| Malta Travel Guide: A guide to Malta
| | Written by Chris Fell 1 on 14 Jun 2006 about a trip in May 2006.
Trip was for a family on holiday. Chris Fell 1 would definitely visit again.
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The Blue Lagoon, Comino. The most idyllic spot in Malta. |
A Karrozin, A different way to travel in Malta. |
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Malta shopping | | There are plenty of souvenir shops in all towns and it always pays to look in all as the prices for the same items do differ greatly. Maltese shop keepers like the british and will often give discounts if you spend a certain amount in their shop. Always check shop hours in the towns you are going to stay in. Most operate a siesta type break in the afternoon, so that they reopen later in the afternoon to stay open into the late evening to around 10pm.
Popular items are Lace, Pottery,Glass,China all of which are very colourful and hand painted.
Markets: There is a huge open air market in Valletta and Marsaxlokk (pronounced Marsa-shlock ) and whilst we have visited Valletta, we have no knowledge of the other one. The Valletta market we found to be cramped and tacky, and particularly offputting was the open air animal market. Animals are contained in cramped unhumane containers.
Many shops are in preparation for the changeover to Euro and tills will display amounts in LM,£p and Eu |
Malta nightlife | | The hub of nightlife is without doubt the Paceville and St Julians area. There are tons of clubs and noisy discos going on late or early depending on your viewpoint!! For the quieter end of the island choose from Buggiba round to Mellieha. Much of the nightlife in the hotels is provided by the appearances of local entertainers brought in by the hotels themselves. Generally you don't have to be a patron to join in the shows in the hotels. Often you can just walk in and sit down to enjoy the shows. Local and international dancers provide an insight into the cultures and ways of life of not just Malta but other european countries.
Crime in Malta is near zero so issues such as drugs and violence is not an issue. Any crimes reported are generally perpetrated by westerners themselves. |
Malta restaurants | | | Restaurants and other eateries are in there abundance. Virtually any type of dish can be eaten. The country has its specialities which are pasta, fish and fenek ( rabbit ) which is a delicacy in Malta. The influences of other countries cuisine is evident with much arab, italian and north african dishes forming a large part of the flavours. Fish dishes in Malta are renowned for their seasonal content. Swordfish, Octopus,Lampuki and Calamari to name few. Sea perch is another favourite. The wine industry in Malta is well established with many locally produced wines being available. These are very cheap to buy, and are quite strong. Malta also produces its own lager which is also very good. They produced lots of different type of bread, rolls and Pizza breads in shops. There are also lots of Pizza restaurants, iltalians and curry house are plentiful. The cuisine is very well prepared, the portions are also generally quite large. We avoided the Fenek, (rabbit) we have pet rabbits!! |
Malta attractions | | We are great believers in doing our own thing and The Islander Group were a good source of daily tours etc and much better value for money than the ones the hotels would have you book. We went to Comino, The Blue Lagoon, Popeye Village to name a few. There is also a very good motor museum in a side street in Bugibba (pronounced Boo-Jib-A ). On display are old british cars from the fifties,sixties and seventies all of which are in restored pristine condition. Another trip worth doing but it is a very long day, to cross to Sicily. However Mount Etna can be clearly seen from the St Julians area of the island, even though it is some 60 miles away.
