"My holiday in Saint Julian's " a Saint Julian's Travel Page by glamourprincess

I visited Malta for the first time in August 2006. Travelling with my boyfriend, we were going to stay at the Baystreet Hotel in the middle of Paceville. Help! I knew we wouldn't get much peace and quiet, and I was fairly right. We did sleep well though, because the rooms at our hotel were very well isolated from sounds and noise from the outside.
When I think of Malta and Saint Julian's, I think of language school students just turned 16 and on their first holiday away from their parents. I was right, I just didn't think there would be so many of them! The language school students are everywhere.. filling the barstreets, Burger King, Baystreet Complex and Saint George's Bay. When I went to Skiathos in June, I felt so young.. in Saint Julian's I felt old and boring. Staying in the middle of the Baystreet Complex is not the most romantic spot on the planet. It's like an open-air mall with lots of stores, restaurants and an arcade. And there was always something going on on the first floor, such as local talentshows.. Oh well. They did have some great shops there though!

Spinola Bay, the area close to Portofino complex and Sliema were all close by and were the most charming and nicest parts of Saint Julian's. I'm used to greek charm with white houses, flowers and narrow streets, Malta was quite the opposite. I missed the beauty of it all.. There was too much waste lying around, and many closed shops and restaurants made the place look a bit deserted and in need of refurbishment. Spinola Bay was quite nice though and it was a nice walk along the sea over to Sliema. Lots of restaurants and cafes to choose from..

We went on three trips during our stay. Once we went to the capital Valletta - we walked on our alone through the many streets.. it's cool to see the old buildings, and I'm sure the town carries a lot of history, but we didn't visit any museums since none of us are particularly interested in history or culture.. (not yet!). Water was overpriced and it was hard to find places that sold food and drinks in the burning heat. We went there by bus, an overcrowded cheap yellow old bus. It's like being in a sauna for 45 minutes. Valletta had some great shops (I do love shopping!) : Miss selfridges, Mango, Marks & Spencer.. We had lunch at an outdoor restaurant, low prices and fairly good pizza. I was a bit dissappointed with Valletta as I thought there would be more to see and experience without entering museums and churches.

We love beaches and swimming, so we went to Mellieha Bay which is supposed to be the best beach in Malta. It was nice..sandy and lovely for swimming. Just the right temperature in the ocean. It was a bit pricey to rent sunbeds LM5 for two sunbeds and an umbrella. And there was a lot of trash in the sand such as cigarettes and stuff.. Italians smoke too much! It is so not sexy by the way! Once again we travelled by bus.. an overcrowded overheated bus.. At least it's cheap!

The blue lagoon is an absolute must-see! We went there by boat on one of Captain Morgan's (he's everywhere!) organized trips. A huge wooden sailboat. Really lovely! We got a bit seasick though, too much waves! But the blue lagoon was amazing, and staying at that boat was just perfect. A perfect lazy and relaxing day out on the sea.