We just spent 4 nights in Michael's apartment in Birgu and it is exactly as it appears in the pictures - beautiful, pristine, spotless. The kitchen has everything for cooking, the bed is super comfortable (feels like my Casper mattress back home), great water pressure in shower and the air con worked great. The location of Birgu is perfect and we feel so lucky we chose it after exploring the other areas. Valletta was dead in the evenings. St Julian's is a joke; I have no idea why someone would come all the way to Malta to spend time there - devoid of any beauty and culture (but lots of 20yr olds doing shots). Sliema is similar to st Julian's but there are some nice streets in the area. Do yourself a favour and stay in Birgu at Michael's place - you will not regret!