Travel: Malta

A profusion of budget flights and a nightlife explosion mean it really comes alive after dark. This year's Isle of MTV free festival in June saw 50,000 fans fly in to watch Scissor Sisters, Kelis and Kid Rock, while the End of Summer Special next weekend features David Guetta, Deadmau5 (unhooked) and Gareth Emery. Throw in spa hotels, great bars and shops and it's the ultimate destination for a hedonistic weekend.

There's something very familiar about Malta, which was ruled by Britain for more than 170 years. There are red telephone boxes, vintage Leyland buses and most people speak English. Thankfully, the weather is an exception and sticks to unbroken sunshine.

Before the British, there were the Phoenecians from Lebanon then the Romans, Arabs, Spaniards and the Knights of St John, all of whom left their mark on the island's culture and if you head out now, you'll be just in time for the wine festivals. Cheers.

Air Malta flies from London Heathrow and Gatwick twice a day, from 99 return (0906 103 0012, www.airmalta.com). Flights from Scotland with BMI, Easyjet and Ryanair start from 124 return.

Best hotel for a spa break

WITH a choice of pools and a spa menu that will leave you drooling, The Corinthia (00356 23702975, www.corinthia.com, deluxe rooms from €353/288 peak, €149/122 off-peak, hot stone treatment €40; massage €28 is the place if you like hanging around in fluffy robes or lounging beside a pool. Situated on a headland overlooking downtown Valletta, Malta's capital, it also has beautiful sea views and is a short hobble back in the small hours from Paceville, the throbbing heart of the island's nightlife.

Best pre-club cocktails

A former traditional townhouse, Hotel Juliani (00356 388000, www.hoteljuliani.com, doubles from €140/115 peak, €80/65 off-peak) has been transformed into a boutique hotel with terrace and rooftop pool from which to admire the boats bobbing in the harbour. The first-floor restaurant, Zest, offers continental and Asian cuisine, as well as one of the best views on the island.

Best club

You'll be spoilt for choice but kick off at the Bedouin Bar, with its floor cushions and air of louche decadence. Next hit Paceville, where the streets are buzzing with clubbers, then take it up a gear at Level 22 of the Portomaso Business Tower, a club where there really are men in Don Johnson-style white suits. Don't be so busy people-watching that you forget to admire the view. Next, take a 20-minute taxi ride to Marrakech, an open-air club south of Mdina in an old farmhouse where up to 3,000 flock to hear DJs ranging from Tiesto, Sasha and Cassius to Boy George and club tours like the Ministry of Sound.

Best cathedral

St John's in Valletta (adults 6, children under 12 free, concessions) is a dazzlingly splendid baroque palace built by the knights of St John where you can see works by the wild man of art, Caravaggio. He was allowed to hide on the island after killing a man in a drunken brawl in Rome in return for the completion of commissions such as The Beheading Of St John the Baptist and St Jerome Writing.

Best tour guide

When he's not acting as an extra, Darrell Azzopardi ([email protected], 00356 9942 2580, or visitmalta.com, 57-82 a day) is the man to show you the sights and keep you informed. Watch for him stoning an adulterer in Inspector Clouseau.

Best boat trip

AFTER a night clubbing, spend the day sprawled on the deck of a 64ft yacht (day charter including skipper, fuel and deckhand, €1,100/900, 00356 99882615, www.boatlinkmalta.com) as your crew carries you off to the white sand-fringed Blue Lagoon where Blue Beard and his pirate gang dropped anchor. Watch shoals of fish flit around the yacht, then scatter as you hurl yourself off for a heart-stopping dip. If you're really pushing the boat out, why not hire a private chef for the day, such as Oliver Grech ([email protected], €20.50/17 per hour, one week €130/106 per day, plus cost of ingredients), who will produce a banquet of delicious fish dishes from the galley kitchen. Blue Lagoon boat trips on regular boats, from €10/8 per person return.

Best day out

If you can drag yourself off a sunlounger in the hours of daylight, visit Mdina, a 30-minute taxi ride away. Check out the architecture and the Xina Palace, where Bruce Willis holidayed. He's not the only film star to visit, as the island is a mecca for film makers – Gladiator, Troy and Clash of the Titans were all filmed here – because the architecture means it can double for everywhere from Florence to Middle Eastern cities.

Best food

MAKE like the Beckhams, and Schumachers, who all own property right on the marina at Portomaso, by dining at Al Molo (00356 21 372918), a restaurant with waterside views of the Sunseekers moored just a Louboutin's step away in the man-made harbour. Or try the recently-opened Salini Restaurant, Tigne Point, where the food includes Lebanese, Turkish and Moroccan dishes alongside the Maltese fare.

This article first appeared in Scotland on Sunday, September 12, 2010