Honeymoon fantasies are usually a mix of romance and adventure under perfectly clear blues skies and idyllic seas where you can opt to take it easy and relax or enjoy activities and sports.
Well take note for that is a description of the island of Gozo!
Get away to the island of Joy
Some say that the name of the island derives from Catalan and it means joy. And this is not an exaggeration. Gozo has a bewitching spell when it comes to letting you shed away the stress that often come with weddings and big occasions. Hiding out on the island is truly therapeutic especially when you’ll be constantly surrounded by amazing seascapes and landscapes. The island, which is barely visible on the map of the Mediterranean lies to the south of Sicily and can be reached via the airport on mainland Malta (Gozo’s sister island).
Enjoy swimming and snorkeling in the bays and secret coves around the island and if you love trekking you can hike around very easily. You need to visit Ramla Bay, a beach that’s hailed for its red sand, and the coves such as Daħlet Qorrot and Mġarr ix-Xini, the latter made famous by the film ‘By the Sea’ directed by Angelina on the island.
Gozo’s terrain makes it a true outdoor playground where a variety of sports and activities can be practiced too. If you prefer an active gateway, then this is the place to be as Gozo offers diving, kayaking, climbing, bouldering and abseiling, cycling, and rambling opportunities.
Days of bliss in a luxury accommodation
For some, a honeymoon wouldn’t be one without checking in at some luxury boutique hotel or resort. Gozo provides various options for accommodation in this dimension and you can choose from the 5-star lavish resorts that come complete with full spa facilities to the trendy or charming boutique hotels. Or maybe you’d prefer a more intimate setting in a rented villa or typical Gozitan farmhouse, most of which come with swimming pool facilities. Whatever you choose, you’ll also be able to enjoy the warm welcome of the Gozitan people.
A rich collection of memories
What’s a honeymoon but an album of memories that you will treasure through life? Exploring Gozo provides a variety of amazing sites and fantastic locations.
Visit the Citadel, the bastioned fortress city in the middle of the island that is like the heart of the island. Wander through its narrow cobbled streets, take a peek inside Gozo’s Cathedral and visit the various museums but mostly be engulfed by the view from the top ramparts. If you’re interested in military fortifications, this island has a string of coastal towers and military architecture, evocative of the days when Gozo was a lone island and often a target for marauders.
The old megalithic temples of Ġgantija dating back to 7000 years ago need to be on your list of things to visit. The temples located in the village of Xagħra are a remarkable feat in construction. For the history geeks, Gozo is like a treasure chest – everywhere you look you will find a piece of heritage that comes with its own story or legend.
Explore Ta’ Ċenċ plateau and prepare to be mystified by the menħir and dolmen structures that experts believe to be tombstones from the bronze age. Another enigma are the cart ruts – parallel channels dug out in hard rock that have baffled the historians for a long time.
Gozo is an island of chapels and churches. The chapels often by the wayside are a picture of the humble and rural and typical of the Gozitan essence of life of the centuries past. The churches are on the other hand elaborate edifices in stone, often richly decorated on the inside and a manifestation of the passion that locals have for their religion and saints.
Dining out and typical Gozitan fare
Enjoy sumptuous or simple meals in awe-inspiring settings. Whether you’re dining at the sea-front or in some charming village square, Gozo’s culinary fare is second to none. Fine dining is literally next door to more casual places. Whether you choose to dress up or keep it toned down it’s up to you but Gozitan dining is a mix of local dishes with a lot of Mediterreneaan accents complimented with more continental tastes that have been adapted to fit the local ingredients of the season. Fish can be found on most menus but whilst in Gozo, make sure that you ask for a platter of the local peppered cheeselets typically served with galletti (water biscuits), sun-dried tomatoes and local olives.
A day on Comino
A honeymoon in Gozo would not be complete without dedicating a day to Comino. The island is notorious for the turquoise waters of the Blue Lagoon. The limpid colour of the waters of this beach have made it one of the most famous beaches of the Mediterreanan sea. Steal away for a day and enjoy the beach or tour the island. Another option is to engage in the variety of water sports that are offered on the island.
Gozo is a magnet to all those who visit.
The magic of the island has been recorded by Homer himself. Once he found himself on the island, the great hero Odysseus could not estrange himself from the nymph Calypso and it took him seven long years until he left Gozo for his journey back home…
He is an expert travel advisor and enthusiast. He has traveled extensively in the USA, Central America, South America, and Europe. He has visited every Sandals Resort and is one of a select few Diamond Elite members of the Sandals Chairman’s Royal Club.
Dan graduated from Johnson & Wales University with an associate degree in Culinary Arts. Later he graduated from the University of Utah with a bachelor’s degree in International Studies with a focus on people and culture.