Villa Rothwell

There's lots for your kids to see and do across Malta, and as it's a relatively small island it's easy to access all of the activities. Let's start at home with your villa, with its private pool in which to swim and splash. For keeping out of the sun or whiling away evenings, the villa has flatscreen TVs in all the rooms & Bluetooth speakers, and a DVD player, great for some fun and games.

In the local area there are numerous lovely beaches, the nearest is the soft white sands of the beautiful Ghadira Bay, with low tides and calm seas, perfect for a family day building sandcastles and some fun in the sun. Other nearby family-friendly beaches include Rivera, Anchor, Paradise, Armier, Slugs, Little Armier, Mellieha and Imgiebah Bays – one for each day of the week. There is also local woodlands and hiking trails, with a picnic spot at L-Ahrax, St Paul's Island, and old army barracks and air-raid shelters. Nearby discover the natural flora and fauna of the island at the Foresta 2000 Riserva & Koperattiva Rurali Manikata, where you can enjoy a day trip through fields and farms. Mellieha is also home to Popeye Village, once a film set, now a family entertainment park, with a play and swim area, boat rides, and animation shows. Take to the water for a family day at sea, boats leave from the local Mellieha bay, or venture across the Mediterranean to the beautiful island of Gozo.

Further afield, there's fun to be had at the Playmobil Fun Park Malta, Birzebbuga, which caters for younger children from babies to toddlers, and four years +, learn through play indoors and outdoors in the pirate themed play area, climb treehouses, cross the hanging bridge and slip down slides. Get on your horse and take a ride on the carousel at Dolfer Hall. For older children, let them loose in Bov Adventure Park, where there are climbing frames, water fountains, swings and the perfect place for a picnic. Your little boffins, you might want to go to Esplova in the village of Bighi, where they can spend the day interacting with science and technology. Children love Duck Village on Manoel Island, full of miniature houses, and many pet animals. See some sea life at the Malta National Aquarium, where forty-one tanks are home to over a hundred species of underwater life, not to mention the reptiles, amphibians and insects. See some sea life above ground at the Mediterraneo Marine Park, with performances from dolphins, sea lions and parrots, both educational and entertaining. If you are really lucky, you may also get to swim with the dolphins. Time to get in the water with a visit to Splash & Fun Water Park, with its very own wave pool, lazy river, black hole, and a whole host of other family fun activities.  No trip to Malta would be complete without a day trip to Valetta, a forty-minute drive, where you can absorb the local history with a walk around the walled city to see the Mdina, take a stroll through Barrakka Gardens at noon to hear the cannon fire, and enjoy a meal at one of Malta's many family-friendly restaurants. Whilst you're there, if you fancy a tour with a difference, climb aboard the vintage Cottonera Lines omnibus to see the three cities and fortifications of Vittoriosa, Cospicura, and Senglea, founded by the Knights of Malta,