Malta is a small but surprisingly dynamic and highly populated little island that remains a firm favourite with the British. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh are big fans, having just completed the latest royal visit to the island this autumn - where they lived as newlyweds from 1949 to 1951.
Handily placed between North Africa, the Middle East and southern Europe, the island has got the climate, is accessed by plenty of year-round flights and is oozing with history but also some world-class amenities such as superb marinas.
With excellent investment fundamentals and a well-established property market, Malta and its sister island Gozo offer top quality new developments as well as traditional "houses of character".
For many British buyers looking for retirement in the sun, this small, plucky off-shoot of the British Empire - where English is widely spoken - is a safe, well-run and sophisticated location with year-round services from Ryanair and easyJet amongst others. It has also developed as a business hub - especially for financial services, e-gaming, software development - and film shoots.
The fact it is so compact and easy to navigate makes it popular with retirees and families alike, but also younger individuals looking to relocate, and its world-class marina makes it popular with yachties.
Malta has tempting residence programmes - the Malta Retirement Plan and the Malta Residence Programme, both offering EU nationals the opportunity to take up residence in Malta and enjoy a tax rate of 15 per cent. Property prices are rising higher than in the UK - at 4.8 per cent year on year (Knight Frank).
Popular places in Malta on aplaceinthesun.com
- St Paul's Bay
- Marsaskala
- Melliecha
- Qawra
- Gharb
- Bugibba
- Valletta
- Santa Venera
- Manikata
- Siggiewi
