Portugal, Majorca or Malta?

My cousin got married in Malta.

She had the ceremony at Selmun Palace and the reception at the Rui Seabank hotel in Mellieha. The palace was beautiful and the hotel really laid back (one big table, lovely buffet). I am reliably informed from the horse's mouth that the whole thing cost less than £3k for fifty guests and their flights/holiday (they stayed it the hotel for two weeks).

http://www.mellieha.com/places_interest/fortifications/selmun_palace.htm

http://www.seabankhotel.com/

I've been to Malta, it wasn't far, (I think I'm thinking of the right place and not Malia!) it was beautiful, if you want a beach wedding you probably want to shy away from the touristy towns and go for a more remote village type place. That's why destination holidays are usually with the 5* places, so they can give you private beach space

Congrats on your engagement btw!

Hello,

Congratulations on your recent engagement.

I don't know much about Majorca or Portugal, but I do know a lot about Malta.

Its about a 3 hour and 10 minute flight away, with flights going frequently from London Heathrow and Gatwick airports.

Malta is a small island, (approx. 17 miles by 9) so it's really easy to get around - and the benefit of Malta is that they speak English - which will make communicating with your suppliers easy.

The island is easy to get to and from the UK if you wanted to pop over for a long weekend or short holiday to take a look at venues and meet suppliers etc. There are a load of brand name hotels, with sea views, or if you want more of a cultured venue then there are loads of them too. The thing with Malta is that you never know what magnificent things reside behind closed doors. From the outside a lot of buildings don't look like much, but on the inside there is so much history.

The climate is really good throughout the year, obviously the summers are really hot, but pretty much from March/April, all the way through to Ocotber the weather is really nice.

I'm a fan of Malta and I'm actually going to a wedding there at the beginning of June. We also have a couple of real weddings that took place in Malta on our real wedding section:

https://www.hitched.co.uk/real-weddings/carla-joe_213/

https://www.hitched.co.uk/real-weddings/debbie-david_206/ (The venue that David and Debbie had was incredible!)

Happy to answer any other questions about Malta if you have them - francesca@hitched.co.uk

Fran x

Hello.

I have visited all three but I used to live in Malta so I'm slightly biased.

The Island is very relaxed and it can get pretty humid but it is beautiful. Selmun palace is gorgeous, as is the Palazzo Parisio in Naxxar with a Stunning ballroom. There is something for all tastes.

However, if you want idyllic beaches Malta really isn't the place as its very rocky. It's known to the Maltese as 'The Rock'.

Check out Golden Sands Hotel which is set on the best beach. Also maybe look at Gozo which is part of the Maltese Islands there are some lovely farmhouses to rent but unsure of the legal requirements.

If you do decide there and need any tips please ask.

I've not actually been to any of them but my Mum and Dad lived in Malta for a while after they got married when my Dad was in the Navy. They'll have been married 50 years on Saturday so Malta definitely gave them a good start! They absolutely love Malta as does my sister who was born out there and all of them have been back a few times more recently. From what I hear, the island is very pro British and really friendly. Definitely worth considering!

Thank all. Big thumbs up for Malta then . I think I'm swaying to Malta. It's the OHs favourite. But I'm not keen on any venues. The palace and place,I. Naxaa seem soooooo big. I just wan a small place. Maybe even a sea view taverna. I just can't see anything I like. Does anyone have any good wedding planner recommendations for Malta? Maybe I need to go through a planner rather than doing it all myself. Thanks again for all the encouragement. Good to hear Malta is so appealing x

Thank all. Big thumbs up for Malta then . I think I'm swaying to Malta. It's the OHs favourite. But I'm not keen on any venues. The palace and place,I. Naxaa seem soooooo big. I just wan a small place. Maybe even a sea view taverna. I just can't see anything I like. Does anyone have any good wedding planner recommendations for Malta? Maybe I need to go through a planner rather than doing it all myself. Thanks again for all the encouragement. Good to hear Malta is so appealing x

Hi and congrats!!! we're getting married in Majorca, I looked for venues on line for (no joke) a year! on the verge of giving up I found a wedding planner through facebook who would take us around some venues with no charge, she took us to 5 different venues with varying prices, the main problem is that the finca hotels want you to take all the rooms for a certain period of time which we didn't want to do, as it then puts pressure on us to palm them off on our guests to try to recoup costs.. she took us to an amazing courtyard restaurant which we immediately fell in love with, she told us a lot of Majorcans get married there and the cost is brilliant! I think realistically you need to go out there if youre seriously thinking about it as the internet is really useless, you need to speak to people who have got married there and get recommendations, we just got cheap flights off season for 3 days. job done! happy to pass on any more info if you want it. xx