I went into Malta expecting to write that it is Cyprus with the volume turned up. Denser, hotter, more crowded, same idea. That is not what the evidence says.

Malta is the easiest Mediterranean country for a Canadian to actually function in. English is not merely widely spoken, it is an official language. The schools teach in it, the hospital keeps its records in it, the government answers in it. You can land on a Tuesday and be operating a life by Friday in a way that Italy, Greece, Spain and even Portugal do not allow. That functional ease is real, and it is the single best thing Malta offers.