My own preference is for Gozo, it is much more laid back, quieter and prettier. I could recommend Xlendi or Marselforn.
The ferry crossing is from Cirkewwa in Malta to Mgarr in Gozo and takes about 20 minutes. Gozo is a very small island, only a few miles wide but there is so much to see and explore on there.

Malta, whilst I love Malta, places like Bugibba and Qawra are where the main tourist areas are..and they can be quite lively at night (and also very tacky and run down). Melliha Bay is also popular but I would recommend all of these places for the younger person. I think for more mature people, or perhaps people like me who prefer things quieter..Sliema is very nice and from there it is easy to go all around the island.

Malta has a very good bus service and it is very cheap to get around. You could quite easily visit Mostar, Mdina and Valetta etc where there are many things to do/see/visit.

Malta does not have many beaches in the traditional sense as most are rocky so if you wanted to sunbathe, it is more likely to be actually at your hotel.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=4&sqi=2&ved=0CFIQoAIwAw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.victoriahotel.com%2F&rct=j&q=sliema%20hotels&ei=sjCkTaC_K9SbhQfezaDACQ&usg=AFQjCNF-FjYhCSR_R6gZhhoaLJ-yO1fnvQ&cad=rja

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&sqi=2&ved=0CDsQoAIwAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.excelsior.com.mt%2F&rct=j&q=sliema%20hotels&ei=ATGkTd6EAoG2hAfkgMnMCQ&usg=AFQjCNEVZPfGpSFop5Jyyy_5lIdY7Mm4Cw&cad=rja

these are sort of more in the higher bracket..

http://www.sovereignhotels.com.mt/

I am not really sure what type of accomodation you are looking for.

Just let me know if you need any more info and I will see what I can come up with

I think we would want half board in a hotel of at least 3-star quality. Going in June or early July should, I hope, help us to avoid the kids, teenagers and young (loud) adults; been there, done that, now what 'me' time! Having said that I wouldn't want it 'dead'. Will have a look at Sliema.

PS: love Maltesers - they're my favourite chocolates (sorry!)

In Malta, 3 * really is 2* and so on...if you looked at a Maltese 5*, it would be rated at 4*. I would not stay anything less than 4* in Malta..purely coz I know what to expect!! There are some right dumps over there but equally there are some cracking little hotels...

I think you would need to avoid staying in Bugibba/Qawra. Ok to visit for a stroll around (and all the buses seem to go through there) and do some people watching...and there are nice places to go and eat etc...but there are loads of time share touts and it looks very run down in some places.
There is plenty of life in the bars at night there though.

hi babs135. its a bit unfair to say that bugibba is not the place for you,in my view if you stayed at the dolmen resort hotel and used it as a base for your travels you could do a whole lot worse,bugibba has an excellent cafe culture in the evenings so i recommend staying b&b and eat at a different place every night,as for bugibba/qawra/st pauls being run down,well you could say that about the whole island in a way as most of the buildings in some areas are hundreds of years old but thats the charm of malta,its a comfortable place to visit,the maltese people are really friendly and you will find a welcome where ever you go.its a wonderful place to visit but choose your hotel carefully by reading the reviews on this website,4 or 5 star is best without a doubt,car hire is one of the cheapest in europe and bus travel is cheap also,buy a bus pass for 1/3/5/7 days for unlimited travel anywhere on the island,you buy them at the bus station in bugibba or from the driver.visit gozo on the ferry,its a must see and quite different from the main island,if you do decide to visit the island of malta this summer i do hope that you enjoy the experience but be warned you could fall in love with the place as i did many years ago,happy holidays.

Even the Maltese admit that vast parts of thier island are a total dump.

it is only my opinion of course, having been to Malta/Gozo a few times...but Bugibba is probably not the best place to stay. It is ok to visit and have a look around..but that is about it as far as my taste goes.

Malta is very historical and there are many many places to visit...I love the place, this is why we keep returning..but these days, I prefer to stay in Gozo.

Thanks for the advice. It seems to me that if we do decide on Malta (still up in the air), I will definitely have to do some homework. A couple more questions if I may, circumstances may dictate that any holiday will not be until November, so will Malta still be 'open' and will it be warm?

Just thought of another question. Would we be better booking through a tour operator or is diy a possibility?

Malta will still be warmish in November but in my experience, the weather is volatile..it can be windy and wet.

it is possible to go DIY....there are many cheap flights to Luqa Airport and plenty of places available for rent. We tend to go DIY all the time to Malta/Gozo now. The first couple of times we went, as we were new to the island we went via T/O and felt a little ripped off tbh..

I have just come back from my first trip to Malta and I loved it. We stayed in Sliema which was perfect as a base, we were 5 mins from the ferry across to Valletta that ran every 30 mins. It seemed to be so central and was very easy to get out and about we went to Mdina and to Gozo and made several trips across to Valletta. Of an evening we had a choice of wandering along the prom to St Julians of along the front by where the ferries went from - along both of these there are plenty of cafes and bars to stop at - it is always busy with locals so great for people watching. Sliema has a big shopping area too (mainly UK shops) which was nice to wander round. I would reccomend it and I am planning on going back and will definitely look at staying in the Sliema area again. No beaches but most of the hotels have pools to relax around.

We did it DIY paying £90 (inc taxes and bags) with Easyjet from Liverpool and £50 a night at The Palace Hotel in Sliema, we went room only but were spoilt for choice with breakfast options - total for the week was £265 each in March.