If you watched Below Deck Mediterranean Season 7 and found yourself paying slightly less attention to the yacht drama and slightly more attention to the Maltese scenery in the background, you weren’t alone.
Season 7 brought Captain Sandy Yawn and the crew of motor yacht Home to Malta, swapping some of the more familiar Below Deck Med destinations for historic harbours, ridiculously blue water and the sort of sunsets that make even a crew argument look picturesque.
But what happened when the uniforms came off?
Between charters, the crew headed ashore for dinners, dates, birthday celebrations and those now-famous Below Deck nights out where everyone starts beautifully dressed and ends the evening considerably less polished.
So, where did the Below Deck Med crew actually spend their downtime in Malta?
Below Deck Mediterranean Comes to Malta
Season 7 of Below Deck Mediterranean premiered in 2022 and marked the show’s first season based in Malta.
Captain Sandy described the island as a “little piece of paradise” while introducing the destination, and it isn’t difficult to understand why producers chose it.
Malta packs an enormous amount into a tiny country: fortified cities, marinas filled with superyachts, rocky swimming spots, beach clubs, restaurants and some very lively nightlife.
The Season 7 crew included Captain Sandy Yawn, Chef Dave White, Natasha Webb, Natalya Scudder, Kyle Viljoen, Storm Smith, Mzi “Zed” Dempers and Jason Gaskell, with Courtney Veale returning during the season and Reid Jenkins later joining the deck team.
And once charter guests departed, the crew got their chance to explore.
Grand Harbour & Birgu
The spectacular Grand Harbour area is one of the most recognisable parts of Below Deck Med’s Malta season.
The waterfront surrounding Birgu (Vittoriosa) is exactly the sort of Malta scenery that belongs on Below Deck: enormous yachts sitting beneath centuries-old fortifications while restaurant tables spill out along the waterfront.
The real-life Camper & Nicholsons Grand Harbour Marina is in Birgu, making this one of the easiest places for fans to visit if they want a taste of the superyacht side of Malta.
You don’t need a charter guest’s bank balance either.
Walk along the Birgu waterfront, grab a drink, watch the yachts arriving and then wander through the narrow streets behind the marina.
Below Deck factor: 10/10.
Chance of actually affording one of the yachts: considerably lower.
Crew Nights Out
Of course, Below Deck wouldn’t be Below Deck without a crew night out.
Season 7 had several.
After the second charter, viewers saw what was described as an “eventful night out,” while later episodes featured more off-charter dinners and nights ashore.
And naturally, things didn’t always remain peaceful.
Relationships developed, arguments erupted, friendships fractured, and the combination of exhaustion, alcohol and several weeks living approximately three centimetres away from your colleagues did what it usually does on Below Deck.
One particularly memorable night out spilt across Episodes 15 and 16, when tensions within the interior team exploded while the crew were supposed to be blowing off steam.
Basically: dinner, drinks, drama.
This is the holy trinity of Below Deck.
Mzi’s Birthday in Malta
One of the more memorable pieces of crew downtime came when the team celebrated Mzi “Zed” Dempers’ birthday.
During Episode 12, We Just Don’t Clique, most of the crew headed out to celebrate while Natasha and Kyle stayed behind on Home to tackle the increasingly infamous pantry.
Imagine being in Malta with a night off and choosing to organise the pantry.
Yachting really is another world.
The birthday outing also highlighted the growing divide among the crew, with the group beginning to split into separate cliques.
Even away from the yacht, Below Deck drama apparently travels very well.
Storm and Natalya’s Malta Date
It wasn’t only group nights out.
Storm Smith and Natalya Scudder also attempted a proper date during the season.
Their developing relationship became one of Season 7’s main storylines, although describing their romance as “smooth sailing” would be wildly generous.
Malta nevertheless makes a pretty spectacular backdrop for a date.
Waterfront restaurants, candlelit terraces, harbour views and warm evenings mean you can effortlessly recreate the idea of their date.
Whether you recreate the relationship is entirely your own risk.
St Julian’s: Where to Recreate a Below Deck-Style Night Out
While not every venue appearing during the crew’s nights out is clearly identified in publicly available episode information, St Julian’s is the obvious destination if you want to create your own Below Deck Med crew night in Malta.
This is where restaurants, rooftop bars, cocktail spots and clubs all cluster around Spinola Bay, Portomaso and Paceville.
One current option is Hugo’s Terrace & Rooftop, which combines food, cocktails and late-night partying in the heart of St Julian’s.
Start civilised.
Have dinner.
Order cocktails.
Promise everyone you’re only having one.
Then allow Malta to make the remaining decisions.
Spend a Day at a Maltese Beach Club
If your favourite part of Below Deck is less “crew screaming at one another outside a nightclub” and more “people lying beside impossibly blue Mediterranean water,” Malta can provide that too.
Café del Mar Malta in st.pauls is one of the island’s best-known spots for that glossy Mediterranean beach-club atmosphere, with a pool overlooking the sea, food, drinks and sunset views.
It isn’t being presented here as a confirmed Season 7 filming location, but it absolutely fits the Below Deck Malta mood.
Just be prepared to polish twelve champagne glasses immediately afterwards.
Explore Valletta.
You also can’t do a Below Deck Med Malta trip without visiting Valletta.
The capital overlooks the Grand Harbour and gives you some of the best views of the waters featured throughout the season.
Start at the Upper Barrakka Gardens for the huge harbour panorama, then head through Valletta’s streets for drinks or dinner.
From here, you can also take a ferry across the harbour to explore the Three Cities, including Birgu.
It’s probably the easiest way to understand why Malta worked so well visually for the series.
Everything feels very Mediterranean for a superyacht holiday, even when you’ve arrived on a €2 ferry rather than a 163-foot yacht.
Why Malta Was Perfect for Below Deck Med
Malta doesn’t always receive the same international attention as Ibiza, Mallorca, the French Riviera or the Greek islands.
And that’s precisely what made Season 7 interesting.
You’ve got historic cities sitting directly beside modern marinas. You can be wandering through 500-year-old streets one minute and drinking beside a superyacht the next.
The sea is never far away, either.
Malta was almost suspiciously well suited for a programme that features luxury boats, beautiful scenery, and people making questionable romantic decisions in attractive locations.
Create Your Own Below Deck Med Day in Malta
If you’re visiting Malta and want your own little Below Deck Mediterranean experience, I’d start the morning around Birgu and Grand Harbour, walking along the marina and yacht-spotting.
Take the ferry across to Valletta, explore the capital and stop somewhere for lunch.
Later, head back to your hotel, transform yourself from an exhausted tourist into an off-duty yachtie and make your way towards St Julian’s for dinner and cocktails.
If you’ve got another day, add a beach club or boat trip.
The only thing missing is Captain Sandy appearing behind you to ask why the water toys aren’t out yet.
Below Deck Malta: Worth Visiting?
Absolutely.
Season 7 may be remembered for Natasha and Dave’s complicated relationship, Storm and Natalya’s boatmance, interior-team arguments and enough crew-night drama to keep Bravo’s editors extremely busy, but Malta quietly became one of the stars of the season.
And unlike chartering a home, exploring the locations doesn’t require tens of thousands of euros.
You can wander around Grand Harbour, explore Birgu, ferry across to Valletta, spend an afternoon beside the Mediterranean and finish with cocktails in St Julian’s.
Just remember the most important rule of recreating a Below Deck crew night:
Enjoy the cocktails. Skip the argument in the taxi home.
