Best Private Boat Tour in Malta: GOZOBlu

I just returned from my first trip to Malta with a few friends, and taking a private boat tour with GOZOBlu was the highlight of our trip.

There’s nothing I love more than being on or near the water, especially during European Summer, so when GOZOBlu reached out to partner with my blog for an honest review, it was an easy and immediate “Yes!”

They truly made it easy to give a glowing recommendation, because everything from the start of the boat day until when we parted ways was smooth, easy, and fun.

I’ll get more in-depth in this blog, but if I were to boil it down to a few points for why I’d recommend a private boat tour with GOZOBlu during your trip to Malta, I’d say:

1. Being on a private boat means you have a better chance at beating the crowds from commercial tours or cruises (huge!)

2. You can linger at your favorite stops for longer, and move past the other ones when you feel ready

3. Our skipper was awesome, and the staff’s communication in general made the day really easy!

On Visiting Malta

Malta has been on my bucket list of places to visit for as long as I can remember.

There’s always something intriguing to me about getting slightly off the beaten path with travel, especially when the location is situated somewhere a little more isolated than the average place - Madeira, for example, or Iceland.

Since Malta is a group of three islands forming one country in the Mediterranean Sea - situated between Italy’s Sicily to the north, with Tunisia and Libya on the Northern African coast to the south - it’s no surprise I’ve been itching to go for some time.

There is the main island, Malta, plus Gozo and Comino. Malta is the largest island, has many towns, and is where the airport is. Gozo is smaller, but it still has towns and sights to see. And Comino is the smallest, apparently home to only one person, and is also where the Blue Lagoon is.

For years, I’ve been dreaming of visiting Malta: boating on the bright blue water, wandering the charming European streets with beautiful churches and architecture, spending a day at a beach club, and eating delicious seafood. This year, that dream became a reality!

Our Day with GozoBlu

Back to the boat day. We woke up early since the GOZOBlu team recommended we meet at 8:00 am at the Cirkewwa Cafe to begin the half-day tour.

Their recommendation to begin at 8:00 am was based on avoiding the crowds from the bigger commercial group tours, and to also hit the main hotspots prior to the cruise crowds.

Honestly, the timing made such a difference! It was really cool to boat up to some of the caves and be the only group there.

And when we arrived at the Blue Lagoon - the most famous swim spot on Gozo - there were other people, but it was not overcrowded.

I communicated with Nigel through WhatsApp - he answered all our questions and made it easy to know our details for meeting our skipper, Giorgio. He also gave us Giorgio’s WhatsApp so we could easily communicate day-of to find the meeting point. Additionally, Nigel sent a massive and helpful list of local recommendations for things to do on Malta and Gozo!

The Boat

The boat was so comfortable and spacious! I was traveling with a group of friends, and there were five of us. We could easily all sit together in either the front or back area of the boat.

We brought champagne with us, and partway through the day, Giorgio brought out some homemade cheese and crackers (so nice!). They also had bottled water, light snacks, and extra cups.

As a DJ, I love setting the vibe with the right music, and the boat was equipped with Bluetooth speakers throughout. It was easy to connect my phone to Spotify. I almost brought my DJ equipment, but decided not to since I didn’t want to lug it around Gozo after. I kind of wish I did, though! The boat would’ve been an epic place for a DJ set.

Locations

We visited a number of sea caves around Comino and Gozo. The color of the water around Malta and Gozo ranges from navy to turquoise blue, and seeing the color of the water sparkle and change from dark to bright blue in the sea caves was really cool.

Every way we looked had gorgeous views and “Gatorade water” (the internet’s unofficial way of describing the rich shade of turquoise water that matches the blue flavor of Gatorade, haha). The only other place I’ve seen water this color in Europe was between Ibiza and Formentera. Just stunning!

The Blue Lagoon was a highlight for us, because we stopped for pineapple cocktails before getting back on the boat and returning later for a swim. There are multiple kiosks lining the Blue Lagoon area, selling everything from drinks and food to souvenirs. There is also a small beach club on the rocks.

Snorkeling and Swimming

*The color of the water was gorgeous! This is completely unfiltered/unedited, by the way!*

We loved that GOZOBlu included free snorkel masks. Since we were able to be flexible with our route, we returned to the other side of the Blue Lagoon at the end of our day for swimming and snorkeling. We were lucky since there were plenty of fish. And even in early October, the water was still warm!

Drop-off

*Giorgio asked if I wanted to drive the boat for a few minutes*

Since this was a private tour and our group wanted to explore Gozo for the afternoon, Giorgio dropped us off at the Gozo ferry port instead of the Cirkewwa location on Malta.

This was really convenient since we were able to grab lunch at a nearby restaurant and walk around Gozo before taking a ferry back to Sliema/Valetta that evening.

Overall, I am really happy we did a private boat tour with GOZOBlu to kick off our trip to Malta. It was a memorable way to start the trip, the locations we visited were stunning, and the experience was fun and easy. I’d definitely recommend GOZOBlu during your trip to Malta and Gozo.