Hi Delbert, and welcome

I very rarely leave the fair isle of Gozo for the mainland, but will help where I can !

car hire - a good start is holidayautos.com

Blue Dragon - do you mean Blue Elephant ?? - its in the Portomaso development
http://www.portomaso.com.mt/portomaso/default.asp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portomaso
(where the Hilton hotel is) - it gets voted top restaurant in Malta alot eg http://planetmona.com/Default.aspx?content=ArticleViewer&ArticleType=R&ArticleKey=25&ReferURL=Default.aspx?Content=ViewRestaurantArticles, but....
the Thai food is OK, but only on par with Thai food from a reasonable Thai restaurant in London - it does well because Thai is unusual in Malta. Its very expensive for Malta. For kids.. I'd say its more for couples, where the guy is trying to impress with how cosmopolitan he is.

Hi Delbert,

I've hired quality cars at at Sundrive Car Rentals Qwara, whenever I've visited Malta over the last few years and have been pleased with their service. Their web site is:-

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

In fact only today I contacted them because I've managed to sneak a weeks holiday at the Coastline Hotel w/c 10th March and I've sorted out a hire car off them for the week!

Whoever you hire from make sure that you take out the collision damage waiver (CDW) extra insurance otherwise if you have an incident you could be paying out a lot of money for excesses, even if it's not your fault.

Regarding what you said about the poor quality of the car you hired in the past, I can remember on our holiday in Malta during August 1983, we hired a car and believe me it was a wreck. Amongst other things the tyres were so bald the fabric was showing through!

Mind you I've only ever had good cars from Sundrive and I'm sure generally the quality of hire cars in Malta is quite good these days,

Trev

Hello Delbert,

I can recommend http://www.swiftcarhire.com/

The only car hire company with no hidden extras. The price you see is the price you pay. No insurance excess. no charges for picking the car up or leaving it at the airport.

Thanks for all the feedback ppl... i will look into some of those car hire firms.

gozomark.... i have walked around the PortoMaso complex several times but never noticed the Thia place. Is it the place with the 'goldish' cuttlery ?

One thing i noticed with the food in malta is that they tend to shy away from the chilli. ( in fact i went to one place that said it had chilli in the meal, and it turned out to be tabasco sauce ) Why is this ? And what 'maltese' dishes should i try this year... ( had the rabbit and the octopus .... thought it was okay ).

One other thing.... now that i have 2 little ones, is it worth a visit to the Water fun park that is quite close to St George's ? Are there any Height restrictions ?

Again, thnx for any feedback.

that sounds like the restaurant, at sea level

other food -
gozo cheese, fresh and peppered
pastizzi
snails - both in garlic/olive oil, and in a tomato stew

as for chilli, my local football club puts homemade dried chilli on its pizzas if you ask, and they are hot ! Other than that, Malta is more of a garlic than a chilli place

water park - its just about OK, but often packed.
http://www.holiday-malta.com/splash/Splash-and-Fun-Park.htm
not sure on height/age restrictions - might say in the link

I have a discount code for car hire in Malta,Ford Ka=£66 a week from Sixt,code is NLKW083

Car hire from Sixt,

Beware! of Insurance excess you may be liable for paying the first £500 in any claim unless you take out 'extra' insurance that will cost you around £3.00 per day. i.e. £66.00 = ££87.00

HI m&n,

How right you are regarding insurance excesses! I'd never even remotely consider hiring in Malta without covering the CDW and anyone hiring ought to be made aware of this, in fact it ought to be a compulsory part of any car hire deal.

Swift cars seem to automatically include this excess though I'd be careful to make sure they have. Have they included the VAT at 18% as well since I've noticed that most companies are quoting prices without this new in Malta 'fleecing' EU tax? Regarding delivery and pick up of the vehicle I've never been charged for this by any company I've used on Malta,

Trev

Hi Trev'

I always hire a car when I'm over there and yes I too strongly recommend that people ensure that they are fully covered with regard to excess payments should any claim occur!

The price you receive from Swift includes everything.