no one want to recommend their fave places ?

I am sure some of our regular Malta experts will answer you shortly Rachie B

hi rachie b try the perfection cafe in valetta ,superb lunches and snacks ,lorna

Hi Rach,

Well when I read your enquiry I thought the perfect base for you would be Sliema - until you mentioned car parking since from my experience this can be a nightmare. Sliema still remains our favourite place since it offers us the kind of holiday base we have preferred in the past with plenty of bars restaurants, easy access to Valletta and buses to all over the Island. There are plenty of boat excursions available and Mrs bhm2trev loves to wander about Sliema nipping in and out of the many shops etc while I enjoy waiting patiently in somewhere like Tony's bar forcing myself to drink lots of hopleaf to quench my thirst!!!

However, we're off again to Malta in August and was torn between staying in Sliema or further out in the sticks, where it's much quieter. The ultimate deciding factor was that we wanted to hire a car so we decided to stay in Salina Bay at The Coastline Hotel which has oodles of parking space and is a brill 4star hotel, which we have used before. Mrs bhm2trev and our son have already had a week in Feb this year at the Coastline (I was too busy with work commitments) and they had a great time. That's not to say that they wouldn't have enjoyed some of the hotels we've stayed in in Sliema in the past!

Another reason for our choice is that Salina Bay is nearer the Gozo ferry and we love to use the hire car to visit Gozo since it really is worth doing especially since we love to spend time on Gozo's Ramla Beach, which is spectacular and you really have to see this beach to believe it.

What I've written is our opinion and for this year this is the kind of break we decided on. As we have found out there are many different kinds of holiday you can have in Malta according to what you like. One thing's for certain I think you'll find the Maltese people very friendly- no wonder it's the happiest place on Earth!

If you want to ask anything specific please do so. We have never stayed in the hotels you have mentioned but I would think other folks might be able to help you. I hope this helps,

Trev

HI there Hand out of plaster now so back on line. We have stayed at the San Anton many times and found it to be a basic 3* hotel. I woulodn't stay in the summer months though as it has no A/C in the rooms only ceiling fans. The food has always been varied with plenty of choice and they are usually very good at temperature checks etc. The San Paul is just round the corner and while we have not stayed there we have heard good and bad reports maily about the food. You must remember that 3* in Malta is slightly less than most other places. In the St Pauls area there are bars on every corner so take your choice. We like Ziggies, Jesters and the 23 new Steps. (this is on the front near the steps down to the little harbour it has fantastic views, an evening visit to watch the sun set over the hill is worth it)
Please ask if you have any more Q's about the St Pauls area. We go at least twice a year and have made many Maltese friends there

I don't know if you are aware but all the beaches to be found in Malta are up in the north part of the island apart from one which is at the freeport in the south. So if you want to go to the beaches then look for accommodation that is not too far from the beaches!

When parking your hire car do not park it near to a corner as you will be fined!

Thanks all

oh no so is it best to rely on public transport then rather than hire a car??!!

Why go hotelling at all?

Why not just hire a Villa & car on Gozo, then do absolutely your own thing.
A useful contact is:- frontoffice@xlendi.com

I've been using them for a few years. Very, very helpful.

we usually do DIY holidays but this time it appears to be cheaper to do the package hol rather than book separately ?!

I've tried sorting out my own arrangements in the past to holiday in Malta but it seems that the packages I have had turn out cheaper than trying to sort out things for myself. That's not to say that I wouldn't consider making my own arrangements in the future. I would be very cautious though about advising someone to do this if they weren't familiar with Malta cause like many holiday destinations, you could land yourself in a dump!

Anyway regards using the buses, many folks prefer this mode of transport but if you really want to have the freedom to really get to lots of places quickly rather than spend your holiday waiting for buses, you need to hire a car. From our experience if you go out in the sticks a bit the buses run much less frequently and waiting around in the hot sunshine isn't as pleasant as it may seem! Try this link for car hire,

http://www.sundrive.com.mt/

We've used them a lot in the past and have been very pleased but don't forget to take out the extra insurance (Lm2 - 3 per day) - for that extra bit of piece of mind, if you know what I mean!

Just remember if you plan on going over to Gozo to 'explore' it will cost quite a bit for a conducted tour and the only real way as far as we are concerned, is to take a car via ferry to the Island,

Trev

Thanks trev

Hello Rachie B....we hired a car last year...was a bit hair raising...guess you will fing out..lol..but we thought we were so carefull about where we parked,untill 3 months later when back in the UK we got a parking ticket for parking near a corner,...so be very careful where you park,,but have a great holiday..we are back in july 18th in Mellieha bay....

Hi cherylking,

Sorry to hear that you been done for this offence but I have to say that it's about time we had a law stopping folks here in the UK parking on street corners. As you know it's a nightmare for traffic trying to turn at junctions when cars are parked too near the corner obscuring the view. Problem is knowing how close you need to be at a corner before you are commiting this offence in Malta? Does anyone know?

Also how much did they fine you?

Trev

I have posted this link before but.....here it is again... The Maltese Highway Code. AKA the shortest book ever printed.

http://www.doi.gov.mt/EN/archive/HighwaycodeEng/index.asp

Some other good links here....>

http://www.aboutmalta.com/GOVERNMENT_and_POLITICS/more2.shtml

Hi fallan,

Thanks for this info. As for the smallest book ever printed - I've decided to print off the motorist pages and used 25 A4 sheets!

Trev

Sorry.. Joke..Malta drivers, highway code, rules, nahhh. joke

To be honest we were not on a corner but near one there were no sign posts or other....it was a back street a no through road...we were very careful not to obsure or block anything....?????
We were about 20ft from the corner......

May i add we will not be driving this year or any other year...we will take the bus....

Hi cherylking,

Since I intend to drive could you tell me where about on the Island you were? Also did the offence affect your licence ie did you get any penalty points and how much did they fine you?

Trev

Itwas ina back street in mellieha bay at the back of our appartment...we were fined £15 maltese i believe..but dont let it put you off some of the best spots are more accessible by car and we did not get any points or otherwise on our licencejust this small fine..we were just a bit surprized thats all..as my husband is 51 and is a very careful thoughtful driver.
But do drive its an experience you wont forget lol.
Take a trip to Dingli cliffs its really pretty there and has a great resturant with a real good view....
Enjoy malta is wonderful.....