:Ok I've printed off that down load Val .. Seems to be several going on the 8th July . Think we might need a malta/gozo map added to our sat nav . not sure it will be Daves thing if there are huge crowds though

Another thing I remembered is a little stalls market in Victoria that if you happen to be there anyway you could have a little mooch around, not worth going there specifically for it though. You can tell I go for the low brow pursuits like beaches and markets and not the high brow ones like Val I did see the church from afar though and the architecture looked spectacular.

Doe

Actually we need to go into victoria the day after we arrive to sign the car hire papers . I dont think Dave will be impressed with wandering around a market but if he & the lads fancy a beer or 2 I love a bit of antique tat browsing and if it's maltese even better
Definately want to do the citadel one day

There is something about Gozo that makes it feel like quite a special place, perhaps because it seems remote from the real world on one hand, but still has everything you need for a good holiday. I can understand how people fall in love with the place.

I can fully understand why you would choose a farmhouse on Gozo to celebrate your retirement Graham, would love to stay in one myself, there is just something about the look of them, very traditional on the one hand, and then walk outside to a private pool and spectacular views of the countryside.

Doe x x x

You are all convincing me more and more for Gozo 2013. Sounds right up our street
I know we've 'popped in' but it's not the same on those trips as you are herded about too much and too quickly.

I think you would enjoy it Glynis, we stayed in a beautiful hotel called the Ta Cenc, which I believe has various types of accommodation such as rooms, suites and private villas that might be called Trullis(?). It had various pools and the outdoor part of the restaurant was canopied by trees so a nice setting to eat breakfast in. Not sure how easy it would be to get about from there by public transport though as we had a car, so the island was our oyster I guess. We did manage to see a lot of it in a week so if we went back a week in a farmhouse would be great.

I guess it's personal preference as with a hotel you are getting all the services that go with it.

It's very hot in the height of the summer, similar to Greece and Turkey so that probably isnt the best time to tour about.

Doe

Thanks Doe x

Hubby doesn't like it too hot, so we went May/June and the weather was lovely, plus Malta wasn't too busy. We were told we'd gone at the right time.

We'll definitely have a car. I want to look in all the nooks and cranies

Just need to sort out which area to stay in and look for some accommodation. The farmhouses look lovely but way to big for 2.

We liked Marsaxlokk, thought we'd chosen the best resort for us, so something similar would be nice. Near the sea (I like to look at the sea), some restaurants, shop for milk etc. But not too busy.

Ermmm what else? Oh yes, thought about hotel due to a lot of the private stuff being farmhouses. We haven't stayed in a hotel for years so may make a nice change

The Ta Cenc was in Sannet which is inland a bit, but it might not be quite right for a couple, as it is probably one of the biggest hotels on the Island, it depends on personal taste a bit.

But when we stayed there they had a sister hotel called the Cornucopia in Xaghra. The Ta Cenc is a supposed 5/4 star depending on if its a TO rating or an offical tourist board rating & the Cornucopia a 4/3 star.

The later would be nice for a couple, but you would need to check read recent reviews for standards.

Both of these hotels have the beautiful traditional architecture, that you think of on Gozo what looks like yellow sandstone to me (probably nothing of the kind as I know nothing of architecture apart from what I like )

I only know of the Corucopia as it hosted a weekly BBQ that guests at the Ta 'Cenc were invited, so we reckied it once to locate it & had coffee, then went back on night for the BBQ. I thought it was lovely there and that is where i would stay if I returned to a hotel, rather than a villa, it seemed a bit special.

Where is Lyn staying maybe she will have some recommendations when she comes back?

I will go off and see if I can find any links.

Doe

Thanks Doe.

Will be interested to hear how long it takes to get from airport to destination also, as I can imagine it's a bit of a hike (with the road system) from airport to ferry, then 25mins on ferry. Will see what Lyn has to say on her return.

I think this is the offical web-site for the Cornucopia Glynis

http://www.cornucopiahotel.com/

if you enter and click the links it seems to have bungalows as well, also if you click whats nearby there are some great pictures of the surrounding area.

and this is the ta 'cenc

http://www.tacenc.com/

Cheers Doe Will have a good mooch tomorrow.

Yes it's the cornucopia we are staying at but have booked one of their bungalows . We fancied trying S/C again but because Im going to be dive widow I didnt fancy being stuck on my own in a farmhouse on the days they went out ..this way we can use the facilities of the hotel ie pool, restaurant, buffet breakfast at a charge but have the opportunity to stock a fridge and have a more secluded pool at the bungalow too .

The hotel does look more rustic with more charm whan some I looked at .. The other I considered was the calypso in Marselforn but it was more expensive and it just wasnt ticking so many boxes for us .

the reviews are very good chris .there were a few iffy ones that complained about the more rustic aspects but that's what appeals to us . Price is good too .

Trust me Lyn I hadn't even realised that was the one you were going to I only mentioned as I thought it might be OK for Glynis. When we went there for their BBQ night it really appealed to me. I hope you have made a good choice. Did you book direct with the hotel or did you use someone like booking dot com or hotels dot con ?

Hopefully during the day when you are a dive widow it will be small enough for you to get to know some familiar faces, like you do at the HSBC.

Have been having a mooch at Gozo and wondering which resort to choose. Marsalforn bay looks nice, any suggestions, favourites?

Thanks

I booked it direct chris .. The hotel rooms were available quite widely with the bedbookers but I could only find the bungalows with one +malta direct . Price was similar so i figured more security & flexibility booking direct . I believe the price was based per person with malta direct whereas booking direct with cornucopia it was the same cost however many of us went giving me the option of adding in any of the other lads later if they wanted to come . As you know we are all going now and the hotel has changed us from a 2 bed to a 3 bed bungalow at only 10 euros per night extra .. think it's cost us almost 1300 euros for that but we wil have to pay for breakfast if we want it . I've only paid a deposit so far , hoping the euro rate stays good for when I pay the balance at checkout . Im actually really looking forward to it and had no idea either that you had been there . Knew you'd stayed at Ta cenc though.

I originally narrowed it down to either Marsalform or Xlendi Glynis . If you want a hotel you could look at the Calypso in MF or St patricks in Xlendi which always seemed to get lots of recommendations.

In the end though I got put off by the tiny little roof top pools that looked more like plunge pools in the coastal hotels . Although we hope to get out and about more than we usually do we will still spend a lot of time chilling on a sunbed .Can you imagine the 5 of our loud gobs relaxing around one of those so decided on going somewhere with a little more room inland .

Thanks Lyn will keep having a look around the various hotels and apartments.

Glynis - catching up with this due to being away...the transfer time now from the airport to the ferry port of Cirkewwa can be much quicker now due to a "motorway" they built for a visit by the Queen a couple of years ago. Even then though, depending on what time you actually arrive, transfer can take up to 45 mins. Once in Mgarr, transfer to anywhere is very quick as the island is so small. I know the vast majority of roads are not that crash hot in Gozo but the main routes are ok.

I would recommend either Xlendi or Marselforn. These are the 2 favourite places of the Gozitans, especially Marselforn. The natives tend to flock there at weekends and "parade". It also depends on how close you actually want to stop to the coast...if you want to be right on the beach front, then these places are very popular and have good facilities. A little more inland can take you to places like Xaghra and Sannat but wherever you go, you are never more than a couple of miles to the beach. Ramla Bay has a lovely sandy beach and is quite close to Xaghra.

Many thanks Val that's helped a lot