Four Days in Malta - by a First Time Visitor - IgoUgo Malta Journal

The Mosta Dome (Rotunda of St. Marija Assunta)

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Attraction | "The Marvellous Mosta Dome"

Mosta Dome Church Photo - The Mosta Dome (Rotunda of St. Marija Assunta), Mosta, Malta

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Not many people know that many moons ago I complete the first year of a degree in the History of Art and Architecture. I decided after the first year that I didn’t want to continue and subsequently took a degree in Politics. My interest in art and architecture has not diminished, however, and although these days you’re much more likely to find me in the country than the city, I still get excited by flying buttresses, pilasters and caryatids. (Look ‘em up, this isn’t a lesson in architectural features!)While we were on a bus bound for Mdina, the ancient capital of Malta, we passed though the town of Mosta which is dominated by the Church of St Marija Assunta, more commonly known as the Most...Read More

Not many people know that many moons ago I complete the first year of a degree in the History of Art and Architecture. I decided after the first year that I didn’t want to continue and subsequently took a degree in Politics. My interest in art and architecture has not diminished, however, and although these days you’re much more likely to find me in the country than the city, I still get excited by flying buttresses, pilasters and caryatids. (Look ‘em up, this isn’t a lesson in architectural features!)

While we were on a bus bound for Mdina, the ancient capital of Malta, we passed though the town of Mosta which is dominated by the Church of St Marija Assunta, more commonly known as the Mosta Rotunda Church. I hadn’t heard of the church before and was immediately struck by its unusual circular shape and its rather magnificent classical portico.

We passed it too quickly and carried on to Mdina and Rabat. On the way back to Sliema, however, I felt a little queasy on the bus and wanted to get off at the next stop; this just happened to be in Mosta so we took the opportunity to get some fresh air and take a walk around the church. As we walked around first the exterior then the inside I knew almost nothing about the church and its history and resolved to do a little digging later on. For the meantime we were quite happy to explore what is a really magnificent piece of ecclesiastical church architecture.

As luck would have it (not for the poor blighter in the box) a funeral was just ending and the church was open. We walked around the outside while we waited for the mourners to leave. The construction of this church commenced in 1833 and was completed in the 1860s. Like another (but much later) rotunda church on Gozo, the church was built around an existing one which was later demolished when the new one was complete. The funds for the church were raised through donations and bequests, including those of the parish priest of the Mosta church that was to be replaced. When looking at this exquisite building, it should be remembered that it was commissioned and built at a time when Malta's economy, like that of most of Europe, was doing badly.

The interior is rather magnificent. There's an impressive main dome as well as elegant half domes over each little side chapel. Somewhat oddly I've seen it claimed that the dome of this church is the third largest church dome in Europe but then again I also read that said about the rotunda church on the island of Gozo. Whether it's correct or not, one thing is certain: this dome, which measures 40 metres in diameter, is very grand and beautiful. The geometric designs painted on the dome ceiling reminded me of a piece of Wedgwood. The walls between the chapels are painted a cool pale blue and decorated with paintings of religious subjects, all of them by Maltese artists. Opulent gilded capitals top the pillars that act as sentries to each chapel.

In the sacristy of the church there's a replica of a world war two bomb. Why? The story goes that one afternoon in 1942 the roof of the church was pierced by a German bomb that fortunately did not detonate. It is said that when the bomb was opened up it was discovered that it had been sabotaged in the Czechoslovakian factory where it had been made; a note sent 'Greetings from Plzen'. The actual bomb was disposed of into the sea, hence a replica is on display today.

If you are passing by on the way to Rabat/Mdina I would very much recommend stopping off at Mosta to see this handsome and very striking church. You need not stay a long time but even a short visit will be rewarded.
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Member Rating 4 out of 5 on February 16, 2012

The Mosta Dome (Rotunda of St. Marija Assunta)
Rotunda Square
Mosta, Island of Malta
21 433826

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Luciano Restaurant and Pizzeria

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Restaurant | "Will You be Lucky at Luciano's?"

Luciano Pizzeria and Restaurant Photo - Luciano Restaurant and Pizzeria, Valletta, Malta

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On the basis that somewhere really busy at lunchtime (McDonalds, Pizza Hut, etc excepted) is likely to be good, we walked into Luciano’s in the heart of Valletta. Although it was February, it was a reasonably warm sunny day and the folding doors had been opened out so that the front of the restaurant was open; it was the final day of our short break in Malta and it was nice to be able to make the most of our final few hours of Mediterranean sunshine. Luciano’s looks like the kind of lively Sicilian-style diner that other restaurants can only evoke by displaying framed black and white photographs. I’m not really a fan of "themed" décor, but it works in Luciano’s where the back wall is cover...Read More

On the basis that somewhere really busy at lunchtime (McDonalds, Pizza Hut, etc excepted) is likely to be good, we walked into Luciano’s in the heart of Valletta. Although it was February, it was a reasonably warm sunny day and the folding doors had been opened out so that the front of the restaurant was open; it was the final day of our short break in Malta and it was nice to be able to make the most of our final few hours of Mediterranean sunshine.

