What's the best and the worst thing bout living in Malta?

Best thing .. the weather and being able to spend so much time outside and relaxed lifestyle ( most of the time.)
Worst thing... I miss the little things from the UK. Like the shopping and variety of things available. But is a small sacrafice.

The Best...Summer...The worst...winter(inside the homes)

I was just on Skype video with my brother who lives in one of the coldest states in the US and he's walking around with shorts and a Tshirt because he had so much heat in his house....while he see's me wearing a jacket and shivering. I actually had to go outside to warm up. I just can't get use to it...

oh this will be good, there are many of both... too late now I will reply tomorrow.

Hi Guys ok so I figure we can get round the shopping problem on our trips home to Ireland.

How is it so cold in winter inside homes? Is it damp or bad insulation or no insulation. Cost of electricity. I am a cold creature although having survivied our -18 temp in december I think i could cope with anything.

I love the idea of long sunny days and more time outside. Weather is a huge reason for the attraction to malta along with less stressful lifestyle.

Am I wrong in saying that it would be a less materialistic place than either ireland or uk.

Thanks guys
Ann-Marie

less materialistic??? hmmmmmmmm   there are literally more ferrari's per capita here than any place else in the world..  In fact I was out driving around today and counted 9 different ones, and they were not traveling as a group.

Everyplace is materialistic, this is the world we live in and there is no getting around it...   money makes the world go around.

The lifestyle here is pretty laid back in my opinion, and it has a higher standard of living than many countries in the EU, and I personally really enjoy it here....

Weather... Tropical most of the year, no hurricanes, tornado's or sandstorms....   but it is cold ( 10-18 degrees c ) in the winter...   Now as warm as that may sound, add 90% humudity and it really feels cold. 

Building Insulation.... HAHAHAHAAAA  I like you ... You're funny ...   the brick is thick and soaks up the moisture and brings it into the house.

As for the costs of living, there are MANY other post's on that topic, I would go back through and check them out...

Chad

sorry, back onto the topic....  Best and worst...

These are only MY opinions..

Best...
1. Climate... NO SNOW!!!!!!!!!!!
2. this place is beautiful.... no denying that...
3. there are really not a lot of BS rules and laws here, it really is a community governing culture.
it's relatively inexpensive to live here.
4. constant entertainment...  the locals drive like idiots and it's fun to watch them crash.

Worst..
1. humidity mixed with cold is bone chilling.
2. the locals drive like idiots, but it's a great challenge 
3. electricity prices are really high
4. locals don't know how to form a line...  they are like goats at a checkout counter.... there is NO order to anything at a store.
5. you have to be VERY careful who you rent from.....   there is little to no regulation and you have to cover your a$$.
6. barking dogs in all areas 24/7

Chad

Best
- Weather, except the winter (I open the windows to warm up)
- Living near the water, like I did as a kid
- Most things are pretty cheap

Worst
- Dirty. There's always lots of trash lying around
- Loud. People are loud, constant construction, and everyone honks like its good for their health.
- Also, I know some very nice and smart Maltese folks, but in general I would say they tend to be boorish.

"- Loud. People are loud, constant construction, and everyone honks like its good for their health."


Amen Brotha    I want to introduce them to California style road rage every time I hear a horn now...

I certainly agree with the aspects of driving - as entertainment and danger.

It is a constant challenge driving and trying to avoid being hit by others , driving in the middle of the road,driving with a mobile phone in one hand and a cigarette in the other, driving much too fast , not stopping at red lights,stop signs and just about any sign and trying to park your car so that the chance of it being damaged is minimized.

But it is also a constant source of entertainment.I hardly ever take a trip without seeing an overturned car,cars smacking the crash barrier on regional road , cars succesfully aimed at just about any imaginable obstacle including pedestrians.

And , surprisingly, the cool dampness in the houses and apartments during the winter months is not what you would expect after experiencing the lovely Maltese summers and early spring seasons. As there is no central heating and the usual gas heaters or electric heaters struggle to keep places warm it does get very unpleasant inside - especially in the evenings and mornings, whenever the sun is gone.
But you are awarded with the Mediterranean lifestyle and fantastic scenery of a beautiful small island.

Ricky

YES...I agree...Very Dirty!!! I can dust off my coffee table and literally..in one hours time...there will be another layer. This is the only place I ever lived where I have to wash the floor under my bed once a week or I'll suffer badly at night with my alergies. This is also why you cant have wall to wall carpet here...the humidity and dust get's trapped deep into the fibers making it hard to clean. People usually use area rugs so they can take them outside in the sun once a week to air out. And dont forget about the southern rain that brings that beautiful brown/red mud...

