Gorgeous Photos of Gozo, the Relaxing Holiday in Malta

Water view Gozo Marsalforn
Gozo coastline Hondoq Qala photos of gozo
Simply stunning coastline views at Hondoq in Gozo

“What do we do on Gozo” I asked my friend.  He replied “we relax”.  Relax?  As a solo traveler for so long, relax isn’t usually in my vocabulary as I try to see as much as I can in a short period of time. I’m not quite “check the box” traveler but the over the top Type A, need a vacation from my vacation type of traveler. Sometimes, I will schedule a spa day to relax (notice I have to “schedule” a relaxing day, oh the irony!)  Here I was traveling with a longtime friend for the first time, without any photos of Gozo to research in advance, and being told all I’m going to do is relax – “You need to chill out” he said (easier said than done) knowing that I had run away from home.  For any East Coast, city Type A girl, like me, being told you are doing absolutely nothing for the next twelve (ended up as nineteen) days is scary. It was a test I was likely to fail, or so I thought.

On day three, I was full of stress, nowhere near a relaxing state at the nightmare Airbnb house. I didn’t anticipate fracturing my foot on day three but the universe decided I needed a “push” to relax. Getting hurt and not being able to walk without pain and swelling isn’t the ideal situation for a vacation, however, it was my reality. With all of my plans and schedules shot to hell, I had to just wave the white flag and surrender to this island life and chill out.  If you look at the Visit Malta website, their Gozo page states “For those who wish to switch off and regenerate, Gozo is the place to be“. Fair enough, let’s see…..we hit “reset” on our holiday at the five star luxury Kempinski Gozo hotel.

Kempinski Gozo luxury hotel photos of gozo
The five stay luxury Kempinski Gozo to relax and reset our holiday

My new schedule became a daily routine of new lunch spot (some with water views) followed by light walking/sightseeing on different parts of the island. It’s a small island but surprisingly there so much to see along the coastlines of the many villages. Arriving back to the house, it was time to ice and then elevate my foot before pool time and our daily ice cream break (I’m a new fan of Magnum ice cream bars).  From there we had happy hour before getting ready for dinner at the local café.

Photos of Gozo seaside dining Malta
Dining with a view in Gozo in Marsalforn
Magnum Ice Cream Gozo pool
My daily Magnum ice cream by the pool break

Without the option of driving myself (they drive on the left) or walking to escape (foot injury), I had no other option than to roll with it and “relax”.  While I thought I might fail to embrace the whole relaxing vacation, I passed with flying colors – a gold star only to sadly leave the island and rejoin society.  Enjoy my highlights with the photos of Gozo.

Photos of Gozo Sailing Sea Marsalforn
Marsalforn view in Gozo from lunch
Photos of Gozo Ramla Beach Gozo
A lovely beach day in Gozo – at Ramla Beach

Photos of Gozo at Hondoq Bay

In the village of Qala, you will find Hondoq Bay.  Its gorgeous view will make you forget that the area is primarily rocky (bad for my foot).  It has many ladders to easily get you into the water.  We would do a light hike up the side to see the inlets that my friend swam as a child. Sadly, my injury prevented further exploration and swimming at the time.

Gozo coastline Hondoq Qala Photos of Gozo Sea swimming
Simply stunning coastline views at Hondoq in Gozo
Gozo Qala Hondoq bay Photos of Gozo
Inlet for swimming at Hondoq in Gozo village of Qala

Xlendi Bay

With lights sparkling around the bay and lights in the distance from the boats, dining was interesting as the water was crashing along the wall next to our table and I was sure we would get soaked but we didn’t. This is the daytime view.

Photos of Gozo Dining Water View in Xlendi
Dining with a view in Xlendi on Gozo

The Azure Window of Gozo

The iconic view of the Azure window was stunning and well worth the time to slowly walk out on the uneven surfaces. You can swim in the water as many folks were doing except for the young guy in my photo that stood there for more than ten minutes as all of the photographers just wanted him to jump into the water with his friends and out of our frame.

