Eat, dance and then detox in your room
0 Comments | Nottingham Evening Post, Jul 29, 2010 | by Malta Claire Carter
BEDTIME is fun in Malta. Magnetic beds, a Jacuzzi and steam chamber in your room, as well as a private hot tub and swimming pools on balconies that look over the water to the capital Valletta make for a relaxing experience.
But as much as it’s tempting, staying in your room all the time at the Fortina Spa resort would also mean you would miss out on all the facilities the hotel has to offer – particularly fish nibbling at your feet.
Plunging your toes into a tank full of tiny fish which suck the dead skin from your feet may not sound like a lot of fun. But, as more than 60 tiny pedicurists got to work on my feet, and I managed to curb the initial laughter as they foraged between my toes, I was converted.
The fish pedicure, a new beauty craze in the UK and America, is the latest addition to the Fortina Spa, which lies just outside Sliema, and is testament to a place where the newest treatments and innovations are being introduced. The spa itself at the Fortina is large and has a warren of corridors leading to different treatment rooms where you can be slathered in mud, have body wraps and massages as well as manicures and hair treatments.
I tried the lava shell massage, which is similar to the hot stone massage but uses shells to retain the heat for longer.
This was the first treatment I tried and was the perfect relaxation after the three-hour flight from Manchester.
The new Li’Tya Lowanna facial, which begins with scented smoke being wafted over your body and includes feet, hand and head massages, was also not to be missed. Within the complex there is Spa Sante, complete with jacuzzis, weather and mood showers, various steam rooms and a laconium, and relaxation rooms with heated stone loungers.
As well as the indoor facilities, the Fortina spa has an added benefit that spas in this country cannot boast. It’s in Malta.
The hotel itself, which is split between four and five-star accommodation, has two swimming pools where guests can enjoy the sunshine.
One is quieter and shadier while the busier pool at the front of the hotel looks directly out over the water to Valletta, its architecture a focal point of the island.
Valletta is a 10-minute ferry journey from the Fortina, or about 20 minutes in a taxi.
It is a busy shopping haven and has beautiful examples of baroque architecture with winding streets and a large fortification that gives fantastic views over much of the island.
For a more in-depth history of Malta, visitors should go to nearby Mdina, which is home to the cathedrals and fortifications that lay behind the development of Malta.
Mdina is the old capital of the island. As our tour guide showed us around the walled city where each street winds and bends around a number of corners, we learnt that this was designed to protect soldiers who were trying to defend the town.
The town’s buildings reflect the history of the island, with baroque architecture, English and Sicilian influences, and buildings that survived the 1693AD earthquake.
Another highlight is a boat trip around the island, and the crystalline waters of the blue lagoon are a must-see.
We went on a day cruise around the smaller neighbouring islands of Gozo and Comino, where we were able to stop at the blue lagoon.
From here, we took a tour around the caves of the island. The speedboats are small enough to go deep into the belly of the caves, which have been battered and beaten into intricately twisted knots and patterns by the waves.
On board the boat and at the Fortina itself there is a variety of fresh fish to try, as well as the island’s speciality, rabbit.
Back at the hotel, dinner is an exciting affair.
The quieter pool is transformed at night and becomes a fortress of fairy lights with six different restaurants nestled around it, which are scarcely noticeable by day.
All the restaurants are very different, and give guests the chance to try food from around the world.
The Teppanyaki grill at Hibiki Japanese restaurant was my highlight and it was as much a night of entertainment as good food. I watched as local fish, beef, lamb, pork and chicken doused in peanut and soy sauces were cooked in front of me on a flaming grill.
Each restaurant is themed and decked out with traditions from its country – the Thai and Chinese a haven of tranquillity, while the Indian Sa Re Ga Ma has an impressive menu, which makes it easy to see why it has been crowned the best Indian on the island.
The five-star hotel operates an all-inclusive system where you not only get access to the spa but can dine at any of the six restaurants for dinner and have breakfast and lunch at Taste restaurant – an excellent opportunity to try authentic Mediterranean cuisine, as well as have breakfast beneath a shady palm tree.
Another surprise is that Malta itself, which for years has cultivated a reputation as a sedate holiday destination, has good nightlife in parts of the island.
St Julian’s is the place to head for a big night out, while a strip of bars in Valletta are open until the small hours