MIGHTY stone forts with towers and battlements provide plenty of inspiration for sandcastles when you take the kids for a family holiday on Malta.

The island and its little sisters Gozo and Comino make up one of the most child-friendly destinations in the Med.

For a start, the country is only a three-hour flight from Britain. Then there are the no-tears transfers, with most family resorts within a half hour or so from the airport.

English is spoken everywhere, chips are on the menu and there are plenty of safe, sandy beaches for the bucket-and-spade brigade.

And with water temperatures staying at 20C even in late November - and 23C-plus in summer - kids can run in and out of the sea all day without turning blue.

The largest sandy beaches tend to be in the north, in family resorts such as St Paul's Bay, Bugibba and Qawra.

The beaches at Mellieha, Ghajn Tuffieha and Golden Bay are also a good bet for young families.

The beaches on Gozo, half an hour's ferry ride from the main island, tend to be rockier - small, pristine coves where the sea is as clear as spring water.

This is the place for skimming stones, racing crabs and fishing for tiddlers in the rockpools.

If the kids want to build sandcastles on Gozo, your best bet is Ramla I-Hamra where red sand adds a touch of colour to their creations.

YOU might have your work cut out dragging the kids away from the beach initially but they'll soon come round to your way of thinking.

Play king of the castle when you take them to Valetta, Malta's historic capital built around one of the most dramatic harbours in Europe.

Drop a coin into one of the telescopes on the St Elmo clifftop to bring into focus the mighty white limestone walls of the citadel, the mediaeval stronghold of knights in clunking armour.

Before exploring Valetta, it's worthwhile taking an hour out to watch the Malta Experience, a sound and light show tracing the island's turbulent history - from the Stone Age through to Malta's bombardment during the Second World War (www.the maltaexperience.com).

Most of Valetta was built in the Middle Ages when the powerful Knights of St John commissioned Europe's biggest names in architecture to build ornate palaces, a cathedral and state-of-the-art hospital.

The best way to get around the old town and the island's other ancient city, Mdina, is on foot, strolling through whitewashed lanes that are surprisingly cool even on a summer afternoon.

Don't miss a visit to Ggantija, one of the oldest freestanding monuments in the world dating back to 3600BC (entry about £2). Across the water from Malta at Gozo, the stones are every bit as impressive as Stonehenge - and a good deal older.

The Maltese used to believe that as the stones that made the temple are so big giants must have built them.

KIDS addicted to swashbuckling movies like Gladiator and Troy will instantly recognise many of the scenes filmed on Malta and Gozo. More than 70 blockbuster movies have been shot on these islands where old stone fortifications make a believable ancient Greece or Rome. Sandy Bay was the setting for Brad Pitt's Troy. And nearby Anchor Bay is home to the Popeye village called Sweethaven, where Robin Williams starred in the film version of the cartoon.

A fun park has been built around the original set and entry costs about £5.10 for adults, £2.30 kids.

STRAP on a pair of fins to take teenagers scuba diving off Gozo.

The island has become one of the most popular dive destinations in Europe thanks to its unpolluted beaches, fairytale caverns and arches.

If they're old enough to have a scuba diving certificate (recommended from 14 upwards for international dive organisations such as the British Sub-Aqua Club) then book them on to a guided dive at Blue Hole.

In a 30-minute dive straight off the shore they might spot tiny seahorses hiding in clumps of seaweed or come face to face with a large grouper. And are those rock formations the Lost City of Atlantis?

STOP for ice-creams (and a well-deserved beer for Dad) at one of the dozens of small cafŽs and restaurants tucked away in the backstreets or shady courtyards of Valetta and Mdina.

Kids will love the local sweet speciality called kannoli cakes - tubes of pastry stuffed with ricotta, apricots and chocolate.

If your hotel has a children's club, park them for lunch and treat yourselves to a meal without chips in Valetta. Try Malta's favourite dish, a fish soup with garlic, tomatoes and rice called aljotta. It's on the menu just about everywhere.

Or find a table in Valetta's most famous restaurant, Rubino along Old Bakery Street. It's an old stone cellar serving traditional Maltese dishes such as lamb shanks and rabbit.

For desert, go for the wicked cassatella, a ricotta cheese-based cake with glace fruit and marzipan.

Malta has yet to adopt the euro so prices are still in Maltese lire. Expect to pay about £8 for a two- or three-course lunch and from about £2 for a bottle of very drinkable white plonk. Children's meals - served by tolerant waiters - average around £3.