Where to live in Malta?

Hello all,

My husband has got a new job in Marsa, Malta and we are moving out in the new year. I have started looking at flats but need some help deciding what area to live in.

So some info about us. We are a married couple in our 30s. I don't have a job yet but will be looking and so would like to be in the general Valletta area and not on the other side of the island. My husband would like to be close to his work in Marsa.

We like city life and like to go out to restaurants and bars but certainly don't want to be in the middle of party central. We have a dog so would like to be near to a park or a beach to walk him. We live at the moment in Girona, Spain and love the old part of town, with the narrow streets and pavement cafes. BUT don't want to pay astronimically for it, especially if it is actually where all the tourist go and isn't the real Malta. Plus in these areas there is always difficulty of no parking spaces and no supermarkets nearby.

So to sum up- central, practical but pretty with some open space to walk our dog.

Thanks in advacne for all your help! Really excited about the move and if anyone has extra recommendations or advice, feel free to pass it on...

:-)

I lived in Swieqi the first two years and loved it!! It's in walking distance to everything you're looking for and it's a fairly quiet residential area. Tal Lbragg and Pembroke are next to Swieqi and are nice areas too. If you're looking to be near a nice beach...Mellieha is the place to be...but it's far from Valletta. St.Paul's is nice too...but again...alittle far. But in my opinion...Sweiqi is the ideal place. It doesnt have the charm of the old buildings but it has PARKING :)

Thanks for that useful advice. I've read good things about Swieqi and can't wait to look around at the start of January.
Happy Christmas!
:)

Hello,

I moved to Mellieha from vancouver 5 months ago. It is beautiful and walking distance to the beach but it is true that is far from the centre. Also, Mellieha centre is not big and it was difficult to find courses, classes, stores, etc. I hope this help.

Thanks! Will bear it all in mind when we go out on the 4th. Very excited and looking forward to exploring all these places for myself.

Best wishes for Christmas and the new year!

N

Hi, I used to live in Naxxar area, the best for me, Quite nice, pure air and few minutes away you will find lots of supermarkets and bars and restaurant! Life is beautiful in Malta, trust me! Amazingly beautiful, with some normal hickups, but I love where I live! If you want more info email me on gabrincat@gmail.com.. I might also be able to give you some contact numbers for property owners.. They will sell cheaper then dealers.. and get the best value! let me know! You will love Malta!

Tc and Happy Christmas!

gabriele

Thats really kind Gabriele- will get in touch via email in the new year. Will google Naxxar right now!
WeŽre looking to rent rather than buy though but maybe your contacts do both things.
Well, Happy Christmas to all!
Nikki

NO Problems at all mate!

Glad I can be of help!

May you and your family & friends, have a Jolly Christmas and a New Year of Piece and hapiness!

gabriele

Nikki,

We've lived in Naxxar since we moved to Malta a year ago - it is nice in general and is central to everything, but it ultimately depends what sort of lifestyle you are after - there's not much here for night-life (not sure which bars/restaurants Gabriele is referring to!), so if that's what you are after you'd be better off towards either St Julians or Buggibba. Also, no decent views (some country views maybe) as it's in the middle of the island - but if you want to see/hear the sea it won't work....as ever it depends on what you are looking for, and everyone is different in that respect.

Good luck.
Tim

Hammer,

I'm hesitating to live in Naxxar or Swieqi. This weekend, I have been from San Pawl Il Bahar to Mellieha. Honestly, I didn't like the place. There is no life at the moment of the year, houses and flats I have seen are not pleasant from the outside. Maybe, there are some very nice houses with sea views somewhere but if you go to the downtown, I'm afraid that I will be bored right away. I think the Sliema area and maybe Naxxar seem to fit better my lifestyle. Now I'm in Swieqi. It's a residential area, no barking on the nights, more space between the houses and we are close to Sliema, San Giljan so for me it's a good compromise.

Of course, it depends on each person's taste.

