The Gozo email

Gozo is part of Malta, but it seems the local Gozitans view Gozo as it’s own little pocket of paradise. The people of Gozo are proud to be from their island and don’t just see it as an extension of Malta. Coming from busy Valetta to Gozo was like taking a big deep breath. (The Valette email is over here!) The pace is a little slower and the island is filled with natural gems. The main purpose of our visit was to scuba dive but whether you’re spending time above or below the water, Gozo is definitely worth a visit. When planning your trip, Gozo may feel like an admin step too far but I would highly encouraging you making the trip both because renting a car is very very affordable in Malta and driving is easy and because the ferry is an unbelievably efficient process.

There are two types of ferries to get to Gozo – passenger or passenger and car ferries. The passenger only ferry runs from Valetta in 45 minutes. And the passenger and car ferry runs from Cirkewwa in the North of Malta. We went with the car ferry route. This was without a doubt the most impressive and slickest ferry experience of my life. You only pay for your ferry ticket on your return. So you essentially arrive at the Cirkewwa ferry port and join the queue. They’ll usher you on to the ferry – no tickets, no fuss. You’ll have your lovely time on Gozo. And when returning, queue up again at the Gozo ferry port, pay for your return ticket and head back to the mainland. Very civilised! Honestly we could not believe how easy it was!

Restaurants we loved in Gozo

– Il Kartell
Great seafood and fresh pasta right on the water. My lobster linguine was delicious and my giant plastic bid really set the classy tone… We shared a selection of starters with the sauteed rabbit livers on honey toasted bread and the local mushrooms cooked in a lot of garlic and cream both being amazing. Rabbit is a speciality on Gozo (and Malta too) and it was delicious!

– Mekren Bakery for Ftiras
Gozitan ftira (difference from Maltese Ftira) is a kind of local pizza made from flat bread dough and filled with local cheese and topped with thin slices of potatoes. You can choose between an open, closed or twisted crust. We opted for one open and one closed crust. The bakery is very much a hole in the wall where you pop your head in, place your order and wait for your takeaway. Ftiras are delicious and very filling – these two fed four of us happily.

The other famous Ftiras bakeaway is Maxokk. We were hoping to order one from Maxokk and one from Mekren to compare the two. Reviews recommended you call in advance to place your order and when we did call in advance (30 minutes ahead) they said the next orders would only be in the next hour and decided against the wait. If you do get a chance to try Maxokk, the recommended dish is the Maxokk Special Pizza. Call at least an hour in advance!

– Maldonado Bistro
Hidden in the backstreets of Victoria in a limestone arched cellar. You could absolutely miss this little gem. This was definitely one of our favourite meals on Gozo and offers a more elevated experience. The tagliolini pasta was a hit and the chicken main course was outstanding. We were all in shock that the best dish of the night was the chicken!! Another recommendation was the ice cream. Jono ordered a scoop of chocolate mint ice cream that was so ridiculously good that I was inspired to order a second dessert of pistachio ice cream! One of the best scoops of pistachio ice cream of my life! Don’t miss out!

– Qbajjar Restaurant
Slightly outside of the more touristy pockets of Gozo and it felt more local with better pricing. We were there on a Sunday evening and it was filled with large local families out dining together. Good service, tasty food and reasonable prices. We would recommend the fried calamari starter, the pan seared quail with grapes and the slow roasted lamb shank. All the meat dishes were serviced with roasted potatoes and seasonable veggies which were delicious and plentiful!

Things we did when not eating

– Diving with Scuba Kings
Scuba Kings are based in Marsalforn Bay and came highly recommended. They’re a great dive school who clearly prioritise safety. We dived with Katya who was wonderful and most of our dives (even in peak season) where just the three of us + Katya as our dive master. All the diving was shore diving which was a first for me. This does mean you’re walking about with your full kit on! An experience! The diving in Malta was colder than I was used to so make sure to flag if you struggle with the cold.

We were lucky enough to dive Dwejra Bay Blue Hole which is Gozo’s most famous dive site. Jono and I have our Padi advanced qualifications but our third group member wasn’t and it absolutely didn’t take from the experience. So don’t let that put you off! Diving highlights included octopus, our first seahorse sighting, eels, bright yellow and blue jelly fish (known as fried egg jellyfish!) and gorgeous nudibranchs.

You typically dive twice a day – starting mid morning, come back in for a lunch stop either close to your dive site or at Marsalforn Bay and then back out for your second dive.

Jono has since gone back to Gozo for a solo diving trip and dived with the owner Mick who is great too.

– Xlendi Bay
This was right next to one of our diving spots and the salt pans. It’s a popular rocky beach with dramatic cliffs where people like to snorkel. It’s good for a quick visit but our favourite beach was definitely Ramla Beach.

– Xwejni Salt Pans
These are privately owned 350 year old salt pans which are still used by locals to harvest salt. We carefully tip toe’d along the edges of the salt pans to explore. Please be very careful not to step in the salt pans! See Xlendi Bay in the background?

– Wied il-Għasri
Pretty canyon surrounded by limestone cliffs. You can enjoy the view from the top (Jono and Greg) or head done to the little peddle beach (Fliss and me). People like to come here for swimming and snorkelling between the cliffs or hanging out on the peddled beach. We just visited as a quick stop.

– Wied il-Mielaħ Window
The famous Azure Window came crashing down in 2017. Now you can visit the mini version at Wied il-Mielaħ. It’s another easy quick stop near Wied il-Għasri.

– Tal-Mixta Cave
This cave can be found on the East coast of Gozo and we visited after exploring the Wieds to catch the sunset. The view is out over Ramla Beach which is another must visit. The cave is on private property but is free to visit. You will just need to park some way back and follow an easy ten minute gravel road to the cave. The cave is popular around sunset time but not too overwhelming.

– Slow walk and drinks along the water at Marsalforn Bay
We stayed in lively Marsalforn Bay and the location was great. Most evenings started with a slow stroll along the bay, all the way to one end and back. There are plenty of restaurants right on the water making a cocktail stop a must.

– Ramla Beach
Ramla was our favourite beach and is famous for it’s red-golden sand and crystal clear water. We rented an umbrella and set up for swimming and reading in the shade. The water is the perfect temperature and well worth a quick swim.

– Explore Victoria / Rabat
The capital of Gozo is widely known as Victoria but is called Rabat by the Gozitan locals. The citadel dates back to the Middle Ages and is free to explore. Great for big sweeping views of Gozo so I’d recommend heading up for sunset.