{"id":2992,"date":"2014-11-29T16:50:48","date_gmt":"2014-11-29T16:50:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.co.uk\/oyster\/?p=2992"},"modified":"2021-08-09T21:27:46","modified_gmt":"2021-08-09T20:27:46","slug":"12-destinations-advent-calendar-day-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.ie\/inspire\/guides\/destinations-trips\/12-destinations-advent-calendar-day-1\/","title":{"rendered":"12 Destinations Advent Calendar – Day 1"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year and to celebrate the beginning of the festive season, we\u2019re bringing you the “Mercury Holidays’ 12 Destinations Advent Calendar” \u2013 every day we\u2019ll be taking a look at a top destination and what makes it the perfect place to visit with family, friends or enjoy a little you time.<\/h4>\n

So, let\u2019s take a look what\u2019s behind door number 1 and kick-start December\u2026<\/h5>\n

Malta Package Holidays<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Malta has been a consistent favourite for UK travellers for many years and it\u2019s not difficult to understand why; from sun-drenched beaches and the dazzling azure ocean to a wide variety of quaint towns and charming cities, Malta is a little slice of heaven waiting to be explored.<\/p>\n

Advent Calendar Fact: Malta enjoys over 3,000 hours of sunshine every year \u2013 ideal for perfecting a tan or enjoying a glass of wine whilst people watching.<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Valletta<\/p>\n

Malta has a huge choice of places to visit and deciding where to start can be a difficult decision; however, we highly recommend exploring the stunning 16th<\/sup> Century city of Valletta. Founded in 1566 by the Grand Master of the Order of St. John, John Parisot de la Valette, Valletta<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span> is home to magnificent Baroque architecture that dominates the skyline of the Grand Harbour.<\/p>\n

One of the most spectacular sights in the city is St. John\u2019s Co-Cathedral and museum; this ornately decorated church is home to breath-taking masterpieces created by Caravaggio and Mattia Preti. The city not only offers visitors a rich history of intriguing buildings, fountains and statues; there\u2019s also an impressive selection of independent shops, restaurants and bars scattered throughout the labyrinthine streets which exude the true essence of Valletta.<\/p>\n

Advent Calendar Fact: Some of the world\u2019s oldest man-made structures are located in Malta, dating back approximately 5,000 years \u2013 Malta\u2019s temples are older than Stonehenge!<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

If the Renaissance-theming of Valletta isn\u2019t your cup of tea and you fancy more of a fast-paced atmosphere, then the fashionable resort of Sliema<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/span> is an ideal choice for you. With plenty of opportunity to shop til\u2019 you drop and an impressive selection of open-air restaurants to dine at whilst overlooking the Marsamxett Harbour \u2013 this picturesque resort is the perfect choice for your holiday.<\/p>\n

Advent Calendar Fact: The world Sliema means \u2018peace and comfort\u2019 in Maltese and was traditionally used to salute someone.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Stella

\u00a0<\/p><\/div>\n

The town of Sliema was originally a small fishing village that was developed into a town after the Stella Maris Church was opened to the public.<\/p>\n

With an increase to population and a surge of Victorian buildings sitting along the promenade overlooking the rocky coastline, Sliema soon transformed into the first tourist resort in Malta. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Advent Calendar Fact: <\/em>On\u00a015 April 1942\u00a0King George VI awarded the George Cross to the people of Malta in appreciation of their heroism during WWII.<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

At Mercury Holidays, we pride ourselves on offering award-winning package holidays to our customers at unbelievable prices; simply click the link below and take a look at our offers to 14 Resorts across Malta and Gozo<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/span>.<\/p>\nDiscover Malta<\/a><\/span>\n

Malta Fact File:<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"Map<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Geographic size \u2013 121 square miles (Mainland Malta)<\/p>\n

Population \u2013 493,559<\/p>\n

Number of churches \u2013 313<\/p>\n

Average temperature \u2013 May to September 30 degrees, September to April 20 degrees<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/h4>\n

