Visit Malta in Bloom at the Corinthia Palace Hotel and Spa in June

When we visited Malta in June, we were blown away by the colours of the flowers all over the island.

However, today we share with you the amazing gardens of 

The Corinthia Palace Hotel.

Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Travel Photographers. Return Visit. Really? Unbelievable - Corinthia Palace Hotel and Spa

They say never go back.  We rarely do.

It all began here ... 

We had barely returned home in November 2016 and the next thing I know ....

Malcolm: 'd'you fancy going back to Malta in February?'
Me:  'really, but we always say we won't do a return visit anywhere?  And we're travel photographers, remember?'
Malcolm: 'got a good deal on flights and we loved the place, think of it as a holiday'

Well, of course, it didn't take much persuasion ... we did love the place.  We loved Corinthia Palace Hotel & Spa and loved Malta too and there was so much more to see!

Malta here we come....

We flew British Airways, as we always had in the past.  And to be perfectly honest this flight was a total disappointment.  You always pay a little more for BA for some preferential treatment.  

Well, not any more!  Sadly their standards have dropped.  It was a shambles.  But I'm not going to spoil this 'feel good' blog with a bad experience.

Mount Etna

Wow!  As you know I'm not a fan of flying and definitely not looking out of the window, but when Malcolm pointed this out I made the exception to the rule and opened 1 eye. 😉
Now that's definitely a need for 2 eyes! Awesome as my grandson would say.

Anyway, always glad to get my feet back on the ground once more... we pick up the hire car and make our way to what has become a favourite place to stay.

Blue skies with fluffy white clouds welcome us and .....

a very happy smiling welcome from the concierge ..

Kevin met us at the door.  Before we knew it our luggage had been taken from the car and the car parked.

Just a minute ..... had we actually been home at all?  This all seemed so familiar.

Ah .... looks like one of us was a little thirsty and couldn't wait for the picture to be taken 😊
Who could that be I wonder?

Yes, me a very happy person .... and I didn't remain in long sleeves for long either.  It was much warmer than I had ever imagined it would be.

Rewind back to the blog about What to Wear in Winter in Malta pack similar clothes in February!

and that'll be my magazine for later - yes getting settled in now ....after all Malcolm did say the word 'holiday' didn't he?

Apparently no time to read yet ... a stroll round the grounds.

  

The pool is not on the 'to do' list this time as don't think it opens until later in the year.  

Is Malcolm looking at it in the hope of a swim or maybe glad it's closed? It does look inviting though doesn't it?

However, the Spa is definitely on the list!

a quick peek in to familiarise ourselves ..... we visited several times and can recommend it for sure.

We love the Caprice lounge too.  

Warm and soothing colours and luxurious deep sofas and chairs just right for relaxing with a drink.

This takes you through to the Rickshaw Restaurant, a favourite of ours and we, of course, ate there once again.

Once again a delicious meal.  The lovely Eliena remembered us and as always ensured we were well looked after.

Two evenings we ate in The Villa.  Wow.  An amazing room (would so like to take more photos of this room) and, of course, only what you'd expect, delicious food.

We both had a flambe experience.  Trust me this is an experience. Tyron and Dillon cooked for us at the table in complete harmony.
Both meals delivered to the table exactly the same time.  These two are quite something to watch and for me, The Villa Restaurant wouldn't have been the same without them. 😊

We had a bit of a chill out day on the Saturday ... went for a stroll through the Palace Gardens and back to the Hotel for a light snack ...

Oi!  Not yet Malcolm!  Picture first 😉  Yummy sweet potato chips .. ah and you noticed a drink, well we were a little dehydrated after the walk.

And a stroll through the hotel back to our suite.  

I always seem to take photos of these lights.  They are beautiful, I love them.

Home from home ....

Well not really.  Our house is nowhere near as grand, of course, but the staff here give you such a warm welcome it makes you feel like you are going home. 

And it's not just one member of staff it's all of them, it makes you want to mention them all.

And actually I wanted to know why this Hotel makes us want to go back for more.  Why is it they make you feel so special?  Well, I think from reading this article The Corinthia Hotels ensure they take on very special people.  

Believe me, at Corinthia Palace Hotel and Spa the people are very special.

And, yes, I know this was a holiday but how can we not take photos? We are, after all travel photographers and doubt we'll ever go anywhere without taking photos, especially when we stay in such beautiful surroundings.  It would be rude not to! :)

Will we go back for a third time?  Return visit, really?

Now ..... you'll have to wait and see :)

Thanks for visiting ... coming soon more of our favourite eating places in Malta, Classic Car Museum and more .....

A Little Smitten with Malta and Travel Photos to Prove It

A big thank you if you have been following our travel blog.

I thought it might be an idea to tell you why the posts on Malta keep coming. 

