malta

Malta Gay Hotels – The Nomadic Boys

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Malta Gay Hotels - The Nomadic Boys

Magnificent, marvellous, mind-blowing Malta!

For such a small country, Malta sure packs a big punch in terms of charm, gay friendliness and having a rich cultural history. This teeny, tiny, unassuming and super Catholic nation has undergone such a huge transition over the past decade that it’s now famously recognised as being one of the most gay friendly countries in the world.

And we are living for it. We loved travelling around Malta. It’s one of the few places in the world where we felt comfortable with PDAs. In addition, the country has so much history to discover, ruins to explore, gorgeous landscapes and some pretty stunning west-facing beaches where you’ll feel inspired to renew your wedding vows at sunset.

In this article, we’ve rounded up the best gay hotels in Malta to check out based on our first-hand experience, recommendations from LGBTQ locals and from other gay travellers. We’ve included everything from five-star luxury resorts to intimate guesthouses for the more budget-savvy traveller. To read more about experience travelling in Malta, including the country’s gay scene, check out our comprehensive gay guide to Malta.

Malta Gay Hotels – Where to Start

Valletta is our hands-down favourite place in Malta. It’s a city bursting with culture and history everywhere you step! Fortified walls, medieval castles and winding streets filled with unique shops and bespoke eateries, you’ll easily lose yourself in the sheer charisma of Valletta. This is also where the majority of the gay hangouts are with many delightful gay hotels to choose from, which are mainly on the luxury end, like The Phoenicia, Rosselli and La Falconeria.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Malta Gay Travel Resources

Malta Gay Life – The Nomadic Boys

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Malta Gay Life - The Nomadic Boys

“Malta has become the gold standard of LGBTQI reforms – a beacon of human rights for LGBTIQ issues!”

So said the United Nation’s Equality and Non-Discrimination team. This tiny unassuming island nation in the middle of the Mediterranean has over the past decade quickly evolved to become one of the most gay friendly countries in the world with some of the most progressive LGBTQ laws.

But Malta wasn’t always like this. Up until 2013, divorce was illegal here, society extremely socially conservative and homosexuality was pretty much underground. Since the centre-left Labour Party came into power in 2013, the country did a big U-turn, passing an array of progressive laws led by the proactive Minister for Equality, Helena Dalli. You can read more about this in our comprehensive gay guide to Malta.

How did such a quick and rapid change affect Malta’s LGBTQ community?
We found that the older members of the Maltese LGTBQ community had a far different perspective compared to the newer generation who are now benefitting from these more open and progressive laws, which the older generation fought hard to achieve.

Malta Gay Life

A lot of the older gay guys we met, who came of age in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, had difficulties being out and were often forced to lead double lives, marrying a woman to satisfy their family. In comparison, the younger gay guys in their teens, 20s and 30s, we found them to be more confident about their sexuality when we spoke to them about Malta Gay Life. Now it was easier than ever to fight for change in terms of lobbying their MPs, organising LGBTQ events, leading the Pride movement, and more.

One of these awesome Maltese Millennials at the forefront of change in Malta is cutie Clayton Mercieca. Clayton recently married his life partner Christian and together had a baby boy and is rocking the #gaydad world! Clayton is also a prominent LGBTQ activist in Malta, responsible for organising Malta Pride.

We met up with Clayton and his hunky hubby Christian in Valletta, who told us more about the gay life in Malta and what it’s like being gay parents.

Gay Malta – The Nomadic Boys

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Gay Malta - The Nomadic Boys

“You want to go to a gay bar in Malta? Pick any one you come across and you’ll be just fine!”
So said our Maltese gay friends when we asked them about the gay scene. But we get their point. When it comes to gay friendliness, Malta is killing it! This tiny island nation in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea is frequently named as one of the most gay friendly countries in the world and we can totally see why!

What used to be one of the most religious places in Europe (for example, up until 2013, divorce was illegal in Malta!) the country did a 180-degree turn to pass some of the most LGBTQ progressive laws in the world, quickly becoming THE gay haven in the Mediterranean region.

We visited Malta as part of a trip with Teletext Holidays to discover the gay scene and what makes it so appealing to LGBTQ travellers. We left with a strong thirst to return and see more. The people are open-minded, super friendly (Maltese guys – heLLO!), the queer community is very visible and even though it’s such a small nation of just 400,000 people, it still has a vibrant gay scene to check out.

We’ve put together all our findings in this gay guide to Malta as we explored the country from Valletta to Mdina, Gozo to Camino and Dingli to Xlendi.

Gay Rights in Malta

They are extremely progressive!

…or to quote the United Nation’s Equality and Non-Discrimination team:

“Malta has become the gold standard of LGBTQI reforms – a beacon of human rights for LGBTIQ issues!”

This says a lot for a country where up until 2013, divorce was illegal. This gives you an idea of just how Catholic and religious Malta used to be. It all began in 2013 when the progressive centre-left Labour Party came to power and prioritised gay-friendly policies led by the proactive Minister for Equality, Helena Dalli. They began by passing a full range of anti-discrimination laws, recognised civil unions and also passed adoption laws within their first year in power.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Malta Gay Travel Resources