Relocation

Hi.... What are you doing here?

The site has moved over to www.howtomalta.com, where it looks all glossy and shiny.

Go and check it out!

Relocation, Relocation...

There are gonna be a few changes to the site, so bear with me if you notice a little disruption over the next day or so.

Restaurant Review: Gandhi Tandoori (St Paul's Bay)

It's a little taste of India in the North of Malta.

Except in fact it's a pretty giant taste of India, but you will hear no complaints from me on that score.

It was low season when we visited, and so the place was sparsely populated and service accordingly prompt and courteous.

San Anton Palace and Gardens

The San Anton palace began life way back in the 1620's, when a French knight called Antoine de Paule was elected Grand Master of the Order of St John and decided to build himself a nice country retreat in Attard.  Despite being variously described as "a man of loose life and conversation" and having "bought his dignity with money" he was celebrated enough for the town of Paola to be named after him.

Caravaggio in Malta

Michelangelo Merisi Caravaggio is widely respected as one of the greatest painters of all time, and by good fortune (ours) and not so good fortune (his), he ended up living and working on the island of Malta for about 3 years whilst at the height of his powers.

After a disputed tennis match in Rome, (or because he was into the other man's wife, or possibly because of an unpaid debt) Caravaggio got himself involved in street brawl and killed a gent called Tomassoni, reputed to be a pimp with powerful familial connections.  The threat of these connections inspired Caravaggio to flee Rome and he ended up in Malta in 1607.

Questionnaire for the Guest of Popeye Village

Popeye the movie was a live-action vehicle for the sadly departed Robin Williams, which opened to a "mixed" response from the critics and a big 'no thanks' from the (non-)viewing public, who stayed away in droves.  It was filmed in Malta on a custom designed set, and rather than sell this off to unscrupulous property developers like a regular country, Malta decided to keep "Sweethaven" village and turn it into a tourist attraction.

If anybody knows of a worse movie to have inspired a theme park, then please let me know.

Now I have not yet managed a visit to Popeye Village, but fortunately my glamorous assistant Danya has, so who better to give us the lowdown?  I came across a questionnaire from another famous theme park (to remain nameless), and despite the fact that the English is a little quirky in places, I reckon it will allow us to find out more about this famous Maltese attraction.

Restaurant Review: Aphrodite Taverna, (St Paul's Bay)

It is fair to say that Aphrodite did not manage to grab a primo piece of real estate on which to open their restaurant.

Rather than trying to describe it's location, probably easier to just show you on this map:

What's a Good Salary in Malta? - Updated

...it doesn't grow on trees here in Malta!

It is always difficult to discover exactly how much people pay or get paid in wages.  Potentially embarrassing dinner party conversation, don't you know.  But I have done some digging around on the internet to try to come up with an answer for you.   A lot of sites ask people to enter their own wage and job type and work on estimates that way, but I'm guessing this attracts the type of person with a better salary, not to mention encouraging them to exaggerate a little, so I will try to stick to more reliable sources.

St Paul's Grotto and Catacombs (Rabat)

 

It is not unreasonable to describe St Paul's Grotto in Rabat as Malta's most sacred location - at least if you are of the Christian persuasion.

Certainly this humble cave is held in such esteem in the Christian world at large that the last two Popes who came to Malta (Benedict and John Paul) both paid a visit to this shrine.

The grotto is located beneath St Paul's Church in Rabat, and for a mere five euros you can walk in the footsteps of the pontiffs, and of St Paul himself of course.  According to legend, this is where Paul stayed for three months after his ship foundered on the Northern Maltese coast, and from where he spread the word of Christianity to the Maltese population.

Who Says There Are No Rivers in Malta?

Aah, Venice, city of dreamlike wonder, Queen of the Adriatic Sea. What a joy it is to... no hang on, wait a minute, it's just rained for more than 25 minutes in Malta so the streets are knackered again.

Oh Msida, city of the unpainted apartment block, Prince of archaic family run shops selling foodstuffs dating back to the turn of the millennium...

Seriously though, this happens every single year there's a decent flurry of rain.  You could definitely canoe down this street, and outside of Venice that is not something you want to be saying about your suburban throughways.

