Blue Lagoon Catamaran Barbecue: What Is Served on Deck

• Top choice Blue Lagoon Catamaran from US$63 Rating4.68 from 6,838 reviews^[2]Duration5 - 6 hours^[2]GuideHost or greeter: English^[2]CancellationCancel up to 24 hours in advance^[2] Check availability
• Comino Lagoons & Seacaves from US$35 Rating4.65 from 7,387 reviews^[3]Duration6 hours^[3]GuideHost or greeter: English^[3]CancellationCancel up to 24 hours in advance^[3] See this tour
• Snorkel, Slide & Swim Stop from US$35 Rating4.74 from 3,374 reviews^[4]Duration4 - 7 hours^[4]GuideLive tour guide: English^[4]CancellationCancel up to 24 hours in advance^[4] See this tour

What a boat barbecue on the Blue Lagoon run actually is

On a catamaran day out of Bugibba, the barbecue is less a sit down meal than a moment in the middle of the afternoon. You tend to smell it before you see it: charcoal, oil on hot metal, skewers of meat and Maltese sausage, thick slices of bread, and paper trays handed along the deck. The crew work from one corner of the boat, plating up while passengers drip dry in swimwear after the first swim stop. On a catamaran with trampoline netting forward and sun beds down the sides, people eat where they are sitting, cross legged on the netting or on a bench in the shade, with the water a metre or two below the hull.

The order of the day usually matters more than the menu. The grill tends to come out while the boat is anchored in calm water, so nobody is trying to eat while the hull is moving, and the food appears once everyone is hungry again after swimming. Grilled meat, salads, bread and something cold to drink is the familiar shape of a boat barbecue in Malta, but the exact spread belongs to the operator you book with. Treat any menu you read online as a hint, and ask before you pay if the food matters to you.

The setting does the heavy lifting. The Blue Lagoon's sandy bottom reaches 14 metres at its deepest and reflects the light that gives the water its colour.^[6] Comino itself is small, approximately 2.8 square kilometres of limestone, scrub and low cliffs sitting between Malta and Gozo.^[7] Eating at anchor off an island like that is the reason a plain plate of grilled food tastes better than it has any right to.

Is the barbecue worth it, or should you eat ashore?

It comes down to how you want the day to run. If you like the idea of the boat being the whole day, with no hunting for lunch and no clock watching, a trip where food is part of the running order keeps everything in one place. If you would rather choose your own food, plenty of Blue Lagoon boat trips leave the meal out entirely, and you can eat before boarding or back at the harbour afterwards.

Prices vary a lot depending on what is included. A catamaran cruise with lunch and an open bar on the Comino run is listed from US$102.^[8] A Sliema cruise to Comino, Crystal Lagoon and the Blue Lagoon with lunch is from US$58.^[1] A gulet cruise from Sliema with lunch and drinks is from US$86.^[9] The Blue Lagoon, Beaches and Bays catamaran trip is from US$63.^[2] Those are starting prices for the trip rather than for a plate of food on its own, so check the live price for your dates.

Duration is a fair guide. The catamaran trip from Bugibba runs 5 to 6 hours.^[2] On a short hop out to the lagoon, buying food on land before or after is easy enough. On a longer day, having the meal sorted on board saves you carrying anything and keeps everyone on the boat rather than queuing at a kiosk.

Deck, nets and turquoise water on the run out to Comino.

Bringing your own food and drink on board

Whether you can carry your own food and drink onto a Comino boat trip is a question for the operator, and the answer varies from one company to the next. Ask when you book rather than at the dock, so you can plan around the reply. It is a normal thing to ask, and whoever takes the booking will know whether a cool bag is welcome or whether the boat prefers you to travel light.

If you do take your own, keep it simple. Soft bags instead of glass, nothing that will leak into a day bag, and no strong smells in a small cabin. A refillable water bottle is the most useful thing in your bag on a hot day at sea, and a couple of plain snacks cover the gap if the food arrives later than you expected.

Booking with some flexibility helps when your plans depend on the weather. The catamaran trip offers reserve now and pay later, and free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance.^[2] That leaves room to change your mind about a boat day without losing the money.

Dietary requirements, honestly

Boat catering is simple by nature, and it is best to be direct about what you need. Vegetarian plates are usually easy on a Mediterranean spread of salads, bread and grilled vegetables, and many operators can handle a gluten free request if they know in advance. Say it in plain words when you book, and ask what is possible on the specific boat you have chosen.

