Hi guys! I’m back with another vacation recap… the 2nd of 4. I know some of you love my travel recaps and some of you think they are boring, so thanks for sticking with me – I’ll be back to your regularly scheduled fANNEtastic programming tomorrow (recipe coming atcha!), with the final two vacation recaps shared throughout this week amidst normal posts. :)
After our Istanbul layover, Matt and I flew on to the island of Malta, the main destination for our vacation adventures. In case you’re wondering (because I was when my college friend Kris, who planned this trip for a big group of us, emailed about it) where Malta is, it’s a country that’s southwest of the tip of Italy, and east of Tunisia (in northern Africa). Matt and I split our Malta vacation into three parts, arriving a few days before the rest of the people we’d be traveling with. Part 1: two nights at a fancy resort (the Radisson Blu Resort & Spa, Malta Golden Sands) on Malta’s northwest coast, just the two us.
The resort was expensive but worth it, especially since we knew we’d be doing the rest of Malta on the cheap (big shared Airbnb accommodations). When we arrived, we hopped immediately in the pool, grabbed dinner, and then slept for ages. Istanbul and all the travel apparently wore us out!
The morning after we arrived, they were offering free yoga at 10 a.m. in a shady spot out by the pool. It felt lovely to stretch after so many plane rides!
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We had two full days and two nights there, and spent most of them relaxing and swimming – either at their gorgeous pools or down at the beach. The water was stunning – so clear and blue!
I brought my waterproof/underwater camera with me for the trip, which also doubled as my normal camera – it’s awesome.
On our second day, before heading out to meet the rest of our travel buddies, we did a hike! There was a path off the beach up one of the cliffs by the hotel.
From there, we headed to an area on the other side of the hotel to check out more beautiful views and some World War ruins.
It was sooooo hot out but worth the sweat for those views! And it made the pool afterward feel even more amazing. :)
We were sad to say goodbye to the hotel but excited to meet up with the rest of our travel crew. Stay tuned for the other two Malta recaps, coming this week!
Looks like pure paradise!!! A little luxury in the midst of cheaper trip was definitely a good call!
Wow, these are some really amazing pictures Anne! I hope the rest of your vacation was just as WONDERFUL! The water looks so dreamy.
Love travel reviews. What a beautiful area! Looks like a lot of fun!
These are fun to read, Anne! Malta is a country my husband and I would like to visit one day.
Thank you for reading! :)
Yay! :D
I love the travel reviews as well! So sun to see other parts of the world from the eyes of someone who likes to see and do lots of different things! (and eat and drink as well…but that kind of goes without saying :-) )
Aw thank you :) Cheers to adventures and good food!
Those sunset water photos are just breathtaking!
Need.To.Get.Your.Camera. Your pics are awesome!
PS Can I borrow it when I go scuba diving in the Potomac? I hear it’s amazing this time of year. :P There was a sewage leak last week when I was SUPping. Yeah!
Lol so gross! !
Gorgeous hotel!
Oh the suspense of not knowing what happens next! Maybe details on green juice from a beachside restaurant?? ;)
Mmm I miss that drink already! ! :)
no deets on the food at this fabulous resort?! looks beautiful!
Unfortunately I didn’t get any food pictures while we were there! The food there was good but not over the top amazing at all – normal hotel type food. :) There was a nice Italian restaurant we went to one night though!
Great start to a great vacation!