Golden Bay is one of the few sandy beaches located on the southern coast of Malta. The southern coast of Malta is mostly made up of very high cliffs. The scenery along the south side of Malta can be quite breathtaking. Golden Bay is another popular beach, both with tourists and Maltese people, especially the younger generation. I remember spending many long hours on this beach with my friends when I was a teenager, so the area holds a lot of memories for me.

As with many other beaches on the island, the beach is carved out of the cliffs and is surrounded by high ridges on all sides. There is lots of sand here and the sandy area stretches all the way to the face of the cliffs at the North side of the bay. The beach can be reached by driving down a steep road. Parking can be difficult to find at times and you have to be careful since you're always parking the car facing up or down the steep hill.

The sand at the edge of the water is peppered with small pebbles and reaching the water can be tricky. Some people wear rubber tongs or similar beach footwear but most people don't seem to bother. The water here can be quite rough at times. As you swim away from the beach, the currents can be quite strong. If you're not a good swimmer, you should stick close to the beach.

The Golden Sands Hotel is perched on the cliff on the western side of the bay. The view from the rooms is spectacular, especially at sunset. This is one of the best places for sunsets on the Maltese islands. The water shimmers as the sun hits the horizon.

As I mentioned earlier, this is a very popular beach with the younger crowd and it can get very crowded and noisy. If you want to enjoy the beach in peace, come early in the morning or early in the evening. Parking is not so bad at those times of the day.

The newer part of the Golden Sands Hotel is located at the top of the cliffs while the older part of the hotel is built against the cliff face close to the beach. A restaurant and bar are located by the beach. There are usually vendors working out of trailers close to the beach at the height of the summer season. You can buy cold drinks, ice cream and light snacks from them or from the restaurant. You can also rent beach umbrellas and beach chairs.

There are some water sports offered here, including parasailing.

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