Weekend Staycation at Santa Lucia Boutique Hotel

This month we were invited to experience Santa Lucia Boutique Hotel in Kercem on Gozo Island. I heard so many great things about it, from friends who have visited, that I could not refuse to visit myself!

Marco, Luna and I packed our backs on the morning of Friday 9th September, the day after a Public Holiday and off we went to recharge and enjoy this opportunity to getaway to Gozo, Malta’s sister island. We caught the 1 pm ferry boat and in approximately an hour we were driving into the car park at Santa Lucia Boutique Hotel!


My outfit: Gisele Couture

Santa Lucia is situated, totally detached in the village of Santa Lucia in Kercem, in the middle of several fields, and is designed and built with guests’ comfort and relaxation as top priority. Its 18 rooms combine the best of 2 worlds: Rural, laid back Gozitan charm and luxurious design.

All rooms are finished to a very high standard and provide, among other features underfloor heating, A/C and luxurious bedding.

When you enter you are greeted by a welcoming lobby area with a bar and snack area with striking décor including bright pink and yellow sofa chairs, which coincidentally matched my check in outfit! I promise you I had not googled the hotel before we went so as not to have any pre-impressions before arriving!

We were offered a complimentary welcome drink until our room was ready and we also ordered some fresh salads before going to our room and the pool area. The salads were excellent in taste and presentation. The service was top notch.

It felt like a family run business, with high attention to details and they take great care of customers at all times. This feeling was confirmed when on the last day, I enquired about the persons behind it and asked some information to very helpful persons in management.

 

 

Who runs the hotel?

The hotel is run by a Grech family, Irene and Mario Grec and their 2 sons, Wilfred and Edelon. As a family, the owners, had been hosting students coming to learn English to Gozo, from around the world, for 11 years. Having grown passionate about hospitality and tourism, they put a lot of hard work and effort and inspiration to build their dream project.

The result is indeed a very tastefully decorated and uniquely located small family countryside hotel, offering all the modern amenities to their guests. The hotel was officially opened in September 2021, during Covid period, so it is now that it is blooming with guests and influential people from all over the world. It does exude relaxation and calm.

When I posted a video having my coffee in the balcony, on Instagram, I was inundated with beautiful messages of how they wish they were here having that morning coffee.. You can check it out on @graziellecamilleri.

 

Santa Lucia Boutique Hotel, Triq Klula Ta’ Kerċem, KCM 3062
www.santaluciaboutiquehotel.com

(+356) 27042064   info@santaluciaboutiquehotel.com

The room we had (number 13) was a Superior Suite, overlooking the pool area, and as you can see from the photos has this very stylish decor, a blend of classical and modern contemporary touches. The bath and shower were a treat. You must know by now that I’m a bath person while my husband and daughter are the shower type, so when we have both in a room, everyone’s happy!

With regards to breakfast, it was a great experience. We were invited to an a la carte type of breakfast. We sat at a table of our choice, listening to soft, classical music. We were offered a choice of drinks, coffees and teas, some fresh croissants and fresh marmalade  and we were offered a menu to choose from. The menu included a variety for all tastes including the English full breakfast, Avocado and Egg toast ( my fave), Bacon and Egg, Vegetarian Breakfast ,Omelettes, and much more! It was so filling that we skipped lunch and opted for cocktails by the pool instead!!

What to do while in Gozo?

Well Gozo island offers so many attractions, so this time, being full moon in Pisces and because I felt called to visit a sacred site, we really enjoyed a visit to Ggantija Megalithic Temples. Coincidentally, when I was returning the scissors my daughter borrowed, there was a book in the lobby of the hotel about Gozo heritage sites, and I got all the more inspired to go with my family and pay my visits to this place, thousands of years old, still standing with pride for thousands to enjoy every year! If you have not yet visited, do so…. and when you go, do pay it respect and treat it like a portal into other dimensions and galaxies. Treat it with respect and care.

The Ġgantija Megalithic Site complex is a unique prehistoric monument situated at the centre of an extraordinary archaeological landscape, the Xagħra plateau on the island of Gozo. It consists of two structures estimated to have been built between c.3600 and c.3200 BC.

Notwithstanding its age, the monument survives in a considerably good state of preservation. The Neolithic builders made use of both locally sourced Globigerina and Coralline Limestone. The hard-wearing Coralline Limestone is used extensively at Ġgantija, while the softer Globigerina Limestone is reserved for inner furnishings, such as doorways, altars and decorative slabs.

The site consists of two structures, with separate entrances and a common boundary wall. Each unit consists of a number of apses flanking a central corridor. Two plaster fragments with red ochre, now on display at the Ġgantija Temples Interpretation Centre suggest that the internal walls were plastered and painted over.

Remains of animal bone discovered in this site suggest communal rituals and feasting. The use of fire is shown by the presence of stone hearths. A number of libation holes in the floor may have been used for the pouring of liquid offerings. It is probable that during ceremonial activities, the congregation would have assembled outside the monument, since the large forecourt in front of the two structures was purposely raised by the same builders.

Entrance to the Ġgantija Temples is from an Interpretation Centre that provides visitors with the opportunity to explore various aspects related to life in the Neolithic Period. The centre is also home to a selection of the most significant artefacts discovered at various prehistoric sites in Gozo. Check it out!

 

 

 

Crystals I took with me to Ggantija Temples. I will take these same crystals to Egypt next week! Yes! Stay tuned!

Dinner Date at Il Gabbiano Restaurant 

This time we booked a table for 6 persons at one of our favourite restaurants – Il Gabbiano Restaurant.

It was a last minute plan with our friends from Malta, who happened to be in Marsalforn, so we met up and enjoyed a delightful evening dining and chatting about life and human evolution, under the stars, while our girls who are besties, had the best time looking at fish in the sea.

When in doubt, check out Il Gabbiano Restaurant in Marsalforn for either fresh fish of the day or mouthwatering home made pasta or a steak cooked to perfection, served by the delightful team who never disappoints. It is a restaurant by the sea’s edge and it caters for all our tastes, even our little ones, who love their pasta with red sauce!

 



Thank you Gozo for being so good to us! We love you and appreciate you!

See you next month .. We re going to another fab hotel! Can’t wait!

xxx

Grazielle

Gozo Energy is just sublime for recharging and balancing your energy! So glad to visit every time!
Thank you Santa Lucia

Blog by Grazielle #blog #travel #fashion #lifestyle #crystals #motivation
More details out soon on graziellecamilleri.com

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