Hotel of The Day:<\/h3>\n

Qawra Palace Hotel <\/a><\/span><\/h4>\n

\"Qawra<\/p>\n

Qawra Palace Hotel is fantastic 4-star option for you Malta holiday. With a range of facilities including a terrace restaurant and mini golf course, Qawra Palace Hotel really is the ideal home away from home.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Guest rooms include air conditioning, a balcony, en suite bathroom, satellite TV and more . You can also request a safe deposit box for a nominal charge. And you can pay a little extra to secure a room with a spectacular sea view.<\/p>\n

Add on an amazing cruise of Valletta Harbour:<\/h5>\n

Add a cruise of Valletta Harbour for only \u00a39pp where you can explore the history of Valletta as well as all the other places of interest which can only be admired from the sea. Please speak to our Reservations Team for full details.<\/p>\n

Missed out on our other days? Take a look here<\/a><\/strong><\/span>!<\/h3>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year and to celebrate the beginning of the festive season, we\u2019re bringing you the “Mercury Holidays’ 12 Destinations Advent Calendar” \u2013 every day we\u2019ll be taking a look at a top destination and what makes it the perfect place to visit with family, friends or enjoy a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3308,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n12 Destinations Advent Calendar - Day 1 - Inspire | Mercury Holidays<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Welcome to Mercury Holidays' 12 Destinations Advent Calendar! For 12 days we're bringing you the top places to visit around the world.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.ie\/inspire\/guides\/destinations-trips\/12-destinations-advent-calendar-day-1\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"12 Destinations Advent Calendar - Day 1 - Inspire | Mercury Holidays\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Welcome to Mercury Holidays' 12 Destinations Advent Calendar! For 12 days we're bringing you the top places to visit around the world.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.ie\/inspire\/guides\/destinations-trips\/12-destinations-advent-calendar-day-1\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Inspire\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/mercuryholidays\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-11-29T16:50:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-08-09T20:27:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.ie\/inspire\/wp-content\/uploads\/45948832_m.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2419\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1734\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"dansykes\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@MercuryHolidays\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@MercuryHolidays\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"dansykes\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.ie\/inspire\/guides\/destinations-trips\/12-destinations-advent-calendar-day-1\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.ie\/inspire\/guides\/destinations-trips\/12-destinations-advent-calendar-day-1\/\",\"name\":\"12 Destinations Advent Calendar - Day 1 - Inspire | Mercury Holidays\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.co.uk\/inspire\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.ie\/inspire\/guides\/destinations-trips\/12-destinations-advent-calendar-day-1\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.ie\/inspire\/guides\/destinations-trips\/12-destinations-advent-calendar-day-1\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.ie\/inspire\/wp-content\/uploads\/45948832_m.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-11-29T16:50:48+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-08-09T20:27:46+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.co.uk\/inspire\/#\/schema\/person\/48141e165989984cbaf0c6995392fd77\"},\"description\":\"Welcome to Mercury Holidays' 12 Destinations Advent Calendar! For 12 days we're bringing you the top places to visit around the world.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.ie\/inspire\/guides\/destinations-trips\/12-destinations-advent-calendar-day-1\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.ie\/inspire\/guides\/destinations-trips\/12-destinations-advent-calendar-day-1\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.ie\/inspire\/guides\/destinations-trips\/12-destinations-advent-calendar-day-1\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.ie\/inspire\/wp-content\/uploads\/45948832_m.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.ie\/inspire\/wp-content\/uploads\/45948832_m.jpg\",\"width\":2419,\"height\":1734,\"caption\":\"Abstract Christmas tree on shiny blue background\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.ie\/inspire\/guides\/destinations-trips\/12-destinations-advent-calendar-day-1\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.co.uk\/inspire\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"12 Destinations Advent Calendar – Day 1\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.co.uk\/inspire\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.co.uk\/inspire\/\",\"name\":\"Inspire\",\"description\":\"Discover the world with Mercury Holidays\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.co.uk\/inspire\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.co.uk\/inspire\/#\/schema\/person\/48141e165989984cbaf0c6995392fd77\",\"name\":\"dansykes\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.co.uk\/inspire\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4d617b13e89f764e5c0aa7519e06b520?