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So I'm taking a quick step out of Leggo retirement to post about Malta life since Irishman got a few questions on his last blog.
We have been here for 2 months and have tried to experience as much as possible while mixing in some work. It's been a good time and I can only imagine how amazing it is in the summer.
Here are a couple of things to know before moving to Malta:
1. Use Matt @ Dhalia as your realtor. He is the one everyone mentions in 2 + 2. We used him, and he was super helpful in securing us a place since we were in Toronto and couldn't view places in Malta before moving. All of the poker players who live here- as far as we know- have used him. He understands poker players and with the rest of the points below, you'll be able to find a good place. If you need his info, just let me know.
2. The internet through Melita is ok, but you can't get internet in your bedroom. We have all of the guys set up in the main living room with two big tables near the router. It is wireless 50 something something. They did research before we got here on the best internet....truthfully, not sure what other internet you'd use here. But the way all of the apartments are built they are too long for the signal to get to the bedrooms. Just an FYI.
3. St. Julians & Sliema seem to be the place where all of the poker players live. At least that's what we read on 2 + 2 before moving. I guess that's what I'd recommend, but I am not sure it makes a huge difference as long as you are in a city and not a small town.
4. Electricity and Water are expensive here. No way around it. To spare you all of the silly details, the electric company decides the price each month of a unit and you get charged accordingly. Our house with 5 of us- lots of cooking and laundry going on- was around1,100 euros for one month. The other group we know that has 2 apartments for 6 guys- with only a little cooking and laundry but more electricity and tv, etc- was 1,000 euros for one month. They say we are here in an expensive month.
5. In Sliema, our street has quite a few places that are open late night. The convenience stores sell milk, cereal, some fruit, pasta, eggs, cheese and snacks are open until midnight. There is a Turkish place that serves late night to go and a crepe place that is also late night. There is a list of our favorite places here down below. But know that no matter what time you eat, something is open for you to get take away.
6. The weather is fine. It's been the coldest and most rainy winter they have had since 1986, but it sure beats Toronto snow and wind. Apparently the summers here are amazing with lots of people and swimming in the Mediterranean and sunshine all of the time. We didn't see that side in January and February, but definitely can't complain about 50 degrees.
7. We've been sightseeing once a week or so to get some 'culture' while we are here. It's actually a super cool place with lots of history and fun things to see. A few I will recommend if you're into sightseeing- the Armory in Valletta, the Hagar Qim Temples, Casa Rocca Piccola, and Mdina- where Game of Thrones was filmed. That's just to name a few....
7. Here are the places we frequent here:
- Tower Grocery- very near our house and has everything. Regular grocery.
- Sliema Market- convenience store that we get small stuff and snacks from.
- Portside Bar- a bar. with pool tables. shows all of the sporting events. They even stayed open until 4 am for us so we could watch the Super Bowl. Nothing fancy.
- The Point- the 'shopping mall' in Malta. Also has a grocery store.
- **Mint- If you don't read/do anything else on this list...do this one! Mint has the BEST coffee on the island. Hands down. Get a flat white. Words do not describe. It's just espresso and a little layer of milk, but amazing! Coffee that is even decent is hard to come by in Malta. Mint has it! And their food is local, fresh and filling. Lots of great lunch options. Also has free wi-fi
- LuLu- if you're looking for a great fancier meal try Lulu. It's a set price and you pick a starter, main, and dessert. Great food.
- Ta Kris- good Maltese food if you want to try that kind of thing...rabbit, etc.
- Meet- best steak on the island. Argentinian beef. Melt in your mouth. We eat pretty much only chicken here, so a great steak was a nice change of pace.
- Paceville- the club area. We went once. It's basically a lot of bars and strip clubs in one area that is popular on Wednesday, Friday & Saturday nights. During the summer it's apparently amazing.
Ok, if you've made it to the end of this post, high five. I know it was long, but it seriously is all you need to know about Malta if you are moving here. We've had an interesting time, but overall it's been way more good than bad.
Let me know if there are any other questions you have re: Malta. I hope I can help.
Until later....
-IrishWife
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