Luciano’s looks like the kind of lively Sicilian-style diner that other restaurants can only evoke by displaying framed black and white photographs. I’m not really a fan of "themed" décor, but it works in Luciano’s where the back wall is covered with an eclectic range of "junk" and the other walls are left as exposed stone work. There are plenty of quirky elements such as a reinforced glass section in the floor that allows you to see the weird and wonderful collection of retro and vintage gear such as old bicycles, and antique furniture; when you go downstairs to the loo, however, this mini museum doesn’t look quite so appealing, looking more like a sad, dusty junkyard than a quirky display. I read recently that the owner is an avid collector of stuff - I only pity the person who has to do the dusting.

The menu was a large sheet of paper – perhaps a little too large – and it was easy to navigate through the choices. Luciano’s specialises in pizza and pasta and the options are, on the whole, very authentic so you won’t find Hawaiian pizzas and the like, but you will find plenty of Mediterranean dishes including lots of seafood which is what appealed most to us. I ordered a simple spaghetti vongole (spaghetti with clams) while my ever present traveling companion chose another pasta option, this one with mixed seafood. There were also a couple of Maltese dishes on the menu including variously filled ftira - a Maltese loaf not unlike ciabatta in texture and used for something like a toasted sandwich - and rabbit and several fish mains.

The service was rather impersonal and terse and once we’d been given the menus it took quite a while to get a member of staff to come and take our order, in spite of trying several times to make eye contact. Likewise our food did take a while to come, given that they were simple dishes and required little in the way of cooking time; on this particular day however, we were in no hurry so we weren’t inclined to complain.

Our meals were served in huge white bowls with portions to match. As well as there being plenty of pasta, the allocation of seafood to each dish was more than generous: as my dish did not include olives, Himself ensured a steady supply of olives from his own meal found their way onto my plate, not because he doesn’t like them, but because I love them and there were plenty to share. I also managed to scrounge plenty of "squid hats" which is the pointy bit at the end of a piece of squid; the squid was cooked perfectly with just enough bite but no rubberiness. His dish also contained clams, mussels and prawns, all of them tasty and well cooked. The sauce was very simple, rich tangy tomato and aromatic herbs, with good seafood you really don’t need much else. My dish was even simpler with just clams in a very simple tomato sauce which was essentially just fresh tomatoes, olive oil and herbs, and a generous scattering of lovely bitter capers.

Although we did enjoy our food I should point out that I saw a lot of people leaving large amounts of pizza which is a pretty bad sign for somewhere specialising in pizza, and the pizzas did not look especially large. I, on the other hand, felt that the serving of pasta was slightly too big and as a result I felt somewhat challenged as soon as it was placed in front of me. Portion control is important and I hate to have to leave food for no other reason than there being simply too much.

Situated on a little square near St. John's Cathedral the restaurant occupies a pleasant spot and brings tables out in summer; you don't have to eat, they don't mind if you just stop for a drink. This is a real bonus as many Valletta places, at least in the heart of the city centre, don't have any outdoor seating. The food and surroundings are fine, the value for money is pretty good and we paid around €30 which included a bottle of house red. The service does let the place down a little but, who knows, maybe you'll get the waitress who smiles?

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Member Rating 3 out of 5 on June 23, 2011

Luciano Restaurant and Pizzeria
21 Merchant Street
Valletta, Malta

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Dee Goose Restaurant

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Restaurant | "Sauce for the Goose"

Dee Goose Restaurant, Sliema Photo - Dee Goose Restaurant, Sliema, Malta

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Dee Goose is the sort of place that only the most inquisitive tourist would find; in spite of its location in the heart of Malta’s Sliema, the restaurant is easy to miss because it is situated in a pedestrian only alley that connects two main streets that run parallel to each other and it was only because we sensed a short cut that we found the place at all. Since coming back from Malta I've tried unsuccessfully to find Guze Fava Street on several street maps of Sliema so the best advice I can offer is that if you start at the little bus terminus on the Strand, cross the road and head uphill on the shopping street, you need to look to your right and look out for a connecting lane. I'm sure the locals ...Read More

Dee Goose is the sort of place that only the most inquisitive tourist would find; in spite of its location in the heart of Malta’s Sliema, the restaurant is easy to miss because it is situated in a pedestrian only alley that connects two main streets that run parallel to each other and it was only because we sensed a short cut that we found the place at all. Since coming back from Malta I've tried unsuccessfully to find Guze Fava Street on several street maps of Sliema so the best advice I can offer is that if you start at the little bus terminus on the Strand, cross the road and head uphill on the shopping street, you need to look to your right and look out for a connecting lane. I'm sure the locals will know so stop someone and ask.

