considering moving to malta with family

Hello!
We are a family currently living in Mellieha.  While I love it, I don't want to 'sugarcoat' it too much because some people do find it 'remote'.  My friends think I live 'far', so I do fell 'cut off' at times.  I also find myself driving into the more central parts of the island ALOT.  But for me it is worth it for having a little more space, pool, fresh air, etc.  You can find most everything you need in town with the grocery stores, pharmacies, butchers, fish shop, doctors' clinic, etc.  It does get a little more crowded in the summer with tourists, but the town is full of both foreign and Maltese families living there year round.

I also think it is important to be close to the school and all the locations you list are close to San Andrea (especially Mosta).  My kids go there as well but are on the transport so I don't actually take them to school.  They do stay after school for extra curricular activities a few days a week though and it takes me less than 15 minutes to get there.  There are several 'back roads' from both Mellieha and Xemxija that are quicker than going through the main roads.

Hope that helps a little!  Good luck!

Kim

Hi Kim

Many thanks for your comments, much appreciated. I too would prefer to have a little more space and possibly a pool area. It might take the sting out of moving for the kids who I dont think are going to be overjoyed at the prospect particularly our 12 year old rachel.

Mellihea sounds good to me too. I liked Mosta etc but didnt seem to be much around or maybe cos we kept getting lost we missed lots of places but we felt there was more in mellihea region.

Many thanks again for info. Hopefully one of these jobs comes through for me and we can go ahead with our plans.

Hello,

Our kids are a 14 yo daughter and 9 yo son and both go to San Anton, right next door to San Andrea. We live in Naxxar, which we chose as a compromise between where the school is and where I work (Paola). We don't use school transport - sorry but we've witnessed some very dangerous driving by them and would rather not risk our kids lives! So that compromise ruled out places like Mellieha and Xemxija for us - but otherwise I think they are fine places to live....we have friends in both places who like them very much.

A couple of negatives I will point out - Xemxija has very little in the way of amenities. There is one small corner-shop so you'll have to plan your shopping a bit more carefully if you live there. Also, Mellieha, Xemxija and Qawra are all on the coast route which can get very busy at times, especially during the summer - so you might find yourself stuck in traffic jams. I think people who live there probably figure out alternate routes or times to travel...but it might be unavoidable at times. Also check out postings from RubyMarie - she's just moved from Mellieha to somewhere more central partly (I think) because of her bus commute.

We like Naxxar in general, and it's central location is indeed a plus, but it is not very picturesque or lively - the old town has some quaint streets and beautiful houses of character but there is very little in the way of restaurants/bars etc.

A lot of our friends who send their kids to either San Anton or San Andrea live in the 3 villages are, especially Attard - again a quieter, central location.

Ultimately, it's a very personal decision...I wouldn't say one area is best for families and you won't really know what your life in Malta will be like until you get here and live with the practicalities. For instance, we had no idea that we would spend so much time at weekends going to Valletta, but we do for culture, dining and shopping - so the fact that it's only 10 minutes away from Naxxar rather than 30 or so is great....for us...for others, maybe not.

All the above is just my view - others will have alternate views I am sure.

Just make sure you don't live near any barking dogs! Other general advice I hear a lot:
Don't get a penthouse - too expensive to keep cool in the summer;
Don't get south facing for the same reason;
Do get a place with insect screens - the Asian Tiger Mosquito was a real problem last summer (I can vouch for that!)

Regards
Tim

Thanks for the tip on insect screens wouldnt have even thought of it, we live in Ireland no mosquitoes here or sun most of the time.

Gosh there is so much to take into consideration. Thanks for all the info it is much appreciated.  I suppose until we actually view a few places it will be hard to decide properly a visit to an area really isnt enough.

This is a very informative site have learned so much already. Its great you get the good points and the bad which is really important.

Those mosquitos just about drove me crazy last summer and this is coming from someone who lived in Minnesota for nearly 20 years where the Mosquito is known as the State Bird!

The trouble is I was used to fairly large mosquitos that you could hear and so had a decent chance of brushing them away before they did any damage...but the Asian Tiger Mozzies are tiny and make no sound so they get you before you know it and then it's too late. Also, the Minnesota mosquitos bites would itch for a day or two and that was it, these ones are really nasty, they severely itch for a week to ten days and often cause you to break the skin and then they can get infected etc. Apparently these are new to Malta, just arriving in the last year or two. The only good thing is that as they are so small they are poor flyers and so a fan/breeze can help keep them away.

Anyway, enough said!