Funny about the locals not knowing how to wait in line...They will jump right in front of you w/o thinking twice.
I hate to say it...but I'm just not a fan of the locals. All I can say is they lack common courtesy. From driving with their own rules, keeping animals quiet, keeping themselves quiet, using the street as their own private junk yard, dumping their garbage in the countryside because they are too lazy to go to the free dump site... and the biggest one...getting riped off just about every week because Im foreign...arrrr....the list goes on with me. I dunno know..I've had trouble from day one with the people...This is only my experience though as Im sure there are people here with positive one's.I know I said in a previous post you either learn to deal with them or you leave...I deal with them by trying not to deal with them at all...but I'm almost to the point where I'm going to need to leave...Sad beacuse I do love Malta...the country.

Oh...Just thought of a positive....Im very happy with MCAST. Can't beat free education. They even pay my son to go and he get's free books ))

I'm an active member of the Malta ramblers. The members are mostly Maltese and are really disgusted by their fellow citizen dumping just about everything you can imagine in the countryside .

We have started taking pictures of bad examples and reporting them to the police and , in the future , also to the Times. So we hope that we can maybe change the mind-set , or at least, have the authorities remove the car wrecks, smoldering heaps of household garbage,old friges , metal drums, construction material and so on that is just dumped in really scenic places.

It wouldn't surprise me to even find a dead body laying around somewhere !

If anybody is interested , we walk just about every Sunday and sometimes during the week as well.Contact me or visit the website:
ramblersmalta.org/
Guest ramblers are always welcome and the membership is only 10 € per year.
Regards
Ricky

I suppose now that i quit smoking I don't have any excuses for avoiding the ramblers    I'll call you and talk to about it more later in the week.

Chad

Interesting the comments about Malta. When I immigrate in new countries, what is the most difficult part for me is the way of the people look at the immigrants, those who have a different color, another accent etc. We will always be foreigners and immigrants. Though, the reality is it's harder to have a happy social life. When I read through the lines, I imagine sun can't be enough in a human mind to blossom out. And I'm so little materialistic that I will advise those who leave their countries only for the sun and sea in Malta, that there are many other places with much more sun and sandy beaches but that the happiness is maybe somewhere else inside you with the people you like.

Sorry for the mistakes. I hope this kind of message is allowed here.

john2011 wrote:

Interesting the comments about Malta. When I immigrate in new countries, what is the most difficult part for me is the way of the people look at the immigrants, those who have a different color, another accent etc. We will always be foreigners and immigrants. Though, the reality is it's harder to have a happy social life. When I read through the lines, I imagine sun can't be enough in a human mind to blossom out. And I'm so little materialistic that I will advise those who leave their countries only for the sun and sea in Malta, that there are many other places with much more sun and sandy beaches but that the happiness is maybe somewhere else inside you with the people you like.

Sorry for the mistakes. I hope this kind of message is allowed here.

very well said

I have to state my case AGAINST the weather here in the SUMMER. OK, to qualify most of the summer is lovely...but those few weeks in late July and August are killers - even my Maltese co-workers hate that time of year. Maybe if you're here on holiday and have nothing to do but hang out on the beach and go back to your air conditioned rooms (with someone else paying the bill) it's OK - but we found it very hard to deal with...again like in winter with the high cost of electricity and wanting to stay warm, if electricity price wasn't so expensive it wouldn't be as bad because we would run the air con unit a lot more. Haveing the fan on helps, but really it just pushes hot air around. Having the windows open helps, but unless you have good insect screens you're going to get those blasted Asian Tiger Mosquito's coming in and making your life hell.

OK - I'm done now, but I had to say something...I really didn't enjoy that part of the summer last year!

Tim

hammersfan wrote:

I have to state my case AGAINST the weather here in the SUMMER. OK, to qualify most of the summer is lovely...but those few weeks in late July and August are killers - even my Maltese co-workers hate that time of year. Maybe if you're here on holiday and have nothing to do but hang out on the beach and go back to your air conditioned rooms (with someone else paying the bill) it's OK - but we found it very hard to deal with...again like in winter with the high cost of electricity and wanting to stay warm, if electricity price wasn't so expensive it wouldn't be as bad because we would run the air con unit a lot more. Haveing the fan on helps, but really it just pushes hot air around. Having the windows open helps, but unless you have good insect screens you're going to get those blasted Asian Tiger Mosquito's coming in and making your life hell.

OK - I'm done now, but I had to say something...I really didn't enjoy that part of the summer last year!

Tim

Yeah...you're right...it's just very hard to remember how hot it can get when you're freezing.

