I slept through the flight, three hours passed pretty much instantly and we were disembarking into the Malta sun. I was deeply glad the fleece hoody I had been wearing in England was now in my luggage.

A short bus trip brought me to the Hotel Alexandra Palace.

It is a fairly rudimentary hotel, but clean and the staff were cheery and helpful. The barmaid was a Brit.

My room is on the fourth floor and you can see the ocean.

After freshening up and watching BBC news, I headed to the rooftop bar.

It was 11:30am in the UK, 12:30 in Malta and my internal clock was telling me it was late afternoon. I'm getting too old for juggling sleep patterns it seems.

The view is lovely and the weather is ideal. Warm but not unpleasant.

The feel of the place is Greek, but not.

Sandstone and beige buildings dominate. The sea is a dark rich blue and the clouds fade to haze on the horizon.