Himself decided instantly that he would like to eat there sometime during our four days based in Sliema, predominantly on the basis that it looked a bit shabby, something he approves of (almost) wholeheartedly (he can be persuaded to do ‘upmarket’ when necessary however). A chalkboard listed a few typical Maltese dishes as specials and the price seemed reasonable. The place looked busy too, but it was a Friday night.
A couple of nights later – a Sunday evening – we turned up for dinner. Two other tables were occupied although one couple were almost done and the other had just ordered and tucked in so quickly they were leaving by the time our food arrived. While I would always prefer eating somewhere with other customers, we are old hands at eating in empty restaurants from our travels in Slovenia, and we tend not to see a lack of filled tables as a warning sign. It was also the off seson in Malta so unlikely to be really busy on a Sunday evening.

The interior of the restaurant has seen better days but I would describe it as 'down at heel' rather than neglected or derelict. It was certainly clean though this perhaps made the failings more noticeble. A big bar/counter running along one side of the restaurant gave the impression of a cafeteria (it is, however, also billed as a coffee shop which partly explains this) rather than a bistro or restaurant but it also looked dated and tired. The main problem was with the toilet which really needs refurbishing as it is quite scruffy. The hand-towel looked a little grubby and the place generally needed sprucing up. However, we had come to dine, not to view the decor and so we turned our attention to the menu.

Dee Goose serves a selection of traditional Maltese dishes and a few international classics. The emphasis was one meat but there were some fish dishes too. I had chosen a rabbit dish at another restaurant earlier in the trip and this time Himself opted for the classic Maltese bunny. The Knights of Malta, who enjoyed hunting rabbit for sport (and eating it too of course) made a law that the islanders could not eat rabbit except on the joint feast of Saints Peter and Paul, festival known as 'Imnarja'; fortunately for fans of rabbit meat like ourselves, no such law applies today.

After much deliberation I ordered the 'bragioli' which the Maltese claim is their national dish, better known in English as 'Beef Olives'. We ordered a bottle of Maltese red (€9) which is universally good and goes well with meat dishes. As the main courses we'd eaten in other restaurants in Malta had proven to be generous, we didn't feel the need to order starters.

The rabbit stew came with chips and as anticpated there was plenty of it. There were decent sized pieces of nicely cooked tender rabbit, although, as is often the case with rabbit, there were plenty of bones to contend with. the garlicky red wine cooking sauce was well balanced and nicely seasoned.

There were two bragioli on my plate along with a mound of beautifully creamy mashed potato. The bragioli were cooked to perfection: bragioli are thin slices of beef, wrapped round a filling of bacon, breadcrumbs and eggs. They are then cooked in a tomato sauce, or, like the ones I had, a rich red wine sauce. The meat was so wonderfully and slowly cooked that each little parcel was falling to pieces at the slightest touch. The filling was nicely flavoured with herbs and the rich wine gravy was full of deep flavour.
A dish of perfectly cooked broccoli, cauliflower and carrots was brought for us to share.

Dee Goose - I have no idea why the restaurant has this name but there is a goose on the sign outside - is run by a friendly Scottish lady who made sure we had everything we wanted; she suggested dessert or coffee but wasn't pushy when we declined. A friend of hers turned up when we were eating and she had a drink and while her friend ate a meal. They chatted to us a little which was appreciated since the restaurant was so quiet.
Would I recommend Dee Goose? Well the food was very good and the service was friendly and relaxed but I do have a reservation about the price. Both main courses cost €12.50 which seemed a little steep to me, although they did taste delicious and the portions were generous. Perhaps if I'd eaten the same dishes somewhere that looked a bit more swish I might be less inclined to question the price, on the other hand, overheads still have to be covered in the quieter times of the year. I am sure that when Malta is busier there are plenty are places competing with each other but on a Sunday in February we didn't have so much choice and for that reason we were very happy with our choice.

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Member Rating 4 out of 5 on March 13, 2011

Dee Goose Restaurant
7, Triq Guzi Fava
Sliema , Malta
21311705

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Blondino Restaurant

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Restaurant | "This Maltese Won't Make You Cross"

Blondino Restaurant, Sliema Photo - Blondino Restaurant, Sliema, Malta

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Back in February 2010 I had some days holiday I needed to use by the end of the working year so we booked a short break in Malta. Althought a lot of retired Brits spend the winter months in Malta it's really the off season and not all restaurants and bars are open all year round. During the day there seemed to be a fair number of people around but in the evenings it was pretty quiet which did affect the ambience for evening dining. We ate at Blondino's, a family run restaurant, on the first evening of our trip, a Friday and only one other table was occupied, by an eldelrly couple who gave the impression of being regulars. We had found the restaurant earlier that day and, reading the specia...Read More

Back in February 2010 I had some days holiday I needed to use by the end of the working year so we booked a short break in Malta. Althought a lot of retired Brits spend the winter months in Malta it's really the off season and not all restaurants and bars are open all year round. During the day there seemed to be a fair number of people around but in the evenings it was pretty quiet which did affect the ambience for evening dining.

