Guest Dark Sotonic Mills Posted 31 December, 2009 Share Posted 31 December, 2009 I am planning a few days away at the end of January/beginning of February to recharge the batteries with a sunshine break. Previously I have stayed in Almeria with friends but they have moved back to the UK. I want somewhere nice and sunny but with things to do rather than sit by a pool all day. I have looked at Malta, Cyprus and Tunisia as affordable options and have never been to any of them. Any suggestions or comments from you nice people? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Um Bongo Posted 31 December, 2009 Share Posted 31 December, 2009 Are you going on your own? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colinjb Posted 31 December, 2009 Share Posted 31 December, 2009 Malta is good. My mum lives over there and I often go over for weekend breaks. Best locations to try are Qawra (the 'q' is silent) St Julians and Melieha Bay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dark Sotonic Mills Posted 31 December, 2009 Share Posted 31 December, 2009 Are you going on your own? Yes. My mother is staying with us as she needs caring for after a stroke, and my wife and I can't both go away together right now. She is going with my daughter for a few days in Prague while I stay at home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dark Sotonic Mills Posted 31 December, 2009 Share Posted 31 December, 2009 Malta is good. My mum lives over there and I often go over for weekend breaks. Best locations to try are Qawra (the 'q' is silent) St Julians and Melieha Bay. That is one of the choices. What is access to towns like as I enjoy walking around and doing the bars in the evenings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colinjb Posted 31 December, 2009 Share Posted 31 December, 2009 That is one of the choices. What is access to towns like as I enjoy walking around and doing the bars in the evenings. Melieha itself is quite nice, it has a fair selection of bars/restaurants but it is one of the more remote towns on the Maltese mainland as it is quite a way up the northern coastline. The buses on the island are excellent though, running regularly at all times of day and Melieha is on the main bus routes. I would suggest that St Julians/Paceville/Sliema would be a great place to look too, that is the main nightlife area with the Portomaso complex especially good. Qawra where Mum lives is superb for milling around and getting access over the island. There is a large bus terminus there and you are within 30 minutes of basically everywhere that matters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamster Posted 31 December, 2009 Share Posted 31 December, 2009 Malta is good. My mum lives over there and I often go over for weekend breaks. Best locations to try are Qawra (the 'q' is silent) St Julians and Melieha Bay. Hi Colin, I am surprised that you didn;t suggest Margate, if you want a beach DSM then Margate is it (with a silent "sh") Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colinjb Posted 31 December, 2009 Share Posted 31 December, 2009 Hi Colin, I am surprised that you didn;t suggest Margate, if you want a beach DSM then Margate is it (with a silent "sh") The Jewell of the Cinque Ports is a very good option! You can visit all the highlights, the derelict remains of Dreamland, the Brewster's pub by the railway station, the notorious red light district. My goodness, what a delight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Um Bongo Posted 31 December, 2009 Share Posted 31 December, 2009 Yes. My mother is staying with us as she needs caring for after a stroke, and my wife and I can't both go away together right now. She is going with my daughter for a few days in Prague while I stay at home. Ah, only reason i ask is I'm also looking get away for a few days on my own! Though i'm going for luxury, and just going somehere where I can go to the beach and relax! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dark Sotonic Mills Posted 31 December, 2009 Share Posted 31 December, 2009 The Jewell of the Cinque Ports is a very good option! You can visit all the highlights, the derelict remains of Dreamland, the Brewster's pub by the railway station, the notorious red light district. My goodness, what a delight. Yer, bin there, dun it. Margit is a bit "special" but a little too intense for my tastes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pilsburydoughboy Posted 31 December, 2009 Share Posted 31 December, 2009 Only a four hour flight to Morroco. Well worth it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junction 9 Posted 31 December, 2009 Share Posted 31 December, 2009 Purple microdot. Excellent visuals without the paranoia. Enjoy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamster Posted 31 December, 2009 Share Posted 31 December, 2009 My goodness, what a delight. It is spelt Dealite hth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamster Posted 31 December, 2009 Share Posted 31 December, 2009 /\ Whereas these are Deal Lights Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridge too far Posted 