Escaping the Berlin Winter: Our Family Easter Trip to Malta
Escaping the Berlin Winter
After what felt like an endless Berlin winter — the kind where the sky just forgets how to be blue — we originally had a very different plan for Easter. We were going to Iceland. It sounded organized at the time. Dramatic landscapes, waterfalls, the whole “we are adventurous travelers” image. But as the trip got closer and the weather in Berlin stayed exactly as depressing as it had been for months, we started to quietly admit something to ourselves. We didn’t want more cold. We wanted sun. So, quite late in the game, we changed everything and booked Malta instead. Not the most carefully planned decision we’ve ever made, but sometimes those are the ones that actually work out.
Flying to Malta (and adjusting expectations slightly)
We flew from Berlin to Malta via Munich. Not direct, not particularly exciting, but it got us there in about four and a half hours. Because we booked late, the flights weren’t cheap, but compared to other warm destinations over Easter, they were still manageable. The main feeling on arrival wasn’t “we’ve arrived somewhere exotic” — it was more like: we’ve successfully escaped winter. That alone already felt like a win.
Our Base: AX Odycy Hotel
We stayed at the Odycy Hotel for the week, including breakfast, and it turned out to be a solid choice for a family trip. It’s not the kind of place you remember for luxury details, but it does the important things well. The indoor heated pool quickly became a daily routine, especially on days when the weather wasn’t quite beach-ready yet. There was also a kids club in the evenings, running from 8:00 to 9:30 pm. That small window of time became surprisingly valuable — not because we did anything exciting, but because we could sit down and exist as adults for a moment. The surrounding area is still very much developing. There’s construction, cranes, and that general feeling of “this will be nice in a few years.” But it’s also close to useful things like the Malta National Aquarium, which ended up being one of our easiest and most reliable outings.
Renting a Car (and the €11,000 anxiety)
Right at the Airport, we rented a car. We used Kayak to compare prices and ended up with Hertz. Remember that endless construction I was talking about well it started at the airport when a 5 minute walk turned into a 20 minute walk around a parking lot construction that blocked the direct pathway to the rental cars. It was about €85 for the week, which honestly felt suspiciously cheap at first. We declined additional insurance, which led to a very confident explanation at the counter about how we would be responsible for damages “up to €11,000.” That number followed us around for the rest of the trip. Every tight corner. Every pothole. Every slightly questionable parking maneuver. It became a running joke — partly funny, partly mildly stressful. We did one smart thing though: we filmed the entire car before leaving the rental lot. That saved us a lot of unnecessary discussion later about damages on the car that were already there (Pfeewww, we were not ready to shell out “up to €11,000.”).
Driving in Malta (it’s not the left side, it’s the narrow everything)
Driving in Malta isn’t difficult in the traditional sense. You get used to left-hand traffic quickly enough. What takes more adjustment is the roads. They’re narrow in a way that feels almost intentional — like someone designed them before cars existed and never updated anything. Between construction, sudden closures, and Google Maps occasionally giving up, driving requires attention. Not stress, just focus or a very focused Husband.
A Day in Gozo (plans vs reality)
One of our main days was a trip to Gozo. We drove to the ferry terminal at Cirkewwa, about 25 minutes from the hotel, and took the car ferry across. We aimed for a specific departure, but the queue for cars was longer than expected, so we ended up waiting for the next ferry. Not a disaster — just a reminder that “timed plans” don’t always apply here.
Ramla Bay
Our first stop was Ramla Bay, a wide beach known for its red sand. Even in April, it was beautiful — just not swimming weather. It’s one of those places where you don’t really do much, and that’s kind of the point. Our daughter spent most of the time building rock structures along the shoreline, which kept her entertained far longer than anything we had planned.
When Gozo Stops Following Your Itinerary
From there, Gozo started to drift away from our plan. We had a list — Mixta Cave, viewpoints, scenic stops — but between road closures, construction, and narrow rural roads, it quickly became clear we wouldn’t be doing everything. At some point, even Google Maps seemed uncertain. So we stopped forcing it and headed to Marsalforn for lunch instead. That turned out to be a very good decision. A small restaurant by the water, seafood, a glass of wine, and a break from navigating. Nothing planned, but exactly what we needed.
Victoria Citadel
Later in the day we made it to Victoria Citadel. The drive up is tight and slightly tense, but once you’re there, it opens into something much calmer. We spent about an hour and a half walking through the old fortifications, looking out across the island, and resetting after a long day of driving. By the time we returned to Malta, we were ready to do absolutely nothing — which is exactly what we did.
Blue Lagoon Boat Trip
Another day we booked a boat trip to the Blue Lagoon via Viator, with Xlendi Pleasure Cruises. It included Comino, the Blue Lagoon, Crystal Lagoon, and some caves, and cost around $113 for the three of us. Getting there was the most stressful part of the day. Parking near Cirkewwa took longer than expected, and we almost missed the boat but thanks to my Husband and his brave illegal parking skills we made it with just 2 minutes to spare. Not ideal — but we made it just in time. The Blue Lagoon itself is exactly what the photos show: bright, almost unreal turquoise water and extremely overcrowded in the afternoon. In April, it’s still cold, so swimming wasn’t really an option for us, but it’s still worth seeing from the boat. Some people did swim. We mostly observed and appreciated from a distance.
Food, Small Moments & Flexibility
Food in Malta was a mix — some good meals, some average ones, and a few “this will do” situations. One of the better surprises was the restaurant at the Malta National Aquarium, especially at sunset. That wasn’t planned, but ended up being one of our nicer meals. A lot of the trip was like that — adjusting plans, lowering expectations slightly, and then finding that things still worked out fine. Even dinner one night ended up being McDonald’s delivery to the hotel, which somehow turned into one of the funniest moments of the trip when we realized half the lobby was watching us like we had hacked family travel.
Budget Breakdown (Real Numbers)
For transparency, here’s roughly what the trip cost us as a family:
- Flights: ~$390 per person
- Hotel (7 nights with breakfast): ~$760 total
- Car rental: ~€85 (~$90)
- Food, fuel, parking, excursions: ~$750
Total: around $3,000–$3,500 for a family trip from Berlin
Final Thoughts
Malta worked for us not because everything went smoothly, but because we didn’t expect it to. It’s a place that’s easy to enjoy if you don’t over-plan it — especially with kids. Some of the best moments — the beach in Gozo, the unplanned lunch, the evenings by the pool — weren’t planned at all. And coming from a long Berlin winter, that combination of sun, sea, and “we’ll figure it out as we go” was exactly what we needed.