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4d617b13e89f764e5c0aa7519e06b520?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"dansykes\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"12 Destinations Advent Calendar - Day 1 - Inspire | Mercury Holidays","description":"Welcome to Mercury Holidays' 12 Destinations Advent Calendar! For 12 days we're bringing you the top places to visit around the world.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.ie\/inspire\/guides\/destinations-trips\/12-destinations-advent-calendar-day-1\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"12 Destinations Advent Calendar - Day 1 - Inspire | Mercury Holidays","og_description":"Welcome to Mercury Holidays' 12 Destinations Advent Calendar! For 12 days we're bringing you the top places to visit around the world.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.ie\/inspire\/guides\/destinations-trips\/12-destinations-advent-calendar-day-1\/","og_site_name":"Inspire","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/mercuryholidays","article_published_time":"2014-11-29T16:50:48+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-08-09T20:27:46+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2419,"height":1734,"url":"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.ie\/inspire\/wp-content\/uploads\/45948832_m.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"dansykes","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@MercuryHolidays","twitter_site":"@MercuryHolidays","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"dansykes","Estimated reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.ie\/inspire\/guides\/destinations-trips\/12-destinations-advent-calendar-day-1\/","url":"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.ie\/inspire\/guides\/destinations-trips\/12-destinations-advent-calendar-day-1\/","name":"12 Destinations Advent Calendar - Day 1 - Inspire | Mercury Holidays","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.co.uk\/inspire\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.ie\/inspire\/guides\/destinations-trips\/12-destinations-advent-calendar-day-1\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.ie\/inspire\/guides\/destinations-trips\/12-destinations-advent-calendar-day-1\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.ie\/inspire\/wp-content\/uploads\/45948832_m.jpg","datePublished":"2014-11-29T16:50:48+00:00","dateModified":"2021-08-09T20:27:46+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.co.uk\/inspire\/#\/schema\/person\/48141e165989984cbaf0c6995392fd77"},"description":"Welcome to Mercury Holidays' 12 Destinations Advent Calendar! For 12 days we're bringing you the top places to visit around the world.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.ie\/inspire\/guides\/destinations-trips\/12-destinations-advent-calendar-day-1\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.ie\/inspire\/guides\/destinations-trips\/12-destinations-advent-calendar-day-1\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.ie\/inspire\/guides\/destinations-trips\/12-destinations-advent-calendar-day-1\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.ie\/inspire\/wp-content\/uploads\/45948832_m.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.ie\/inspire\/wp-content\/uploads\/45948832_m.jpg","width":2419,"height":1734,"caption":"Abstract Christmas tree on shiny blue background"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.ie\/inspire\/guides\/destinations-trips\/12-destinations-advent-calendar-day-1\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.co.uk\/inspire\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"12 Destinations Advent Calendar – Day 1"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.co.uk\/inspire\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.co.uk\/inspire\/","name":"Inspire","description":"Discover the world with Mercury Holidays","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.co.uk\/inspire\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.co.uk\/inspire\/#\/schema\/person\/48141e165989984cbaf0c6995392fd77","name":"dansykes","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.co.uk\/inspire\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4d617b13e89f764e5c0aa7519e06b520?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4d617b13e89f764e5c0aa7519e06b520?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"dansykes"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.ie\/inspire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2992"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.ie\/inspire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.ie\/inspire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.ie\/inspire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.ie\/inspire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2992"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.ie\/inspire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2992\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3539,"href":"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.ie\/inspire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2992\/revisions\/3539"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.ie\/inspire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3308"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.ie\/inspire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2992"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.ie\/inspire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2992"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mercuryholidays.ie\/inspire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2992"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}