Those of you who follow our adventures, already know, that for us word ¨holidays¨ doesn´t mean laying at the beach and do nothing, it is all about seeing new places and discover new cultures. So, one of this holidays, we decided to spend in Gozo. Gozo is one of three islands of Malta, second on it´s dimensions. And as you can imagine is not so popular within tourists as Malta, but has to be, as much, or even more.
To get there as you could see on our previous posts, we had to take a ferry, as there is no any other transport, the costs for the ferry are cheap enough. And when I say cheap, I mean is like a price for public transport in any of the city you go. In our case, we had transfer provided by Mayjo Car Hire. And they were in charged to take us directly to their office in Gozo.
Once we were on the island, and had our car by Mayjo Car Hire, we went directly to the Villa Ta Leli Holiday Home. The house of Baron Holidays Homes we had during our stay in Gozo.
Day 1. When I saw the house, I thought, that is it, all the evening we will spend by the pool…no way. Daddy wanted to enjoy so much the island, that took us straight away, and we spent all the evening discovering the village we stayed, Xaghra. We saw Xaghra Parish Church, enjoyed red telephone stations, that are exactly the same as in London. So it was like, being in a sunny part of London :). And enjoyed the streets and houses, that are so different of those that we have seen till now, during our travels.
Here to mention, in village we stayed is located Ggantija, temples that are older than the pyramids of Egypt. Unfortunately, we found it out, later during our stay, and we wanted to visit it, but it was too late when we went and it was closing. I think it is one of the places you don’t have to miss once there.
Day 2. On our second day we wanted to discover all the island, by making a tour all around. As we thought, the island is small enough, 14km, so it will be easy to see it all in one day. No, it is not so easy. Not because it is not easy accessible, but because, the views are sooo inspiring as you don´t want to leave the place in few minutes. So, you stand and stare for hours. This happened to us, on our very first stop in the village Xlendi.
Xlendi is a picture-perfect Mediterranean port with disarming views out to sea. Xlendi has long been a fishing village. Boats can easily head out for fresh catch in the open ocean. And then return safely back to the inlet that provides them natural protection against rough weather. The colossal cliffs and turquoise water views are intoxicating, so we repeated the place and went there in another day to take our coffee with sea view, how cool is this?
As mentioned previously, we spent in this place more than only 5-10 minutes to take a picture and go further. We have stayed there at least 2h, enjoyed walking and sightseeing all the bay.
Evening was fruitful enough, as well. We went to discover Dwejra. Dwejra we repeated 3 times. As the first time we didn’t get there on time, and we haven’t seen the sunset. That is why we just took our time, playing with kids there.
Day 3. Comino. We visited the third island of Malta. Comino is well known for Blue Lagoon, but about our experience there we will tell you in another lovely post. The place that I will mention here is Mgarr, the port where we took our ferry to Comino. We didn’t came back, but it is worth to be mentioned, because of the views you get over the island. I think it is the perfect place to create a great impression about the island.
Day4. As mentioned previously we went for the second time to Xlendi, to take a coffee with view. But, before this we didn’t miss to take some lovely pictures of the view we had every day we went out of home. And as well, we went to see the famous beach Ramla Bay. It is located in Xaghra at the base of a verdant, fertile valley and is known for its distinctive reddish-colored sand. Because it was too windy outside, we didn’t stopped to stay at the beach, nor to take images.
After a coffee with a view, we have visited Citadel, Victoria. Victoria is the capital of Gozo. And this is the main city where people work and live. Citadel is known as jewel of Gozo, and is dating back to the Bronze Age. The recently restored fortification walls rise above the city and offer exceptional views of the island. We felt like in a city inside the city with tiny streets and places to discover.
In the evening, we went back to visit Dwejra and it´s stunning sunset. Dwejra bay is located along the rocky western side of Gozo. It is one of the most scenic locations of the island of Gozo. Well known Azure Window(collapsed back in february 2017). It was also the home of Mediterranean´s most beautiful nature wonders. We took enough time to enjoy the sunset there. As well on our 5th Day, we found there an owl, that made our pictures gorgeous enough.
Day5. We came back to Dwejra Bay and enjoyed our coffee. We went down, where usually go only divers. Dwejra Bay proves to be the spot of choice for exciting scuba dives, lazy beach days, rock climbing, boat cruises and snorkeling. For me, it was cold enough to go for diving, but I can imagine, that in summer it has to be amazing. The limestone cliffs are riddled with prehistoric fossils and provide a scenic backdrop.
After taking our coffee we took the car and went to discover new places, as in 5 days we were repeating too much the same places. But, I don’t mind to repeat the place, if it is beautiful enough and it fulfills your desire of seeing beauty around you.
After 4 days of travelling non-stop through the island, our kids just fell asleep, and our next stop at Wied il-Għasri we had to enjoy with my husband. So, we went downstairs, daddy and then me, and saw the amazing place with crystalline pure water.
Wied il-Ghasri is a breathtaking, narrow creek and is approximately 300 metres long with a winding inlet and rugged. It has impressive high cliffs on both sides and about 100 steps down. The crystal clear blue waters have their source at Dbiegi Hill and go to the open sea with plenty of marine life, especially on the cliff sides. It is very popular for doing snorkeling. And there you can bathe during summer days.
Salt Pans of Gozo, WOW. The place is amaaaaazing. You read it right, amaaaaaaazing. The ancient Romans began the salt pans of Marsalforn over 2,000 years ago, and the process is still being done to this day. These one, in Gozo, are 350-year-old salt pans, which stretch about 3km along the coast, are more than just scenic.
Overall thoughts about Gozo.
I cannot describe our excitement after visiting the island of Gozo. This holidays fulfilled our hearts and memories as we would never forget the island. Gozo is an island that moves at a more leisurely tempo and that will allow you to focus on the simple pleasures. Gozo will learn you to enjoy the views of the cliffs, to feel the Mediterranean breeze and find remarkable places to not forget, and of course, to enjoy the most amazing sunsets.
Gozitans have noticeably different lifestyles, cultural traditions and accents than their sister island inhabitants. I could firmly confirm that this island is ideal for those who travel with kids.
If you still have any questions about the island, we will be more than happy to answer any doubt.
xoxo,
with love
Travel Family Blog
It’s a wonderful place to live!
Beautiful photos! Malta looks like a very fun experience.
Author
Malta was a nice experience. But, in our heart remains Gozo, it is an amazing island of Malta.