Queue-less UK airport offers faster connection to destination with uninterrupted sunshine just three hours away
Five days of enjoying fresh food under uninterrupted sunshine upon a landscape of rolling beauty and glimmering seas.
Malta is a country that offers it all.
The archipelago is steeped in rich history, having once been dubbed the most bombed place on Earth, with the picturesque islands even favored by Hollywood producers.
There have been numerous blockbusters to shoot there, including both Gladiator films, Troy, Captain Phillips, World War Z, Jurassic World: Dominion, and the first season of Game of Thrones, to name a few.
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Until you dive into the slow-paced life and sample some of the finest cuisine Europe has to offer, you won't understand the pull.
But before we get into my experiences, let's briefly speak of the seemingly queue-less UK airport.
The rule of thumb for us Brits is to arrive at the airport no later than two hours before our flights take off.
The majority of that time we spend queueing up, first to check our bags in, then to pass through security - and unless you pay for the extra fee for fast-track, you could be shuffling through a painfully slow line of fellow jet-setters.
Of course, once you reach the front of the queue you must wait some more as your backpack gets rifled through by security officers because you left a charger inside your bag.
After you're handed your luggage back, you then must repack your clothes and whatever else was taken out in the process, before heading to a bar for a cheeky airport pint which you are met with a line of dozens of likeminded people.
Well, if you find queueing as tedious as I do, London Southend Airport could be your holy grail - with it located just an hour commute by train from the capital, and boasting of a faster connection to mainland Europe than any other UK airport.
There was no queue for security, where I was even instructed against taking anything out of my bag, and no line at the bar - the dream.
We were flying with easyJet to Malta at the crack of dawn, with my economy seat being surprisingly spacious - even for my dangly legs.
After just three hours and five minutes we arrived in paradise.
On the commute to the airport we visited Odyssey Malta, in St Julian's - a trendy coastal city with bars and restaurants plentiful.
The Odyssey is an immersive, interactive walking tour of Malta that details its history, which set us back €22.50 (£19) - or just €15 (£13) if you're a student. It ends in a simulation, similar to that of a rollercoaster.
We stayed at Hyatt Regency, a five-star hotel offering luxury in the heart of St Julian’s, within walking distance to beaches, nightlife and shopping.
While the room rate came in at €212 (£180) a night for a king bedroom, €272 (£230) with breakfast included, if your pockets are deep enough I'd highly recommend.
The breakfast buffet was endless, with the usual items you'd expect to find, as well as a large selection of pastries, fruit and other delicacies, but it was the heated rooftop pool that sold it to me. Offering panoramic views of Malta as well as two-for-one cocktails at the bar.
Our first day concluded with a visit to Ta’ Cencivetta Farm, a half-hour taxi drive away, where we immersed ourselves in local life in Rabat, the western region of the island.
It offered traditional Maltese meals in a rustic setting, and was available for farm visits, events and private functions.
We then enjoyed a night with an abundance of red wine and some of the best food I've ever eaten, the highlight being a simple slice of sourdough bread with olive oil, salt, tomato and fresh mint.
The following day, we traveled to Birgu, otherwise known as Vittoriosa, to hitch a ride on the Rolling Geeks - which was pretty much a two-and-a-half-hour tour in a jumped-up golf buggy around the 'three cities'.
It set us back €95 (£80), but out of all the activities we did, this offered the most bang for your buck.
We sped through the tour on the account that we had eaten prior to getting behind the wheel of the electric motor, but had we not there were countless cafés we could have stopped off at.
While our tour guide showed us various part of mainland Malta, it was the slow-paced island of Gozo that really captured my heart, just an half-an-hour away by ferry - which only set us back a couple of quid!
After docking in Mġarr, we took a tuk-tuk ride up the hill to a vantage point overlooking Malta. The shimmering seas, blue skies and vast green countryside was still on offer, but without the hum of the traffic and distant chatter of the half-a-million people living on the main island.
Here, we went on a cheese making experience with Martin, the owner of Il-Wileġ restaurant, showcasing how it was done before serving us a banquet of food - featuring a selection of the same cheese through different processes of aging.
One of the many things we did while on the island was visit Victoria, a city known by locals as Rabat, which features a historic fortified area within known as the Citadel.
Sadly, we only visited Gozo for one day, if I were to go back - and I certainly plan to - I'll make sure to stay a few days longer to completely submerge myself in its tranquillity.
If you're humming and hawing over where to fly next, choose Malta.
London Southend Airport is the 19th in the UK to offer direct flights to Malta all year round.
Joe Yates