Diveshops in Gozo: Diving Unlimited

Gozo Gozo is in Malta. Cities Victoria -- Also called Rabat, the island's capital Mġarr -- Gozo's main harbour, where the ferry from Malta arrives Marsalforn Xaghra Xlendi Other destinations Ramla i-Hamra is arguably Malta's (gozo's) finest beach. The name means red sands, referring to the beautiful reddish colour of the sand. The bay is completely spared from development, and thus the beach remains relatively uncrowded. This site also claims to be where Calypso's cave is, the cave referred to in Homer's Odyssey. Understand One sometimes gets the sense that Gozo is how Malta could have been. With the exceptions of Marsalforn and Xlendi, it has been largely spared from short-sighted overdevelopment, the traditional way of life and society has survived better, and the land has been maintained better giving more fertile ground. Buildings and houses on Gozo are mainly done with natural materials, as opposed to many of the concrete and breeze-block constructions on the mainland. History Gozo's history is intimately linked to Malta. It shares its megalithic culture, and with the Ggantija temple, it is officially home of the oldest structure on the planet. Interestingly, Gozo up until the end of medieval times was inhabited in a manner the same as Malta, with Mġarr and Victoria/Rabat being to Gozo what Vittoriosa and Mdina are to Malta: the main port and the main settlement consisting of a citadel and surrounding suburbs. The inhabitants of Gozo were, in medieval times, required by law to return to the Citadella each evening to spend the night there to prevent corsairs from abducting them. These measures were proven to be necessary when, in 1551, the Turks tried their first invasion of Malta. When they failed, they attacked Gozo and took the entire population off in ships to sell them into slavery. Talk It should also be noted that if you do learn some Maltese, there are different dialects throughout different parts of the country. People on Gozo speak Maltese with a slightly different accent from the main Maltese islanders, and people from the village of Xewkija have a different dialect from the people on the rest of Gozo and Malta. Like the mainland, English is also an official language of Gozo. Get in There is the ferry from Ċirkewwa on Malta to Mġarr, Gozo's main harbour. It departs every 45 minutes in the summer and almost as often in the winter. The trip there is free, but going back to Malta costs Lm2. One can also take a helicopter from the airport, but this is a bit pricey compared to the Lm1.50 for a bus ticket from Valletta to the departure point of the ferry at Ċirkewwa and the free ferry crossing. There are plans to build an international airport on the beautiful and unspoilt Ta Cenc cliffs of this tiny island, but hopefully someone will realise that the main airport, which already stretches across almost a quarter of Malta itself, is more than enough. Get around The bus system is possibly even more antiquated than on Malta proper, with plenty of the same quaint... more travelguide information