We ate at Blondino's, a family run restaurant, on the first evening of our trip, a Friday and only one other table was occupied, by an eldelrly couple who gave the impression of being regulars. We had found the restaurant earlier that day and, reading the specials board standing outside the restaurant, we determined to return that evening. The restaurant is situated on the sea side of Sliema rather than the harbour side that faces the capital, Valletta. It's a five minute walk from Sliema's main shoping area and ten minutes from the Strand and harbourside where many of Sliema's hotels can be found.
First appearances are, to be honest, rather average but shouldn't put anyone off. Likewise the interior is nothing special but the atmosphere was welcoming and homely even if it was virtually empty. When we had grabbed a quick lunch at the place next door earlier in the day we had seen that Blondino's had a steady trail of customers for the lunch session, which I always think is a good sign so we were not concerned to see nobody there in the evening (besides we eat in virtually empty restaurants all the time In Slovenia).

A father/daughter team was working the restaurant that night with the dad cooking and the teenage daughter taking orders and carrying the food. Just after our food had been served, dad came out to ask if we were enjoying it. It was nice that we weren't pestered which can be the case when restaurants are quiet and the staff don't know what to do with themselves.

The short menu had a good selection of local and standard international dishes, and there was an emphasis on seafood and fish. We both love to eat rabbit which we were delighted to find on offer in two different presentations; after some deliberation I plumped for a Maltese style rabbit stew. We had seen boards outside several restaurants and notices in windows announcing " We have lampuki" and Blondino's was also proudly advertising it. When we enquired the waitress told us that it is a white fish particular to this part of the Meditteranean. We later learned that such is the demand for lampuki that it's supply to shops and restaurants is quite strictly controlled. Happily for Himself, Blondino's had someon the menu that night. (Note - one lampuka, two lampuki).

In retrospect we weren't the best customers for them to get that quiet night; we decided against starters and didn't have desserts either. While I very firmly believe that customers shouldn't feel obliged to have more than they want, I felt a bit bad that they didn't get much out of us as they were so warm and friendly. Although I'd said I didn't want a starter it didn't stop me tearing into the basket of tasty bread that was brought after ordering. Fortunately we didn't have to wait too long for our food otherwise I might have nibbled on the basket too.

We ordered a bottle of red wine, one called Maltese Falcon that we hoped would not be the disaster it could well be given the name (it sounded alarm bells as soon as I saw the name on the menu but the description sounded pretty good). It was made from a blend of Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet grapes and was full of flavour and depth but still light enough to be easy drinking.

The lampuki had been nicely pan fried. It's very similiar to the dorada and the white flesh was cooked just right, flaking away easily from the bone. The fish had been lightly seasoned and really didn't need anything else. It was quite delicious!

My rabbit was done in the traditional Maltese way although it was served with potatoes rather than on spaghetti which I understand is more usual in Malta. The rabbit is first marinated then lightly browned with herbs and then stewed very slowly in red wine which results in a deep rich sauce. Although I would never refuse a dish that contained meat on the bone I prefer not to pick up the bones to eat the meat off (weird I know but I just don't like to) and this dish did contain some pieces of rabbit that were on the bone. However, I was pleased to find that for the most part the meat came away easily and as for those parts that required more effort, Himself was happy to step in and clean the bones.

At €10 each for the main courses and just €9 for a bottle of local wine I thought that Blondino restaurant represented excellent value for money. There was a miniscule cover charge of €0.60 for the two of us which seems unfair on the restaurant given how quiet it was.

In terms of food and service I would have to give Blondino five stars but there are a couple of minor issues that, while they did not affect us, could be problematic for other people. The first is that there are a couple of steps to get into the restaurant, and the other is that the access to the toilet is extremely narrow and therefore wouldn't be suitable for wheelchair users even if they could get into the restaurant.

I would recommend Blondino at any time of year but it's good to be able to find somewhere out of season that is open and serving some great Maltese food. Read Less

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on February 17, 2011

Blondino Restaurant
15, Ghar Il-lembi Street
Sliema , Malta

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Rabat - Maltese Suburbia

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Rabat is a word you’ll hear a lot in Malta and its smaller sister island of Gozo. The word is of Semitic derivation and roughly means suburb but is more commonly used to mean a principal town or city; the capital of Morocco is called Rabat, and on Gozo, the main town of Victoria is less formally known as ‘rabat’. In the centre of the island of Malta, though, is the Rabat that is better known to foreign tourists; Rabat is so called because it was a suburb of Mdina, which was once the capital of Malta.People mistakenly view Rabat as some less interesting appendage to Mdina; it’s hardly surprising really, because with its impressive fortifications, its magnificent cathedral and plethora of fa...Read More

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Azure Window

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Attraction | "A Window on the World"

The Azure Window, Gozo Photo - Azure Window, Gozo, Malta

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The "Azure Window" is one of Gozo's most photographed sights and is included in almost every tour itinerary on the island. However, if you are visiting independently it's easy to get to.Basically the Azure Window is a fifty foot arch in the Dwejra Point cliffs on the west coast of Gozo. The hole was caved by the tides, which can be fierce at times, making the spectacle even more dramatic. In Maltese its name is it-Tieqa - the window. It is also tempting to climb down onto the rocks in front of the arch to take photographs and while this is pretty safe, it can get quite slippery underfoot. The sight of the foam breaking and the water splashing high into the air as it breaks agai...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on September 4, 2010

