Hello, well all I can think of that no body must be going to Malta any more, I shall have to put up a bit of history just to fill in and give people something to look at

Dave.

I would love to go to Malta but as we usually have the Malta holiday as a 'cheap inbetweeny'!!! I have found that the prices are getting too high. For instance if we did a 'last minute' next week it is cheaper to go on a cruise than to Malta. I personally would chose Malta but try explaining that to hubby The other thing stopping us from chosing Malta is that we have started taking the grandchildren away. Although I do love Malta it is not the place for a 'kiddie' holiday.

Well I love Malta and Gozo and hope to be there later this months, fingercrossed, my little dog unwell and the tests and everything make me feel like I don't want to leave him, but vets said not to jump to a decision just yet, so may get there.
As for prices well I think there are some bargins out and about because people are just not booking with the Euro and all the doom and gloom............sun, sun, and more sun is the answer, maybe someone should invent a great big magnet to drag us into the Med
J

I know I said that I wouldn't do a report and I do hope that people that haven't been to Malta don't see this and expect the worse!!
1 we got ripped off with Captain Morgan who abandonned us after the MTV concert
2 Someone tried (but failed) to charge us 10 euros for 2 small bottles of water at the concert!
3 The Santana hotel didn't have air-con as advertised and just lied and lied about the situation (we had 3 different rooms and thats a first even for me!)
4 Chevron just didn#t care about our complaints and didn't return calls or turn up for meetings thay had arranged with us
5 A couple we took to the Rabat FEsta got charged 12.40 euros for 2 small slices of pizza

BUT.. the MTV concert was fantastic and we will be going again next year

The rest of our stay was wonderful as usual and it will not put us off going to Malta again. We will never use Chevron again and I will keep you updated as to my official complaint to them
We will never stay at the Santana hotel again and we will never use Captain Morgan again. Oh and the shop in Rabat is....if you have your back to the church and walk past the police station, there is a little passtizi/pie shop, they riipped us off big style so they are off my xmas card list!!
PS met Lorna at the cactus bar and had a good hour or so with her and her friends

Charlie so sorry to hear of your time. Not sure where your hotel was, but its so strange that you have said something that I thought...I have been to Malta so many times and never felt ripped off, this year however, I felt in some places that it was holiday makers, ex pats and locals. I can't really but my finger on it but several times in Malta and Gozo we had to question little things, McDonalds had a meal promotion on yet gave us change from 2 ordinary meals, I would never have noticed, but hubby is quick with things like that, and I noticed at several restarants the food served to locals was top notch, yet our food portion was ok but not like the plates before.
As for MTV concert, guess we were lucky only having to walk up the hill from our hotel.... was quite taken back that alot of stars and MTV folk stayed there , the price of water you mentioned, in main arena you purchased tokens from a central cash area and paid with them. But we later walked by back of the church and a small shop was doing a roaring trade, we even went back next day to buy wine.
But did you enjoy the concert, I thought it was a great night.

Hello to the few,
I was looking around the other night on the web as you do and found this site, it is not one on holidays but more to read up on a bit of history. Those who have been to Malta may find it adds a bit of back ground to places they have been or may eish to go next time they are there.
The place is the Hill Musem & Manuscript Libary and if it works the link below should take you to it, it is full of things about the Knights of Malta from way back when.

http://www.hmml.org/centers/malta/smom/smom_index.html

Dave.

Just want to say that I visited Malta (and took a day trip to Gozo) earlier in the year. I don't think it's a place I'd return to every year but the people were, almost without exception, absolutely spot on. A cracking place but wasn't half hot though!

I know that a few of you regulars know my friend Tony, the tour guide from St Pauls Bay. Well I thought that you should know that he is quite ill and waiting to come to England for an operation when he is well enough. Can Gozo Mark let his friends at Rosanas know in case they haven't heard. Thanks

will do - thanks for letting me know

Is nobody visiting Gozo or Malta anymore???

I'm in Malta now!!!!
First time and we are all loving it. If anything, it's been too hot these past few days, bet I'll regret saying that once we get home though.