Always on my places to visit list but, until last November, we had never been to Malta.

One reason being people had put us off!

Comments such as:

• No Beaches
• Bad Drivers

2nd reason being - affordability

Anyway it was our anniversary coming up and as 5 days in Malta was the same price as a long weekend in Cornwall, Malcolm decided it had to be done.

Well we didn't find beaches on our first visit but plenty of seaside walks! 

However we haven't seen Malta in its entirety yet.

There are lots of lovely hotels with huge complexes if that's your kind of holiday.

As for the drivers - if you can drive in London you'll have no problem in Malta.  Well, that's according to Malcolm. 

I didn't drive at all, only from the passenger seat (nothing unusual there then!)  😏

So, thought it might be a good idea to share our recommendations, just in case you haven't followed us until now.

STAY, VISIT, EAT

Stay

Corinthia Palace Hotel & Spa - I guarantee this Hotel will be hard to beat for the wonderful service and welcoming staff.

Visit

Marsaxlokk - the fish market on a Sunday is a must see.

Visit

Valletta - the hustle and bustle of this city is a mixture of old and new and has a great atmosphere.

Visit

Mdina - like going back in time

EAT: 

San Anton Rickshaw Restaurant -wonderful food and service and if staying at the Corinthia Palace Hotel not far to go 😍

Marsaxlokk Terrone great place for food, drink and people watching

St Julians Bay Caviar & Bull - amazing fish dishes and eating experience

Mdina Fontanella amazing views, welcoming staff and great coffee

And just to whet your appetite a little more .....

Poolside at Corinthia Hotel and Spa

The gastronomical cheese board at Terrone.

Well I've got my taste buds going so will definitely be going back to Malta!

Now you could say we are a little smitten with Malta.

As for the photos, that's what we do and to be honest how could I possibly describe that cheese board without an image?  Yum Yum.

See you next time :)

Rewind Back to our Travels to Malta and The Corinthia Palace Hotel & Spa

So after being swept off our feet by the friendly welcome here, we now leave the comfort of our suite to explore the grounds.

(This is very difficult, just want to curl up in that bed to be honest!)

But the view from the balcony is inviting us outside.

Fountains and floral prettiness 

Outside it is as sophisticated as inside.  Here and there fountains sprinkle the surrounding plants.

Flowers are in bloom and fruits on the trees seem to be inviting us to take photos. 😊

Leaving the UK in November, where there are few flowers in bloom and few leaves on the trees, to see these beautiful flowers and plants was a bonus.

Spa and Poolside

As we roamed around these pretty gardens the pool looked very inviting, even though the late afternoon was getting quite cool. 

Nope we didn't take the plunge, not this time. 😌

Every corner a surprise 

Lots of places to sit and relax, like the Herb Garden.

There seems to be a surprise round every corner.

I definitely liked the look of the Athenaeum Spa.  As this was our first trip to Malta, we had lots to see and do so we put the Spa on the to do list for another time.

Smile please

Oh hang on Malcolm's pointing the camera at me!  Oh no that means I've got to try and pose.  So, try I do!  Apologies.

Those pillars are very grand though aren't they.

Time to change for the evening

Now back to our suite to change ready for our evening meal.  We booked the Rickshaw Restaurant in the Hotel for our first night.

As we're getting ready, there's a knock on the door.

Wow, delicious little canapes!  What a treat.

And just time for a quick photo of the evening lit garden beneath our balcony. 

A gastronomical delight

Wow, oh wow, good choice!  The Rickshaw served us up a feast for sure. Every mouthful an absolute delight.  

Oh dear, as we hadn't really lunched properly because of flight timings, it seemed we rather over ordered.  We were mortified because we couldn't eat it all. 😟 We asked our waitress to apologise profusely to the chef.   

However, the food was so delicious we booked a return visit for the night before our departure.  This time we didn't order as much and managed to eat it all, much to the delight of the waitress and chef too I should think.  

We have mentioned before how the staff are friendly, professional and attentive at The Corinthia Palace Hotel.  Well, there's no change here. The staff are attentive in this Restaurant too.  They make you feel very spoilt.  

We highly recommend The Rickshaw.

We loved it here

So from me on our balcony, where I found myself taking morning tea each day, and Malcolm from the desk he had become quite attached to....

Actually he looks very thoughtful doesn't he?  Do you think he may be working out a way of coming back here soon?

We loved it here ... 

and if you missed our first post you can rewind too by clicking the image below.

We will never tire of rewinding back to this fabulous place, it has wonderful memories for us of a very special Wedding Anniversary.
Thank you to Angela and all the staff who made it so very special..
and yes, we will be back for sure.

And stay with us for our day trips around the island of Malta and the Palace gardens opposite the Hotel.  See you soon.