Azure Window
Dwejra
Gozo, Malta

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Gozo (General)

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Gozo is approximately one third the size of the island of Malta and can be reached by means of a twenty minute ferry ride from a small harbour situated at the northern tip of Malta. It’s possible to take one of Malta’s distinctive yellow buses directly to the port but we had booked our excursion with a local tour company which picked us up at our hotel and took us to the port. We then had to pay for our own crossing, and once disembarked in Gozo, we were allocated to different minibuses depending on which tour we’d chosen. If you do wish to visit independently, there are more of the yellow buses covering Gozo. If you are staying in Gozo your hotel or tour operator will normally arrange a transfer but,...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on September 4, 2010

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St. Julian's - Pretty but with Little Substance

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Spinola Bay, St. Julian's, Malta Photo - Malta, Europe

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On Malta's east coast, nestled in the next bay north from Sliema, is the resort town of St. Julian's. Sliema and St. Julian's blend into one another imperceptibly such is the level of development on this part of the island. Just after arriving in Sliema we went out for a walk and within a few minutes we'd strayed into St. Julian's. (When construction works allow) it's possible to walk all the way along the wide promenade from the far end of Sliema to St. Julian's and beyond to Paceville, the suburb of St. Julian's best known as the nightlife Like most other resorts in Malta, St. Julian's doesn't have any beaches but as the town huddles around the bay, climbing up the hills, it is at least slightly mor...Read More

On Malta's east coast, nestled in the next bay north from Sliema, is the resort town of St. Julian's. Sliema and St. Julian's blend into one another imperceptibly such is the level of development on this part of the island. Just after arriving in Sliema we went out for a walk and within a few minutes we'd strayed into St. Julian's. (When construction works allow) it's possible to walk all the way along the wide promenade from the far end of Sliema to St. Julian's and beyond to Paceville, the suburb of St. Julian's best known as the nightlife Like most other resorts in Malta, St. Julian's doesn't have any beaches but as the town huddles around the bay, climbing up the hills, it is at least slightly more picturesque and still has, to a small degree, a feeling of the fishing village it used to be.

Other than the businesses that are there to service the tourist trade, there's not a lot in St. Julian's. In the village of St. John's, an outlying part of the resort, there are a couple of historic sites of limited interest but St. Julian's is best regarded as a base from which to explore the rest of the island. It's well served by Malta's fleet of distinctive yellow buses that cover the whole island so getting around is no problem at all.

St. Julian's clusters around Spinola Bay and looks quite nice at first glance. It's spoilt by the busy road that separates the shops and restaurants from the water and cars and buses whizz up and down at all hours. If you are looking for something to eat there are loads of places to choose from; the disappointment for me was that there are so many chains with Pizza Hut, Wagamama and the ubiquitous McDonald's. Coming from Sliema, the nicest of the independent restaurants are situated on Spinola Bay's northern side; several have nice terraces which are likely to be quieter than those directly on the road; the terraces are at first floor level, the fishermen keep their nets and sometimes their boats in the sheds underneath them. In summer it would be a nice place to sit and watch the colourful 'luzzus' - traditional Maltese fishing boats - bobbing on the water.

On a Saturday evening in February it was busy enough but I'm sure most places are packed out in the summer. Although there are a few nightclubs as you get nearer to Paceville, the nightlife in St. Julian's is mostly bars and drinking tends to spill outside regardless of whether there's a dedicated terrace or outdoor seating area. Smoking is not allowed inside public places and Malta is just like everywhere else in having smokers congregate around the doorways. Put off by some of the noisier places, we accepted the invitation posted in the window of the Labour Club - "Tourists welcome" - and went inside for a beer. (We also did this in Valletta and would thoroughly recommend that people go inside that club for a look around).

Getting off the main drag and into the residential areas is a bit like walking into Brighton, or at least some genteel English seaside town. It was the British that were responsible for the development of the previously insignificant settlement of St. Julian's (named for Julian of the Knights Hospitaller) into a popular resort. Those with money came to St. Julian's and had built impressive residences. Some of the houses have been made into small and medium sized hotels but many are still residential properties for well to do Maltese families. The larger hotels start in Paceville and beyond, spread out up the coast. There are smaller, more personal scale hotels, including some stylish looking boutique hotels, in the centre of St. Julian's.

Cultural or sightseeing opportunities in the town itself are few. One place of note, however, is the Spinola Palace and its gardens. The palace was built towards the end of the seventeenth century by an Italian knight, Raffaele Spinola. It stands overlooking the sea between St. Julian's proper and the suburb of Paceville but views of it are unfortunately not great because of the walls surrounding it. It was originally intended to be a recreational centre for the public but has, over the centuries, been rather versatile, serving several purposes, including that of military hospital during the First World War, and, later, as a place of refuge for Maltese families bombed out of their homes during the Second World War. The palace is not open to the public, but the lovely gardens are.