You can also cross to Gozo on the ferry, get yourself to Cirkewwa ( pronounced Cha-Cow Aah ) to the ferry terminal on one of the buses, the bus journey from Valletta takes about 30 minutes. Visit Xemxija (pronounced Sem Si Ja ) a pretty coastal port, The Meditteranean Film Studios near Valletta where lots of well known films have been made. The Dingli Cliffs, The Blue Grotto and the Blue Lagoon can all be seen utilizing a " round island" boat trip lasting a full day. Ride in a Karrozin, a horse and carriage, agree a price beforehand. |
Malta events | | | Malta has a very full calendar of events across the year. Being quite a religious country, there is reputed to be a church for every day of the year. Easter is always a big event with colourful parades. Historical re-enactments take place each year in Valletta for the military parades. There are concerts of full orchestral arrangement, Powerboat trials, food and wine exhibitions etc. The Mediterrannean Film Studios near Valletta also open their doors to show off their prowess to the visitors. Playmobile which is another national product also have exhibitions for the whole family to enjoy. Often there are boating regattas in Valletta in the harbour and also in Sliema Harbour. |
Malta day trips | | | You must go to Comino, The Blue Lagoon,the clearest waters in the meditterranean.We went on a power boat and the boat can sail right into the caves as they are so long. We stayed for 3 hours and then went across to Gozo which is just a mile away. You must see the Popeye Village, the setting for the 1980 film Popeye, starring Robin Williams and Shelly Duval. Visit the Dingli Cliffs,The Blue Grotto, Valletta,Sliema, Bugibba. Arrange your day trips yourself, it is easy to do and you get a much better deal than the tour operators through hotels. Ride in a Karrozin, a horse and carriage. Take a glass bottom boat trip to see the life below the sea in the clear blue waters around Malta. Visit Mdina, Marsaxlokk. Sliema Harbour is by all accounts one of the most photographed places on the island. Both Sliema and Comino have been on our lounge wall since our last visit in April 2000. |
Malta History and Culture | | Malta is a place bathed in history from centuries of different country folk inhabiting the island. It is also the known to be the most bombed place on earth during the second world war. As a result the island and its inhabitants were awarded the honoury George Cross. It is also an island bathed in sunshine but equally some very strong winds at times from the african coast. Measuring just 13 miles long by 9 miles wide, this island will appeal to many. One is made very welcome by the islanders. Be on guard for time share touts that are everywhere. They try to snare you with helping you tour the local areas or providing maps to help you get about. But they are trying to get you to visit the presentations they are working to promote.Go to Malta, it is lovely. Take plenty of suncream,the sun and the wind burn very quickly.Lots to see, some lovely towns,Mellieha (pronounced Mell-ee-ha) Bugibba (pronounce Boo-Jib-A) Qawra (pronounce Ow-rah) Mdina (pronounced M-dina) the former capital city until 1565 when the invading forces left.It is known as the silent city because when the invading forces left it quite literally fell silent. Nowadays it is a city with just the cars of inhabitants, no others are allowed in, there are shops and restaurants. By night the city falls silent. Malta is part of the EU now and the onset of the Euro in Jan 2008 sees shops showing multi pricing.
Valletta is the Capital city named after the Grand Master of the Order of St John, Jean Parisot de la Valette |
Getting to Malta | | Best way, log onto the countries national airline website, Malta Airways.
Good prices best by far, 3 hrs 10 minute flight from London Heathrow, Gatwick slightly less. Pay by card on the phone, not on their website. you will actually save around £200 just for picking up the phone. We did this because I did not want my card phished of the net. Before you go arrange for Islander Transport Services in Malta to pick you up from Luqa airport. Send me a private message I will send you their email address. |
Getting around Malta | | The bus services around the island are good (using old british buses from the fifties and sixties) but make sure you have the right money to pay for a fare. Bus drivers are good at short-changing you. They are nearly 50 years old in many cases, lack suspension have tons of power to climb the steep coastal road inclines but they have tons of character. You can do as we did in some cases, get a local driver such as the Islander Group to take you to a place, they took us to Popeye Village, then after the day we walked to the bus stop and got the bus back to our hotel. Very easy and good fun. |
When to visit Malta | We went in May 2006 ( 2nd to 16th) temp was mid 70's but by the last day it was already 75d/f by 8:15 in morning. Ideal times are from Mid April onwards to July. August is very hot as is September. With children in mind, factor 50 suncream applied every 15-20 minutes, and a hat!! The winds from Africa are very strong and burn like crazy.
This island is the most romantic place on earth!! |
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Malta Hotel Reviews
Chris Fell 1 reviewed these Malta hotels...
| Suncrest review |  | | Suncrest Hotel Qawra | | As usual we booked direct with the hotel, in this case the Suncrest Hotel Qawra.
Our family is my wife and myself, and 3 children ages 14,12,5.
We booked our holiday direct with the hotel and... |
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