[Closed] Malta

From a good friend who lives/works there, I asked for trip advice

This is an itinerary I put together for my sister a few months ago… I’ve added some contact details and detail to it now (in brackets) to help your friend. Any questions or need any advice feel free to pass on my contact details. She only had a few days to see the sites as we were going out on the boat cruising the coast for the following few days, but there is some good stuff here worth doing, which normal tourists may not see.
If they have interest in prehistoric sites, the Hypogeum is well worth visiting. It was not open when my sister was here so it’s not included below. It will be closed again from early April. Best to book very early as it gets booked out well in advance. Details here http://heritagemalta.org/museums-sites/hal-saflieni-hypogeum/ and bookings here https://booking.heritagemalta.org/

Monday - South
Marsaxlokk stroll early. (This is a typical fishing village down South. Big market on Sunday mornings can be quite touristy, but during the week it’s nice.)
St Peters Pool. (Beautiful swimming spot near Marsaxlokk. Difficult to get to unless you have your own car. I’m sure directions are available online)
Birgu lunch & stroll. (Birgu is one of the “three cities”, the first settlement of the knights. Really nice to walk around the village, and grand harbour marina which is alongside the town. Lots of nice restaurants on the grand harbour marina waterfront. Fort St Angelo at the end of the peninsula may be open at the time and offers stunning harbour views.)
Drive to Valletta in evening for whiskey sours (Possibly not everybody’s taste, but myself and my sister love whiskey sours! The best in Malta can be found at “Streat” on Straight Street, Valletta. It’s worth visiting Valletta in the evening after dark to sample the atmosphere after the tourists have left.)
Dinner Ambrosia or Rubino in Valletta. (Two of the nicer restaurants in the city. Booking recommended.)

Tuesday - West
Hagar Qim temples (Prehistoric temples.)
Ghar Lapsi swim (Beautiful swimming spot. Very un-touristy. Near Hagar Qim on the West coast.)
Dingli Cliffs stroll (Excellent walks along the cliffs of the West coast.)
Spin round the harbours on boat late afternoon. (When you’re here I’ll take you round on my own boat. Your pals can get harbour tours from the Sliema Ferries waterfront.)
Dinner in Ali Baba. (Lebanese/Moroccan restaurant in Gzira. Don’t even look at the menu. Just ask them to feed you.)

Wednesday -
SUP Trek ( https://www.facebook.com/maltasupseatreks/ fabulous way to see some of the coast and do something different and un-touristy. A three or four hour tour will certainly work up an appetite. Tell Henry that Barry sent you.)
Golden Bay walk/swim. (sandy beach on the north west of the island. Standard sandy beach, but after the SUP trek you’ll appreciate some relaxing.)
Wander around Mdina late. (the original capital city. Well worth visiting in the evening after the tourists have left. Excellent Arabian food at “Sharma”.)

Thursday -
St Johns Co-Cathedral early (0930 open). (The cathedral tour in Valletta is worth doing. Queues grow throughout the day. Best to do it early.)
Wander around city.
Lascaris War Rooms. (The WW2 war rooms. Restored to exactly how they were during the war. The entire allied forces in Southern Europe and Africa were controlled from here.)
Manoel Theatre. (In Valletta. Oldest working theatre in Europe. Have a look online and see if there are any good shows on during their visit.)
Dinner in Dar Il Bneit. (Maltese food restaurant in Dingli. Very remote in the countryside. All food home grown/produced. Need to book in advance.)

Gululu in St Julians is also very good for Maltese food.
A day in Gozo is great if you have your own car. Alternatively go on the ferry as a foot passenger and rent quad bikes in Mgarr on the other side.
https://www.facebook.com/Experience-adventures-and-more-316548648443451/ These guys run free group walks in different places about once a week mostly for locals. Can be nice to hike with lots of different people. Also some excellent hikes here: http://www.visitmalta.com/en/walks . If you want a longer hike then you can walk the entire Victoria Lines from one side of the island to the other. It takes pretty much a whole day. I’m sure there are directions and advice online.

cafe cortina in valletta...was there last week. get the pudina

Jam - top top man. Thanks.
Walla - noted. What is it?

fyi the email was from a year ago

Walla - noted. What is it?

I doubt it's for naughty boys.

pudina is super rich bread pudding with a chocolate top, pretty good.
Theres also an ace cafe in mdehina (sp?) right on the castle wall with amazing views

They shoot small birds for fun, plus endangered species.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/mar/16/malta-gives-go-ahead-to-shooting-of-5000-endangered-turtle-doves

Was there on a job last year.

Don't buy the local bottled water... Just desalinated sea water.

Standard of driving worse than on Sicily.

The interior of the island is quite barren.

Yep, I'm with egf above.... Pissed up farmers shooting tiny migrating birds ... I know there is a little on the dark side for everywhere but this combined with the feeling of being trapped on a small dusty rock for the week....
Having been, it's off my list

Thanks for all the positive advice.
Looking forward to it but I'll ask the MIL to book somewhere ethically sound after checking on here in future.
A few pissed up farmers verse a world full of cats. I know where I'd start to save small birds.....

We stayed in St Julians when in Malta.
It was very good and the local Maltese restaurant was excellent - I forget the name but the Bragioli was excellent.

Valletta is great. When you go to the cafe wave at the camera.
https://www.skylinewebcams.com/en/webcam/malta.html

Bookmarking.

Malta....it'll be lovely when they finish it!! 😉