Malta, The Holiday Island - Public Holidays in 2015

Good News working folk!  Malta proudly boasts more public holidays than any other country in the EU.

Just so you don't lose track, here's a handy list (note that if a holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday it is not carried over to Monday, so no extra holiday for us working folk).

= Day off Work!

= Bad News, the holiday is at the weekend.

Chinese Garden of Serenity (Santa Lucija)

 

The Chinese Garden of Serenity is a tranquil haven in which you can contemplate life, the universe and everything as you walk past bubbling fountains and ornate buildings.

Every account of this place features the word 'tranquil' somewhere, so I figured I should go with the crowd in my intro.  And generally speaking I would agree with this description, although the presence of a large and boisterous primary school group while we were there detracted somewhat from the spiritual aspects of the garden.

Another Secret Bookshop in Malta.

You remember the Secret Bookshop don't you?  No?  Well it's this one.  Now go back and read everything I wrote between December 2011 and February 2012 as punishment.

Best English Breakfast in Malta?: Tal Pjazza, Bugibba

This is what the good folk at Tal Pjazza in Bugibba refer to as a Jumbo Breakfast.

I call it... pause for drumroll... the Best Breakfast in Bugibba.  No mean feat given the considerable competition in this seaside town, but Pjazza gets the award for me. 

How to Survive the Cold of Malta

Every year between the months of December and March, airplanes disgorge unwitting tourists onto the tarmac at Luqa, their bags crammed with bikinis, beach towels and sun cream.  They soon discover that the beach is off the agenda, and that it actually gets pretty chilly this time of year (in fact the week after Christmas this year featured temperatures plummeting to close to zero degrees celcius, which is almost unheard of).

Fortunately for the tourists, all but the most miserly of hotels will feature some sort of heating for their guests.  

However, this is not necessarily the case for many of the residents on the island.  Homes are made of porous limestone, often featuring large windows and high ceilings over stone tiled floors.  Perfect for summer, but not so much for those pesky winter months.  

So how best to keep warm?

Malta Falconry Centre

This week, on our journey down some of Malta's less well-travelled tourist tracks, we made our way to the Malta Falconry Centre in Siggiewi.

The tourist hop-on/off buses come here via the Limestone centre, so it's not completely off the beaten track.

Best English Breakfast in Malta?: Vinnies, Bugibba

Very good service in Vinnie's restaurant.  Friendly people.

Let's start with that, because it's an important thing when you go out to eat something, puts you in a more positive frame of mind.

New Years Eve in Malta 2014-2015

Planning to party on New Years Eve 2015 in Malta? 

(Yes, I know it's early but people like to think ahead)

Don't worry, there are plenty of options, and I am going to list as many of them as I can find right here:

Valletta Waterfront is a good place to start, as there will be a large fireworks display here.  (And because it's free).  Transport in and out is a bit of a hassle, so if you can find your way onto the water you will probably have a more tranquil New Year's Eve experience.

Best Full English in Malta? The Ordnance Pub (Valletta)

The heart sinks just a little bit when you order an English breakfast only to be told that “The kitchen is not completely open at the moment”.  

In fairness it didn’t take them too long to open it ‘completely’ (as opposed to whatever stage of openness it had been in previously) and after about 10 minutes breakfast was served.

Best Gyms in Malta - Updated!

Cynergi

Looking for a gym or fitness centre in Malta? Well look no further.

Malta is not known for it's healthy lifestyle, what with everyone getting into the car when they need to go to the shop down the end of the street, not to mention all that nice Italian food and pastizzi.  But don't worry, a couple of sessions down your local neighbourhood gym will wipe away all those guilty feelings, and make you feel like a better human.

I'm going to try and make the search a little easier by giving you a few suggestions.  I've listed as many gyms and fitness centres as I could find, but please add your suggestions below.  As you know, gyms are notoriously tricky when it comes to prices.  There are all sorts of deals and discounts which they don't necessarily like to advertise, so I will  give you an idea of how much money we are talking about here, even though all prices are subject to change:


Here's my list, alphabetically arranged by location from Bugibba to Zebbug: