EBU Winter Congress, Malta

2nd – 9th February 2022

8 days from £629pp

Join the English Bridge Union for a fantastic week in the heart of the Mediterranean and enjoy the superb facilities, excellent service and amazing value of our all-inclusive package at the db Seabank Hotel & Spa.

7 nights at the 4-star Db San Antonio Hotel & Spa
Well-rated hotel with excellent Bridge facilities
Incredible all-inclusive value with fantastic themed restaurants
Delightful location overlooking one of the most beautiful bays in Malta
Wide range of low-cost flights available from many UK airports
Two fantastic excursions included
Low single supplement on spacious rooms for sole use
Extend your stay with our twin-centre add-on

EBU Winter Congress, Malta

Join First for Bridge and the English Bridge Union for a fantastic week in the heart of the Mediterranean on this EBU Overseas Congress. With its warm climate, fascinating history and scenic landscapes, Malta is the perfect destination for a winter break, and the perfect location for our first EBU Congress. Ideal for explorers at heart, this scenic island has so much to discover and great transport links make getting around a breeze.

We’ll be staying in the heart of Qawra, on the North of the Island, at the wonderful Db San Antonio Hotel & Spa. Highly rated on TripAdvisor, this hotel offers fantastic dining, excellent facilities and an ideal location. Our all-inclusive package makes full use of the fantastic dining options and even includes afternoon tea or coffee, cakes and sandwiches in our exclusive reception area next to our bridge room – the perfect setting to discuss hands.

We have also included two fantastic excursions in our package:

Explore the incredible walled city, and capital, Valletta. Visit the Upper Barrakka Gardens, St Pauls Church and have free time to take lunch, shop and sightsee in this beautiful city.
Our second visit takes us to Mosta with its famous Rotunda Church of Mosta Dome. We then continue to TaQali Village before visiting the 'Silent City' Mdina.

DAY 1:
Make your own way to Malta airport, where transfers will be included. Flights to Malta airport should be available from many UK airports including Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Manchester, East Midlands, Edinburgh, London Heathrow, Gatwick and Luton. On arrival, your included transfer will take approximately 45 minutes.

This evening, enjoy Blue Pointed Pre-Congress pairs between 8pm and 11.15pm.
DAY 2:
This morning, you’ll be invited to join us for a welcome meeting in the hotel at approximately 10.45am. Any single travellers will have the opportunity to find a partner for the Bridge room.

Enjoy a full afternoon of Bridge: Green Pointed Swiss Pairs (session 1) between 1pm and 4pm, followed by Green Pointed Swiss Pairs (session 2) between 4.30pm and 6.30pm.
DAY 3:
This morning is at leisure and will be followed by another full afternoon of Green Pointed Swiss Pairs (session 3) between 2.30pm and 5.45pm.

After dinner, enjoy evening Bridge with another session of Green Pointed Swiss Pairs (session 4) between 8pm and 10pm.
DAY 4:
Spend a full day in the capital city, Valetta. Valetta’s walled city was established in the 1500s on a peninsula by the Knights of St. John, a Roman Catholic order. It’s known for museums, palaces and grand churches and has a history spanning over 7,000 years.

Visit the Upper Barrakka gardens with their magnificent views of the grand harbour and experience the firing of the noon cannon from the Saluting Battery.

There will also be an opportunity to visit St Paul’s Church which dates to the 16^th century.

After the guided walking tour, you will have free time in Valletta to take lunch; shopping and sightseeing.

After dinner, enjoy evening Bridge with a Blue Pointed session of Pivot teams between 8pm and 11.15pm.
DAY 5:
This morning is at leisure and will be followed by a full afternoon of Blue Pointed Open Pairs between 2pm and 5.30pm.

After dinner, enjoy evening Bridge with Blue Pointed Ladies, Mens and Mixed Pairs between 8pm and 11.15pm.
DAY 6:
This morning, we visit Mdina and Mosta on a half day tour. First we visit the village of Mosta, with its ‘famous’ Rotunda Church or Mosta Dome – locally known as the ‘Miracle Church’ due to the fact that during WWII a 200kg bomb was dropped through the dome, but did not explode - therefore not killing the 300 people who were at a service at the time! Next you will travel to Ta’Qali Village which was once a British RAF Base, but is now known for its Craft Market, where you can view numerous skills including original glass-blowing. Take some time to browse and buy some souvenirs. Your last stop is Mdina, with its narrow streets and infamous Mdina Gate, once the Capital of Malta now known as the ‘Silent City’ for its tranquillity.

