Make Your Next Trip Extraordinary

My husband and I worked with Damon in planning our visit to Malta, 1-6 November 2025. Damon planned a perfect balance of structured tours and personal time to explore on our own. There is so much history on this small island! Having a private guide & driver added immensely to the experience.

Our guide Simon’s knowledge about his country & the role it played throughout millennia truly added to our experience. He didn’t just relate facts, but also shared stories and seemed genuinely interested in learning about us. He added information that we would otherwise not have known.

I can’t say enough about our driver, William, who was with us all 6 days. Always polite, professional, friendly, flexible, and an amazing guide! Some of the activities we did on our own with William driving us there. However, he didn’t just drop us off; he walked us to the entrance and made sure the guide was there. We really appreciated the little “extras” he provided, like a map we reviewed together so we could understand the geography of the island. And, remembering my search for Maltese chocolates, he brought 2 boxes on our last day. One for a friend, and one for me—with my favorite animal on the box!

Both men were always cognizant of my mobility challenges, adapting their pace or the activity as needed.
We have seen Roman catacombs in Rome, the British War Rooms in London, European cathedrals, ancient ruins, etc. However, the explanations by Simon and William made this experience unique to Malta, and one we will always remember.

A few trip experiences we highly recommend include:

Pipe organ restorer: I read a review from another traveler to whom Wendy recommended Damon. This reviewer shared about visiting a man who restores pipe organs. As an enthusiast of pipe organs, I knew I had to meet him! In fact, that is why I inquired about a trip to Malta. The morning with Robert was all I imagined it would be, and more. Yes, learning how he restored the organ was remarkable. But standing next to and hearing that magnificent work of art was such an emotional experience. Words cannot adequately describe it.

Simon’s private collection of war memorabilia: My husband and I have both seen numerous collections of military “stuff” so we weren’t sure about including this. We are glad we did! Simon’s collection includes letters, personal photo albums of veterans, etc. Furthermore, Simon knows the story behind these items, and sometimes even knows the original owner. He tailored our visit to show us items of interest to us, based on what he learned about our personal military backgrounds in conversations during our time together.

Sacra Infermeria: If you are at all interested in military medical care, especially during WWI, I highly recommend visiting the Sacra Infermeria with Simon. It looked like the photographs of WWI hospitals, only grander. I could picture the sights, sounds, smells, as it bustled with activity.

Lascaris War Rooms: We used a private guide from the museum. His enthusiasm as he retold the stories and described the events that occurred in those rooms made the displays come to life.

Personally, we found the Wignacourt Museum a bit disappointing. Not being lovers of art, we went there primarily to see St. Paul’s grotto, which we felt to be “underwhelming.”

We loved having those serendipitous moments that only happen with a guide (and driver) who knows your interests & is willing to seize the moment.

– Talking to the carer of a small cat colony near the Hagar Qim temple site
– Stopping to admire the Blue Grotto from an observation trail along the way
– Visiting the crafts village in Ta’ Qali
– Knowing my interest in craftwork, Simon introduced me to his wife who does gorgeous silk painting. In addition to seeing her completed projects, she also showed me her workshop.

Working with Damon was a pleasure during every phase of the trip.

Pre-trip planning: He worked tirelessly to create a trip that met our wishes, offered new experiences, and within our budget. He provided valuable information about Malta before the trip. (Examples: tipping guide, adapter needed, emergency contacts.)

During the trip: He sent a “Welcome to Malta” message, so we knew he was just a text/call away if we needed assistance. He was in touch with our guide throughout, to ensure things were running smoothly. This was particularly helpful when we had multiple challenges with the hotel room. Damon was aware, and Simon assisted in rectifying the situation.

After the trip: Damon scheduled a follow-up phone call to get our feedback about the trip and to hear first-hand what we enjoyed or what we would change.

We highly recommend using Damon’s services for a personalized, memorable holiday. If you can get Simon as your guide and William as your driver, even better!

Damon organized a series of activities for our group of 2 couples in Malta from 15-23 October 2025. He worked with us to determine our interests and tailored 4 days of activities (driver, guides, etc.) for us.

The guides were uniformly friendly and knowledgeable, the drivers reliable and Damon’s execution was flawless. The highlight for me was a tour of the megalithic sites of Hagar Qim & Mnajdra by an archeologist/curator of the sites. He also managed to get last-minute tickets to tour the Hypogeum, which only admits 10 visitors/hour, despite it being sold-out well in advance.

Damon organized a great trip to the Maltese Islands in early October. The guides and driver were outstanding. My spouse and I had a variety of experiences. We are in our 80s and the guides and the driver took our limitations into account, and were uniformly helpful. Damon was available to solve any issues.

Just back from a Mediterranean cruise with a port call in Valletta, Malta. With only one day and limited time for us in port, Damon ably assisted us with providing a guide and driver to get us to the specific places we wanted to see and experience as well as making reservations for lunch in the old walled city of Mdina. Charmaine is a fount of knowledge and fabulous ambassador for her native country. She definitely knows her history! Our visits to Hagar Qim and Mdina were made immeasurably better by having Charmaine walk us through their fascinating history. Our driver Martin was always helpful and kept us safe, plus he suggested a quick unscheduled stop at the overlook for the famous Blue Grotto.

At first we were going to skip St John’s Co-Cathedral in Valletta due to time constraints, but Damon suggested we get tickets online anyway, just in case. That turned out to be prescient. Charmaine walked us to the cathedral making sure we knew how to navigate our way back to the ship from there. We arrived to the church to see a line for tickets snaking all the way to the street! But due to Damon’s insider knowledge there was no line at all for ticketholders, thus saving us no telling how much time waiting to get in and assuring us of being able to see such a fabulous masterpiece.

Before this trip we have used several of the travel experts on the WOW List for multi-day vacations, but I wasn’t sure if just a one-day port call would be doable. My advice for anyone on a cruise who wants to have a private and very special time in port, don’t hesitate to reach out to Damon. You will have a fabulous time and fond memories.

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