Where a listing mentions lunch, that is the moment to ask about the menu. A Comino catamaran cruise with lunch and an open bar is listed from US$102^[8], and a Sliema cruise to Comino and both lagoons with lunch is from US$58^[1]. Ask what the vegetarian option is, whether the food is cooked on the same grill as the meat, and whether you can see the menu before the day.

If you have a serious allergy, treat the boat as you would any small kitchen. Ask about the grill, the oils used and how the food is handled, then carry something safe that you know you can eat. Crews deal with this all season, and a short conversation at booking is far easier than solving it at sea.

The bar, the sun, and staying hydrated

The bar is the part of a boat day that catches people out. Sun, salt, wind and swimming all make alcohol land harder than it does in a restaurant, and a day that starts with a cold beer at eleven in the morning often ends with someone asleep under a towel. If you want to swim well and enjoy the evening too, alternate drinks with water and eat something before you start on the wine.

Swimming is the other half of it. Average sea temperature around Malta is 19°C in May and 22°C in June, rising to 26°C in July and 27°C in August.^[5] Warm water is lovely and also tiring, so build in breaks, keep an eye on children, use the boat's ladder rather than jumping from the rail, and get out before you feel cold.

Malta gets more than 3,000 hours of sunshine per year.^[10] July is the hottest month with an average temperature of 27 C, and January the coldest at 13 C.^[11] On a hot summer boat day that means a hat, a shirt for the trip back, high factor sun cream reapplied after every swim, and more water than you think you need.

Timing: where the meal fits in the day

Food on a boat day usually arrives somewhere in the middle. The catamaran trip from Bugibba runs 5 to 6 hours, and you check availability to see starting times.^[2] That is long enough for a swim, a meal and a second swim, which is the shape a day like this takes. Eat a light breakfast, keep the first swim for before the grill comes out, and leave the big evening meal for after you are back on land.

Crowds decide how the lagoon feels. In peak summer, July and August, the Blue Lagoon receives between 2,500 and 3,500 visitors per day.^[12] Crystal Lagoon is a lesser known and less crowded lagoon a short distance away.^[13] If you want to eat and swim in relative calm, the earlier and later boats are the ones to look at, and a midday swim stop in high season is a busy one.

One more piece of timing to plan around: the sea caves and the smaller bays on these routes are seen while the boat is under way, and lunch stops the boat. So if the crew announce a swim before the food, take it. There is usually time for both, and the second swim after eating, once the plates are cleared, is the one people remember.

Booking the right Blue Lagoon catamaran trip

The catamaran trip is listed from US$63, rated 4.68 from 6,838 reviews, with a host or greeter in English and a duration of 5 to 6 hours.^[2] Reserve now and pay later is available, and free cancellation applies up to 24 hours in advance.^[2] A long, relaxed day plus an easy cancellation window makes it a sensible first booking if you are unsure how the weather will behave.

There are alternatives worth knowing about. A Comino tour covering the Blue Lagoon, Crystal Lagoon and the sea caves runs 6 hours, is rated 4.65 from 7,387 reviews, and starts from US$35.^[3] A Blue Lagoon and Comino cruise with snorkelling, a slide and swim stops runs 4 to 7 hours and is rated 4.74 from 3,374 reviews.^[4] Both start lower than the catamaran trip, and each has its own arrangements for food, so check before you book.

Book ahead if you are travelling in high season. Malta welcomed 3.56 million visitors in 2024, a record breaking year for tourism.^[14] The island itself is protected: Comino is a Bird Sanctuary, part of the EU Natura 2000 network, and a Special Protection Area under the Birds Directive.^[15] Santa Marija Tower has stood on this coast since it was built in 1618 by Grand Master Alof de Wignacourt.^[16] Book the boat first, then plan the rest of your day around it.

Planning the boat barbecue

1. Pick a trip that suits you

   Decide whether you want a meal in the fare or your own food ashore, then read the listing for duration and departure.

2. Book with a flexible policy

   The catamaran trip offers reserve now and pay later, and free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance.^[2]

3. Flag dietary needs early

   Say what you need when you book, so the crew are not improvising at the grill once the trays are going out.

4. Pack for sun and swimming

   Sun cream, a hat, a shirt, a towel and a refillable water bottle cover most of a day on deck in summer.

5. Eat, then swim again

   Plan your swims either side of the meal, and keep the hottest part of the day for shade and a cold drink.

Good to know first