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Past glories and present delights: The beauty of majestic Malta revealed
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Past glories and present delights: The beauty of majestic Malta revealed

Published: 05:20 EST, 24 September 2015 | Updated: 03:52 EST, 25 September 2015

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I spent many happy childhood summers in Malta.

I learnt to swim in the Blue Lagoon, and have vivid memories of watching the Lija Festa fireworks from my great-aunt’s villa. I am one-sixteenth Maltese, and the island is full of my Maltese cousins, so it was wonderful to return.

I felt the first frisson of excitement when I saw the distinctive Maltese Cross on our Air Malta aeroplane, and the second when we arrived at the Phoenicia hotel, just outside the gateway to the historic city of Valletta.

Grand design: Historic city, Valletta, was created by the Knights of St John

There is a stone plaque on the wall of the hotel, announcing that it was ‘Erected at the Command of the Lady Strickland Countess Della Catena’ who was my step great-great-grandmother. The hotel was officially opened by her in 1947, and it remains the grandest in Malta.

Valletta is a majestic city and its history is second to none in drama.

The Knights of St John and the Maltese fought off Suleyman the Magnificent when he laid siege to the island in 1565. After their victory, the Knights laid plans to build a fortified city overlooking the Grand Harbour.

Its scale is astonishing and it has a grandeur which has not been destroyed by the advent of tourism.

Malta has an undeservedly down-market reputation: cheap flights and cheaper drink has rendered some parts of the island similar to English town centres on a Saturday night.

However, there are so many cultural glories to feast upon. Most spectacular is St John’s Co-Cathedral. Not even St Peter’s in Rome exceeds the interior for sheer gold-leaf exuberance.

Outside Valletta, the most spectacular of all Malta’s palazzos – if you will forgive a little nepotism – is the Villa Bologna. This was my great- great-grandfather’s house, and is still lived in by Stricklands today.

Gateway to Valletta: The Phoenicia hotel was officially opened in 1947 and remains the grandest in Malta

Twenty minutes’ drive from Valletta, it is hidden away in the unpretentious town of Attard.

However, it is well known to party-planners for the super-rich; on the day we visited it was hosting the wedding of a Ukrainian oligarch. But we were more than happy taking our lunch in the recently opened Villa Kitchen, facing the classically inspired gardens.

If it’s grand views you seek, then there is no better destination than the ancient capital of Mdina. High up in the centre of the island, it is a fortress town.

It also contains the fashionable Xara Palace boutique hotel. I was rather disconcerted to see how chic it had become. In my 20s I would spend time with my Great Aunt Mabel (who then owned it) knocking back cocktails in its distinctly scruffy bar.

As I was with my husband Dominic, who regards lunch and dinner as more important than culture, we did well on the gourmandising.

In Valletta the best find was a bistro in Old Bakery Street called Guze. Outside Valletta, there is St Julian’s, an Italian restaurant in Spinola Bay. Another harbourside find was Terrone in Marsaxlokk. This, too, is for lovers of Italian cuisine and is a lovely spot for a romantic dinner.

When I was a teenager in Malta it took a brave person to drink the local wine. However, it is much improved. I visited the Maria Rosa vineyards below Mdina and was bowled over by the quality of its wines.

We brought several bottles and they tasted as delicious when we opened them in our kitchen – and drank to another visit.

TRAVEL FACTS

Air Malta (airmalta.com) offers return flights from Gatwick to Malta from £171, based on travel in October.

Double rooms at Phoenicia Hotel start from £110 per night. Visit phoeniciamalta.com or call 0800 862 0025. For more information on holidays in Malta and Gozo, see visitmalta.com.