After ruling out Malta as a place to retire, I tested out living on its smaller sister island, Gozo

Although I'm blessed living in Ireland, I sometimes lengthy for warmer climate and a slower gait of life.

So whenever I travel, I'm continually wondering if my destination could rotate into additional than a holiday place — perchance a location to quit to someday.

In 2023, I spent a month seeing if Malta could be a possible everlastingly home. Unfortunately, it wasn't a equivalent for me, but it had so much going for it that I decided to try its charming sister island, Gozo.

Gozo lies a few miles northwest of Malta and belongs to the identical archipelago. It's fair 26 quadrate miles (roughly the size of Manhattan) and residence to about 40,000 people.

I archetypal visited Gozo in 2012 and have returned a fistful of times since then. On my most latest trip this September, I stayed in a gorgeous small villa in Xagħra, a small, historic town alongside a community of concerning 5,400.

As much as I adore the Maltese island, my most latest trip there made me acknowledge it power not be the ideal place for me to retire.

Gozo has awesome Mediterranean vibes and feels ideal for dilatory exploring

Gozo seemed to have many of the identical draws as Malta, but alongside slightly small crowds and a slower gait of life.

For one, English is extensively spoken in the two Malta and Gozo, which I appreciate. Gozo has beautiful climate alongside concerning 300 days of sunshine a twelvemonth and mostly mild temperatures.

The isle really does awareness Mediterranean, alongside limestone buildings, beautiful churches, and endless sea views.

It had a nice balance of agrarian attractiveness and bustling shops and eateries. People were friendly, the villages I've explored so far have all felt safe, and existence seemed to move at an unhurried pace. The Visit Gozo website describes the isle as "developed fair adequate but not too much," which I think defines its charm.

There are many things to see and do in Gozo, but the isle didn't awareness excellent aimed at tourists alongside a enormous catalog of must-see attractions.

Gozo has world-class diving, swimming at Ramla Bay, and leisurely container rides alongside the coastline. There's additionally the ancient Ġgantija Temples and the Rotunda Church in Xewkija.

I loved exploring the Citadel in Victoria, and I spent blessed days taking beautiful lengthy lunches, several alongside waterfront views.

While staying in my small villa in Xagħra, there was item idyllic concerning having so many restaurants and shops inside strolling extend and taking a five-minute stroll into the settlement quadrate for groceries or dinner.

I was particularly impressed by the small island's notable dining scene, which consists of fine complete 100 restaurants and dozens of snack bars and coffee shops.

I enjoyed alfresco dining, local vino and seafood, Gozitan cheese, Maltese specialties akin rabbit, and a brilliant range of delicious pasta dishes.

On this former trip, I additionally attended the annual Fontana Wine Festival, anywhere I got genuine community vibes. There were a fistful of local wineries, live music, and a food truck. There were no pulsing crowds, no huge lines, and plentifulness of area to wander.

It felt close and local fairly than a huge event aimed at tourists.

Sadly, I established there were several downsides …

Despite being a small island, it didn't awareness as uncomplicated to get about Gozo as I expected.

There aren't sidewalks everywhere, so strolling between villages isn't continually possible. There are buses, but I established they didn't run extremely frequently — sometimes fair formerly an hr in all direction. (Thankfully, ride-hailing services specified as Bolt and Uber were comparatively affordable.)

Then there were the bugs. Mosquitoes are to be expected in the Mediterranean, but the Asian tiger mosquito is particularly assured and bites during the daytime as fine as about dawn and dusk.

They're extremely current in the Maltese islands, and insect repellent lone went so far. I'd sometimes discover five new bites a day.

I additionally established the relentless existence of Oriental hornets, a ample native category that becomes particularly energetic in delayed summer and first autumn, to be off-putting. Their stings are notoriously painful.

When looking nearer at long-term considerations, I additionally didn't affection that Gozo doesn't have its own airport.

The nearest global airfield is in Valletta, Malta's capital, and can be reached by a 45-minute ferry that runs multiple times a day. However, this meant all period I wanted to fly, I'd need to obtain a taxi to a ferry terminal, afterward a ferry, afterward another taxi to the airport.

As person who loves to journey and would need to fly residence to sojourn family, I could see that becoming a frustrating hurdle and grind complete time.

In addition, I enjoyed the two business centers and dozens of shops alongside the chief streets in Gozo's capital, Victoria. They sold fair concerning all of the basics and essentials I could want, affirmative several beautiful local handmade jewelry and ceramics.

However, if I were to live current for an extended period, I think I'd commencement to young female having admission to additional big-name retailers, high-end brands, and equal luxury division stores, akin Brown Thomas in Dublin.

Gozo may not be a ideal withdrawal place for me, but I can see why it may be for others

I can genuinely comprehend why group would desire to retire in Gozo. It's gorgeous, and I could image having a fantastic existence there — however, it would arrive alongside trade-offs.

Although I sometimes fantasize concerning a slower-paced life, this trip additionally made me acknowledge it power not lawsuit me in reality. I concern the harmony and quiescent that makes it a ideal holiday destination would end up emotion limiting complete time.

I personally need a bit additional buzz and glamour day-to-day — lively bars, glitzy restaurants, and high-end shopping. Although Gozo has outstanding food, too, I affection Dublin's ever-evolving dining environment and its vibrant bars.

With all that in mind, I think I need to appearance into a larger European city next, certainly one alongside its own global airport.

I'd certainly come back to Gozo for vacation, but not for forever. In the meantime, the search for my withdrawal location continues …