magnificent

Culture & Heritage Malta
With 7,000 years of history, the Maltese Islands are steeped in culture and heritage. The Islands went through a golden Neolithic period, the remains of which are the mysterious megalithic temples dedicated to the goddess of fertility. Later on, the Phoenicians, the Carthaginians, the Romans and the Byzantines, all left their traces on the Islands. In 60 A.D. St. Paul was shipwrecked on the island while on his way to Rome and brought Christianity to Malta. The Arabs conquered the islands in 870 A.D. and left an important mark on the language of the Maltese. Until 1530 Malta was an extension of Sicily, the Normans, the Aragonese and other conquerors who ruled over Sicily also governed the Maltese Islands. It was Charles V who bequeathed Malta to the Sovereign Military Order of St. John of Jerusalem who ruled over Malta from 1530 to 1798. The Knights took Malta through a new golden age making it a key player in the cultural arena of 17th and 18th century Europe. The artistic and ...

Simply Relax - Malta
One of the joys of being on The Maltese Islands is that, no matter where you are, you’re never far from one of the many magnificent beaches or secluded little coves. There is a choice of both sandy and rocky beaches on the Islands, offering practical areas for the family, scenic spots for the romantics, serene areas for those in want of peace and spots for those who are interested in a bit of summer sports fun. The Maltese coastal waters are generally clean and safe for swimming as there are no tides and the sea temperature averages around 22.8C in summer. Annual rainfall is low, averaging 578mm a year and the length of the dry season in summer is even longer than in neighbouring Italy. Malta’s climate is strongly influenced by the sea so the Islands have a very sunny climate with a daily average of more than twelve hours of sunshine in summer and five to six hours in mid-winter. Summers are hot but often mitigated by cooling sea breezes. June is the ideal time of year to come for ...

La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Eye Lift Cream
If you’re in to mood to indulge this Christmas either yourself or that special someone then a pot of Skin Caviar Luxe Eye Lift Cream from skincare royalty La Prairie will leave you suitably satisfied. Like many a Swiss-made product, expert engineering and top quality ingredients are of the utmost importance so you can rest assure that you’re investing in something that will yield impressive results. Applied to the skin with a silver spatula, the intensive cream provides instant brightening around the whole eye area. While many eye creams target a specific condition, La Prairie has created a magnificent multi-tasker that gets to work on all the seven signs of ageing: fine lines, loss of firmness, wrinkles, loss of elasticity, puffiness, dark under-eye circles and dryness. Equipped with this rejuvenator in a jar this party season, you’ll be the beau of the ...

Fine Living Top 10: Steaks
he best steaks aren’t always the top-dollar buys in the worlds finest restaurants. While Kobe and Wagyu beef are excellent, they have their share of competitors. Look for restaurants who obviously go above and beyond in their attention to detail. Do they age on the premises, for example? And who selects the cuts of meat for sale? The finest steaks are those that are aged, seasoned and cooked to perfection. Number 10 Prime Porterhouse Metropolitan Steak House, Seattle, WA Metropolitan’s main focus is on prime beef and the restaurant has built its reputation on delivering the best of the classic cuts: filet mignon, New York peppercorn steak, porterhouse, and Delmonico. Chefs here personally select each cut that will be served and choose only the best corn-fed USDA prime meat that has been dry-aged. The meat is then seared over high heat using imported mesquite charcoal -- the Iron Wood of the world. Metropolitan’s prime porterhouse is a combination of the best, most tender and ...

Cruise Holidays - Malta
For centuries, the port of Valletta has been regarded as one of the finest and safest natural havens in the Mediterranean. The imposing bastions surrounding this magnificent port enfold Malta’s rich heritage of archaeology, history, architecture, art and culture - all dating back to 6000 years ago. Today, they welcome through their gates cruise passengers who are eager to explore the palaces, churches and streets of the cities they guard, or to venture inland into the quaint villages and countryside to visit the numerous sites. Nowadays, the Grand Harbour has become an irresistible scene for over 250 cruise ships visiting every year, with more than 400,000 passengers, who disembark and enjoy the Islands for the day on their Mediterranean itineraries. Malta’s size also contributes to its cruise advantages. It’s easy for day visitors to get a good taste of what the Islands have to offer in a small quantity of time. Many are so impressed that within a few months they come back for a ...

The Clear-Skin Makeover
Like high school pop quizzes and awkward prom dates, pimples are supposed to be distant bad memories. If only. But these days, even moms of teens are battling blemishes — and wrinkles, too. In fact, between 15 and 35 percent of women in their 30s, 40s, and 50s suffer from breakouts, according to a report published last year in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. And those numbers are on the rise, says dermatologist Richard Fried, M.D., Ph.D., author of Healing Adult Acne. Doctors attribute this increase to everything from skyrocketing stress levels and hormone fluctuations to today’s carbohydrate-heavy diets. If you’re tempted to treat your acne with a few old tricks from your teen years, don’t. Adult skin is more sensitive and less resilient than adolescent complexions, and it calls for treatments that also fight the signs of aging. Luckily, many of the best zit zappers out there happen to be top anti-agers, too. So whether your breakouts are an occasional annoyance ...