CyprusLiving

by **geoff28** » 31 Mar 2011 10:10

Just ending a holiday in Malta and have to say I wish i had considered this option before deciding to live in Cyprus.

Any thoughts?

**Sponsor**

by **jeancraft** » 31 Mar 2011 10:15

I agree - it's on my list now though

Have to say a lot cheaper than here

by **DILYON** » 31 Mar 2011 10:20

Malta WAS our first choice before we came to Cyprus.
Problem was, this was before EU and the exchange rate MÂ£ to STGÂ£
was poor. Also, we considered Malta too small. You could go round the complete island in one day. And, Dom Mintoff was president or PM and he hated English.
Anyway, settled well now in Cyprus; may look at Malta for a holiday.
Dil

by KG » 31 Mar 2011 10:35

geoff28 wrote:Any thoughts?

The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. Utopia does not exist.

by **Dee Dee** » 31 Mar 2011 10:37

I lived in Malta for three years and certainly found plenty to do and never felt that the island was too small.

by **jeancraft** » 31 Mar 2011 10:38

Dil - it's easy to get to Malta - daily flights from Larnaca, but just a tip - book through the Air Malta site - the flight is codeshared on Emirates, and it's a lot more expensive to book on the Emirates website.

by **Jim** » 31 Mar 2011 12:50

I have holidayed on Malta and enjoyed my time there, but it is similar to Cyprus hot dusty and scruffy, only a lot smaller, not an island that I would personally wish to live, great for a short stay..both times in Mellieha bay.

http://www.beachholidayguide.co.uk/popu ... e=mellieha

Plus points nice people.

It was cheap to eat and drink.

Property is or was cheap.

down side too small, hot and dusty conditions, noisy where we stayed.

by **Ageing Rocker** » 31 Mar 2011 12:56

My OH keeps on about going on holiday and has suggested Malta - don't know why, but she gets very upset when I tell her she IS on holiday, 365 days of the year in sunny Cyprus!

by **Jim B** » 31 Mar 2011 13:02

Funnily enough I contacted the Maltese Foreign Ministry this morning as I want to go for a short holiday there with my wife but she needs a visa and the nearest place to obtain one is in Athens. I always enjoyed going to Malta and holidayed there for many years before coming to Cyprus. It looks like we will have to get a Schengen visa and go via Athens which seems a bit daft to me when I can fly directly there from Larnaca.

Jim B

by **clive of payia** » 31 Mar 2011 13:16

Malta adopted a policy that non-Maltese could only buy properties of 100 thousand sterling and above which immediately stopped property developers building ugly blocks of small cheap apartments. Has worked very well. Those that bought in Malta also didn't suffer the problems buyers in Cyprus have done - they drive on the left as well.

I just found it too small. Also had been there as a young soldier and Cyprus as well. Cyprus won the day.

by **Jim** » 31 Mar 2011 15:56

I agree with that Clive I also found it too small an Island, nice holiday destination but have to say it is very similar to Cyprus in many ways.

by **jeancraft** » 31 Mar 2011 16:08

I didn't stay in a tourist resort, I was in a small village in the centre and it was lovely. I must say I found it a lot quieter than in Mesogi - no noisy bikes, no barking dogs, no cars with the music pumping out! I was asked a few times if it was like Cyprus, and I had to say no - nothing like Cyprus. In fact some areas I likened to the Yorkshire Dales - the fields were green (it was February), and lots of dry stone walling dividing it into fields. No concrete houses, they were all built in the local limestone blocks - some aged, some new looking. One thing I did not like were the roads - if you think Cyprus roads are bad . . . . . . try the Maltese ones. However, all in all, I thoroughly enjoyed it - will be interesting to hear what my friend says when he visits Cyprus!

by **Jim** » 31 Mar 2011 16:10

Hello Jean I guess you can find peace and quiet here? but both parts of Malta we stayed in could have been Kato Pafos so similar in all ways..

by **CeeBee** » 31 Mar 2011 16:17

Have been going to Malta since the 70s, when the RAF had an airbase at Luqa. Interesting and historic place but yes - small. Is "The Gut" (Strait St) still there. :oops:

Gozo is interesting for a day out. It's (I'm sure it hasn't changed) like stepping back in time.

by **Paul Price** » 31 Mar 2011 19:18

My wife and I were in Malta in September and we must say it is not as clean as it was before.

The number of plastic bottles just disguarded in the streets and the harbour was something to be seen.

When we went to Valetta and looked over the parapet at the entrance where the buses drop you off there where hundreds of them!

We went up to the aviation Museum and at the bus stop they where in the gutter for at least 30 yards and as far as 10 yards in to the field.

We will not be going back to soon!

by **Islandboy** » 31 Mar 2011 22:05

And all of the above is why I choose to live in Cyprus.

Why live in a bed sit when you can have a big house.

This is an analogy to the sizes of the islands by the way.

by **Richard.G** » 31 Mar 2011 22:12

Island boy.

Very strange logic there. How come you didn't choose Greenland?

by **Pam & Chris** » 01 Apr 2011 10:19

[quote="CeeBee"]Have been going to Malta since the 70s, when the RAF had an airbase at Luqa. Interesting and historic place but yes - small. Is "The Gut" (Strait St) still there. :oops:

quote]

Not the same 'ambiance' down The Gut now as there was pre 70s I would think Ceebee?

