I've never been to Malta but I have this unexplained fascination with it. Not sure if thats medieval and untouched landscape or the picture perfect weather all year round but I can't wait to visit this Mediterranean paradise. Between the baroque wonders of the Knights of St John and the labyrinthine Roman catacombs, Malta is home to the greatest density of historical sights of any country. According to one online guide, it's capital, Valletta, is not only a Unesco world heritage capital city, it's both a 16th-century citadel and a vibrant 21st-century town. There are gorgeous stone alleyways to wander through, taking you past Grand Harbour, central square, Grandmaster Palace and the striking modern parliament buildings. We can't wait to lose ourselves here.

One of the favourite day trips to make is to the famous, Blue Lagoon. A protected stretch of luminous blue water flanked by caves on the tiny island of Comino, this is the nation’s top spot to swim and snorkel on a hot summer’s day. The water colour, at least from the pictures, looks unrivalled, a perfect, tempting shade of blue in which to float all day, and at this stage, that's the plan. If we decide to stay, we'll have to get in quick as there's only one accommodation on the island, the Comino Hotel.

The island of Gozo is less than a 45 minute ferry ride from the mainland, across the Gozo Channel. The island forms Malta's northernmost tip and is largely untouched by tourism. That said, there are plenty of reasons to visit including stunning beaches, gastronomic delights and a host of historical and natural wonders such as the sublime magnificent yellow sculpted cliffs that surround it. We'll definitely be doing some food sampling here including peppered goat's chess, the famous tal-lampuki, a savoury pie stuffed with fish, spinach and olives, and washed down with some prickly pear liquer.