Having landed on this little rock just over one year ago, I can tell you that I love it here. Hopefully, I can convince you just how nice Malta is too…

As with any place in the world, there are some positives and some negatives. I firmly believe that the negatives are few and the positives many, but we’ll explore them more below.

Finding somewhere to live

Wherever you may land, you’ll need to find a home. In that regard at least, Malta has space. I read in the main newspaper some time ago that Malta has around 74,000 unfinished or unoccupied properties. Amazing for such a small place. Some parts of the island are like a building site, and others are palatial. One thing is for sure, there is a property in Malta to suit almost every taste and most budgets. These range from the very low cost – there are studios and apartments from around 200 euros per month in some parts of the island – to the very lavish locations where 3,000 euros per month isn’t enough.

One of these very upmarket locations is called Tigne Point and is the home of Malta’s largest shopping complex, a small sports centre and is almost certainly the best location for an apartment in Sliema. The views of Valletta are spectacular by day and night and, one imagines, it must be a little like living in a postcard.

Like any property market, there are many places to both rent and buy. It will come as no surprise that many of the picture perfect locations come with pretty spectacular price tags. I’d recommend finding a place to rent in Malta before deciding to buy. As with any location, there can be wide differences between areas. Malta is generally very safe and quiet, but in some places it can be impossible to park a car and this is the kind of information that would be useful before spending a few hundred thousand euros on a fancy apartment.

The Water

Being so small, it is actually difficult to not see the see on a regular basis. In some places, it takes a real effort to avoid it! As such, Malta and it’s history are very connected to the sea and it’s role as a trading port. These days, the sea is more about relaxation and enjoyment for most people.

The smallest inhabited island in the Republic of Malta is called Comino. The island is famous with tourists for the Blue Lagoon. The lagoon is mostly surrounded by rocks and so is relatively shielded from strong currents (though not always). A relatively shallow sandy bottom reflects light back up from the bottom giving the water an almost transparent nature with a wonderful azure hue. It is breathtaking, but alas, generally, this wonderful experience will need to be shared with a good number of tourists. It is very popular.

For those of us not brave enough to go diving (and there are lots of highly regarded locations off Malta), the easiest way to get close to nature might be at the Marine Park Malta at Medierraneo. This place is amazing and I loved my visit there. It doesn’t seem to be on the tourist trail but it is well worth the effort to go.

The Maltese are famous for their fishing boats. These multicoloured vessels are apparently almost impossible to sink because of their design. When you mget close to one, it is worth taking a look at the eyes at the front. These enable God to watch over the fishermen. Malta is a very conservative Catholic country.