Another one for the Charlton Life travellers, and thanks for the tips last year on Rome and Philadelphia.
Thinking of Malta this summer for a couple of weeks and looking for any feedback from people who have been. Want a bit of beach but not resort time, visits to the towns and any other historical sites or interesting nature. Like to move around a bit rather than stay in one place. Also, would like to hear about the costs there. Thanks for any tips - I am sure I'm not the only person dreaming of summer holidays in January!
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I mean to say, would you go to Gibraltar for a two week holiday........I don't think so.
For a holiday, Sardinia or Corsica are better bets in my opinion.
Maybe I was unlucky with location/time of year but the never-ending shotgun blasts as the Maltese did their utmost to completely destroy the migrating birdlife turned my stomach. I would not go back.
We were based at the Radisson which is on Golden Bay which has a nice beach. The hotel was excellent, with a very good restaurant (unusual in a tourist hotel in our experience) if a little incongruous in that location. They have time share rooms in the hotel so there are occasionally "give us an afternoon to sell you a time share and you can stay here for £99 for the week" deals, which is how we went. Once they've given you the spiel on the timeshare and are trying to get you to sign up, ask for a copy of the contract to take home to run past your solicitor and they get rid of you as quick as they can.
Valetta is a really nice to wander around, people watch, admire the cruise ships parked up and we got the little ferry across the to other side of the harbour where there's an excellent WW2 museum set into the tunnels.
There is another little island that they run trips out to for snorkeling, etc, ("Blue Lagoon" possibly?) but this was hideously busy when we went & full of teenagers having a good time for heavens sake...so we lasted about 45 minutes before coming back.
I'd happily go back to Valetta for a weekend but wouldn't consider any longer than that.
Final thought in that you can definitely see where the EU has improved Malta in the transport services and infrastructure!
If you go to Valletta, be sure to visit "The Pub" which is the place Oliver Reed died - it only holds about 25 people.
There are some interesting parts but we came away with a very negative view of the island.
Have done two package holidays only, Malta and Crete. Crete was great.
In Malta we were plagued by time share salesmen, maybe this has changed now? As we wandered streets, if we were given unasked for directions it was invariably followed by an outstretched hand requesting money.
We took a boat to the blue lagoon and as we returned we stopped for the fella to take payment which was more than the advertised price. We were told that it was an old sign!
We know people who have enjoyed the island but we won't be going back for sure.
They also drive on the left but be aware driving is manic and if i recall some of the roads are like farm tracks....Petrol stations also didnt open sundays but you could fill up after you put your card in, think the option was 10 euros worth and that was it.
Also as others have said Medina is superb very old town but great to visit. Buses were dirt cheap but i think they replaced the old buses with new as they were very disabled unfriendly.
Valletta is a great place and if you can visit a bar called "the pub", its off the main street half way down, its where oliver reed used to drink, and think thats where he had his heart attack.
Qwra which is on the north east of the island is like little England with loads of british run bars and restaurants, hire a car and take a day trip to Gozo, you wont be dissapointed, also if you can take a boat trip round the island ad blue anchor bay is a must. Hope you have a sense of direction as when i was there direction signs were practically non-existant.
Enjoy.
I saw one of them the other week hadnt changed a bit just got a bit bigger, maybe if you see them about at the valley you can ask them.
It was a more popular holiday destination in the 70's and 80's, providing sun in a "British" environment (it peaked with Gibraltar for the same reason - there was a lot of comfort in seeing red post and telephone boxes) and the UK used to represent 90 plus percent of visitors, but is a much lower share now.
I'll definitely visit again, but would cap it at a long weekend. have fun.
2 weeks would be a bit long, and I'm not sure whether it's a summer beach destination? I went there in January for a few days, I imagine it's nice place to go to in spring/autumn
diving was ok nothing spectacular and remember at the time wouldnt want to be on either for a whole week
http://www.maltauncovered.com/culture/malta-bus/
http://www.timesofmalta.com/mobile/articles/view/20140218/local/bendy-buses-to-be-shipped-to-sudan.507334
Had a nice 5 days there about 5 years ago. Didn't get to gozo. Had a dodgy hotel in bugibba which was a little too Blackpool for our liking so moved on to Mdina, which was a very good move. Valetta and Mdina the highlights. No low points for us, except the lack of vegetables!
I love the place but this is mainly because I met and became friends with some very special Maltese people.
The island is small enough to drive around it in a day. Whilst officially they drive on the left, in Summer, they are tempted to drive in the shade so watch out!
Unless you make an attempt to get to know the locals, you will probably not be that impressed with Malta. The Maltese people have never forgotten the help the British gave them during the war when they were being continuously bombed day and night by the Italian and the German forces and came close to starvation because food supplies could not get in. As a result, the island was awarded the George Cross, the civilian equivalent to the Victoria Cross and a great fondness towards the British still runs deep here.
There are a few sandy beaches notably around Golden Bay and Mallieha Bay. You must visit The Apples Eye restaurant, at the top of Golden Bay beach, if you get a chance. It's owned by my "brother" Charlie, a Maltese Charlton fan who has been to The Valley with me several times. (his first team is Man U but we are a very close second).
A visit to the island of Comino (The Blue Lagoon) is sensational for swimmers but be aware as there can be very strong currents there. If you want a day away from it all, I recommend a visit to Gozo by ferry. It is much quieter and more peaceful than the main island.
Valletta, the capital, is said to have the deepest port in the world and a visit there is a facinating and rewarding day out. Plenty of shops and places to eat and a big open market. The "Silent City" of Medina, in the centre of the island, is another special place to visit. There are spectacular far reaching views of the island from the top.
If you decide to go, I suggest you hire a car as it gives you the freedom to explore all of the island and see the many different parts of this small gem in the Med.
- I think a more accurate description should be that the British should never forget the help the Maltese gave us during the war. Without Malta the war in the Med and the North African campaign would likely have gone against us. The Maltese suffered the heaviest bombardment in history - 6,700 tons of munitions over a sustained 154 day period. They fought alongside us with great bravery and the people refused to give in. It's why the whole island was award a George Cross. It's a great place for a holiday - a bit of everything, beach, long Mediterranean history (St. Paul landed here), fantastic medieval harbour, Brit-loving, friendly and el-scorchio.
My dad was born there a little after the war so was looking forward to seeing some of the island but wasn't to be. Wendy Richards was staying in our hotel though and I got to see her in a bathing suit. That just made it all worse.