Thats great I knew it would throw up some interesting topics and discussions.  I dont know how to feel about some of the things cos until you experience them for yourself it is hard to judge but we will keep our investigations going and if the right job comes along maybe we may take a chance on it. I do know that am not staying here either way. But also we are not going to buy so in a worst case scenario we can always come home if we dont like it. Thanks you lot has been informative

Ann-Marie

SUPPORTING WHAT OTHERS HAVE SAID.LIVING HERE AND COMING ON HOLIDAY R 2 TOTALLY DIFFERENT THINGS. THIS IS COMING FROM SOMEONE WHO HAVING COME HERE FOR OVER 20 YEARS THOUGHT THEY KNEW THE ISLAND WELL, HOWEVER THE CONTRAST BETWEEN THE UK AND MALTA FOR ME PERSONALLY WAS TOO GREAT.THEREFORE LOOKING FORWARD TO GOING BACK ,ALTHOUGH WILL MISS CERTAIN ASPECTS OF MALTA

Lower caps, Maria, lower caps, please ...

" July and August are killers "   

Tim, I really like you and all but last summer I spend working in Baghdad.... July and august in malta are Wonderful...

_______________________

All sarcasm aside Hammersfan is right...

30ºC(86ºF) to 35ºC(95ºF)and in 1999 it was 44ºC(111.2ºF)

be prepared and now that you know you can't complain about it

Chad

Never pay 6 months rent up front because when you find faults the landlords are very reluctant to fix them. Their mentality being,'I have the rent so why should I bother fixing things......'
Just pay the deposit and 1 months rent. That way you can hold back the rent until faults are fixed. They seem to love money like bees love honey.....
Also, getting your deposit back is nigh impossible. In fact  have not met anybody here who has recieved their deposit back......
Expect the majority of British immigrants here to complain about the immigrants in Britain.
Last but not least find friends with John2011's outlook on life.....
Good luck.

sensi1066 wrote:

Never pay 6 months rent up front because when you find faults the landlords are very reluctant to fix them. Their mentality being,'I have the rent so why should I bother fixing things......'
Just pay the deposit and 1 months rent. That way you can hold back the rent until faults are fixed. They seem to love money like bees love honey.....
Also, getting your deposit back is nigh impossible. In fact  have not met anybody here who has recieved their deposit back......
Expect the majority of British immigrants here to complain about the immigrants in Britain.
Last but not least find friends with John2011's outlook on life.....
Good luck.

Never pay for ANYTHING in FULL until you get what you need from them...especially is you're buying a property that is unfinished and they promise to finish it for you....Same with furniture....even if they give you a "great discount" for paying in full...you'll be so sorry if you do!!

Today just reminded me...it does get pretty windy here!

Tim

I'm looking forward to summers in Malta.  It's already 35c here in New Mexico and only getting hotter.  We also have much colder winters with ice and snow storms.  Obviously the humidity in Malta probably makes the temperature feel more extreme.  Honestly most of the other complaints sound like things that could apply to most anywhere.

I have been here since October and staying until May.....my feelings so far below!
Negative -
trash - no respect for environment or maybe lack of trash pick up services?
Dogs -people don't pick up after their pets
food - I thought I was a foodie but don't like the food here, besides the tuna friata (YUM)
Positive -
Weather, until the last 5 days....Go away wind/rain!
Sea - amazing and great walks
Walk, Walk, Walk, Bus, Bus - so nice for me since I am from USA and we can't do either.
Cheap Rentals

My biggest complaint is meeting others, I feel its been hard to meet up w/ other solo travellers and getting tired of talking to myself

Agree with the litter/cig butts (Bleugh!!!!!) and dog poop- I walk my cousin's dog every day and twice this week at night I stepped in dog poop in the middle of the sidewalk. Really?? I buy dog bags at the pet store and am just waiting to witness someone not picking up so I can be that annoying person who lectures them .
The garbage collection system is absurd here in Sliema. Bags piled on the sidewalk day after day spilling their contents everywhere- do people not know how to tie a bag?? It's so third world.
There are lots of expat groups; try Malta Social on Facebook.

Nange wrote:

The garbage collection system is absurd here in Sliema. Bags piled on the sidewalk day after day spilling their contents everywhere- do people not know how to tie a bag?? It's so third world.

You've either not visited Paris or think Paris is 3rd world too?

I did visit Paris years ago and don't remember it being as bad garbage-wise. But if it is, then their garbage collection and disposal system is also third world I suppose, yes.

Best: 
Nice weather, Kid friendly, Good Education structure, Friendly & Helpful natives.
Nothing is too far away (traffic permiting !).

Worst: 
Wages 1/3 of UK, Therefore a Very High cost of living in comparison to wages. 
Lack of Road, Bike, Child Safety / No lane Discipline / No Observations / No Indications. Mostly poor quality roads.    Very High Taxation(s) on vehicles.
Account offerings from Banks are pre 1970.
Lack of discipline regarding rubbish & recycling.
Too many empty / shell flats & apartments and not enough family maisonettes.

The best thing about Malta is feeling relaxed and no one seems to be " on your back"!

The worst thing for me ......bus drivers, drive too fast! People moan about being here in Malta and whine far too much.

I love Malta ! If I didn't then I would go back to my native land!