Surprise!
The title of this post may have given it away but I am indeed expecting a baby. Back at the end of April/beginning of May we had been starting to plan a road trip through Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Then just before we booked anything I found out I was pregnant, so the road trip was shelved as I didn’t feel comfortable being so far from home during such an unpredictable time.
Thankfully all was well and as my second trimester rolled around, hubby Nick said it would be nice for us to enjoy a Babymoon.
What is a Babymoon?
A Babymoon is basically a trendy made-up word for saying ‘a holiday you take as a couple before the arrival of your new baby’.
When to go on Babymoon
It is generally recommended that the best time to enjoy a pre-baby holiday is between 14 and 28 weeks of pregnancy (the second trimester) but it’s best to check with your midwife before planning anything. Fortunately for me, my second trimester fell during the holiday shoulder season so a September getaway was ideal for us. I was between 24 and 25 weeks pregnant.
Planning a Babymoon
We spent quite a bit of time researching places to go on our Babymoon and we both had our own criteria for the ideal trip.
His criteria – nice weather, maybe hire a car.
My criteria – relaxation but with places of interest, a short flight time, no all-inclusive buffets and somewhere I would feel safe if I needed to see a doctor.
After what felt like FOREVER trawling the web we settled upon the tiny sunshine island of Malta. English speaking with good standards of healthcare and only a 3 hour flight away, Malta met my requirements. Driving on the left hand side of the road and glorious sunshine meant that it also met Nick’s requirements. A Babymoon in Malta – Perfect!
What to pack for 5 nights in Malta
I overpacked so I will just list the clothes that I actually wore.
Aeroplane outfit – 1 x jeans, 1 x vest, 1 x sweatshirt, 1 x slip on shoes (Toms)
Tankini top x 1
Bikini bottoms x 1
Poolside cover-up x 1
Maternity shorts x 1
T-shirt x 1
Summer dress (daytime) x 1
Maxi dress (evening) x 1
Maternity midi dress (it was new so doubled up nicely for day and night) x 1
Small cardigan x 1
Pyjamas x 1
Sandals x 1
Flip flops x 1
Underwear
Toiletries and make up
Poolside entertainment (book, earphones etc)
Small pregnancy pillow
Maternity notes – most important! And packed in hand luggage!
Where to stay in Malta
We chose to stay for 5 nights at the Dolmen Hotel in the St Paul’s Bay area of the island. Well-located there were plenty of restaurants nearby for freshly cooked lunches and dinners. The hotel also had several pools for relaxing around plus a car park and a spa.
Top tip: research your areas and check out the hotel reviews on Tripadvisor. You don’t want to be staying in party town Paceville when you’re looking for peace and quiet.
Getting around Malta
We decided that hiring a car would be the best option for a Babymoon in Malta. Having our own car meant that we could visit where we wanted, when we wanted without being restricted to tour timetables or public transport options. Fortunately Malta is small so we never really drove more than about 35 minutes from the hotel. We hired a car for the 3 days in the middle of our holiday and bookended our holiday with plenty of pool time.
The only times we took shared transport were the Park and Ride in and out of Valletta and then for our airport transfers. If I ever went back, I would choose private transfers or car hire for the airport runs because the small roads and Maltese driving (no offense!) made me feel sick!
A Babymoon must-do!
Our hotel had a spa – what better way to relax than be pampered! When researching Babymoons I was seeing which hotels had pregnancy specific treatments on their spa menus. The Dolmen offered several so I happily booked in for a maternity massage. The spa therapist took extra care to make sure my little bump and my knees were supported. And rather than laying on my front (impossible!) or back (not recommended), I lay on my sides for my massage.
We also had the opportunity to enjoy the facilities. No sauna or steam room for me, but the jacuzzi pool was the same temperature as the indoor pool so cool enough to be pregnancy safe. Winner!
Stay tuned for my next post for things to do in Malta.
