Anywhere in Malta would be a great place to have a base. the Island is quite small and can be easily explored..it depends whether you like the quieter area's as a base or not. Also, at the north end of the island is Cirkewwa where the ferry point is to take you across to Gozo. Although I love Malta, I love Gozo more and prefer to make camp there.

Hi,
I'd say look towards Sliema or St Julians areas, NOT further north and not Paceville. We love the Preluna and the Fortina hotels. Both are a good base, have their own web pages, but bgetter deals can be found on Mercury Direct or Chevrom.

Sliema waterfront gives bus access to most of the island.

Best wishes

David

hi swinz,i recommend that you try the waterfront hotel in sliema,malta.its a great place to stay and its on level ground with fantastic harbour views,bus stop right outside will take you anywhere on the island very cheaply,(buy a weekly season) you may have to change buses in valleta on some routes heading in that general direction,going in the other direction get the bus down to the ferry port and take a trip over to gozo,its well worth it.!! september is a great month to visit the island,so i do hope you enjoy the experience.

Tiny

Where does the ferry to Gozo go from? Is it in Valletta or do we have to get to Melliha bay area and go from there?

We plan to take a day trip in February but not sure if we can get around by local bus when we get into Gozo or if it's better to hire and car and take it on the ferry...

CwB

hi cyprus,the ferry to gozo leaves from cirkewwa ferry port which is in the north of the island beyond melliha bay,its near paradise bay.bus service in gozo is not very good so your best option is to hire a car or take a taxi tour of gozo from the ferry port when you arrive,check with the driver though before you decide,it can cost a good deal ,hope you enjoy your trip to malta,

Thanks for that,

Think we may now decide to hire a car for the weeks duration - have found some good deals with a company called AtlasChoice.com with 7 days hire for £66.80 in Feb 09.

We would have to take a taxi transfer to and from airport so this seems pretty reasonable.

How much is it to take a car over on the Gozo ferry & return? Can we just turn up at the port?

Thanks
CwB

hi again,car hire in malta is among the cheapest in europe so thats your best option to get around,gozo ferry prices depend on how many people in the car but its not that expensive,just turn up and join the queue at the ferry port,you dont have to pay on the outward part of your journey,when you return stop at the kiosk to make payment,ferrys are running all day weather permitting so if you cant get on the 1st available you dont have to wait long for the next boat,perhaps another forum member can fill you in on ferry prices,hope you enjoy your visit to this wonderful island.

Thank you!

We live in Cyprus now. We moved from UK in 2004 to live here and have visited Malta several times as my parents take a holiday there for a month every February. We've stayed at BHC once in Bugibba and twice at the Topaz - each time only for about 5nts. We can take a direct flight from Cyprus with Emirates as they have the route from Dubai via Larnaca.

Last year my parents decided to take on a timeshare at Salina Wharf, which means we can have an apartment there for only £50 for the week. So, this time we will probably go for the full week and hire a car. We went to Mdina this last time and had a few hours in Valletta too and have always used the local buses.

In comparison to Cyprus, the public transport system is fabulous in Malta! And, very cheap too. Here, it's mainly only the seafront locations that get a regular bus service and for an island this big - it's very lacking on the public transport facilities. Almost everyone has a car and with 4 rush hours a day, the traffic can be hectic as lots of places close for lunch and then re-open around 3 or 4pm till late.

We use our time in Malta to spend quality time with my parents as we only see them for a month in November too, when they come to Cyprus for holidays, so we don't want to spend all our time driving around the Malta.

This time we've set our sights on Gozo for a visit so just finding the best and cheapest solution has been my task! It sounds like the bus service isn't so good on Gozo but I think the price of car hire has probably sold it to us...

Funnily enough, we went on one of our Cyprus forum get togethers last night and I met someone who had visited Malta earlier this year. He really liked it and said to take a car with 2 passengers to Gozo was a little over 23 Euros, which seems incredibly cheap!

I last visited Gozo over 10yrs ago on a short educational visit with the tour operator I worked for in UK. I arrived early Sunday morning and left again around 9pm on Tuesday night. Because of all the complaints I used to deal with regarding the quality of the units we had at the time, I never had a great impression of Malta and to be truthful, it never really changed much after my visit either. I didn't see much of any resorts as I spent most time travelling between hotels but I know I did much prefer the North part of the island and did enjoy seeing Gozo when our guy there, Michael - took me to see the Cornucopia and several of our farmhouse units.

I didn't get to see Victoria either so, any pointers of where to go on Gozo (any "must see" places) would be greatly appreciated.

We are looking forward to our visit and we think we will probably come around 14th February, depending on arrival days at the Salina Wharf as they don't have "open" arrival days for some reason.

Do you know when the fireworks will be on in Valletta for the festival? I've an idea they will be around these dates and we've never seen them as yet but heard they are very good.

CwB

Gozo ferry - currently you pay Malta side, not Gozo side

website - http://www.gozochannel.com/

gives timetable

prices are http://www.gozochannel.com/companyop_rates_regulations_01.htm

standard price for car, driver plus one passenger is € 20.35, and yes, you just turn up