After two months and a week (May 1-July 6) at this apartment while I worked at the University of Malta, I know this apartment and its neighborhood well, and I can definitely recommend it highly. I’m going to address why by detailing the apartment, the neighborhood, and the host separately below. I’ll note generally, though, that this apartment is comfortable and lived in, not high-end hotel-like, so that fact makes staying here more home-like, somewhere you can settle in without worry of accidentally breaking a designer chair or vase.
The apartment itself: It is basically as pictured—and even better in some ways. I’ll highlight a couple of features with some personal examples. The main bedroom had a balcony that was great to go out on in the morning with my tea and coffee and watch the neighborhood wake up, or to go outside in the evening with my nighttime milk and Bailey’s. Although initially there were bird droppings from the pigeons who lived in cubby holes in the building, after I’d cleaned off the ledge and “trained” the pigeons to realize I’d be out there periodically, I didn’t have to clean off the balcony ledge quite so often. From both the bedroom and the kitchen/dining room I could hear the clip-clop of the hooves of the horses drawing the carriages up from the Waterfront with tourists from the cruise ships—such a nice sound! The refrigerator was the normal large size I’m accustomed to, and the kitchen had sufficient utensils, plates, mugs, espresso cups, and glasses—and there were several medium to large pots for cooking, such as boiling water for pasta. The hot water pot was fine for both coffee packets for cappuccinos and for cups of tea, and I used the broiler even at home to toast my bread because I generally put cheese on one side; I put down a bit of aluminum foil on top of the broiler pan to make clean-up a breeze. That there were two cutting boards, a wooden one for bread and the other a plastic one for vegetables and such, was a real plus. The table was ample space for me not just to eat but to work on occasion, and I watched TV from there while I ate breakfast or dinner sometimes. The bathroom—ahhhh! The water pressure and temperature were great! I don’t take long showers (no half-hour in the shower like my husband), but when I wash my long hair I take a bit longer than 5 minutes, and I never ran out of hot water. There was a bit of a ledge to keep my bottles of body wash, shampoo, and conditioner. Having a hair dryer in the apartment was great, too. And I loved that there was a bathroom cabinet in which to store assorted items such as my make-up. I didn’t really use the couch that much. The three different locks on the front door are rather traditional in these older houses, I’m told: a chain lock, a deadbolt, and the key lock. And this apartment has its own dedicated light for the staircase and in front of the apartment; you activate the light with a button inside the apartment and another right inside the door to the building once you’ve entered. And I must commend the Wifi connection—wicked fast!
The neighborhood: Perfect location—and as they say, location, location location! The Valletta bus terminal from which you can get anywhere on the island is a 5-10 minute walk away depending on your speed. Within 10 minutes you definitely can be inside Valletta and its many restaurants and shops—or if you prefer, down at the Waterfront and its many restaurants. The neighborhood in Floriana itself is wonderfully traditionally Maltese with a super bread baker a couple of blocks away, several small grocery stores nearby with one a bit larger, part of a chain, within 4 blocks, and a couple of different produce stands within 3-4 blocks. The prices differ a bit in the different small grocery stores, such as for the bottled water needed, so I’d recommend shopping around. And if you want the baker to slice the small hobz (bread) for you, go after noon. There were choices for different coffee shops on the main street, St. Anne’s, but the closest (Lollies), well-known for its sandwiches, has only a push-button machine for cappuccinos; for a cappuccino or latte made in a proper machine, go to Vilhena Band Club a few short blocks down (away from Valletta) on St. Anne’s—great capp for only 1,30 euros! As a solo woman traveler, I felt quite safe in the neighborhood, whether out for a morning exercise walk through the nearby Floriana gardens (so beautiful!) on both sides of St. Anne Street. I loved gaining face recognition with other neighbors out for morning exercise or at Vilhena Band Club for morning coffee as we nodded and smiled at each other or said our “Bongu!” to each other. And the King George V Kiosk, barely 5 minutes away, has great breakfasts inside that garden.
The host: Dima is quite responsive and kind. Although I never met Dima, we communicated via text or via the Airbnb web site. When I couldn’t get the tv to work shortly after moving in, Dima sent a worker over to help get that problem sorted out. When the internet inexplicably stopped working, Dima sent a worker, who unfortunately couldn’t resolve the issue, so on a Friday evening Dima got Melita to send out a technician on Saturday who found the problem to be a broken wire on the rooftop. When there was a delay in getting back to me (and not even a 24-hour delay, mind you), Dima was quite apologetic and sent the worker over with a bottle of wine also as apology! Great host, plain and simple.