After being practically incarcerated in my living room/home office/yoga studio for the past two years, it's fair to say I instantly snapped up the opportunity to go to beautiful Malta on a FAM trip.
Hosted by Mason Rose, Advantage DMC, Visit Malta and Alpine Sterling Malta, I knew I was going to be in good hands and they would create a fabulous programme to showcase all that Malta has to offer for MICE Groups and incentives.
Just 3 hours flying time from London Heathrow, Malta is very well connected and easily accessible. The temperature was a smidge warmer than the UK at 15 degrees, but the sun was shining (certainly a pleasant welcome after what has felt like a never-ending winter).
Malta still has some covid safety restrictions in place, such as wearing masks when indoors. But in general it has been operating tourism from the UK throughout most of the pandemic and is classes as a 'green' country for us to travel making this a relatively risk free choice to host and overseas conference or incentive.
Our hotel for the weekend was The Phoenicia, a luxury 5* hotel, well-appointed on the edge of Valletta's city walls. Greeted with a friendly reception from the hotel’s General Manager, we were whisked onto the terrace, glass of prosecco in hand, to catch the 'golden hour view' of the sun setting over the city and Mediterranean Sea.
This 90-bedroom 5* hotel is a member of Leading Hotels of the World and boasts a variety of flexible event space including; a stunning ballroom which can seat up to 190 for a conference or gala dinner.
Once the sun had set, we headed on a short drive around the port to The Chophouse for dinner. This new restaurant is the perfect setting for groups of up to 150 and can be hired exclusively. Its’ windows and roof retracts to reveal the most spectacular views over the bay. Being so close to the sea, you would think it was best to opt for a fish dish, but it would have been rude of me to not at least try the Steak (which certainly did not disappoint)!
Filling up again on a delectable breakfast at the hotel on Saturday morning, we headed off for a day of exploring. First stop was an 18th Century Country Retreat in Naxxar. Palazzo Parisio is one of Malta's most spectacular private houses. Hidden by a rather unassuming façade, this private house is deceivingly large offers beautifully manicured gardens which can host an array of dinners, drinks receptions and celebrations.
We were transported to the next venue via a traditional Maltese bus which made for a unique experience! Our bright red bus dropped us off at the renowned Hospital of the Knights of St John (now called the MCC). We were shown the vast event spaces including the Auditorium, which can accommodate up to 1,400 theatre style and the Vallette Hall which can host dinners for up to 900 people. This is a special venue steeped in history which makes for a memorable event location.
Before lunch back at the hotel, we stopped off for a private tour of Casa Rocco Piccola in Valletta. The owner of the house - Marques Nicholas walked us round, talking through all the trinkets, artwork and historical artifacts his family has curated over the years – lots gifted to the family by the British Monarchy.
After a relaxing afternoon making use of the stunning hotel spa, we hitched a ride by vintage car to Mdina, one of Europe's finest examples of an ancient walled city with an extraordinary mix of medieval and baroque architecture. The ‘Gatekeepers’ welcomed us and gave us a short tour before accompanying us to our dinner venue. Bacchus was built in 1657 to house gunpowder and has since been transformed into a beautiful restaurant and event space, serving authentic Mediterranean cuisine which is ideal for group dinners.
Although Malta is renowned for it’s year-round sunshine, we were ironically hit with extremely wet and windy weather on Sunday meaning our private yacht cruise around Birgu Harbour had to be cancelled. However, our fantastic hosts quickly arranged a suitably fun solution – Rolling Geeks. Similar to golf buggies, these self-driven, motorised karts use GPS technology to meander around the streets of Birgu, providing running commentary like a personal tour guide. I would highly recommend these as a unique and exciting way for groups to explore the area!
Last stop on our tour was the 5* Hilton Malta in St Julian’s. This huge hotel offers 413 bedrooms, 3 restaurants, 2 bars, 4 swimming pools and an impressive conference centre which can accommodate up to 1,330 delegates. We were treated to lunch here before our flight home to London.
After a short whistle-stop tour of Malta, it is clear to see that there are so many fantastic event spaces, hotels, venues, restaurants and activities which can accommodate a wide range of groups, making this a fabulous destination choice for your next conference, event or incentive!
A special thanks to our superb hosts; Simon, Lindsey & Warren for creating an informative and memorable trip…..I will definitely be back to explore more of magical Malta soon!
