Malta Tourist Traps

I’m not sure if consider Marsaxlokk a “tourist trap” or not. For sure I have seen the beautiful bay full of boats for fishing. I have seen some restaurants exactly on the bay too. I have seen also the market that is right on the bay. Everything can seem like in the postcards or like it’s written in the tourist guides but…The market sell just souvenirs that you can find everywhere on Malta and some “tovaglie” that are really nothing special. The restaurants, I don’t know if they are good or not ‘couse I haven’t tried them. The bay is for sure good for make some pictures but you have to pay attention at the big factories you can see on the back that (that’s my opinion) give at the area really a bad atmosphere. I was at Marsaxlokk at the late morning so the temperature was really warm and it doesn’t give you the change to go around and visit the town. For what I saw of the town, anyway, everything was closed and it doesn’t give me the idea of anything special. So at the end, if I have to choose if going in Marsaxlokk again, I’d decide to not go. I suggest to go there just if you have visited everything else into the isle

Unique Suggestions: Go to Marsaxlokk if you have visited everything else in Malta...and maybe the restaurants are good and with freh fish.

You pay for a coach trip down to the south of the island.

You wait in a long queue, get in a small boat for a short trip along the coast. Your boat then waits its turn for a rapid visit to the Grotto. It lasts about a minute, then it exits and takes you back. You then wait for your fellow coach travellers and thats it.

As for the Grotto - pretty but not worth the expense really

Total ripoff

Unique Suggestions: Do it yourself.

We caught a bus to the closest point. We then had a pleasant half hour walk along the coast and down the hill to the ferry. We paid a few quid for a ticket.

We did then have to wait for the coaches to arrive, as we were very early and the boats were only just assembling. However the boatmen were very friendly and made sure we got on the first boat out once they started moving.

Its a bit of a haul back up the cliff afterwards and then another half hour back to the buststop. Quite a pleasant morning.

This is often sold as a coach trip to Gozo.

What they dont tell you is that you pile off the coach and join a huge queue to get on the ferry. We had to wait for the third boat to come in before we managed to get on, and it was really baking hot. I felt quite ill while waiting.

Gozo is nice and worth a visit, but I wouldn't want to repeat that trip.

Unique Suggestions: Maybe its possible to find a private trip with an early departure.

If you are in Bugibba - you will find them hanging about in The Square (which, by the way - is ROUND)...

You can either split up before you get there and make it look like you are travelling alone. That way, they will not approach you.

Unique Suggestions: We've found out that the touts will actually PAY you to go to visit the timeshare resort!

We were given Lm20 upfront by one of the touts before we went into the timeshare complex and our "prize" was an additional Lm10 when we left. For this, we had to spend at least 1 hour there and look around. For us, it wasn't too difficult as the young guy who we were with was pleasant and friendly, very interested in travel too - so we spent over an hour talking about where we had been rather than timeshare.

All in all, we spent around 2hrs chatting with a nice young guy about holidays and came out with just less than Gbp£50 for doing it... plus the weather was overcast that day so it was a better option than sitting in the hotel or a cafe!

Fun Alternatives: Next time we go back (if there is one), our tout says he will take us to a different timeshare complex!

Give the people servicing you an exact amount of your maximum filling. If you just order a "tankful" they charge you easily double the amount which (you know) would fit in although there are the meters...