Malta - not marvellous, just middling! (Malta)

Member Name: Leolover

Product:	Malta
Date:	20/10/03 (2928 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Nice & hot, lovely people, Mdina - a real treasure

Disadvantages: timeshare touts, the Palm Court hotel, Qawra

To be fair, I should have done a bit more research before I travelled to Malta. Had I just looked round a little more carefully on the net, I would have realised very quickly that it probably wasn?t a place I was going to fall in love with, and I would also have been warned off the atrocious hotel I was duped into booking us into, the infamous Palm Court hotel in Qawra, to which there are, I now know, hundreds of internet sites denouncing as possibly the worst hotel in the world.

However, it wasn?t all bad. There are some things I really liked about the place.

What I liked :

Mdina

Mdina is a mediaeval city full of glorious old buildings and with a real sense of history. It?s absolutely beautiful, and an absolute must for any visitor to Malta. Don?t bother with any of the rip?off tourist traps like the ?Malta Experience? or the many gory ?interactive? experiences that the touts will immediately try to entice you into when you walk through the main gate ? just wander at your own pace through the pretty little streets, enjoy a slice of cake, a cool drink and the breathtaking views from one of the lovely little tearooms overlooking the walls of the city, and marvel at the gorgeous cathedral with its stunning stained glass windows and colourful shrines.

The History

Malta has a varied and colourful history and the Maltese people are rightfully proud of their heritage and eager that the visitor to their country gets a taste of it. The many beautiful churches and cathedrals bear witness to the religious fervour of the people through the ages (and still very apparent today) and the village ?festas? (religious processions and evening parties which are held in villages throughout Malta all year round) give the visitor a real sense of the vibrant, close knit communities that exist there. Those who are interested in the war and Malta?s part in it may want to go on one of the organised tours.

Gozo


Gozo is Malta?s sister island and most people only get a chance to see it on day trips from Malta. It?s a lovely little island, much ?greener? than Malta and apparently it?s great for diving, although we didn?t have time to try out any of the dive sites. Pay it a visit ? it?s only a half hour ferry ride away and you won?t be disappointed, I promise.

The Heat

I love hot places. Even hot places that most people would consider waaaaaay too hot. This includes Malta in the middle of August, at 35 ? 40 degrees in the shade, admittedly very VERY hot, and I loved it! Just make sure you get a hotel with air conditioning or travel out of season if excessive heat bothers you.

(Most of) The People

The majority of the Maltese people were exceptionally friendly and welcoming. Occasionally the deceptively charming behaviour was there to lull you into a false sense of security in order to try and get you to part with large sums of money (see ?time share touts? below) but most of the time they were just lovely because that?s the way they are. Especially outside Qawra, where they aren?t used to seeing English people acting like drunken football thugs and are prepared to give us the benefit of the doubt. Holiday reps, tour guides, and Joe Bloggs in the street were usually very pleasant and helpful.

Some Restaurants

In Qawra, I can recommend the Overflow restaurant, which serves delicious freshly cooked fish and other tasty looking dishes, and Michaelangelo?s on the seafront which is slightly pricier but very good. Most of the other places we tried were disappointing. I wasn?t that taken with Maltese food in general (with the exception of a stunning Maltese seafood soup in the Overflow), but I suspect that?s just because Qawra is so touristy and wish I?d had a chance to go further afield and try some more traditional dishes.

What I disliked :

Time Share Touts

They were everywhere! And they had som
e really nasty little tricks up their sleeves, including stopping to ask a hapless holidaymaker if they know the way to a particular hotel, then talking them into showing them the way and luring them into giving them information such as their room number, with which they will then pester the poor tourist for the entire duration of their holiday, hoping to get them to go and see their timeshare apartments. They also used the scratchcard method; stopping a holidaymaker in the street and giving them a scratchcard which they MUST use there and then ? oh, surprise surprise, you?ve won a holiday! Take my advice, throw it away immediately or better still, refuse the ?kind offer? in the first place! We were approached about a dozen times every time we left our hotel, and it was really off putting. I would never buy a timeshare apartment even if I really liked a resort, and nothing could ever entice me to go near one in Qawra!

Our Hotel

Our hotel, the Palm Court, was quite simply the worst hotel I?ve ever stayed in. Don?t go near it, I beg you! The ?all inclusive? food was disgusting, the pool was horrifying, many of the rooms were damp and smelly and so many people got sick there it really wasn?t funny. The company that we booked our holiday with are currently under investigation. We managed to have a good time despite the appalling hotel by getting out and about as much as possible, but it really was dire.

Lack of Beaches

I can?t really complain about this because I should have done my investigations before I left, but Malta really isn?t a beach lovers holiday. It is possible to swim in the sea at Qawra but you have to negotiate some pretty intimidating rocks to do so ? I recommend diving bootees or some sort of beach shoe! Apparently there are some nice beaches on the other side of the island to Qawra but I would imagine they get very crowded. I was also expecting great snorkelling around the island as I?d heard the sealife was
fantastic but I was really disappointed ? we hardly saw anything at all, even at the ?best? snorkelling sites! The Greek and Canary islands are a hundred times better for snorkelling.

SUMMARY

I don?t think I?d go back; there are far nicer places for around the same amount of money and although there were things I liked about the place they weren?t enough to draw me back for a return visit. If I did go back, it would be to a different part of the island ? Qawra is just like Southend. We had a good time, despite the terrible hotel, and there is a fair bit to do, but for a budget holiday I would suggest that places like Zante, Tunisia, Fuerteventura and Kos are a far better bet.

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