Enjoy lunch at a table right by the sea, where you can hear the gentle lapping of the waves? Choose a fancy place for dinner in the evening, where you can not only eat delicious food, but also admire and photograph the most beautiful sunset in Gozo?
Great locations, good food, and yet another perfect snapshot to upload to Instagram.
In Xlendi, you’re sure to fulfil many unusual holiday wishes – and then upload and share loads of cool snaps on Instagram that your friends back home are bound to be a little envious of. Here are a few examples of great restaurants where the atmosphere is as instagrammable as the food: At Ta’ Karolina, Pirate’s Galley or Il-Kċina Għawdxija, you’ll be seated right next to the Mediterranean. From the table, you will even see many young fish swimming around in the clear water right before your eyes during the day. Quite a few guests quickly throw a few small pieces of bread into the waves, to which the still small fish immediately react with great enthusiasm…
For example, fresh seafood on your plate - and a relaxed walk always very close to the deep blue sea.
At Terrazzo, the rooftop restaurant Iċ-Ċima or Da Manuel, you are presented with the aforementioned spectacular view along with the good cuisine. The view is so fantastic that – as I often hear many visitors to Xlendi say – it almost takes your breath away at sunset.
Taking a deep breath, enjoying good food and drink, letting your mind wander… this is very easy to do in the holiday resort of Xlendi. The menus of the many restaurants offer freshly caught fish, shellfish and crustaceans as well as pizza, pasta, hamburgers and other dishes at reasonable prices. If you prefer vegetarian dishes with Mediterranean vegetables and salads – of course, there’s something for you too. Every culinary preference is always backed up by the various restaurants with the right offer. This means that your gastronomic expectations will certainly be met, from perfectly grilled steak to Asian cuisine with Indian or Chinese dishes.
You will find the various restaurants linked together like a string of pearls in and around Xlendi Bay. There is a beautiful walkway along the entire bay with a few steps, which can be easily mastered by experienced pedestrians. Every time I walk there myself (almost daily), I see the many visitors taking their photos everywhere. I don’t think that’s a big surprise, because there are so many interesting things to see and take pictures of: The steep cliffs, the colourful fishing boats returning from catching fish in the bay, the endless horizon and always the deep blue sea.
Stay overnight, enjoy a pleasant accommodation or spend a longer period of time in Xlendi: If you're looking for something, you'll find it here quickly, because there's also a wide choice.
But let’s take a walk back to the beginning of Xlendi Bay: Here you will also find two traditional hotels: The St. Patrick’s and the San Andrea, whose restaurants also belong to the locations directly on the water. The two hotels are, of course, only a small part of the almost limitless accommodation and living options available to visitors from all over the world at practically any time of the year in Xlendi. Just do some research on the internet for a while and you will see how many different options there are for every budget and for every period of time here in Xlendi.
I myself live five minutes above Xlendi Bay, where my friends Janina and Simon, easy-going hosts, have been offering Villa Marni to their international guests for several years. The building with its many floor-to-ceiling windows is painted bright white and boasts four ultra-modern holiday apartments with large balconies. You can easily book them for your holiday via Airbnb (including a communal pool in the garden) if they appeal to you during your internet research. Of course, you can also opt for a boutique hotel like the “Ceska” or “View Point Living Xlendi”. There are also a large number of other apartments, guest houses or bed & breakfast offers for your personal choice. Almost all of these accommodations are predestined for unforgettable holiday memories that you can later share with your followers at home or on Instagram.
The massive Xlendi Tower has been standing guard since 1650: this is just one of many locations that are really instagrammable together with you in photos.
However, let’s continue our walk together in Xlendi and its surroundings. One of the many locations that are always worth a detour here is the venerable Xlendi Tower. It can be reached via the already described footpath along Xlendi Bay, which first leads into the small side bay “Il Kantra” and then over a small bridge on the other side up the cliffs to the tower.
Built as early as 1650 as a defence tower to detect enemy naval fleets in good time, this building and its two storeys have experienced a lot up to the present day. The walls were at that time appropriately massive, composed of the sandstone typical of Gozo, and are strictly protected monuments This is exactly where a successful snapshot is worth taking, showing you with this oldest fortified tower on the Mediterranean island of Gozo, which has been preserved to this day. The location is all the more ideal because on the platform below the Xlendi Tower there are still the so-called Salt Pans to marvel at, where for centuries the famous salt from Gozo (which is no longer won at this location) was extracted from the sea water.
What else is there to explore, experience and document on your mobile phone for you and your friends in Xlendi?
Once again, the correct answer is: a lot. For parents with children, for example, the small sandy beach in Xlendi Bay is a great area. In spring and summer, you can easily go swimming here with your children. The beach slopes gently and even if you are short, you will still be safe on the seabed after a few metres. And speaking of bathing fun in Xlendi Bay: During the bathing season, which usually lasts from May to October, towels are also laid out on the benches and cliffs on the left side of the bay. Those who prefer a more comfortable experience can step down one of the ladders into the water. Or jump, a little more actively, from a low height directly into the refreshing Mediterranean Sea.
By the way: If you notice the sometimes longer queue in front of a certain shop in Xlendi Bay right after bathing, you will soon realise why: Gelateria Granola offers homemade ice cream that is to die for. Not only the children, no, everyone who tries it is fascinated by the quality.
So that’s it for today. If you want to enjoy these Xlendi highlights for a longer period of time, it is best to look for an apartment or house of the desired size. Fully furnished and ready to move in, they are not only offered by reliable estate agents such as Simon Mamo or Frank Salt. On the internet, there are also interesting subgroups such as www.propertymarket.com.mt or www.gozofarmhouses.net.
But who knows if we will run into each other here in Xlendi soon. You first as a holiday guest or already as a resident on Gozo. Some of my friends started here as holidaymakers and now – just like me – they like to be at home in Gozo as permanent residents.
Baħar Apartment
Baħar is a private one bedroom airy and luxurious unit that boasts a modern and prestigious design. The unit is spread out on one floor and encompasses an open floor design connecting the kitchen, living and dining. The sliding windows allow natural light and natural ventilation to flow freely and abundantly into the open space furnished with its sleek over-sized couch. The unit boasts a balcony furnished with rattan chairs and overlooks the large communal pool and deck area where you can kick back, relax and enjoy the atmosphere…
