Highlights of Malta - a holiday from Cyprus

[juliesewell]

Days 1 to 4 of our photo diary of our weeks' stay in Qawra, Malta with visits to Bugibba, St Julian's, Sliema, Valletta, Rabat, Mdina, Gozo and St Paul's Bay before returning home to sunny Cyprus with Emirates airlines from Larnaca airport.

You can click through any of the photos below to see the whole photo diary.

Day 1 - Cafe del Mar, Qawra seafront (late afternoon)


Day 2 - St Julian's to Sliema ferries & Valletta
This was an awesome sight for any dog lover/owner. This guy swimming in the sea at St Julian's/Paceville with his 3 dogs. They were having a whale of a time and the guy had his poo bag as well as a bottle of water to wash down if they peed.



Magnificent building at St Julian's/Paceville


Our water taxi from Sliema to Valletta


Views from Baraka Gardens


Day 3 - Rabat & Mdina (but it rained heavily so we didn't see much of Mdina on this day) The image below is of a tiny little street we found in Rabat.


A glimpse of a bit of Mdina


Mdina Glass


Day 4 - Island of Gozo day tour




Marsalforn - our last stop before the return ferry crossing back to Malta island


Day 5 - The Long Walk (around St Pauls Bay) We walked almost as far as you can see on the opposite side of this bay


Hellooooooo!






Days 5 to 8 will follow soon.......

[Jim B]

Lovely photographs; I always enjoy going to Malta and hopefully will be going back sometime soon for another visit.


Jim

[juliesewell]

Thanks Jim!
We've always gone in February for about 5 or 6 days but this time we went with friends rather than going to visit my parents when they're there on holiday so we had much better weather and did a lot more sightseeing.

The only time we got to sit on a sunlounger and have a read was on the Sunday afternoon after we returned home to Cyprus. Think I could do with another holiday now so I can have a rest

[geoffreys2]

Nice photos, thanks for sharing them with us all.
Never been there but it doesn't look much different to sunny Cyprus to me.
Geoff.

[peggysue]

Lovely photos and they bring back fine memories for me. enjoy the rest of your stay and thank you for sharing with us.

[geoffreys2]

For Hudswell: Yes I would like a trip over there, looks a bit like Kyrenia.
Are the Maltese friendly towards us Brits these days? Was a time during Mintoff days when they got upset because UK
closed down a Naval shipyard I recall.
Gozo was recommended to us - any good?
Geoff.

[Jim B]

The frienldliness of the Maltese people is second to none; always a pleasant greeting whereever you go. The people of Gozo are different from the people of Malta as the island was repopulated from Sicily after the Turks took the whole Gozo population into slavery in (I think) the fifteenth century.

I took my wife there for the first time last year and she fell in love with the place; even after numerous visits I always find something else of interest to see and do. As was said earlier, definately one for the Bucket List.

Jim

[geoffreys2]

Thanks.
Cheapest airline to get there from Larnaca International?
Geoff.

[juliesewell]

Thanks.
Cheapest airline to get there from Larnaca International?
Geoff.

There's only 1 airline which will get you there Geoff - Emirates. The flight starts in Dubai and continues to Malta via LCA so it's a direct flight from Cyprus.

Two and a half hours flying time and it's a code share route with Air Malta so it's always best to check for flight seats direct with both airlines before making a reservation. Either way, it's the same flight but depending who you book with the flight numbers will start with EK or KM.

There's loads of history there, much more to see than Cyprus. We spent a week just visiting towns & cities without actually going into any of the attractions and we still haven't visited the War Rooms after 6 or 7 visits to Malta.

Very easy to get around by bus - no need to hire a car.
€1.50 per day for a bus ticket or €6.50 for a weekly ticket.

Friendly people, imported lagers are cheaper than the local Cisk and we even found Efes pilsner at €1.10 in a bar for a 500ml can, which they tend to refer to as a "pint".

[geoffreys2]

Thanks for that info Jules, most useful.
Geoff.

[juliesewell]

Day 5 continued and Day 6 Valletta Harbours



Wignacourt Tower


Where we walked on Day 5 - from the top right at the National Aquarium right round to just past the sandy bay at Xemxija


Day 6 - Valletta Harbours (10 creeks plus 2 harbours Latini boat cruise) followed by a visit to Valletta city


A couple of the numerous P Boats at Valletta harbour
More info here on the Wiki Commons pages from an older P boat photo of mine taken a couple of years earlier: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File: ... ers_-a.jpg




MSC LIRICA cruise ship - we can't get this close at Limassol port so was good to finally get a full view her.


Oil rig - up close and personal undergoing repairs




SY (super yacht) Maltese Falcon (the dark one with the metal masts). The Maltese Falcon was listed for sale in 2006 on Yachtworld.com, with an asking price of €99 million with engine hours listed at 1,890 hours.[5] Perkins sold the yacht for £60 million in July 2009. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Maltese_Falcon_(yacht)


Inside "The Pub" at Valletta - the last place Oliver Reed took a drink before he collapsed and died whilst filming Gladiator.