Just to update you all- we found a really cool place to rent in Pieta. It is a townhouse and it looks onto the harbour and the bastions of Floriana. It has an amazing roof terrace and a little garden for our dog. It is also right opposite a big park (virtually the only park I saw in Malta!) and 10-15 minutes walk to Valletta. Ok, if money was no object we might have opted for a place in Saint Julians but I think for our budget and needs we have found a little gem! We are really excited about moving into it on the 22nd.

Thanks for all your help.
xxx

That is excelent news!  Congradulations!

How did you find it?  Also Did you ask if the neighbors have barking dogs 24/7?

Today, I have been to Floriana and I think I see the park you're speaking about. Then, I came back to Swieqi from there on foot. Nice walking.

Hi
I'm new on here but seriously looking to move over to Malta from the UK. Anybody know anything about Birzebbuga or Marsaxlokk?

Would prefer to be on the coast without being in tourist town, a nice mix of people would be nice; not too quiet but not dead either - any ideas?

Cheers
Steve

Hi

I too am moving to Malta in April...and we have no clue where to live. My husband will be travelling to and from the airport a lot, so we dont want to be too far away from there.  But..with that in mind, we are looking at a coastal villa, somewhere close enough to some sort of night life...bars and restaurants etc.  What areas are good, close to Valetta and more coastal? 

Thanks

Polly

Wow, that'll make two of us.
I'm also hoping to be working at the airport, just waiting on confirmation.
Me and my partner visited Birzebbuga and Marsaxlokk, they weren't bad, they seemed local and it had a nice bay.
Birzebugga has pretty bay in which is pretty, with the boats around.
Downside is there is a massive cargo port in the background, some people don't mind it though.
All depends on the budget and what you want, I can help a little.
St Julians/Sliema/Paceville area is for the nightlife, very nice area but a bit more expensive houses.
The south is much cheaper but more quiet and in some parts local but this is only from what I've saw, I haven't saw all of the South.
The North is quite far away from the airport so probably not going to stay there but thats where the best beaches are, Qawra and Burgibba are very nice areas at not too bad rates for houses.

Hi again

Thanks for your reply.  We are looking ideally to rent a 3 bed villa with garden and pool.  Happy to be inland if there are less options by the sea...from research it seems most smaller seaside/port towns are more townhouse built up!! It's not so much an issue being in the north further away from the airport...obviosuly depending on what the roads are like to and from the airport.  I will look in to some of the suggestions though...it's a tough one.  I would like to have the freedom to walk to a local market, nice restaurant and bar but with the balance of a farily quiet area.  There are so many suggestions...aghhh where to start!!

P :D

Hi p,

Welcome to the forum.

From what you write you should really come and see the different locations especially concerning communte between working and living area. Although Malta seems small it is something to consider.

Also not quite sure about villa with garden and pool! For that you are looking at 2000-3000 € /month unless you really go out in the nowhere.
If someone knows of one for less than 1500 € please let me know too!

Regards
Ricky

Hi Ricky

Thanks for the welcome note.  I think we are looking for a villa very max 2000euros per month.  There are a few we have come across on some websites in some nice areas...but you can never tell until you step foot in the door.  What is nice is how much cheaper malta is than Dubai, as living costs here are some of the most expensive in the world...horrible...gobbles up your money...and i thought the UK was bad! 

Will certainly let you know what i come across in terms of villa costs.  Best to take a weekend trip over to check it all out I suppose. 

Chat soon

P

You'll definitely get an excellent property in Malta for that rate.

You can live well even in the main areas like Sliema/St Julians and probably even get a lovely sea view.
Check out the property websites like Remax Malta, Frank Salt etc. I saw some properties on one these sites and a few had communial pools however are not villas. I'm pretty sure they could fix you up with something spectacular.

For me and my partner, driving can be scary in Malta, majority of drivers love driving fast, my first time driving, even driving on the left (which I'm used to here) was scary, took me 2/3 days to get used to it.

Thats why I'd recommend to be close as you can to your work, it all depends on how comfortable your are with the driving.