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Malta?

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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Comments

  • Not a beach island. I seem to recall there is a beach is the north west of the island - cant recall the name. Easy to get around by the cheap local bus services. There is plenty to see in the capital - Valetta and The Medina in the centre of the island is worth a trip. I would not however go to Malta for a 2 week holiday unless you want to do things at a very leisurely pace. A week would be enough for me.
  • edited January 2017
    My Dad was Maltese and I still have a lot of relations who live there. There are only a handful of beaches that are sandy. Most of the island is rocky. People are very friendly and most speak English, and it is an interesting place historically. Mosta and the capital Valletta are worth a visit. If you like visiting Churches it is the place to go. The bus service is cheap and very good. Eating out is not as cheap as it was but generally a bit cheaper than over here. You just need to find the right places, steer clear of the tourist places. My Grandad used to own a bar in Marsascala but it has now been sold.
  • It isn't really a holiday destination in the true sense of the word......more of a place to visit out of interest for a quick look around rather than have a holiday as such; despite the Maltese tourist office understandably suggesting otherwise.
    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.
  • edited January 2017
    Nice island but not really a beach destination.

    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.
  • Cheers for all this. Maybe a few days might be enough. Not to fussed about the beach but am interested in the history there.
  • As said above, you might be stretching it at two weeks. We spent a week there and it was perfect. We got to see everything we wanted, did some walking, sat on the beach a bit, found some very good food.

    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.
  • As others have said beaches are not the best. We actually stayed on Gozo which is even quieter than Malta is (outside of the main resort there which we thought was awful but I accept people want different things from their holidays).

    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!
  • 2 weeks is really stretching it, a week at most is enough. I had a week there in 2012. stayed in St Julian's pay / paceville - which is the loud part.

    If you go to Valletta, be sure to visit "The Pub" which is the place Oliver Reed died - it only holds about 25 people.
  • Sister island Gozo is nice, lived there for a couple of years, lot more laid back than Malta. 20 min ferry ride. A week each on Gozo and Malta could be an alternative, St Paul's Bay is nice area near Mellieha where the nice beachs are. However I agree it is not up there culturally as Italy for example. I'm going to Gozo this year, just love the laid back way of life, friendly people.
  • Comino is the small island. Malta is more like a home to me, so I am not the best person to judge.
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  • Been twice and stayed at The Golden sands raddison which is next to the one beach, which is a decent beach. The hotel is nice but VERY imposing on the beach. We went as they do a time share introduction offer where you get one weeks accommodation for £99. In return we had to give up a morning for a presentation but neither time did we get a hard sale and as a family of 4 it was worth the pain for the price of the holiday. Hired a car and drove around a lot of the island and over to Gozo. Valletta is stunning and we enjoyed both holidays but a week at a time is enough for me.
  • Didn't get to Gozo which is a shame as people tell us it is really nice.

    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.
  • Great place to go for a holiday....went in May a few years ago and it was sun sun sun. Language is no issue as they speak english.

    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.
  • There was a family of maltese people that used to follow charlton home and away like i did in the 70's and 80's.

    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.
  • I've visited Malta several times in the last few years, all on work related conferences / jollies. I'd agree with much of the above..great island, but not for a long holiday. Valleta is a great city to walk around and spend a few days. Beyond that....

    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.
  • There was a family of maltese people that used to follow charlton home and away like i did in the 70's and 80's.

    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.

    There was a bloke called Paul Pace - I think he was Maltese.
  • Nice place, and easy to get around

    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
  • went there a few years ago scuba diving 3 or 4 days malta 3 on gozo i think
    diving was ok nothing spectacular and remember at the time wouldnt want to be on either for a whole week
  • They don't have trains. Though there is at least one disused line. They do go big on busses:

    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!
  • edited January 2017
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  • dickplumb said:

    Comino is the small island. Malta is more like a home to me, so I am not the best person to judge.

    Enjoyed a wander around Comino....we went to Malta for 10 days back in 2010, really enjoyed it and the beach at Mellieha is nice. We stayed in the NW right by the Comino ferry...about 30 min walk to Mellieha. Valletta is well worth a visit as are some of the other towns on the northern coast. There's plenty of walking trails if your into that type of thing, bars and restaurants weren't to bad either....lots of MU fans out there though.
  • Was there in 2015 and went to the only Scottish pub, it was owed by an Englishman
  • I have holidayed in Malta many times in the past, before it became part of the EU so it may have changed a bit now.

    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.
  • "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."

    - 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.
  • There was a family of maltese people that used to follow charlton home and away like i did in the 70's and 80's.

    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.

    There was a bloke called Paul Pace - I think he was Maltese.
    That's him, he used to be a handy man/ driver for the club back in the 80s and early 90s, some of the players like Colin Walsh used to go to his place for dinner as he lived right next to the ground. He was always getting me Comp tkts for the away games, and was devastated when the club bombed him out and he moved back out to Gozo for a couple of years. I ended up visiting and loved it so much I got a job and stayed myself for a couple of years. Nice people as others have said, looking fwd to going back this year to see some old friends
  • Went there years ago. As others have said, more rocky than sand, friendly people, easy to get around. Valetta is an interesting Capital. Not sure about 2 weeks though. We stayed to the north of the island - Mellieha Bay I think it was called. A nice sweeping bay with a beach.
  • There was a family of maltese people that used to follow charlton home and away like i did in the 70's and 80's.

    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.

    There was a bloke called Paul Pace - I think he was Maltese.
    Correct.
  • Went there on an absolutely disastrous honeymoon in 2007. Our original destination was Jamaica but the hurricane hit so we scrambled around the day before and ended up in Malta. We were both ill amover the 2 weeks as they were experiencing one of the hottest summers on record so didn't get out too much.

    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.
  • I have a sister that lives there so been there many times, One idea is there is a day drip to Sicily on the fast ferry to Palazzo you go on a tour around the southern part of Sicily, taking in MT Etna and lunch in the beautiful Mountain Top town of Taormina. These day trips can be booked at short notice online or at any Travel Agent on the Island.
  • I like the authenticity of Malta and the people are lovely - the island is so small that nowhere is more than a 45min drive away.
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