Off out to Sliema in a bit, will be our first visit there.

too hot ?? ... its been 31-32C max, almost cool for this time of year.. it has been humid though, that makes it feel warmer

31 degrees is positively tropical compared to the British "summer" we've had this year.
If it were any hotter I'd have to stay indoors most of the time

when its 30C +, have a siesta, not

get up at 6am sleep from 1pm-3pm, party until 1pm -thats the way to do it

Hello men.
Just like to fill you in on our last trip to London, Sat 23rdAugust, again we went down there to see our daughter and her boy friend along with his Mam and Dad. Had a good trip down the road works at Luton seem to be nearly finished, at least when we go down to Luton airport in October there should not be any hold ups getting there, any way about our weekend.
We got there about 12noon and went of for lunch at Cafe Rouge in Highgate, had a nice meal with wine and then on to pub for a beer, then it was back to our Daughters house to make a picnic, I might add that we tuck the pork pie and mustard along with some wine.
At 5pm we all set of for Hampstead Heath about a 30 minute walk for the Party in the Park, Last Night of the Kenwood Proms. Featuring Katherine Jenkins, well I am not one for this type of music but have to say what a great night we all had.
First when we got there, there was a great big queue and yes we were at the back so my daughters boyfriend nipped over a fence with his picnic blanket and went round the side and got a good spot for us all, the way it works is the stage is set at the bottom of a gully and the grass bank rises up, in front of the stage are row upon row of deckchairs and then the grass to lay your picnic blankets, we had three so had a nice big area to have our picnic. I have to say we over did it with the food as there was so much we could have feed about twenty people. Plus we had bottles of Cava and white wine so was well feed and watered as they say.
The concert started at 7.30pm with a full piece Orchestra playing tunes I didnot know the names of but had heard them before and then Katherine came on and did a few songs, then her support a boy band called Blake a bit like G four and the the band and then Katherine and so on like this, Katherine did five dress canges and then it was the time when they played all those songs when you stand up and wave your flag and sing along to land of hope and glory and all that, (super stuff) and to finish the night of there was a firework display, I just wished I could get hang of putting photos on here as it was so good.
So when it was all done we packed all our stuff and went back down the pub although I could only manage a coffee and a brandy, but I have to say what a super night we had and I am sure so did all the other people who went to it did, so if you ever get the chance to go to one of these concerts I can recommend them and they do have all sort of artists on and if it still works take a look at there web site below.

http://www.picnicconcerts.com

And just in case Sliema2 want to know, the meal at Cafe Rouge was six main meals two bottles of white house wine and two bottles of water £98.00, 3 pints 2 halfs and a white wine at the pub £18.00, tickets for the concert £27.00 each and I have no idea what the last round was.

Dave.

Hi Dave
I can beat that. We recently had a local 'Last night of the proms' in Hyde Park, ( Hyde as in Tameside, not THE Hyde Park!) I am sure Sliema knows where this is It was a full orchestra and seveal singers and a fireworks display on the saturday evening and the next day was a family day with lots of artists and the great Alexander O'Niel as top of the bill. The proms was £5 each and the family day FREE!!! As a bonus the weather for once was fantastic.
We are also off to Luton this weekend for a wedding and in 2 weeks off to London (for the first time!) to see Maltese Tony and his wife before he has his operation

Hello charliegirl, yes you did beat that how can any body beat FEEE!!! just goes to show that it is cheaper up north than down south.
Dave.

Yes Sliema2 does know Hyde very well, in fact back in 1995 I proposed to Mrs Sliema2 in a town centre boozer in Hyde, and as for Alexander O'Neal he was a great performer back in the 80's and was responsible for writing some cracking crumpet pulling records back then, our local night club at the time was Hamiltons in Stockport and with the help of the likes of Alex we had some proper nights to remember , so ta Alex me and the chaps will always be in your debt our kid.

Hello all,
just to let you all know I will be in Majorca next week for a bit of the old sun, sea and I forgot what the other one was, but you can be sure I will have a nice time, and I am having a go at sand castle building something I miss in Sliema
Dave.