The other "attraction" and I use that word guardedly as it is really of limited appeal and there are examples all over Malta, it being a very rocky place, are a set of cart ruts ground into the stone near St. John's, a suburb of St. Julian's. There has been much speculation and research into these ruts and experts believe that they actually are unlikely to be made by some kind of carts, but probably a kind of sliding car system on which rocks or soils were moved around. If this kind of thing interests you then the best place to see them is Clapham Junction, near Buskett, so called because there are so many of these ruts there.

There's not much here specifically targeted at children, but if you start walking round towards Sliema, there are a couple of places with rides and mini golf along the sea front.

The problem with St. Julian's is that, like much of Malta, there aren't really any beaches where one might want to swim or lie in the sun so you'll be on your hotel's roof terrace, or by its pool, if it has one. If you don't mind this, and have come to spend your holiday basking in the sun all day then this won't be a problem and St. Julian's will be just as good a place as any other resort. If, on the other hand, you want to do lots of sightseeing, then St. Julian's doesn't have much to offer. However, it is in a good location for getting around the island to where there are things worth seeing and once you return in the evening, there are plenty of places to eat and drink. Better still, there's a good mix of chains and independent restaurants, a huge choice of cuisines from around the world and lots of places to try some Maltese specialities too. There is a also a decent selection of places to go for a drink, with the very noisiest places being set apart in Paceville, leaving St. Julian's that bit quieter.

I'd consider staying in St. Julian's if I went back to Malta but it wouldn't be because of the exciting sights.

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The Yellow Buses of Malta

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Maltese Buses - interior Photo - Malta, Europe

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One of the first things that visitors to Malta notice is the fleet of cheerful yellow buses that cover the whole island, especially the very distinctive older ones. Thanks to these buses and the relatively small size of the island, getting around by public transport is simple and cheap. The buses are mainly old British ones which have been given the distinctive yellow livery and given a new lease of life in their twilight years. Many of them don’t have a side door, passengers simply climb up the steps and into the bus to pay the driver or present their travel passes. Although the buses are a conventional single decker size, there isn’t a lot of headroom inside and when the buses are busy y...Read More

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Mdina - the Fairly Silent City

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Cathedral of St Paul, Mdina Photo - Malta, Europe

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Malta has had a turbulent history with one group of invading forces after another setting its sights on the little archipelago in the middle of the Mediterranean. Almost every headland has some kind of fortification, many of which can be visited by the public, but best of all is the walled town of Mdina which stands on a high plateau towards the south west of the island of Malta. A visit to Mdina and the adjoining town of Rabat, a former capital of Malta, makes an excellent day trip and the twin towns can be reached within an hour from most parts of the island. Lots of travel companies offer tours to Mdina/Rabat but it is easy to pick up a yellow service bus and make your own way there. However, as th...Read More

Malta has had a turbulent history with one group of invading forces after another setting its sights on the little archipelago in the middle of the Mediterranean. Almost every headland has some kind of fortification, many of which can be visited by the public, but best of all is the walled town of Mdina which stands on a high plateau towards the south west of the island of Malta. A visit to Mdina and the adjoining town of Rabat, a former capital of Malta, makes an excellent day trip and the twin towns can be reached within an hour from most parts of the island. Lots of travel companies offer tours to Mdina/Rabat but it is easy to pick up a yellow service bus and make your own way there. However, as there is a lot to see, it may be worthwhile to take an organised tour to benefit from having a guide.

Mdina can be seen from some distance away demonstrating why the Phoenicians, the first people to settle in the area (in around 1000BC), and subsequent peoples have based themselves at this elevated spot. The Phoenicians called it Malit, the Romans called it Melita. It is said that after he was shipwrecked on Malta in AD60, the apostle Paul took shelter at Mdina. He is said to have cured the father of Malta’s Roman governor who was seriously ill and as a result, the governor, Publius, converted to Christianity. In the eighteenth century the rebuilt cathedral was dedicated to St. Paul. The Saracens, who came in the ninth century AD called it Mdina, a derivation of the Arabic word "medina" and certainly, there is something of a feeling of north Africa within the walled city.

In Mdina a good place to start is the Tourist Information Office which is situated in the first courtyard. Here you can pick up a plan of the citadel and information on the various attractions inside the citadel walls. While the citadel is a charming and atmospheric place to wander aimlessly, you may find the map useful if there are things you particularly want to see. While you are walking, you should try to remember (as unlikely as it feels) that cars are permitted within the walls so do keep your wits about you and be prepared to dive into doorways now and then. Mdina is known as the "Silent City" and it is largely pretty quiet – except for groups of tourists and the occasional car.

Our first port of call was the Museum of Torture in the old dungeons just inside the walls. The sign promised plenty of horror and having thoroughly enjoyed a similar museum in Estonia, we hurriedly paid our €4 (each!) and went in. In each cell there was a tableau depicting some horrible instance of torture or another; the route around the museum followed the history of Malta, a kind of chronological look at nasty ways to die, if you will. Sometimes there was information on boards on the wall to explain what was happening in the tableaux. The main problem was that the place was so dimly lit that you really needed to use a camera flash to be able to see what was going on and, unfortunately, this only served to show just how tawdry an exhibition it was.

