My wife and I don't like to stay in hotels. For one thing, we aren't independently wealthy. Even if we were, we would rather spend our money on exotic meals than on a place to rest our heads for a few hours. We also love to meet the people who stay in bed and breakfasts and guest houses. We've met fellow-lodgers from all over the world and have had some of the most interesting conversations of our lives with them.If you want to go to Malta but haven't made plans, this is what I recommend you do.
First of all, don't plan to go in the summer. It's too darned hot! Any of the winter months are fine. Even if it gets a bit cold at night, it warms up to 50-55 (Fahrenheit) by the afternoon.
The best time to go is in March or April, when it's 10-15 degrees warmer. Everything is still green and it is warm all day without being uncomfortable. It is also before the tourist season and restaurants and hotels are looking for business. Mid-September through November are great, too.After you've decided when you want to go, search the web for cheap international flights to London. The first time we went there, in 1994, my wife and I spent about $299 each including taxes and other charges.
The prices are still much the same. After you've booked your flight, contact Air Malta to schedule one of the twice daily flights from Heathrow or Gatwick to Malta. You can arrange to spend some time in England or just go directly to Malta without leaving the London airport.
(Avoid the food!).The next thing is to schedule a place to stay. http://www.aboutmalta.com will give you information about flats as well as guest houses and hotels. If more than two people will be travelling, I recommend leasing a flat.
It is much less expensive than a hotel and much more enjoyable. If only one or two people, I suggest a guest house for the ambience and a place to meet fascinating international guests. The Soleado Guest House in Sliema is our personal favorite. You can read about it in another of my ezinearticles.When on Malta, use the public transportation, although you will likely need to take a cab from the airport.
(It can be one of the most expensive items on your visit.) You may be tempted to ride in one of horsedrawn carozzin, but it will cost you 6 Lira (triple that to get the cost in dollars). And be careful with your money around the drivers. Fares on the buses run about 20c-30c Maltese (60c-90c US.) I also recommend at least one trip on the ferry that runs between Valletta and Sliema.
(80c Maltese.) If you like night life, go to Paceville; you'll swear you are in New York. St. Julians is lively, too.There is another ferry ride; this one mandatory.
Every tourist must see Gozo at least once on a visit. It gives a totally different perspective of Malta and is like travelling back a century, if you can ignore ignore the houses and buildings that stretch across the horizon as you approach Mgarr, that is. The ferry costs 2.
50 Lira and is charged on your return to Malta.When you arrive on Gozo, take a taxi for a tour. It is much better than the scheduled tours and the driver will take you wherever you want to go or recommend stops.
Be sure you haggle with him on price. It's expected and you should be able to book one for as little as 10 Lira for much of a day. By the way, you can fit six into some of the SUV taxis.As you travel throughout both islands, you will find hundreds of nice restaurants where you can get a decent meal for less than three Maltese Lira.
Don't forget to stop in for a pastizzi at one of the thousands of eateries on the island, but don't eat too many. They're a cheese-filled croissant, loaded with calories and cholesterol. One of my favorite, if pricy, restaurants on either island is the Ta Kolina in Sliema. Their octopus stew is out of this world.Visit Marsaxlokk early on a weekday morning before the open-air market opens.
You will find fishermen mending their nets next to the same colorful boats their ancestors used.There are endless churches to visit. St.
John's Co-Cathedral is breathtaking with the rectangles on the floors serving as glorious tombtones for the Knights of Malta buried below. There are hundreds of museums to visit, too. If you like history, one of the best is the War Rooms near the Valletta ramparts. There you'll find the NAAFI canteen at the old World War II command center.
You can sip tea at the same place Winston Churchill did during his visit. Best of all, though, are the numerous antiquities that have made Malta a favorite haunt of archeologists. Ggijantia Temple in Gozo predates the pyramids. Be sure to make a reservation to see the Hypogeum at Tarxien.
Find out about other historical preservations through Din l-Art Helwa; their website is on Google.There are hundreds of other places to visit and you can find some under my name at ezinearticles.com.
Sahha u habibierja, which means health and friendship in Maltese.
.John Anderson is the author of The Cellini Masterpiece, written under the pen name of Raymond John. The story, a tense international thriller, is set on Malta and can provide a good travel primer for the islands. Read the first chapter of his book and ask John questions at his website: http://www.cmasterpiece.com. There you will also find a link to the Soleado Guest House, where you can a mini-tour of the hotel.
By: John Anderson
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