Marsaxlokk harbour house

Marsaxlokk is Malta's most famous fishing village, on the sheltered south-eastern coast. The harbour is lined every morning with brightly painted luzzu boats — the traditional Maltese wooden fishing vessels with the eye of Osiris painted on the prow — and every Sunday the fish market brings crowds down from Valletta for the freshest catch on the island. This 68-square-metre townhouse sits one street back from the harbour promenade.

The house is a classic Maltese build: golden globigerina limestone walls, wooden gallarija balcony over the street, tiled floors, and a small internal courtyard that lights the ground floor. Two bedrooms upstairs, one bathroom, an open-plan kitchen-living room downstairs, and a flat roof with sea views over the harbour.

Malta is in the EU and the eurozone; EU buyers acquire property on the same terms as Maltese citizens, and non-EU buyers can buy freely in designated 'Special Designated Areas' or with an AIP permit elsewhere (routine, four to six weeks). Property transaction costs are low by European standards.

English is a co-official language, making legal and day-to-day life straightforward. St Peter's Pool — one of the island's most spectacular natural swimming spots — is a ten-minute drive; the Blue Grotto and the megalithic Ħaġar Qim temples are twenty minutes. Malta International (MLA) is only fifteen minutes away with dense European connections.