Tim

I would encourage you to rent first and see what you think about a particular area.  I agree that alot of families live in Attard.  I have a friend who lives there and thought about moving to Mellieha for the seaview, but in the end just stayed in Attard because it is so central to everything.  I don't have to commute to work every day but if i did, I probably would get very tired of the drive.  There are definitely tradeoffs for being in Mellieha.  It seems very common for people to rent and then move to other places often.  If you send your kids to a private school, you'll find people in most every town that also send their kids to that school

In response to Tim, I know I'm new to these forums and don't want to ruffle any feathers.  But I do take a little exception to your implying I 'risk my kid's lives' by putting them on the school transport!  My kids have been on it for 2 and a half years and the driver has always been the same wonderful woman.  I've never seen her drive crazy and feel very safe with them in her care. Lots of people choose the transport, lots of people don't.  I understand that it wasn't the right decision for your family, but please don't make it sound like everyone who chooses differently is a bad parent by risking their kids lives!

Sorry, I didn't mean to go off on a tangent.  I am not a confrontational person AT ALL but I just felt the the need to defend myself as a parent.

Good luck again, and yes the mosquitos are awful in Malta!

Kim

Hi Kim,

I'm sorry if you took it that way. All I can say is that we have witnessed some dangerous driving by some (but I'm sure not all) School Transport drivers - having seen it we can't unsee it, so we either ignore it or act on it. We chose to act. You obviously haven't seen anything to concern you so you haven't had that decision to make.

I can give examples but this thread doesn't seem the right place. Happy to PM you if you want.

No need to worry about ruffling my feathers - I'm just one person with an opinion...this is a forum and so long as we're all civil it's cool to discuss things like this and get other perspectives.

Regards
Tim

Thanks Tim. 

I just couldn't help but take it a little personal but I do understand your opinion.  Having seen drivers in general in Malta, it wouldn't surprise me if some of the transport drivers weren't as safe as they should be.  We are lucky that we've had a positive experience and my kids love the transport.  If I didn't feel they were safe with the driver, I would have been the first one to pull my kids off it!!  I can certainly respect that you've seen situations that you'd never want to put your kids in.  To be honest, I feel like we are in danger anytime we're on the roads in Malta no matter who is driving!!!   

Kim

You guys are great it has given us a lot to think about. Thanks so much. As for the driving in Malta don't know how I will do it. Watching my hubby drive while we were there was hard enough. I think it will be buses for me at first till I get used to it. God it's funny haven't even got job sorted yet butwe are talking like I have and planning for the future:)
thanks again.
Ann-marie

Mozzies. My work means that I spend a fair amount of time in Cyprus and some in Malta. I used to be hospitalised with mozzie bites! but now they stay away. At least a week in advance start on a daily dose of Vitamin B tablets and Garlic capsules. Then you want Avon 'Skin so Soft' dry oil spray - the white bottle with blue writing. Smells lovely too. Any Anti-mozzie cream or sspray should be at least 50% deet. They also don't like Marmite. Plug-ins for night-time. Hope this helps!
Cheers. Jo Valentine.

Hiya,

Just a quick note on where to choose to live.

We were living in a slightly out of it location in Spain, with a pre-teen then teenage daughter.  While not isolated, it made it difficult for her to maintain regular contact with her friends, or to build friendships.  Unless you are prepared to be a constant taxi driver, be sure to pick carefully when choosing your spot.  I ended up spending half my time in the car taking her back and forth, and believe me, I was very lucky as she was very thoughtful and considerate about making arrangements.

We are now in Malta, in Attard actually, and its the best of both worlds.  We do not like the 'city life' of places like Sliema so Attard is quieter and more suited to us.  However, it is easy to get to many other place by bus from here so neither you nor your kids will have a problem staying in touch with friends.  At 12 years you still have a little time before the manic social activity kicks in but if your kids are attending school here, it is vital they are able to maintain association with other kids if you want them to settle.

Hope this helps.  This is purely based on my own personal experience on something that doesn't always occur to us until its too late. 

I would have to agree with lucyanya about being a taxi driver.  We live in the 'remote' area of Mellieha.  I do like it alot and there are lots of great things about living there, but I find that it is far from my kids' friends.  They don't have a lot of playdates outside of school.  My son's best friend lives in Qormi and his parents work.  So playing outside of school is just not practical.  My daughter's best friend lives in Mosta which is closer so they do have playdates some on weekends and holidays.  It's definitely not the same as having friends in nearby towns like we would in the more central areas of Malta (Attard, Mosta, Naxxar, etc).

I imagine we'll 'feel' the distance even more as they get older and want to do more on the weekends with their friends.  Right now they are busy with after school activities, birthday parties, etc so it isn't so bad.

If our kids went to the local school I'm sure it wouldn't be an issue at all.  There are tons of families who live in Mellieha.  I feel bad that my kids don't have good friends in their town.   But for kids that go to a private/independent school, it will always be an issue that their friends will live all over the island and not necessarily close!

Kim