31 December, 2009 Share Posted 31 December, 2009 Years ago, we went to Marsaxlokk (sp?). Stayed in a hotel reputedly belonging to Colonel Gadaffi . Hotel was built on a rock overlooking the bay and was 4* I think. Don't, whatever you do, go to Bugibba - it's like Benidorm. Lots of interesting places to visit - Rabat (the silent city), Gozo and plenty of lovely bays although not many long sandy beaches. There's one to the north (Melliha sp?) And the capital, Valletta, is beautiful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colinjb Posted 31 December, 2009 Share Posted 31 December, 2009 Years ago, we went to Marsaxlokk (sp?). Stayed in a hotel reputedly belonging to Colonel Gadaffi . Hotel was built on a rock overlooking the bay and was 4* I think. Don't, whatever you do, go to Bugibba - it's like Benidorm. Lots of interesting places to visit - Rabat (the silent city), Gozo and plenty of lovely bays although not many long sandy beaches. There's one to the north (Melliha sp?) And the capital, Valletta, is beautiful. Correct, but Qawra on the other side of the Peninsular from there is fine. And, hate to be pedantic, but Mdina is the silent city, Rabat is just the modern part built next to it. Good work on the spelling of Marsaxlokk by the way! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitey Grandad Posted 1 January, 2010 Share Posted 1 January, 2010 Red Sea might be worth a look. I've not been myself but a friend says that the snorkelling and diving is unbeatable. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/offertypeshub/article-1209482/Red-Sea-Sharm-el-Sheikh.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trousers Posted 1 January, 2010 Share Posted 1 January, 2010 Having been to malta c.10 times on holiday and business I can heartily recommend it too, although I preferred it in the old days before it became part of the EU. It lost a lot of it's idiosynchrasies when it joined the EU IMO. I usually stay near the centre of mellieha rather than down in mellieha bay as it's a fair old trek up the hill to where the many of the bars and restaurans are. The calzone pizza in the restaurant/cafe La Rampa are to die for! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trousers Posted 1 January, 2010 Share Posted 1 January, 2010 Btw...if you're looking for WARM sunny weather I don't think Malta is guaranteed to be warm in jan/feb. I seem to recall my grandparents going in the winter one year and it was 10 degrees centigrade most of the week! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedAndWhite91 Posted 1 January, 2010 Share Posted 1 January, 2010 Go to Magaluf, I had a quality holiday there in the summer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toofarnorth Posted 3 January, 2010 Share Posted 3 January, 2010 Have you looked at Madeira. Had a nice time out there although I dont know how hot it'll be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chez Posted 3 January, 2010 Share Posted 3 January, 2010 (edited) Malta is very English and doesn't have great beaches IMO. It does have things to see as previously mentioned, but a hire car will be handy. If you want snorkelling then Shem el Sheik is by far and away the best place to go. I wasn't impressed by the food though. I'd have a good look at the weather guides as in Jan/Feb you may struggle to get the hours of sunshine and temperatures you would imagine of these countires. Edited 3 January, 2010 by Chez Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridge too far Posted 3 January, 2010 Share Posted 3 January, 2010 Malta is very English and doesn't have great beaches IMO. It does have things to see as previously mentioned, but a hire car will be handy. If you want snorkelling then Shem el Sheik is by far and away the best place to go. I wasn't impressed by the food though. I'd have a good look at the weather guides as in Jan/Feb you may struggle to get the hours of sunshine and temperatures you would imagine of these countires. My daughter went to Sharm-el-Sheik to dive and instead got severe food poisoning. She was on a drip for a couple of days! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draino76 Posted 3 January, 2010 Share Posted 3 January, 2010 My favourite trip is magic mushrooms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thedelldays Posted 3 January, 2010 Share Posted 3 January, 2010 gibraltar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridge too far Posted 3 January, 2010 Share Posted 3 January, 2010 IMO (and not just to disagree with TDD) Gibraltar is tacky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thedelldays Posted 3 January, 2010 Share Posted 3 January, 2010 IMO (and not just to disagree with TDD) Gibraltar is tacky. i know... it is a complete sh1t hole Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridge too far Posted 3 January, 2010 Share Posted 3 January, 2010 i know... it is a complete sh1t hole Hey buddie - we agree about something :shock: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonManager Posted 3 January, 2010 Share Posted 3 January, 2010 i know... it is a complete sh1t hole Went there when