	Alexandra Hotel	Score 6.125 from 62 reviews
	Schreiber
	Entertainment is on offer and there is live music once a week. A big screen is available in the Lounge bar. Other Services available in the hotel are car hire, Room Service on request, doctor on call. There is a games room, open 24 hours a day, equipped with video games, pool table and table football. ... more
	The Westin Dragonara Resort	Score 8.825 from 63 reviews
	Dragonara Road
	Discover the hotel’s unparalleled facilities which include private gardens, a spectacular fitness and beauty centre, spa, 3 swimming pools, Malta's oldest and most prestigious casino, and water sports at Bayview Beach Lido and Reef Club Lido. You can even learn how to scuba dive without leaving the resort. Children will have the time of their lives at the Westin Kids Club, which offers an array of activities, excursions, and entertainment. With the summer season just around the corner, the hotel is pleased to announce that this summer it has reserved both of its outdoor pools strictly for in-house guests only. This means that guests will have more space to enjoy themselves. Most of the family entertainment will be focused around the Reef Club Pool Deck. Business travellers will appreciate the state-of-the-art conference centre that seats 550 people theatre-style, complete with 14 breakout rooms. The Westin Vodafone Business Centre further complements this centre with three additional boardrooms, high-speed internet access and Wi-Fi Internet access. Wi-Fi can also be found in the lobby lounge, main pool deck, conference centre, and Espresso Café. ... more
	Roma Hotel	Score 6.325 from 111 reviews
	Ghar Il - Lembi Street
	The hotel restaurant, which offers a fusion of Mediterranean and traditional Maltese cuisine, serves fresh local beef and the day’s catch of fish as well as a variety of pizzas, pasta dishes, salads and grills – all at very reasonable prices, with special discounts for hotel guests. At the restaurant bar, you can sip your favourite drink either by taking advantage of the cosy indoor decor, or while sitting at a table on the terrace as you watch the world go by. Room service is available from 07:30 to 09:30. ... more
	Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz	Score 7.825 from 6 reviews
	Triq ir-Rokon
	The KEMPINSKI HOTEL SAN LAWRENZ is more than just an exclusive hideaway resort with all the comforts 5 stars can offer. Surrounded by 30,000 sqm of gardens, the hideaway resort complex has been built to blend into the yellow limestone in a traditional style. It provides space for 122 airy rooms consisting of Suites, Junior Suites, Premium and deluxe rooms, as well as 2 Presidential Suites made out of limestone, each of which is elegantly decorated. Besides the rustic atmosphere in the lobby with natural stone floors, palm trees, flower beds, local woods and Mediterranean colours ranging from golden yellow to full orange, clay red, to warm brown, guests find surroundings to relax the mind and body. ... more
	Corinthia Palace Hotel & Spa	Score 8.125 from 15 reviews
	De Paule Avenue
	Positioned in the centre of the Island, opposite the Presidential Palace and San Anton Botanical Gardens, this stunning 5-star hotel boasts the finest accommodation, comfort and facilities. Set in its own mature and landscaped gardens, the Corinthia Palace is the perfect base from which to explore the island. It is only 4 km from the Walled City of Medina, 6 km from the Capital Valleta and 7 km from the resort of St Julian's, yet far enough to offer a world of tranquillity and relaxation. BOOK OUR EARLY BOOKING SPECIAL NOW! ... more
			More hotels in Gozo

A visit to Gozo should begin in Victoria, the island's capital. Victoria was named after the English monarch Queen Victoria, to commemorate her Silver Jubilee in 1897. Even today, many locals still call it by its original name, Rabat (which means city). This commercial hub with its street market (known as it-Tokk, in Independence Square) also contains the Citadel (known often as the Gran Castello or the Cittadella), an impregnable strategic point which owes its origins to the late mediaeval era, and which was re-fortified by the Knights of the Order of St. John to act as protection for the inhabitants.

For many centuries, pirates and corsairs used Gozo's small harbours for shelter, while they raided the island in search of fresh produce and water. Often they took the inhabitants captives in order to sell them as slaves. To save themselves and their families from this terrifying fate, the inhabitants, on discovering the enemy had landed, would flee to the highest point at the centre of the island.

The Citadel was comparatively safe, but its walls were not impregnable and would probably not have been able to withstand the onslaught of an armed force determined to enter. After their victory in the Great Siege of 1565 against the Ottoman Turks, however, the Knights reinforced the Citadel's vertical battlements, and it is these we see today.

Within its walls lies the cathedral designed by Lorenzo Gafa, built between 1697 and 1711. At the time it was constructed, money was in short supply so its dome was never erected, but this imperfection was brilliantly disguised by an Italian painter, Antonio Manuele. In the interior of the Cathedral he created a magnificent trompe l'oeil painting that shows the interior of a dome in full splendour.

Inside the Citadel one also finds the Cathedral Museum with vestments, silver and gold items used in sacred services. There are the Archaeological Museum which holds several objects found at various sites in Gozo, the Natural History Museum and the Folklore Museum. There is also a craft centre housed in the old prison buildings, which provides a window on local crafts, both traditional and modern.

Not to be missed are the spectacular views across the island from the battlements. An earthquake in 1693 damaged many of the mediaeval buildings within the walls, but these are now being restored.

At the centre of the parish, surrounded by a maze of charming narrow streets, is St. George's Basilica. Built between 1672 and 1678, the church reflects the history of Gozo with its objects and signs of former cultures and settlements dating back to Roman times. All paintings in the dome and ceiling are the works of Giovanni Battista Conti of Rome. Other paintings are by Mattia Preti, Giuseppe Cali and Stefano Erardi. The richly decorated statue of St. George is remarkable. It was carved in wood by Paolo Azzopardi in 1841.