Key Post: Malta.

Anybody been to Malta - St Julians Bay.

Any views or comments welcome.

Thanks.

Re: Malta

Yes. I can't remember the bay but Malta is essentially Little England for the retirement crowd. (Remember the British army saved them from the Nazis. and they are still very grateful to them.)The maltese people are wonderful. Valetta is a dream. The harbour is incredible. Some of the historic sights are very interesting. Churches etc. No scenery. Gozo is laid-back on steroids. Beautiful bays to sit around and drink wine and pizza. Diving. Very romantic. See most of it in a week.

The buses are great and bring you everywhere eventually. Once you're not in a rush. A excursion or two would suffice. Not for the stag crowd. Hot in summer. No that cheap either.
Depends what you're looking for in a holiday. Wouldn't stay in anything less than 4 star (silver or gold), got horror stories on plane back from a family that stayed in a "package hotel". Beaches are not great.
Wouldn't go back. Nice memories for a week stay.

malta

Was there last July for a week...really enjoyed it but a week was enough to cover the main sights/activities. Stayed in the Radisson in St. Julians. Very very hot that time of year if you're not into excessive heat.

Radisson

Thanks for the responses.

Considering a week in April/May in Radisson or the Westin. Was the Radisson nice?

Were there many places to eat outside of the hotel. What were prices like.

Reviews I have read suggest that about ten minutes from the above hotels it is very rowdy etc. Any experience of that

Hotel

Thanks for responses.

Was the Radisson nice. Deciding between that and the Westin hotel.

What was food like in the hotel?

Re: Malta

Would largely agree with the previous posters re. Malta. It's been a few years since I was there but the overall impression of the place was that it was very crowded. By that I mean every spare sq. foot seemed to be taken up with a house of some sort. When coming in to land, this is quite noticable from the air. While saying that however, the northern part of the island didn't seem to be as bad.

Get over to Gozo if you can, much more laid back.

Reviews I have read suggest that about ten minutes from the above hotels it is very rowdy etc.

Not sure where the Westin is but the Radisson is quite close to the heart of St Julians and this is where all the night club action is.

Re: Malta

On a scale of rowdiness with Ios being a ten and Hirsonnisos (Crete) being a nine I would say St. Julian's is more like a four.

Malta is a lovely place but as the other posters have said it can be very, very hot in mid-summer. Should be OK when you want to go.

Loads of excellent restaurants - very reasonable around the St. Julian's / Sliema area.

Watch out for time-share heads approaching you every thirty yards - just say no thanks and keep walking.

Lovely people.

I would recommend the day-trip to Sicily (hydrofoil) while you are there.

Malta....

Been there the last two years mainly cos we know some Maltese.

Good spot if you just want to chill out. You won't get too many yobs there. Radisson is v.good. Rooms are huge and there is a Casino close by which is worth a visit.

Would recommend you hire a car. Its not that expensive and they drive on the same side as us. The buses are all ancient. Drink is very cheap in the local bars but not in the Radisson.

Do a day trip to Comino. Beautiful clea blue grotto that'll take youor breath away. Everyone will tell you to do a day trip to Gozo (supposed to be their version of the Aran islands ). Not so sure that this was worth it. Its just like a smaller version of Malta.

Lots of lizards.

I visited Malta in May and it was very quiet, a good few years ago. We stayed in Bugibba, Shamrock Apartments, a dump. I have to say I didn't enjoy the place at all. No beaches, mostly rocky outcrops. Valetta nice though. I agree, one week is enough.
Flying back with Air Malta I couldn't get a drink of water or mineral and as I was seriously dehydrated from too much cheap wine it nearly killed me. As a previous poster said, stay in a good quality hotel.
Let us know how you get on.

Thanks

Thanks for the all the responses which are very helpful. Will go ahead and book it - booking flights and hotels myself - more flexibility and cheaper than going through travel agent packages.

Malta

Hi Csider,

In 2001 we stayed in the Malta Hilton for 10 days - it was excellent!

