Honeymoon in Malta

There are photo opportunities and chances to meet friendly, helpful people; see the sights; make it to Gozo; and enjoy the good food and relaxed pace of life.

Quick Tips:

Get a hold of an ATP bus route map. This can be found at http://www.atp.com.mt. They can also be picked up from the bus drivers. Another site that may be useful is http://www.maltatransport.com. Make sure you say exactly where you are going (Mellieha Village and Mellieha Bay are in two different zones) and make a note of the fare before you get on, as some drivers will try and charge you .25 even for trips within one zone.

Best Way To Get Around:

Now, this all depends on where you are staying! As we stayed in the north of the island, getting around was a little harder, as more often than not, we had to get a bus to Valletta and get another bus to our required destination. After a few days, it isn't fun. If you can face driving with the Maltese and want to visit a lot of places, or even just remote ones, then hire a car. A car hire is also beneficial if you plan to go to Gozo.

Best Things Nearby:
Gozo Ferry and Sweethaven Village (Popeye film set)

Best Things About the Resort:
Choice of three places to eat on the site. If you have a balcony on the correct side of the building, you are able to see Our Lady of Millieha Church, and on a clear day you may be able to just see Comino and Gozo in the distance.

Resort Experience:
Unfortunately, not good. The site stretches over two buildings. To go from reception to the timeshare building, you have to take two lifts and walk along a tunnel under ground level. This put us off using the gym and pools, as they were near reception in the opposite building to our rooms! There is a Lm25 refundable deposit for the room key, which still has to be handed in to reception every time you leave the building.

We were disappointed at the standard of the décor and furnishings in the rooms. According to the RCI representative on-site, they have not been updated in 10 years and are due to be worked on next winter. They have been concentrating on the hotel apartments up until now. All kitchen equipment was very dated, and the toaster looked dangerous (plastic casing was melted). Our kettle stopped working and took 4 hours to be replaced, we had no hot water for two days, we had dirty orange water for 4 days (maintenance said it was a rusty pipe, and the RCI representative said that you have to expect slight colouration, as you do in Scotland?!), and we were without water for part of a day. We had a bad smell in one of the bathrooms when we first arrived, and neither were very clean. One bed's pillow had something stuck on it (don't know what it was - don't want to know!).

Noise travels very easily between the floors, and we were constantly awakened by the room above and by people in the stairwell. We are both very heavy sleepers, so this was a new experience for us! There is a lot of construction going on in the area; therefore, it was noisy from the early hours, so no lie-ins!

On the good side of the building, there is a junction just below the balconies, and cars beep their horns before turning. This, however, is not Pergola’s fault, but it should be a consideration if you are planning to go for a quiet holiday. Some staff were very friendly, but some were quite grumpy and acted as though they were overworked. None of the staff was proactive in updating guests about the water situation (only the timeshare building was affected, by the way). For the quality of the timeshare, the Lm18-per-week utility bill was very steep (we did get a Lm7 reduction, but only when we asked for one because of the water problems). The safe in the room is only available if you are prepared to rent it at a Lm4 weekly charge, plus deposit for the key. The TV reception is poor, and we only had a choice of Living TV and Sky News. Also, the remote control didn't work.

In addition, we chose to hire a taxi through Pergola from the airport to the hotel when we arrived, costing us Lm10. There were two more guests who arrived on our flight, and we all had to squash into one taxi, which was very uncomfortable. There was no reduction in the cost!

• Unit Type: 2 Bedroom
• Activities: Fair
• Amenities: Poor
• Unit Satisfaction: Poor
• Family Friendliness: Fair
• Service: Poor

La Valle Trattoria is part of the Pergola Club Hotel and has a wide range of food. They have pizzas, pasta, grills, and salads, to name just a few. We ate here a couple of times. It was very relaxed, and the staff were all very friendly, cheerful, and helpful (they don't laugh at your pronunciation of Maltese dishes, but help you to perfect it!). You didn't have to wait to be served. The food was always tasty, and we were never able to eat three courses! At the end of one meal, we were asked if we wanted to take the pizza we hadn't been able to finish away with us!

This is part of the Maritim Hotel. Again, we ate here a couple of times over the two weeks, because it had such a comfortable atmosphere and is a stone's throw from Pergola where we were staying. The food was of a high standard, and there was a wide variety, so most tastes were catered for. We couldn't eat two courses, let alone three, as the portions were sizeable! This disappointed us, as the desserts looked very tempting. So tempting, we in fact popped in on our last day for a drink, but primarily to have some cake! We were not disappointed.

The staff were all very friendly, and you do not have to wait long for your order. We used to pop in for a drink now and then if we had been on a long journey on the buses, or if we had walked up from Mellieha Bay (steep, winding hill).

We didn't ever go into see The Malta Experience (didn't fancy watching a presentation for about an hour); however, we did duck into the cafe to escape the horse-and-cart men! There are tables outside and inside. The views are lovely and the food simple but tasty. It's self-service--no frills or fancies--but a great little place if you're in the area and in need of a refreshment.

Fontanella is spread over different levels. There are inside tables at ground level, and then some steps take you up to the battlements, where there are tables outside with beautiful panoramic views. If the weather is a little chilly or blisteringly hot, as we experienced, there are some tables on the battlements that are in a type of conservatory, so you can get some relief from the elements if preferred. They serve really tasty sandwiches/baguettes, pizzas, salads, and most definitely desserts!

This is an open-air cafe with panoramic views of the Grand Harbour. It had a quiet, pleasant atmosphere with prompt and friendly service. There was an extensive range of meals and snacks covering all budgets. On one day, there was a company of actors rehearsing a play at one end of the cafe, which was enjoyable to watch whilst having lunch. It's a bit exposed, so take a shirt/jumper, even on a sunny day, as there is no shelter if the wind whips up. You are also given a bookmark when you leave!