaches and cliffs, there are plenty of beautiful, sandy hot-spots for you to enjoy this summer.

Here are four of The Phoenicia’s favourite beaches in Malta.

Golden Bay

Located on the northwest coast of Malta, Golden Bay is one of the most visited beaches in Malta, and it’s not hard to see why. Based within a beautiful bay, Golden Bay was one of the first beaches in Malta to earn its blue flag. Easily accessible and reachable with public transport, this beach offers plenty of amenities and is the perfect location for families to enjoy some sunbathing on a nice sandy beach. Sunset here is truly magnificent too, if you stay to watch.

Għajn Tuffieħa

In the next bay along from Golden Bay, one will find Għajn Tuffieha. Għajn Tuffieha much like Golden Bay, offers breathtaking panoramic views. The difference with this beach, is that it almost feels like a hideaway. Don’t get us wrong, it does get very busy, but it feels less exposed than Golden Bay next door.

Mellieha Bay

Mellieħa Bay (also referred to locally as Għadira Bay) is the largest sandy beach in Malta and one of the best beaches in the Mediterranean. It is by far one of the most popular of Malta’s beaches and with a surf that remains shallow for a good distance out and easy access, this spot is a firm favourite for families with children, who tend to set up camp for the day, mostly on weekends.

Armier Bay

Located in the far north of Malta, Armier is another beautiful sandy beach that families can enjoy. With an abundance of parking, and public transport options, this little slice of paradise is just what you need when looking for a quiet beach for you and your family to enjoy.

Mediterranean Sea in Malta
Ghadira Bay Malta
Golden Bay Malta

British Airways Holidays Customer Excellence Award 2020

British Airways Holiday - Certificate of Excellence Award - The Phoenicia Malta

The Phoenicia Malta celebrates recognition of customer excellence by British Airways Holidays guests

Despite 2020 being one of the most challenging years in the hospitality industry, The Phoenicia Malta is proud to announce that the hotel has been awarded a 2020 British Airways Holidays Customer Excellence Award.

This is a recognition of the hotel’s consistently high Reevoo score as rated by British Airways Holidays customers. This award is a result of unbiased customer reviews and is designed to showcase the hotels that deliver the best customer experience to their guests.

Reviews are collected from genuine British Airways Holidays customers. Customers are asked to score hotels based on location, service, cleanliness, and sleep quality, as well as giving an overall quality score. British Airways Holidays has gathered over 24,000 independent hotel reviews this year and rewards Customer Excellence Awards across the globe to recognise their top-rated hotels.

The hotel received an overall score of 9.6/10 which makes their result one of the British Airways Holidays top 475 highest rated hotels for 2020.

“We are delighted that The Phoenicia Malta is one of our top-rated hotels for 2020. In a challenging year of uncertainty, this award is testament to the hotel’s commitment to offering an exceptional customer experience. We look forward to continuing our relationship and together delivering unforgettable holidays for our customers.”

The Phoenicia Malta’s General Manager Robyn Pratt said: “We are very proud to receive this award from British Airways Holidays. Despite 2020 being a challenging year for the industry, our team have come together as one team with a focus on doing whatever is necessary to ensure our guests expectations are not only met but exceeded at every opportunity. I wish to say a big thank you to all our British Airways guests for their wonderful reviews and to all The Phoenicia Malta team members who constantly strive to deliver the highest level of customer experience to all our guests.”

Meet Our New Spa Manager

Deep Nature Spa at The Phoenicia Malta Spa Manager

What makes a good spa? If you had to ask us, our reply would be that it’s the serenity one feels while unwinding there; the friendly and professional team; the choice of treatments available; and that the premises truly lives up to the haven they are meant to be.

Our spa, run by French company Deep Nature, hits all those notes, and aims to offer guests an experience that abounds with naturality, simplicity and generosity. Now, to oversee it does just that, is our new spa manager, Marie Sebire, who recently moved to Malta from France to join The Phoenicia Malta team.

Marie has been working in spas for over 15 years, starting out as a beauty therapist and moving on to run spas at various well-known, five-star hotels in France, including the world-renowned Disneyland Hotel.

“I’ve always loved taking care of people, which is why I became a beauty therapist in the first place,” Marie explains. “One of my favourite memories from my work has to be when a guest once told me, ‘Marie, my day’s been a nightmare, but you and your treatment really turned things around.’ I understood at that point that I’d made the right career choice, and my passion for what I do grew from there.”

Now as the manager of Deep Nature Spa at The Phoenicia Malta, Marie has inherited a brand-new award winning spa in a serene historic setting. While the spa was unveiled just last year, it is flanked by one of Malta’s most historic hotels to one side, and 16th-century fortifications to the other. Spa guests not only enjoy the wonderful location on the doorstep of Valletta but also its array of facililities and services including an indoor 20 metre heated pool, a traditional sauna, a steam room, salt room, multi-jet showers, and the friendly and professional team, who are trained to offer relaxing massages including Immersion, Oxygen and Serenity as well as regular and express manicures and pedicures, among other services.

“The team has been wonderful and has welcomed me with open arms. I am really looking forward to working with them to constantly improve our Deep Nature experience , increasing the list of treatments available, and creating an even better environment both for our guests and for our team.”

One thing Marie hopes the spa will continue to emanate is the French-touch that the Deep Nature brand brings with it. “Deep Nature is synonymous with luxury and quality in France,” she tells us, “and I am confident that the same will be felt here, on the beautiful island of Malta.”

We invite you to come say hello to Marie and to experience a wonderful Deep Nature Spa experience at The Phoenicia Malta.

Malta: Your Safe Summer Holiday Destination

Summer in Malta

Malta is proud to be the fastest country in Europe to roll out the Covid-19 vaccine. As a result, active cases here are extremely low with a very low risk of new infections.

Maltese restrictions have been quite effective. People have needed to wear masks in public spaces for quite some time, which has meant that general life in Malta hasn’t been affected as dramatically as some other countries. This means that many restaurants have continued to function while adhering to social distancing measures after one or two “mini” lock-downs to keep cases under control.

Travellers arriving to Malta are required to present a negative PCR Covid-19 test performed no more than seventy-two hours prior to arrival in Malta. Alternatively, travelers need to provide proof that they have had the vaccine. (For the latest travel advice to Malta please visit the local authorities website.)

With its stunning beaches and grottos, Malta offers an abundance of outdoor activities to enjoy. The beautiful Mediterranean weather also helps to make activities outside even more special. From a casual day at the beach, to walking in the stunning countryside, Malta offers an attractive prospect for those who perhaps want to escape from city life.

Malta offers visitors an array of different restaurants to suit all budgets. From traditional Mediterranean style dishes in small family run restaurants, to more exotic offerings in the commercial areas of the island, Malta really does cater to all tastes.

With thousands of years of history Malta has become known as an “outside museum”. The Silent City of Mdina, which was once the capital city, provides visitors with the opportunity to travel back to a time where soldiers had to fend off wave after wave of invasions. While walking the narrow, winding streets, one can’t help but imagine what life must have been like all those years ago.

Similarly, the historic capital city of Valletta offers a similar feel blending hundreds of years of history with relaxing modern street side cafes for you to rest and soak up the atmosphere.

Hotels such as ours at The Phoenicia Malta, have adhered to strict cleanliness guidelines to ensure that our customers enjoy a safe environment. The Phoenicia Malta offers visitors an even more attractive prospect as our gardens are a sight to behold. No other hotel in Malta offers such a beautiful, lush and large (7.5 acres) garden space for visitors to enjoy.

So are you ready to come and relax by the pool?