Even if you dont stay there try the Blue Elephant Thai Resturant, expensive but great!

We got a good deal on the room because there was some building work going on at the time - it didnt affect us though. The hotel was very child friendly and our two year old was treated very well. The childrens pool was very large and shallow.

There is a good creche run by a rather stern German lady (she put manners on the British and Irish kids!).

I wouldnt hire a car again the roads are terrible and the Maltese drivers are worse than a fair day in Castleisland (they park around the roundabouts and in the middle of junctions). In theory at least they drive on the same side of the road as us.

We stayed at the end of May and the weather was just right sunny and hot but not too hot.

Mdina was good, but dont get caught by the Jarveys.

The currency is deceptive as the value of a Maltese Pound is greater than the Pound Sterling and makes things appear deceptively cheap.

The flight left Dublin at some ungodly hour like 2:30am even thought the brochure said 1:30 ( we got some cock and bull story about the clocks going back). It was bright when we got there and the curtesy car got us to and from the Hotel which was 30 mins away.

I would go back again if I got a good deal for the Hilton or similar hotel.

Enjoy your holiday
Ajapale

Re: Malta

There is a good creche run by a rather stern German lady (she put manners on the British and Irish kids!).

Click to expand...

:lol

Malta

Went to Malta for a spring break for the last two consecutive years.

Stayed in St. Julian's at The Hilton -absolute luxury- try Bellair Holidays
great deals on 5 star hotels.

Restaurants fantastic - good value for money

Re: Malta

Hmmm.. responses started off lukewarm, but the rest seemed to give the thumbs up. Malta is moving to the top of my list of places to go this/next year especially when they come into the EUR. As an addict to outside historical sites and easy living I always fancied this spot.

p.s.

You don't go to Malta if you are into lying on beaches. Some of the resorts are nasty. Stayed in Melieha last year (yuck) and Bugibba didn't look much better. If you are not staying in St Julians/Silema area I wouldn't bother.

Time Team

Monk, If you are an addict to outside historical sites may I recommend an adult education course run by UCD and based in Belfield. It's called "A Certificate in Archaeology".
Run each Spring and Autumn. Courses to date include
"The Archaeology of Medieval and post Medieval Ireland"
"Current themes in and Approaches in Archaeological research", "Pathways to the Past". Great fun includes one day trip per course to an archaeological site. See www.ucd.ie/adulted. Each class runs for a couple of hours on a Monday night.

Some other posts

sarahhurray
Registered User
malta anyone?

I'm tempted by the prices, has anyone been?

Bobby
Re: malta anyone?

Not great if you're after sandy beaches! The people are really friendly, the hotels and restaurents can be good, weather is not brilliant this time of year, but also quite hot in summer. Boat trips are plentiful and enjoyable, try a trip to Scilly. Night life can be very lively, but safe at least.

Natchessmen
Registered User
Re: malta anyone?

I was in Malta last Nov. and really liked it. Of course its all down to your profile and likes. But there is certainly enough to do for a week or so. A couple of days goofing around Valetta, a 1/2 day in Mdiva a few archaeological sites and good food. If you are into SCUBA there is great diving in the country of Malta, Gizo is best and the middle island Camino (??) is meant to be good too. One definite recommendation is the Blue Elephant Thai restaurant in the Hilton (Ugly building great food) it is probably the most expensive food on the island but quite comparable with Dublin prices. Quality and service first class plus.

Also there are day trips to Catania (by Ferry), I love Catania, what I find interesting is the people in these islands, Sicily and Malta are SO very different both nice but quite distinct. Malta has managed to maintain its own identity despite being invaded on average once a century God bless 'em.

Nat

Hi,

Are Ryanair the only airline flying Dublin to Malta as a scheduled service ? Tried Air Malta but it doesn't look like they fly from Ireland at all.

Anyone recommend charter airlines ?

TIA

I'd also like to know if there are any other airlines apart from Ryanair flying direct from Dublin to Malta?

ryanair seems to be the only one.
www.whichbudget.com is a great site to find out where budget airlines fly to.