Tonio and Odette are very nice and friendly people and their apartment has it all. Not only is the flat nice and spacious but above all it's set in a fabulous "authentic" location offering unobstructed views of three picturesque locations: (1) the local marina, (2) the town of Isla across the bay (notably only a short walk from the apartment for more dining options) and (3) Valletta. As other guests remarked in previous reviews, there is a quiet –café-cum-bar-cum-grocery downstairs open till 7pm everyday, which is ideal for good coffee, freshly baked pasties/pastry, and basic supplies. We tried two of the local restaurants (Sottovento and Don Berto - both in the same building just a minute or two minutes walk along the waterfront) recommended by Tonio and Oddette and both were very good (a somewhat better service and quality at Don Berto come at a slightly higher price).
There were two issues that we were apprehensive of at the time of making the booking and both of them turned out to be of no concern. The first issue was whether Birgu, although a very nice location in itself, could be used a convenient base to explore Malta by public transport. And yes, it could, by all means! You can quickly reach Valetta, where more or less all bus lines terminate and where you can quickly change to other local destinations, by local ferry and by buses nos. 2, 3 and 4 which all stop in a square outside Birgu's main gate. For 21 euros per person you can get a weekly bas pass for unlimited number of bass journeys – quite a bargain considering that to be able to see all the interesting sites in Malta and Gozo by the double-deck tourist lines you’d have to buy three different tickets (at 20 euros each). The other issue was whether or not the apartment was noisy and again, no major problem there. Although it is on the first floor and there is a street with local traffic plus a café downstairs, we had no problems sleepwise whatsoever. If you are a very light sleeper like myself take your usual earplugs (I always use mine – whether at home or away).
All in all, thumbs up Tonio and Odette and thank you again for deciding to let your apartment via Airbnb. We’d never be able to say in this beautiful location as we have not noticed a SINGLE hotel in the neighborhood!