Back outside we explored the narrow streets and tinier lanes. Everywhere you find clues to the peoples who have lived in Mdina; here and there in the architecture you find Norman influences in rounded arches, or Italianate decoration on the balconies of houses. An earthquake in 1693 destroyed many of the buildings including most of the cathedral. At the beginning of the next century Grand Master Fra Antoine Manoel de Vilhena led the re-building of Mdina, the period in which the splendid Baroque buildings date from. The Baroque influence is the strongest and some of the architecture details are magnificent, especially in the ornate doorways of the larger houses.

Some of the former palaces – grand Baroque edifices - are now restaurants and many of them have signs in front of them saying that you are welcome to go inside to have a look and are not required to buy anything. Palazzo Falzon, also known as Norman House, is perhaps the best of the palaces and certainly worth a look. Another, Palazzo Vilhena, houses the Museum of Natural History. Opposite the magnificent Baroque St. Paul’s, there is a museum dedicated to the cathedral. I was not especially interested to learn more about the cathedral, although it is quite impressive inside, but I did want to see more of the stunning palace in which it was housed. Alas, that particular museum is not open on Sundays.

The views from Mdina’s bastion are fantastic; you can really appreciate why this location was so strategically important. With relatively flat country all the way to the sea, it would have been easy to spot invading forces. We were very excited to spot the round church at Mosta as we had passed it on the way to Mdina and had been quite taken with it. One way to learn about the history of Mdina, and Malta in general, is to visit the Mdina Experience, an audiovisual presentation in which the history of the island is covered in just 25 minutes. Costumed staff were stalking tourists in the streets trying to persuade them to part with their money to see the presentation – I suspect it is very similar to one we saw the next day in Valletta so I strongly suggest visitors bear this in mind if they have already seen one presentation.

We didn’t eat inside Mdina although there are a handful of places at which to do so. Most of them are quite happy for you just to have a drink so you need not feel obliged to order a full meal. As we did not want to spend too much we ate across the road in Rabat where the options are more varied and tend to be cheaper.
We wanted to see Rabat too so we split our day into two, spending about three hours in each place with thirty minutes for a quick lunch. If you just want to soak up the atmosphere, take in the views and do a bit of souvenir shopping, a half day trip is more than enough. However if you are very interested in history and want to see several of the museums, perhaps watch the presentation and have lunch in one of the palaces, then you can easily spend a whole day here.

Having been less than enamoured with the coastal resorts so far, I was delighted with Mdina (and Rabat which I shall write about separately) and really enjoyed my brief visit.

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Dishing the (Dog) Dirt on Sliema

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The Waterfront in Sliema... Photo - Malta, Europe

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Holiday resorts cluster on the eastern coast of Malta and this area has the densest concentration with one resort merging into another. A strip of concrete a mile wide pushes up against the rocky coastline; there are no sandy beaches. There are a couple of lidos but they are small and I couldn't see how spending the day at one would be much fun, even in summer. Hotels overlook the sea, usually narrow but many storeyed, none of them picturesque or appealing from the exterior. I don't think my opinion would have been improved by visiting in summer - unless business proprietors were still to carry out their repairs and renovations before the season got properly underway. Even on the front, scores of comm...Read More

Holiday resorts cluster on the eastern coast of Malta and this area has the densest concentration with one resort merging into another. A strip of concrete a mile wide pushes up against the rocky coastline; there are no sandy beaches. There are a couple of lidos but they are small and I couldn't see how spending the day at one would be much fun, even in summer. Hotels overlook the sea, usually narrow but many storeyed, none of them picturesque or appealing from the exterior. I don't think my opinion would have been improved by visiting in summer - unless business proprietors were still to carry out their repairs and renovations before the season got properly underway. Even on the front, scores of commercial properties were empty with many of them marked "To Let". Half-built apartment complexes were left abandoned, most likely due to the economic downturn.

While many businesses have closed down, there are plenty of shops still open. Choose from Marks and Spencer, Next, Peacocks, British Home Stores: I don't go on holiday to shop (frankly I hate shopping even when I'm at home) but I was disappointed to find so many British chains not just here but in other towns on Malta and on Gozo too. Even in February there were a fair few souvenir shops open most of them the cheap and tacky variety.

One of the things that struck me about the holiday resorts in general is that compared to the amount of accommodation, there don't appear to be that many places to eat. Perhaps lots of visitors eat in their hotels? During the day there were plenty of visitors out and about but Sliema was very quiet in the evenings, with only a handful of places getting a bit livelier around ten o'clock. I think this may be linked to the fact that many of Malta's winter visitors are older couples who stay for a month or so and therefore don't go out every evening. As we were there for just three nights there were enough places to be able to have a reasonable choice. Himself was in the unheard of position of being within a few steps from three Indian restaurants and not visiting any of them! We didn't find any wholly Maltese restaurants but we did find plenty of "international" restaurants that included at least a couple of Maltese specialities on the menu. For more choice you could jump on the bus, or walk, to St. Julian's in the next bay where there are more restaurants including some that are more upmarket than those in Sliema. Sliema, however, does have the advantage of being cheaper.

