To all my friends helloooo , not around much at the momment ... hoping that will change soon . Best ...
To all my friends helloooo , not around much at the momment ... hoping that will change soon . Best wishes xxxx
Member since:29.07.2004
Reviews:45
Members who trust:19
St. Pauls Bay-is a veritable honey pot of delight.
The streets are narrow and poorly maintained in places. A good deal of one way road systems., and limited parking if you are making your own way around. Parking is "street-side. Boxes are allocated , but watch out for bay restrictions and bus stops . Haveing fallen foul of both and smiling when fined , they are to be respected! Yes I smiled when paying my fine. Why?- you may ask. Simple - It cost 10 maltese pounds (lira) around £15.00 sterling! I had expected much more having recieved fair warning from the car hire company I used. Incidently if paying in stirling car hire is as little as £10.00 stirling a day depending upon the type of car you hire.
St. Paul's bay has much to offer. There are several good hotels , with varied standards . The average star rating being three in tourists guides. The hotels in variably offer full board or half board. Air conditioning a must in the climate may or may
not be available. Room srevice is in my experiance good. From cleanliness to the change of linen and towels. Rates of pay in Malta are poor compared to some holiday rwesorts so be mindful of your persnal maid . As she probably cleans the "whole floor" you are on , tipping is expected in an unassuming way.
Self catering particularily in the larger hotels is a good option. Often starting at around £15.00 stirling per day dependant upon the standard of your prefences. Ie, Available bedrooms,and living living space. Children are well catered for. Food prices as everywhere are variable. Local supermarkets to the hotels in St. Paus lare competitive. Also offering money changing facilities, island travel tours, self cateringaccommodation and souveniers. (shop around).
Independent self catering accommodation is wide and varied. As are the standards. It is wise when enquiring about self catering holidays, that you ask to see the said accomodation. Landlords or agents for landlords will gladly arrange viewings. Prices vary considerably But start from as little as £35.00 english pounds per week per person. with airports transfers (and a complimentary welcoming pack on arrival, readily available for a reasonable fee of twenty four english pounds). Luggage is carried to the flat , keys are handed over by the taxi driver. The "self catering buisness" is extremely competitive. Best prices may be obtained by enquiring about discounts, which it seems "everyone " may well qualify for, in one shape or another. Again............. as with anything shop around for the best deals.
(Recommendation of accommodation is not advocated on these reviews. I can only speak of my own experiances but would be glad to recommend if advice is sought.)
Once the inevitable hotels, and self catering buildings are passed by and the shore line accessed it is quite beautiful. Rugged due to the volcanic granite making up the coast line on much of the island. But beautiful none the less. From its shores it is possilble to see Gozo,Comino., (favoured by "Madonna" for one of her video shoots in 2003) and much of the islands sea scape. The sea itself is a delight. Wonderful hues of blue dancing in the sunlight. Ranging from aqua to the darkest of indigo.
Hotels and bars afford pleasant evenings . The inevitable Bingo , Kareoke, eating alfresco. Or simply solo guitarists or a man and his organ . (No pun intended.) The most favoured evening passtime by both the maltese and the tourist is a leisurely promenade along the sea front. Here maltese are seen informaly. They are great "family "people . As many as four generations can be seen out together. Talking , laughing or simply enjoying the balmy evening. The promenade can be as short or long as desired. It is possible to walk from St. Pauls bay to Buggiba and on to Qawra in just under two hours .(with a couple of stops and window shopping on route! )The shops are open until around 10pm high season.
There are countless ways to spend money in Malta. (Food, gold, souveniers, island tours etc. etc) Gentle haggling is accepted and honoured. Money changing is a varied multiple choice option. From experiance The hotels offer standard rates , local tour operators vie for buisness , therefore it is possible to improve by as much as 50 cents per english pound . The bank do a mean trade in money changing subject to variable exchange rates. Most shops will accept Stirling and convert at the time of purchase. It has to be said their rates of exchange are slightly lower. The bonus in jewlery shops is that they often give purchase discounts and offer a further 10% discount for later purchases.
Best buys on the island:
Jewelry: 9ct. !4ct. 18ct. 22ct. Much imported from Italy. Appreciates in value whilst flying home !
Spectacles: Eye tests are 5 lira. For standard useage. If your needs are more specialised and you have time OPthalmists can be seen for a modest fee. Thier prescription in hand, it is possible to make good savings . ie: varifocals £149.00 -2003 prices.
Eating out: set menues abound in most establishment A three course meal can cost as little as 4.50 lira. Good value but very same-ish.
Island tours: Shop around. It is fair to say if you book through hotels you will probably pay double what the smaller tour operators charge! musts to visit on a "tour basis" are Gozo including Ta'pinu church, and an evening "Festa" a religious celebration , steeped in pride and tradition.
I am biased i know ...... I simply adore Malta. I hope this will be helpful to those looking in
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Advantages: Close to the sea and bus terminals, friendly staff, lovely rooftop, clean rooms. Disadvantages: Slightly old fashioned, on top of a hill, not many facilities in the hotel.
Sep 6th, 2004
(Sep 11th, 2004)
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