Looking down one of the narrow streets of Valletta from the bastions (taken on Day 2)


The Police station (spot the blue lamp by the flags) - spent 20 mins here, but that's another story


Believe it or not, this is the ceiling of a coffee bar - on Republic Street.


Photos of Mdina the silent city to follow later

[tremithousajohn]

Fantastic pics Jules, particularly like the one through the letter box, what a great idea.

Never been to Malta but may have to try, never heard a bad report of the place.

[kili1]

Thanks for posting those lovely pics, Julie. First went to Malta in the late 60's with the RAF. On one hand it was much less built up then. My parents had a flat on Qawra Point which in those days was mainly natural, very few buildings then St Paul's Bay was just a small fishing village and Bugibba was even smaller, just a hamlet! To see it so built up now makes me feel sad! Valletta and Grand Harbour are lovely, these days. Didn't use to be so immaculate. There was a large area called "the Gut" frequented by visiting or resident sailors and rather seedy. Now it is all renovated and looks fantastic.The bus system in Malta is amazing, buses everywhere on the island, regular and so cheap and efficient. As Jules says, the Maltese are a friendly people. They take a pride in their history and preserve their often magnificent and old buildings. During WW2, the island was granted the George Cross for the part they played during the war. Despite the danger and hardships endured.
I feel that Cyprus could take a leaf out of their book as far as being independent, and making a success of it both financially and otherwise is concerned.
Dee

[juliesewell]

Day 7 - back to Mdina in the sunshine (probably our most favourite place in Malta) - Clicking through any of the photos will take you to the complete album if you're interested in seeing more of Malta.



Another police station:


We stopped for a hot cuppa here on Day 3 to get out of the rain - this is the courtyard view we missed


Don't know what this building is, but it's gorgeous!


Fontanella Cafe - too full on our 2nd visit so we went next door. (My review of Fontanella from Day 3 is on TripAdvisor)


Views from the top of Mdina towards Mosta Dome and the coast


On our way to Palazzo de Piro - museum and cafe bar next door to Fontanella (similar prices and possibly better views). http://www.palazzodepiro.com


€99 for a meal at the restaurant of the person who owns this car...


Last Day - Day 8 - view of the hotel entrance from our balcony


Day 8 - Megalithic Temple at the New Dolmen Hotel (Bugibba)


Info on the above temple


Popular swimming spot - close to "The Square" at Bugibba


Sunset on the wing of our Emirates flight on the way back home

[Jim B]

Malta and Madina in particular is used as backdrops in many scenes in Game of Thrones; never tire of looking at the photographs.

Jim

[Jim]

That XK120 was made in my old village of Allesley by Jaguar of course, great car.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allesley

[juliesewell]

We do find it a little similar to Cyprus in that you will find old and very modern buildings side by side, narrow streets, English widely spoken, 3 pin electric sockets, you can drink water from the tap, they drive on the left and of course, terrible driving... need I say more?

[jagwheels]

Jules some may remember me asking for advise on celebrating a 50th so will put your experience into my notebook. I liked it & Personally I hope Mrs Norv may change her opinion on visiting places such as ................ too numerous to mention. What the heck would you do in Hawaii or San Fransisco. Perhaps its just that time of the year when "Mr Grumpy kicks in"

[juliesewell]

Some of the more unusual things which caught my eye during our Malta holiday....

In good nick:


A doer upper? Only the facade has been kept:


The bread queue in Rabat on Sunday - must be bloody good bread at that shop!


She was talking to her Romeo.... unless the handsome prince was returning the glass slipper to "Cinders"


Yes, the grass is real!


Offerings for help with afflictions, illness or hopeless causes at Ta Pinu church, Gozo


Palazzo Antonin bar in Victoria, Gozo


We were told these offloaded brand new cars were bound for Libya - it just ain't happening, is it?


A glimpse of the Blood Moon from our balcony on our last evening - 9 October


I hope you've all enjoyed sharing our experience.....

[Jim B]

I hope you've all enjoyed sharing our experience.....


Very much, thank you.

Jim

[juliesewell]

Jules some may remember me asking for advise on celebrating a 50th so will put your experience into my notebook. I liked it & Personally I hope Mrs Norv may change her opinion on visiting places such as ................ too numerous to mention. What the heck would you do in Hawaii or San Fransisco. Perhaps its just that time of the year when "Mr Grumpy kicks in"

Norv,
You could show her some of those photos of the streets of Valletta and tell her that's where you're going and she may well think they are the streets of San Fancisco She may be a bit surprised at how short the flight is though

[Jennywren]

Great pictures Jules. We lived in Rabat in Malta in the late 60s when my OH was in the RN. There was a bakery in our street though it didn’t have a fancy awning like in your picture. I can’t remember the times now but bread was baked several times a day & you could get it fresh out of the traditional oven – looks like it may still be the case.

