Mellieha Bay is considered by many to have the finest white sandy beach on the island of Malta. The beach, at 600 m, is by far the longest stretch of beach on the island. The beach slopes gently into the blue of the Mediterranean Sea, where many colorful yachts and boats can be seen anchored, while the bay is a popular destination for windsurfers. The town of Mellieha sits high above the beach and has a magnificent parish church from which one can get a fine view of the bay.
From the beach, the road climbs dramatically up to Marfa Ridge, the northernmost part of the island. This part of the island is excellent for walking, although if you prefer to use the car, there are spectacular sea views at the northern and southern ends of the bay. The islands of Comino and Gozo can be easily seen and seem almost as if you could swim to them. The well known beaches of Armier Bay, Paradise Bay and Ramla Bay are accessible by secondary roads from Mellieha. If you want to visit the island of Gozo, the ferry leaves from Cirkewwa.
Close to Mellieha Bay is the truly beautiful Golden Bay, flanked by cliffs and with the luxurious five-star Radisson Blu Resort and Spa perched on one end of the bay. The beach here can also get crowded in the summer, although it’s worth trying to find a space on the beach.
Gnejna Bay and Ghajn Tuffieha are also located near Mellieha. The first is a cove with a sandy beach and fishermen’s huts, there are also beach bars and if you are interested in water sports you can also find it here. The latter is also a sandy cove, but the beach is narrow, which can make for crowded conditions, but again well worth a visit.
On summer weekends the roads to and from Mellieha are extremely busy with throngs of people trying to get their share of sea and sand at the beach. It’s hard to beat traffic, but arriving early or late will help make your commute easier. Families usually leave the beach around 5:00 p.m., although there are still hours of sun, if you want to get a tan. So the message is: go to the beach early or late, or don’t be surprised by the crowds trying to get there for most of the day as well.