Rafael Spinola Hotel

Staying in St. Julians

by Anthro

I used St. Julians as my hub while I was in Malta. I thought it was a central location and there were plenty of things to see and do. For nightlife, check out the few blocks around Triq Paceville-St. Julians' nightlife center. I stayed at a nice 3-Star hotel, Rafael Spinola, located within walking distance to restaurants, Paceville, the cinema, banks, and bus routes. If looking for a place to stay, it was clean and reasonably priced. They even have a computer for the guests to use for LM 1 an hour. The hotel's address is on Upper Ross St. and their phone number is +356+21374488.

"Transportation Is Not A Problem!"

St. Julians is close enough to Valletta that there are several bus routes that pass through the city. Since Valletta is the closest bus terminal, a traveler can take a bus to Valletta then transfer to any other line or destination. The cost of the bus fares from St. Julians to Valletta was 15 cents Maltese-roughly $0.45. It was a great bargain and the buses ran frequently to and from the area.

Crossroads of the Mediterranean

by Anthro

"Where do I begin?"

If you're interested in culture and ancient monuments, then Malta is for you. Although my college roommate was from Malta, I never even heard about this little country before I met her. Even though she invited me to visit her many times while we were in college in London, it took me 7 years to finally come here. I decided to visit Malta when she got married. I guess that was a perfect chance and opportunity to finally make the journey. I wish I went when I was in London years ago, versus waiting until recently when I had to fly from San Francisco instead!! What a long trek, but once I got there, it was worth the 14 hours of flying. Have you ever been to a place and you feel so comfortable in it? Well, that was how I felt when I was in Malta. I could move here and feel right at home.

"What to do in Malta"

If interested in going to Malta, I would recommend seeing the Malta Experience in Valletta first. (www.themaltaexperience.com tel: 011+356+21243776) This is a multi-media exhibit that explains the history, culture, and sites of Malta all within a 45-minute video. This is perfect for the time-restraint traveler because you can see the sites then pick and choose what sounds the best for your timeframe.

A must-see for any traveler is the ancient temples of Tarxien, Hagar Qim, and Mnajdra, or if you have time to go to Gozo, the sister island, the Ggantija temples are there, all of which are the oldest freestanding monuments in the world.

The best thing about Malta is the price and close proximity of everything. Most admission fees to heritage sites and museums are around LM 2, which equates to about 6 USD.

"Where I Stayed"

There is a wide range of room accommodations for any budget, but my pick was the Rafael Spinola Hotel in St. Julians (www.rafaelspinolahotel.com tel: 011+356+21374488). From late May to early June, I paid about 25 USD for a double room which was a great bargain.

This 3-star hotel was centrally located to Paceville, the nightlife center of St. Julians, close to bus routes to the capitol city of Valletta, restaurants, beaches, banks, and shops.

What I discovered is that I could get to any point on the island all within a half hour bus ride. Transportation is efficient and attractions are well marked. You cannot get lost in Malta!

Furthermore, nearly the entire population speaks English, so for the multi-linguistically challenged travelers, Malta is a great place for people afraid to open up a language translation dictionary. Because of a common language, I was able to travel freely throughout the country with very little problems at all. Malta is also a safe and progressively improving country.

Coconut Grove

by Elly01 about Coconut Grove

This nightclub is very popular as they play really good music. Infact it is one of my favorite spots to go. One can sit outside and have a drink but don;t roam about with the glass as it is not allowed. Here the shooters l are very cheap you can even buy a tray for about LM6 ! One can also sit inside as there is a big screen and watch football. There is also a DJ and if one wants he or she can dance as there is space however its not the norm to dance in this nightclub as it is not a disco - they play more alternative rock music ! Casual

Pudaholics Heaven

by sandysmith about Paparazzi

Paparazzi's is also a must for puddings - so make sure you try to leave some room!
In fact I could happily come here just for a pud! Ate here twice - first time had Banofffee Pie - very filling and very gooey. Second time was even better some sort of hazelnut and chocolate cake with vanilla ice-cream and hot chocolate sauce - absolutely divine, simply the best pud I've ever had - and I've had a few!! Dave had a fruit crumble and you can see from the pic the size of the dish!!

....Dave gave me a funny look when he asked, "what are you gonna have?" - to which I replied "a bun in the oven" - piece of cake from the daily selection was entitled "bun in the oven! I think he was relieved when I explained ;-0

yet another good one

by iaint about La Dolce Vita

A Sicilian place right on the harbour at Spinola Bay.

We had a very good dinner there. Mussels to start, then veal in a champagne sauce as main course. Pinot Grigio to go with it.

Excellent service. About €30 each. The veal - don't eat it often, so savour the occasion!