"Quieter than most................" a Mellieha Travel Page by leics

At least, it was fairly quiet out of season. What Mellieha (7000 inhabitants) is like in summer I simply can't say...........full, I imagine, but with perhaps less partying and performing than some of the larger Maltese tourist 'villages' like St Paul's Bay/ Bugibba etc.

Quiet, that is, if one ignored the carols/seasonal songs loudspeakered down the main street from 9 till 7. There's a fair amount of traffic going through as well; again, I imagine there would be far more in summer.

Mellieha mostly dates from the last century, its limestone houses backing up the hill in a series of lanes and side-roads (some stepped). It has clearly existed for much, much longer (there are pre-Christian rock-tombs tucked away nearby, Neolithic 'cart-ruts' in the next valley and two shrines which have drawn pilgrims over the centuries). Its church is huge (although not particularly old) and towers over Mellieha Bay; Maltese villages seem to have competed with each other to build the largest, most prominent and ornate church.

There are bars, and expat-run 'pubs', and restaurants (one or two rather good, although several were closed for the winter), and small shops of various sorts. Down in Mellieha Bay (about 10 minutes walk, but longer coming back up the hill) there's a sandy beach, and more bars/restaurants. No doubt there are lots of watersports available in the summer, but the windy Christmas-morning beach was almost deserted.

So: if you want to go to Malta, and would prefer a slightly quieter place to stay whilst still having access to bars/restaurants etc, then Mellieha is probably a good place to go. There are regular buses, so all the island is easily accessible (once you have got the hang of the bus routes you don't have to go into and out of Valletta every time you want to go anywhere). But don't expect total peace, and don't expect prettiness (I found the latter to be in rather short supply in Malta, to be honest). Expect a village geared to meeting the needs and demands of its visitors (which is fair enough, imo).