Malta and Gozo Discussion Forum

Discussions regarding holidays in Malta and Gozo.
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Thanks for your interesting and informative review, I hope it isn't too controversial especially for those of us who love Marmite :D

It is always nice and much appreciated when somebody takes the time to review their holiday in detail :tup

Graham (a Marmite lover)
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I agree a lot with tutor52's comments......

My parents go to Malta every February for 4wks and we generally pop over from our home in Cyprus to visit for a week. It's never been a favoured destination for me from working in travel previously in UK and even after a few visits since coming to live in Cyprus. It's growing on us but very slowly.

If the weather is miserable it can be the most depressing place on earth as the cool winds seem to be channelled between the buildings due to Bugibba and Qawra being mostly hilly. The wind that blows up the street from the New Dolmen and where Trollees supermarket is can be the most cutting and goes through anything! Add that to a lot of decrepit buildings it's not the nicest of areas to look at. I find the North of the island much more open and appealing. Malta always reminds me a bit of Gibraltar - like it's stuck in a timewarp somewhere between the 1960's and 1970's.

My parents stay in Qawra and fairly close to the Qawra Palace hotel so we know that area quite well. We too like Valetta but on a cold and windy day, again - the wind just whips through those long lines of streets and I always get ear ache after a visit. The Grand Harbour is fabulous and we also like to go to Sliema as it's close enough to Valetta with views across the harbour.

Last February (2010) we had the best weather ever and took the Gozo day trip paying 10 EUR per person which included entrance fees but not the return ferry crossing (approx 4 EUR each). We thought it was an excellent day and an extremely good price.

This year I visited Malta alone leaving my hubby behind in Cyprus to look after our 2 big dogs and the cat! I went on Sat 19th Feb and the weather wasn't so good. Luckily for me I didn't fly the day before though as there was a big storm which meant some flights were rerouted via Sicily and the Gozo ferries, although the continued to run - they had to take the long way around.

I was there until the following Thursday and in that time I think only Moday 21st was one of the best days. Some days it was overcast and cool - saying that, I never got to put my padded jacket on, just a fleece and a gilet over the top. I'm always cold in Malta as Cyprus is a little warmer at that time of year. My mum wore her shorts most days or a pair of jeans with a t-shirt.

The day I was due to leave, the heavens opened and we had a massive hailstorm for about 20 minutes, preceded by a thunderstorm for most of the evening. But 4 hours later I was sitting outside on the open air terrace at the airport with a 7UP and reading my book in the sunshine.

It's such a small island that the weather can be very changeable in a short space of time. The people are friendly and like Cyprus, it was once British run so has lots of UK presence such as driving on the left, same electricity systems and which helps it stay popular with British tourists and ex-pats.

The cost of eating and drinking out is generally a little cheaper than Cyprus too.

A quick trip up the hill to the bars a few streets back from the Qawra Palace would have given tutor52 the opportunity to try the local beers. I was staying in the Soreda Hotel and they had local beers on tap. All the bars in that area and on Tourist Street have the local brew and imported beers on offer but when it's cold at night nobody wants to go traipsing around to find them!

So, Qawra Palace needs to learn a lesson!!!

Shell
Limassol, Cyprus
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