‘I love the sea, the sun, and the flipflops’ – Here’s how Steve Mercieca is spending his summer

Like many other things in this small country, our climate is extremely polarising. You either love the sun, heat, and humidity, or you absolutely despise them – there is no in between.

Lucky for summer-loving Zanzi Homes CEO Steve Mercieca, us islanders tend to get way more sun and heat than thunderstorms and torrential rain.

In the first of a series of interviews with C-level personalities about their summer habits, MaltaCEOs.mt caught up with Steve to find out how he’s making the most of his favourite season this year.

“I much prefer summer – I love the sea, I love the sun, I love the flipflops, I love the shorts, I love the long days. On the flip-side, I don’t like wearing layers, having to do more laundry, running around with heavy boots or wet socks, being stuck in traffic due to schools and wet roads, having to carry gas cylinders for heaters – I can go on and on,” Steve says.

There is one saving grace that stops winter for being a total disaster for Mr Mercieca, however.

“The only thing I like about winter is that you can keep the Kerrygold out of the fridge and it’s perfect for spreading on toast to then dip in a perfectly-boiled egg,” Steve confides.

Whilst that does sound delicious, clear skies and calm seas make it possible for the CEO to enjoy the one activity he might like better than eating buttered toast and eggs.

“Heading out on the boat with family and friends is one of the only things that gets me off my phone. The feeling of driving out of the harbour, looking at the beautiful Manoel Island fort and the bastions knowing you have a full day of fun ahead is something else,” he says.

Of course, it wouldn’t really be summer without a good dose of overseas travel, and whilst the pandemic might have made it a bit harder, nothing’s stopping the Zanzi Homes CEO from going international.

“I’m travelling to Limassol, Cyprus every month, but that’s for work, so it doesn’t really count. I also went to Linosa with the boat for Neil Agius’ swim, but again, that doesn’t really qualify as a summer holiday,” Steve reveals.

“My dream summer getaway would be Bali, Koh Phangan, or Tintipan. I love sandy beaches, palm trees, and those destinations sold to us as paradise in bank adverts. These locations, plus relaxing with my wife and kids, family, and friends on a beach with a mojito is my dream. I would travel to these destinations, but with the current pandemic it’s just not worth the risk,” he admits sadly.

Luckily, he managed to get a good look at Bali well before COVID-19 was a thing – so much so that he considers the two-month honeymoon he spent on the Indonesian island with his wife and daughter one of the best holiday experiences ever – even though it had to be pushed by a full year.

“Four days before our honeymoon I broke my neck, so I ended up spending three months at Karin Grech Hospital instead of going to Ubud – but even that was a great experience as I healed well and still went to Bali the following year,” he smiles.