If I saw a man on a dating app with “chasing sunsets” as an interest on his profile, I would immediately swipe left (reject!). Yet here I am, sprinting across a Mars-like limestone outcrop in time for sundown — the fourth I’ve watched in as many days.
Such is the seductive, transformative nature of Gozo, Malta’s ludicrously photogenic little sister. A 45-minute ferry hop from Malta, Gozo is sometimes described as “the new Ibiza”, thanks to these sunsets, cartoonishly blue water and sun-bleached cliffs. With Ibiza too pricey for Gen-Zers in creative or academic fields, and Jet2 and Ryanair flying to Valletta from Edinburgh and Glasgow, Gozo seemed worth a try.
Villa Rothwell is a mid-range rental property located in northern Malta near the town of Mellieha
Of course, if you’re flying into Malta it would be perverse not to spend some time on the main island itself. However, a word of warning: Malta’s roads can be hilly and narrow. Inching tentatively around bends in our Toyota (hired with flights through booking.com), I silently thank the rental gods I’ve hired an automatic — not sure my hill-start skills could have handled a manual — and attempt to take in the views of dry, scrubby hillsides and sparkling bays, all the while annoying the zippier local drivers waiting impatiently behind us.
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Golden Bay and the adjacent Riviera Beach are known for their iron-rich clay and ancient limestone formations
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Another word to the wise (actually two words to the wise) if you’re visiting these parts: Oliver’s Travels have more than 30 mid-range properties on Malta and Gozo, from traditional farmhouses to cliff-edge villas. “Why do ordinary?” is their strapline and, judging from Villa Rothwell (three nights’ self-catering from £1,383), our base in Malta’s quieter north, it’s no idle claim. Perched a ten-minute walk from pretty Mellieha town, the three-bedroom villa has contemporary decor, its own pool terrace and the optional services of the chef Alan Warren Cefai, who delivers a meal of moreish soft cheese, homemade ravioli and a stunning rabbit stew (the national dish), alongside anecdotes about the island’s history.
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Villa Rothwell is a short drive from two of Malta’s finest beaches, Golden Bay and Riviera Beach, both a distinctive burnt orange hue thanks to the iron-rich clay and ancient limestone. It makes for a wonderfully striking contrast with the impossibly azure sea, where we snorkel for hours among tiny fish as the sun sets cinematically out to sea.
The Blue Lagoon is a cove on the uninhabited island of Comino, situated between Malta and Gozo
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On our last day on Malta we rise early for a boat trip to neighbouring Comino island (£35 for adults, yippeemalta.com), a limestone oasis that is uninhabited save for one hotel (and daytrippers like us flocking to the Blue Lagoon, a cove so vivid it looks Photoshopped). At first I am a bit tetchy when music comes out of the boat speakers: “Why couldn’t we just listen to the lapping waves?” But the Eighties playlist eventually wins me over, especially when we are offered complimentary cups of sparkling rosé.
The Maltese gothic church of Ghajnsielem near Mgarr on Gozo
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Located in the ferry port town of Ghajnsielem, Villa Gozo Garden features six bedrooms, a pool and hot tub
After our short stay on Malta, we catch the ferry to Gozo, decamping to Villa Gozo Garden (four nights’ self-catering from £1,732), a six-bedroom villa set in mature, wonderfully shaded gardens planted by the owners’ grandparents. The villa is in the ferry port town of Ghajnsielem — so within walking distance of shops, cafés, restaurants and even beaches. Not that we wander far at first, waylaid as we are by the lovely gardens and generous pool, where we spend hours playing very amateur volleyball while the ref monitors affairs from the hot tub.
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On Gozo, though, stunning swimming spots abound, and before too long we are drawn — as most visitors to the island eventually are — to the Blue Hole near Dwejra. A 60m-deep tube carved out over millennia by wind and waves, the Blue Hole looks like something out of Pirates of the Caribbean. Even the sea of selfie sticks cannot spoil the magic of plunging into the electric blue pool just as the sky ignites with the first glow of sunset
Wied il-Ghasri is a narrow coastal gorge on the island of Gozo — perfect for a farewell swim
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My cranky side does briefly re-emerge the next day at Wied il-Ghasri gorge, where some couples have set up a speaker by the rocky path leading down to the water. But after a farewell swim through the narrow waterway taking in the view of the sea beyond, my friends and I join the couples for an impromptu salsa dance session — before a final crepuscular climb, of course. Sometimes, just sometimes, music can add to a place of natural beauty. And sometimes, just sometimes, it’s OK to talk about chasing sunsets. Maybe I should give those boys on Hinge a second chance.
Blanca Schofield was a guest of Oliver’s Travels (oliverstravels.com), Visit Malta (visitmalta.com) and Booking.com. Fly to Malta from Glasgow and Edinburgh from £70 return (jet2.com, ryanair.com). Ferry fare to Gozo is about £4 for a foot passenger (gozochannel.com)