Note: Sadly, the sea reclaimed The Azure Window in March of 2017 and the window is gone, which made me so sad, however, it is still worth the visit as the views are lovely nonetheless. It is a reminder that nature is quite powerful in building and destroying the earth.

Gozo Azure Window before collapse - Photos of Gozo
I wanted the boy to move from the frame but now happy he provides scale for how massive the Azure Window is on Gozo

On Gozo – The Inland Sea

The sign points down the hill and yet many people miss this hidden gem.  Every twenty minutes there is a guy in his boat who will take you on a quick trip (for a small fee and tip) through the cave and out into the sea to see the Azure window from the water. There were four of us on the tour and you can see the sheer scale of the cliffs on the island. This was one of my favorite activities to be on the water.

Gozo Inland Sea tour Photos of Gozo
Can you see the face in the cliffs on the Inland Sea boat tour on Gozo
Gozo Inland Sea colors Photos of Gozo
Colors of the Inland Sea on Gozo

Ta’ Cenc Cliffs

We drove around following the signs and then there were no signs. We couldn’t find the Ta’ Cenc Cliffs and stopped a kid on his bike and he pointed to walk through the fields.  We trusted him and started walking over the rocks, through the bush and were rewarded with this view of the island.  Having been on the water down below looking up, this was my view high above looking down.  Just stunning.

Ta Cenc Cliffs Gozo Photos of Gozo
Ta’Cenc Cliffs are just stunning in Gozo – the caves, the blue water, the colors

Photos of Gozo Salt Pans

The sea crashed on the island and leaves its salt behind.  The salt pans collect the salt and are then emptied and sold on the island.  Natural sea salt.  The largest collection of salt pans are in Zebbug past Marselforn (go there for lunch first) but you will also see others around the island.

Salt Pans on Gozo Photos of Gozo
Salt Pans on Gozo
Salt Pans of Gozo Photos of Gozo
The salt pans of Gozo

Center of Gozo in Victoria

Victoria is the heart of the island and where you will find the stores, bus station and the historic Citadel.

Citadel Gozo Victoria Photos of Gozo
In Victoria, the center of Gozo, you will find the historic Citadel

 

Ramla Beach

For a true sand beach, we visited Ramla beach for our lunch (there are a few food stands).  As it was later in the day, renting an umbrella and chair made no sense with only a few good hours left.  We found an empty spot to put our towels and waded into the water.  The water was shallow for a good part of the trek in but was so warm and inviting.  You had to swim a far way out to get above your waist.  It was the first time in years, that I had been in the ocean and it was fantastic.  The clear waters were definitely a stark change from the Jersey shore.  This was truly the place to sit in the sun, relax and be carefree.

Gozo beach view from Ramla beach Photos of Gozo
View from my beach towel at Ramla Beach on Gozo

Most folks are visiting Gozo for the day from Malta.  They hop on the big red double decker bus, join a tour, snorkel or are fearless and rely on the local transit.  You can easily tick off the boxes for most of the above sights but I was lucky to live on the island for three weeks and take it all in as an adventure to discover.  That’s what so great about the island, at first, I didn’t see the potential, but I learned to relax, disconnect from the world and regenerate anew. Misson Accomplished!

Swimming in Gozo - Photos of Gozo swimming
Private oasis to swim in Gozo – no paved roads here and many steep uneven steps to get below

 

 

5 thoughts on “Gorgeous Photos of Gozo, the Relaxing Holiday in Malta

  1. I loved visiting Malta, its underrated and as much as I want more people to visit I hope it retains its small island charm! What a beautiful place! I spent a few weeks there myself, with a great Airbnb on Gozo. Would love to go back.

  2. So beautiful! We are trying to get to Malta this year and I really want to make it to Gozo. Oh man, these pictures make we want to find the right days off *right now*!!

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