I lived in Malta for a few months - loved the place. There are only a couple of sandy beaches - Melliah Bay is one small but lovely - but (unless you have kids mad for sand) the rocks are fine to sunbathe on. You should go on a trip to the Blue Lagoon - amazing place. It may be touristy but a visit to the Malta Experience is very interesting & gives you some of the history of what they suffered during the 2nd WW. Actually, just seeing this post made me think of visiting there again. Any idea what the prices are like now? It's been years since we were there.