Chris

by **geoff28** » 01 Apr 2011 10:27

Paul Price wrote:My wife and I were in Malta in September and we must say it is not as clean as it was before.

The number of plastic bottles just disguarded in the streets and the harbour was something to be seen.

When we went to Valetta and looked over the parapet at the entrance where the buses drop you off there where hundreds of them!

We went up to the aviation Museum and at the bus stop they where in the gutter for at least 30 yards and as far as 10 yards in to the field.

We will not be going back to soon!

The authorities must have had a big clean up as we found no litter at all and put Cyprus to shame in this regard.
In addition they appeared to be into re-cycling with no plastic bags allowed and all groceries packed into paper bags.

by **jeancraft** » 01 Apr 2011 10:43

Yes Geoff - I thought that as well. It took me back a bit when I got my goods in paper carriers in Debenhams and BHS :lol:

by **medwayboy** » 01 Apr 2011 20:38

clive
since Malta joined EEC rules on buying property same as rest of Europe

by **CeeBee** » 01 Apr 2011 20:49

Lifesabeach Hi,

I would suggest you research it. I went to Buggiba with my family and it was a disaster. The ramshackle hotel was full of British lager louts - the noise was horrendous and one of them ended up in a hospital after the first night when he jumped through a plate glass window. My 2 year old Granddaughter got a bad foot infection from the swimming pool. Last minute dot com cheap disaster. Beware!

by **DILYON** » 02 Apr 2011 09:54

We have stayed several times in a time-share in the north of Malta. Place called Ramla Bay. It overlooks the small island of Comino and about a mile from the Gozo ferry.
Popeye village is also near. You DO need a car although the funny buses are quite good.
We used to breakfast in the village of Meliaha and watch some of the world go by.
For a good and safe night life, St Juliens was a good place.

Dil

by **JODE** » 02 Apr 2011 09:58

which is the best airliner to fly from Cyprus to Malta

Thanks denise

by **geoff28** » 02 Apr 2011 10:06

I think you will find there is no choice Emirates with Air Malta. Unless anyone found any other options.

Therefore no chance of cheap flights : we found the price just over â‚¬400 return for both of us.

by **Ageing Rocker** » 02 Apr 2011 10:12

jeancraft wrote:Dil - it's easy to get to Malta - daily flights from Larnaca, but just a tip - book through the Air Malta site - the flight is codeshared on Emirates, and it's a lot more expensive to book on the Emirates website.

This earlier posting may be useful to Geoff28 & Jode

by **Kissos** » 02 Apr 2011 11:46

Went in late 2010 for 5 days - hadn't been for over 20 years.
Flew Air Malta/Emirates, short flight 2.5 hrs, great service
How has it changed? For the better I think, accommodation standards were higher and so were the roads.
Stayed in Sliema - fabulous! Great base for the island.
Other favourite places were Valletta, Golden Bay/Melleha and St Julians.
Hired a car and saw most of the island. Parking a bit of a nightmare in places like Valletta and Sliema though. Buses are very cheap and frequent, food and drink very good value, (our money went a long way) coffee cheap between 35 cents and 1.50 euros - retaurants and cafe bars were really packed on a Saturday in Sliema with both locals and tourists which was amazing to see considering it was the winter season.

People were really friendly and it felt strange hearing English being spoken all the time. Supermarket food prices much cheaper than Cyprus, health/beauty items cheaper in the pharmacy.
Avoid staying or visiting Qawra & Bugibba - absolutely awful places - drove through both and didn't even stop for a coffee.

Would I go back? Yes definitely, great place to visit from Cyprus. Would I live there? I prefer Cyprus, but would rather live there than the UK if I had to leave here for any reason.

Karen

by **geoff28** » 02 Apr 2011 12:02

Having just returned from holiday I can endorse everything Kissos has said.
We are already making plans to return in October and we have even earmarked the hotel in Sliema where we shall stay.

We stayed in the Marina at Corinthia nr St Juliens and found it too far away from attractions even though the buses only cost 47c each to anywhere on the island!

by **Ams** » 02 Apr 2011 15:20

Is "The Gut" (Strait St) still there

Growing up in the 70s and 80s Strait Street sort of had a mythical reputation - it was the sort of place you whispered about and then, as you got older, told rude jokes about, but it was so far removed from the world I knew it was hard to imagine was really went on there. Sounds like Ceebee will know a lot more than me! In the early 90s a couple of friends and I finally had the guts to walk down it - in the day time - and I actually found it a bit sad to see all the derilict bars with their faded frontages - you could imagine how the place would once have been full of life. Here's a photo I've just taken of some photos stuck in a photo album (bear in mind this was back in 1993)

Since then the street has slowly been renovated and more sedate wine bars etc have been opened, the top part anyway. I'm not sure I've been down the bottom part since 1993 - but I'm quite sure you won't find many British sailors there now... :wink:

For anyone planning on visiting Malta please don't stay in Bugibba or Qawra - I wouldn't even drive through. It's best to avoid summer when it's too hot to go exploring and also like here it all dries up. Malta looks much better whe it's green between October and April/May. Traffic can be bad and parking hard, but if you do hire a car you get off the beaten track and explore much more of the island the countryside. We have some lovely walks along the cliffs, for example. And you must visit Gozo -again, you get to see so much more if you have a car. Here are a couple of Gozo pics to whet your appetite -

Ams

CyprusLiving

Malta

Malta

Malta

Re: Malta

Malta

Re: Malta

Malta

Who is online