I was 9, got attacked by a goat. I think I'm over it now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridge too far Posted 3 January, 2010 Share Posted 3 January, 2010 Went there when I was 9, got attacked by a goat. I think I'm over it now. When we went there, there was an obnoxious child on the mini-bus tour to see the apes. One of the apes snatched his ice-cream and it was very funny to see the parents having a go at the tour operator for allowing this to happen. I kid you not Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitey Grandad Posted 3 January, 2010 Share Posted 3 January, 2010 IMO (and not just to disagree with TDD) Gibraltar is tacky. My missus likes the jewellery shops Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dog Posted 3 January, 2010 Share Posted 3 January, 2010 Miss Gibraltar is an ugly troll. Going to La Paz in may, can't wait. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamster Posted 3 January, 2010 Share Posted 3 January, 2010 Went there when I was 9, got attacked by a goat. I think I'm over it now. You're kidding us, yeah? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint in Paradise Posted 3 January, 2010 Share Posted 3 January, 2010 Go to Magaluf, I had a quality holiday there in the summer. I think that DSM is a little bit too senior to go there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dark Sotonic Mills Posted 4 January, 2010 Share Posted 4 January, 2010 Thanks for all the suggestions. I have decided on Malta and will be staying in St Julian's at the Cavalieri Hotel. Any info on bars, restaurants and what to see and do would be welcome. I have hired a car so travelling is not a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridge too far Posted 4 January, 2010 Share Posted 4 January, 2010 Thanks for all the suggestions. I have decided on Malta and will be staying in St Julian's at the Cavalieri Hotel. Any info on bars, restaurants and what to see and do would be welcome. I have hired a car so travelling is not a problem. It's a long time since I've been there but the Blue Grotto is well worth a trip as is Mdina (not Rabat - my mistake). A trip to Gozo is a must too. There used to be Popeye's village - the film set from errr the film but it was pretty delapidated then so it might not still be there. If you like horse-riding, there's a good stables underneath a flyover somewhere (might be Valletta). The guy who runs (ran) it trained Prince Charles for Polo apparently. And do visit Valletta itself and the battlements. Mellieha Bay is lovely - we rode horses along the beach. Hmmm you've got me wanting to go back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durleyfos Posted 4 January, 2010 Share Posted 4 January, 2010 I went to Malta as a child and I saw Pat Jennings. Hopefully you'll be as lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dark Sotonic Mills Posted 4 January, 2010 Share Posted 4 January, 2010 It's a long time since I've been there but the Blue Grotto is well worth a trip as is Mdina (not Rabat - my mistake). A trip to Gozo is a must too. There used to be Popeye's village - the film set from errr the film but it was pretty delapidated then so it might not still be there. If you like horse-riding, there's a good stables underneath a flyover somewhere (might be Valletta). The guy who runs (ran) it trained Prince Charles for Polo apparently. And do visit Valletta itself and the battlements. Mellieha Bay is lovely - we rode horses along the beach. Hmmm you've got me wanting to go back Do they have heavy cart-horses for hire there then? Otherwise I'll have the Maltese equivalent of the RSPCA on to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
St Landrew Posted 4 January, 2010 Share Posted 4 January, 2010 That [Melieha Bay] is one of the choices. What is access to towns like as I enjoy walking around and doing the bars in the evenings. As people have said, the island is not one for those who like beaches and such, as it's a bit thin on sandy bays. But it is an interesting place and certainly very sunny and warm. I did a trip during late Feb - early March of 1995, doing researches into ground water [or the lack of it] with my university, staying in the Panorama Hotel in Melieha Bay, and it was scorchingly hot, so no worries there. Valetta is also a very nice historic capital, and there is always Gozo to visit by ferry too. You can easily forget the Popeye Village, although kids would love it. There's always Crete, though that may be a tad expensive as a supposed cheap, short break. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dubai_phil Posted 4 January, 2010 Share Posted 4 January, 2010 Once upon a time Cyprus Airways did a "Valentines special" 2 tickets to the UK via Cyprus for 300 quid total. In those days that was a bargain. Anyway I found a female who wanted to go back to the UK that the (at the time) wife approved of so we bought the tickets, showed a 5 quid plastic engagement ring and got the tickets. Airline was like utterly average but it transferred through Cyprus in 1 hour and got back to blighty she went to mum in Dublin. We had different flights back but the deal meant we had a 20 hour stop over in Cyprus. I found a 15 quid a night dive and checked in for my big night out in Larnaca. So my strong advice for an interesting short winter break with some sun is to go to Malta, Madeira anywhere except Larnaca. HTH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.comsaint Posted 4 January, 2010 Share Posted 4 January, 2010 Malta is good. My mum lives over there and I often go over for weekend breaks. Best locations to try are Qawra (the 'q' is silent) St Julians and Melieha Bay. I was born there (Malta) and visit every few years on average. Love the place - and the friendliest people I've met in over 50 countries I've visited over the years - always smiling they are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint in Paradise Posted 4 January, 2010 Share Posted 4 January, 2010 I have been to Malta 3 times and every time enjoyed it, as for driving best rule is watch for eye contact and give way to a vehicle larger than yours. I even managed to drive the wrong way down a one way street and the locals just smiled as they knew I was a tourist. Wifes are lousy navigators Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedAndWhite91 Posted 4 January, 2010 Share Posted 4 January, 2010 I think that DSM is a little bit too senior to go there Noooo don't be silly, Magaluf has something for everyone!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint in Paradise Posted 5 January, 2010 Share Posted 5 January, 2010 Noooo don't be silly, Magaluf has something for everyone!! I will re-phrase it then, his wife wouldn't let him go there amongt all the young "ladies" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedAndWhite91 Posted 5 January, 2010 Share Posted 5 January, 2010 I will re-phrase it then, his wife wouldn't let him go there amongt all the young "ladies" Yeah that's a good point. There's plenty of young ladies about I'm not sure I know what you mean by "ladies" though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint in Paradise Posted 5 January, 2010 Share Posted 5 January, 2010 Take too long to explain but will just say that ladies in my youth never appeared to get as drunk in public as the modern lot do.I regret to say that womens moral standards are a lot slacker than in my day, more was the pity :0( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedAndWhite91 Posted 5 January, 2010 Share Posted 5 January, 2010 Take too long to explain but will just say that ladies in my youth never appeared to get as drunk in public as the modern lot do.I regret to say that womens moral standards are a lot slacker than in my day, more was the pity :0( Ah that's alright then, I thought you meant 'ladyboys' Yep have to agree with you about moral standards, I saw some pretty mad things there. And I see mad things on a normal night out in town. We are, of course, the binge drink generation, if you read some newspapers. And I love it. (But I'm sure my liver doesn't) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridge too far Posted 5 January, 2010 Share Posted 5 January, 2010 I have been to Malta 3 times and every time enjoyed it, as for driving best rule is watch for eye contact and give way to a vehicle larger than yours. I even managed to drive the wrong way down a one way street and the locals just smiled as they knew I was a tourist. Wifes are lousy navigators I don't know if it's still the case, but last time I was there the roundabouts operated differently to how they do here. Cars already on the roundabout had to give way to cars entering the roundabout. Is that still the case Colinjb? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trousers Posted 5 January, 2010 Share Posted 5 January, 2010 I don't know if it's still the case, but last time I was there the roundabouts operated differently to how they do here. Cars already on the roundabout had to give way to cars entering the roundabout. Is that still the case Colinjb? That used to bne the case but the last time I was there (a few years ago now) they had started to use the same give way protocol that we do....I say 'started'...which made it interesting as it was a bit hybrid at that stage! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trousers Posted 5 January, 2010 Share Posted 5 January, 2010 There used to be Popeye's village - the film set from errr the film but it was pretty delapidated then so it might not still be there. They done it up sometime in the last 10 years so, whilst it's lost a bit of it's "authentic filmset going into ruin" charm it's now much more of a polished tourist attraction..... Which reminds me, I hosted an IT conference (ZZZzzzzz) in Malta a few years back and we held our gala evening at Popeye Village and the star attraction was the 'hamster lottery'.....large table, with live hamster and 21 numbered hamster houses....everyone buys a ticket with a hamster house number on it and the winner takes all if the hamster goes into the house with your number. Hours of un-PC entertainment! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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