Enjoy a full afternoon of Bridge: Green Pointed Swiss Teams (session 1) between 2.30pm and 5.45pm.

After dinner, there will be evening Bridge with Green Pointed Swiss Teams (session 2) between 8pm and 10.00pm.
DAY 7:
Enjoy another full afternoon of Bridge: Green Pointed Swiss Teams (session 3) between 12.30pm and 3.30pm, followed by Green Pointed Swiss Teams (session 4) between 4pm – 6pm. This will be followed by a drinks reception and prize giving.
DAY 8:
Today we bid farewell to Malta and transfer to the airport for our return flights to the UK.

Included in our package:

Transfers from Malta airport
7 nights in 4* accommodation on an all-inclusive basis (breakfast lunch, dinner & drinks)
Drinks reception
Bottle of water in room on arrival and refillable when required
Afternoon tea served in private congress area when there are afternoon bridge sessions
Porterage

Plus the following excursions:

Full day excursion to Valletta
Excursion to Mdina and Mosta

Please Note: The Bridge programme for this event is managed by the EBU, and participation needs to be booked separately. Please book via your EBU account, or call 01296 317203 to pay your Bridge fee and add participation in this Bridge programme to your package.

Chris Benneworth

"I grew up in a card-playing household; my mum was a keen bridge player and she started me on whist and solo and encouraged me to play bridge from about the age of ten. I started playing Nottingham Club (does anyone still play it ?) and quickly switched to Acol, which I’ve used with three regular partners since. After a while, I began directing at my local club, Brunton in north Newcastle, where both Ian Spoors and Ian Muir were members. Ian Spoors persuaded me to take the County Directors’ course so I could take over from him as the NEBA Chief TD. At about the same time, I applied to the EBU and was accepted on to the panel. I’m now doing much more work for the EBU, and I enjoy the challenge and working in collaboration with other directors. I have also run lots of courses for club directors which I find very satisfying and stimulating – there are lots of good club directors out there."

Christine MacFarlane

Christine has been on the EBU panel since 2010 and has assisted with running many congresses over the years; more recently concentrating on the Really Easy and Progressive events to encourage newer players to play competitively. She runs her own Bridge club in Bath and has been teaching Bridge there since 2007. She has introduced many players to this wonderful game. She has experience of running Bridge holidays and working on cruise ships as the Bridge Instructor/Director. She believes Bridge should be both sociable and challenging.

Christine is originally from New Zealand but now lives in Somerset with her husband Stewart. When not directing or teaching Bridge, their new hobby (since lockdown) is exploring the old railway lines of Somerset.

Meet us at the airport overseas

Picture of - Meet us at the airport overseas

Our 'meet us at the airport' option allows you to book your own transport independently and choose one of the many flights available from several UK airports.

Transfers will be included on our specific arrival and departure dates. If you choose to arrive or depart on a different day, there may be an additional supplement charged to cover your transfer costs.

Add flights to the package

If you require assistance booking your own flights, please contact our friendly reservations team who will be happy to help. These will be subject to an administration fee and are subject to availability at the time of booking.

Overview

The db San Antonio Hotel & Spa welcomes you in its newly refurbished Moorish style hotel in the heart of the Mediterranean. The hotel is ideally located in the northern part of the island of Malta, right in the heart of Qawra and just 100 metres from the bus terminus which offers direct transportation to all areas of Malta, and making it exceptionally easy to explore this fascinating island seeped in history and colourful towns and villages abundant with churches and local festivals.

You will find a huge range of shops, bars and restaurants within walking distance of the hotel. Take a stroll along the long 3.5 metre sea front promenade passing Bugibba and St Pauls Bay and its islands and enjoy stunning views across the ocean.

Hotel Facilities & Amenities

Indoor pool with spa, sauna, jacuzzi, steam
Outdoor pool
Sunbeds around pool
Activities in hotel arranged daily
Bar with all-inclusive drinks open until 23.30
Entertainment every evening
Pearl Spa
Hairdressers

Room Facilities & Amenities

All rooms are spacious and modern and are equipped with the following:

Full bathroom with toiletries.
Hairdryer
Complimentary safe
Fridge
Tea and coffee making facilities
Free Wi-Fi
Telephone
Furnished balcony or terrace
Flat scree satellite TV
Radio
UK and European sockets - 2 and 3 pins
Most rooms have walk in shower - one floor has bathtubs

Suites are 45 square metres and have sea views overlooking St Pauls Bay. Each suite boasts a comfortable lounge area with a 32-inch LCD satellite TV

EBU Winter Congress, Malta

2nd – 9th February 2022