We went back for a holiday many years later, must have been late 90s, & we wished we hadn’t as naturally there had been a lot of changes though the street where we had lived was much the same. We took the road from Rabat down to the shore base where my OH was stationed & just when we were thinking we must have taken a wrong turning we found it & discovered that it had become a drug rehabilitation centre! Valletta & Fort St Angelo seemed run down & ”The Gut” was derelict & dirty. Marsaxlokk where we stayed was still quite pretty & unspoiled & no doubt Gozo would have been the same had we had the time to visit but many places had grown so much as to become unrecognisable.

But from your photos Jules it looks like great improvements have been made since then & perhaps another visit would be in order although it’s a bit of a drag having to go to Larnaca when we can fly from Paphos to Crete – even if it is with Ryanair!

[juliesewell]

JennyWren

Yes, there have been some big improvements - something to do with Malta having a bucket load of EU money thrown at it (85% of it from the EU) although I forget the amount that was quoted. They're building a new ringroad/bypass around Salina Bay to St Paul's Bay (Qawra/Bugibba) which will make a huge difference. The National Aquarium looks lovely and the numerous lido's which have sprung up are quite fabulous.

But I appreciate what you say that sometimes, it's not always good to go back

We'd quite like to go back to Crete too as we stayed in Ay. Nikolaos in the early summer of 1992. Would be nice to have a revisit but similarly although Paphos is probably slightly closer to us than Larnaca we find once we've turned off the highway that airport road seems to get longer and longer each time and it put's us off. However, flight time to Crete will be a smidgin shorter so it's swings and roundabouts I suppose.

Funnily enough, my other half always says "I really liked Crete, do you remember when we went to.....?" and my reply is generally, "that was Rhodes"

[Jim B]

We used to visit Malta when it was run down and then you either loved it or hated it. The difference from then and now is amazing and the EU money appears to have been well spent.

Jim

[juliesewell]

I posted the below to someone yesterday but I'm happy to share it with you..... the turnaround for me has been quite tremendous:

The weirdest thing is when I worked at First Choice Holidays in the UK, Malta was my worst nightmare. One of the worst performing resorts and we literally pulled guests out of hotels overnight and diverted arriving passengers to different hotels without letting the hotel management/owners know until it had happened - then stopped all their payments. The customers were buying flowers for the girls in resort and weeping with relief to get out of some of those hotels....

When my parents first told me they had booked a months holiday there and had never been anywhere else for longer than 2 weeks, I almost died with dread. They loved it and went back year on year... so when we came to live in Cyprus and we took our first trip back there (I had been on a 2 night stay as a resort visit from work a number of years before and came back with the opinion it was no different in the flesh than on paper) you can imagine we were going with very mixed feelings.

Luckily the hotel was okay and was one that I'd visited on my resort visit - it fared okay and the food was okay too. It didn't change my opinion first off but we did pay several visits over the next 6 years and it grew familiar. This last visit by going in late summer rather than winter felt much more pleasant and we did some slightly different visits with our friends than with my parents....

Over the last 3 years or so, it's somewhere we have said that perhaps if we'd found it sooner - it could possibly have been our home instead of Cyprus. Amazing!

In addition to that, Malta is very accessible to places we haven't yet travelled much of: Italy and Sicily are 2 places which immediately spring to mind but not only those, there are places we still want to go back to - Tunisia being one of them. And with Malta being slap bang in the middle it really is an idyllic location. It offers regular flights to most European destinations on a daily basis including a number to Istanbul, which is on our list of places to "do" with the added bonus it's only half the distance from UK than Cyprus.

The daytime temperatures were very similar to those in Cyprus when we visited at the beginning of the month and the evenings were actually warmer than the temperatures we left behind here on 3 October. I was still walking around in T-shirts/vest tops but in Cyprus I was getting to the stage of taking a lightweight shirt or fleece with me - just in case. We've always had pretty good weather on our winter visits too although it can get quite breezy if you're in those narrow, tall streets of Valletta....

[juliesewell]

Just in case you may have lost this along the way....

[toonarmy9752]

a fab place for short holidays and theyre as friendly as any other touristy spot - its a completely different story when trying to live and work there......

Nice photos by the way - they bring back fond memeories of our 6 years living there - too small for us about the same as Cyprus in terms of corruption etc etc and the anti british feeling is gaining momentum - tourists wont see it but believe me it is there.... but Cyprus is to us is much cleaner greener and more civilised hs better roads and driving standards are much higher...in my experience so far - maybe that view will change over time...who knows

The maltese people are some of the most generous in the world however there is an ever increasing level of racism and blatant discrimination against anyone who is not maltese and worsening due to the massive influx of immigrants spiralling out of control... the island desperately needs help on that....

anyway glad you have had a fab holiday and thanks again for the photos