One place that is certainly worth visiting is the "Jubilee" at the inland end of the Strand. It's a small chain with places in Valletta and Victoria (on Gozo) and also a number of food stores which sell the food that they serve in the pubs. They specialise in Maltese cuisine and all the ingredients used are grown on Malta or Gozo. Some items are suitable for taking home (mostly in hold luggage but a few things are OK in hand luggage) and others are worth buying if you are self-catering and fancy eating in one evening. I suggest trying one of their delicious lampuki (a seasonal fish local to Malta) pies. One of the things that I liked about Sliema was that it wasn't teeming with bars and nightclubs. For the time we spent there we found that there were enough places not to visit the same place twice, although we did spend the early part of one evening in St Julian's. If you do want lively nightlife Sliema is not really the place for you, although cheap taxis and night buses mean that the bright lights are not far away. Younger visitors looking to party all night and sleep all day tend to head for Paceville which is just past St. Julian's. Apparently the name "Sliema" is derived from the Maltese word "sliem" meaning peaceful - I couldn't think of a more appropriate name!

One disappointment for us was not being able to walk all the way along the length of the strand to the very tip of the land and round into the next bay. This was partly because of building work and partly because of swanky new developments that had taken the land for themselves,depriving others of what should be a pleasing walk. While we always like to walk by the sea, we actually found the streets further back more interesting. Here we found terraces of sweet little houses, each one slightly different from its neighbours. Many have lovely covered in wooden balconies, a little like traditional Ottoman era houses we'd seen in some towns in northern Turkey. Most have a double front door, smartly painted and decorated with a pair of gleaming decorative door knockers,and most pleasing of all, nearly every house has a name, usually English, sometimes something devout, sometimes something poetic but verging on the cheesy. Beside the door, set into the exterior wall there is often a small bust of the Madonna and child. It was one of my pleasures to stroll the streets before dinner, looking at the doors and the house names.

The pleasure was diminished a little, though, by having to remain alert at all times to the presence of dog excrement on the pavements. The authorities have clearly tried to do something about this with literally hundreds of signs reminding dog owners to clear up after their animals but it seems that even the threat of fines is not a deterrent. It's not even an early morning or late night thing when people think there'll be nobody to catch them, we saw people allowing their dogs to foul the pavement (and leaving the offending matter) in the middle of the day too. This is something that the Maltese authorities really need to clamp down on as it gives a very poor impression.

Another downside to Sliema (and to Malta in general we found) is that (with one or two memorable exceptions) the staff you encounter in shops and restaurants aren't especially friendly, whether that be ex-pat Brits or Maltese. Service was always brisk and efficient but there was a lack of warmth.

Sliema does not have any special attractions, nor is it particularly old or quaint. It grew from a small fishing village but it's pretty evident that any old buildings were either destroyed in World War Two or else bulldozed to make room for modern development. Some might say that the best thing about Sliema is that you can get away from the place quite easily; this is true. Malta in general has an excellent network of cheap and frequent bus services including night services. The bus hub for Sliema is on the Strand, opposite Marks and Spencer; timetable leaflets can be picked up from a kiosk there and when the kiosk is closed you can take the leaflet from a little box attached to the outside of the kiosk. Just beside the bus stops is the stop for the water taxi to Valletta which runs (more or less) every thirty minutes and has you in the capital in about three minutes. You can also jump on any number of boats here for trips along the coast and into the various bays. Malta has several deep inlets with fortifications at the end of each one making the coastline look rather impressive even if it's quite ominous.

I would say that Sliema is a resort best suited to people looking for a quiet base from which to explore the island. There's very little for children and limited nightlife for teens or twenty-somethings. While you might quickly exhaust eating options in Sliema over a longer stay, it's easy to get to other resorts to extend the choice. Sliema also has the advantage that it is in general slightly cheaper than other resorts though it does have a wide choice of accommodation including some quite upmarket hotels at the sea end of the Strand.

Recommended as a base for people with some get up and go
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115 The Strand Apart Hotel

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Hotel | "Aparthotel 115 - A Surprising Success "

Aparthotel 115 Photo - 115 The Strand Apart Hotel, Sliema, Malta

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People who regularly read my travel reviews will surely know that I am not a package holiday type of person. I am, however, a cheap holiday type of person, willing to abandon my lofty principles for a good price. Forced to use or lose two days annual leave, I checked Easyjet Holidays for last minute deals to Malta and had a number of very inexpensive options to choose from. What was so remarkable was that the combined cost of three nights accommodation and flights was only very slightly more than the cost of flights only. Internet reviews painted most of the hotels as the sort of dump you wouldn’t house your worst enemy in but we took a chance with Aparthotel Strand 115 in the resort of Sliema which i...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on March 4, 2010

115 The Strand Apart Hotel
115 The Strand
Sliema , Malta Gzira 1027
(356) 21 318923

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Blondino Restaurant

Rabat - Maltese Suburbia

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St. Julian's - Pretty but with Little Substance

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Mdina - the Fairly Silent City

Dishing the (Dog) Dirt on Sliema

115 The Strand Apart Hotel

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