After the stress and strain of last month’s 18,000 mile round trip holiday in Hawaii/OGG, we decided we really needed a holiday! And iWife’s expert hotel research came up with a little gem in Malta to accommodate us for a week … a petite, 5-suite, guest house in the middle of the City of Valletta.

We are great fans of Malta. iWife served there in the 70s, i proposed to her there in the 80s, and we’ve been back a few times since. But we haven’t been there since 2014 (Previous TR here >>> http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...r-lgw-mla.html)... Clearly, it was time to go again.

I dragged the copy of “Teach Yourself Maltese” from the bookcase, had a quick refresh … and then abandoned the idea, and inevitably accepted that virtually the whole population speaks English anyway. Maltese is a very complicated and ancient language, with roots in Arabic and Sicilian/Italian and indeed beyond!



Hey, this journey is easy, though!! No trips round the M23/M25 to get from LGW to LHR, no need to go ex-DUB and stop off at various points on the way to maximise TPs [ensuring all US sectors at 2,000+ miles]. No, this is an utterly simple JER-LGW-MLA. OK, the variable BA flight schedules to MLA compelled a night-stop at LGW on the way out, but then who can resist a night at Gatwick? You can? So can we, but there was no choice!




Tue 19 Sep 17
JER-LGW
BA2775, 1735-1830, A319 G-DBCA, CE seats 2A/C

Considering this is such a routine hop to the Mainland [as we call it] there would normally be little to say. On this occasion, there was a bit more to note. Bag-drop, Security and the Lounge were as routine and painless as usual. But then this time, as it was later in the day, and with camera and brain functioning ….

CE and BA Status pax boarding via Gate 10 [the other side of the pier to the Lounge]. As you enter, and have your BP scanned, the privileged are ushered to a large [and comfortable] holding pen to the right, whilst the ‘others’ go to another pen to the left. So we got this …



… and with easy access to our waiting Jet



So far, so good. Our usual seats [2A/C] with our small carryons under the seat in front for the ~40 minute hop to LGW. Doors closed, push back, time for the manual safety demo. Now I do understand that the script has recently changed [involving all sorts of irrelevant information for s/h flights], but we still couldn’t understand why the CSD, at the front of the CE cabin, was demonstrating things about 2-5 seconds before the announcement of that item! Perhaps he was in a hurry?

Safely airborne, the ‘high speed meal service’ commenced - to a certain extent. With the CSD in the Galley, the other CC went aft with the trolleys to start both BoB in Economy and CE service from Row 8 forward. The CSD started serving the 4 pax in Row 1 … and was then constantly interrupted by orders from the CC with the trolley at the back of the CE cabin (8 rows as usual) for the Hot Croque-Monsieur (Ham and Cheese Toastie, for those not familiar with the term). They had 6 rows working forward, he had 2 rows working aft … and by the time he reached us in Row 2 it was about 15 minutes from the start of service! And guess what … there was only one hot option left, and that was cold by the time it arrived. Chaotic!

Which only left the Arrival. You know the calls … “Cabin Crew, Seat for Landing”, accompanied by various bings [or bongs]. At this point there are 2 female CC in the Galley at the front, who occupy the 2 jump-seats. The CSD goes and hides in the forward lavatory until after landing!!! WHAAAT? I had a perfect view of it all from 2C.

Unimpressed by the CSD … never seen a shambles like it. I was glad to get off!

Anyway … Arrive, airbridge, bus to Arrivals (Common Travel Area thing) and wait for bags to arrive. I was about to head for the Gents when our bag arrived on the belt! Hello? Are we really at LGW? OK, let’s move on! Though the throng of Arrivals, find the Exit and make our way across the road to the Car Park and the passageway to … <drum-roll> … The Hilton, Gatwick South. Whee!!

I didn’t take many photos, as we were more interested in having a shower and having an early night … but I was tempted to take one of the missing curtain [and indeed curtain rail] in Room 1275. It was not possible to photograph the creaking noise made by the bed A most unimpressive first stay at this Hilton.




Wed 20 Sep 17
LGW-MLA
BA2644, 0745-1205, A320 G-GATK, CE seats 2D/F

An early start to the day, which explains the need for the night-stop. After the usual painless LGW Security, we headed for the BA First Lounge … only to discover it didn’t open until 0700. I know, I should have checked the BA Forum Dashboard! We therefore joined the rest of society in the Club Lounge for a quick coffee, before strolling nonchalantly to Pier 3 (the round one) and Gate 31 … where we loitered nervously. There was no aircraft at Gate 31 However, when boarding started it was revealed that we had a short walk down the green pathway from the airbridge at Stand 31L to our aircraft on Stand 31R.



This was our first experience of this BA variation of the A320. Thanks to the info on Flyertalk, we avoided Row 1 [the 1A/C seats where the wardrobe used to be] and went for 2D/F with the bulkhead in front. 1A/C is, shall I say, a bit ‘industrial’ and of course also fully exposed to the Galley.



With the front overhead bins inevitably now allocated to Crew use, we had to use the bin between Rows 2 and 3 … only to find the bin full of bundles of replacement magazines and material for the seat-back pockets. A bit of DYKWIA muttering and rearrangement of BA’s stuff, helped by our very nice [and experienced] CC. And there we are, in the spacious bulkhead row, and with a good view of the switchgear for the “Doors to Manual and Cross-Check” department.







And then, to our amazement, the CSD came round with her iPad and greeted us! How nice, and unusual, and what a charming and efficient lady too: one of the best we’ve encountered, and a total contrast to the one we had yesterday. We pushed back a bit late at 0810, but were delighted when the Flight Deck advised us that the flight would only take 2h45m.

Airborne, and time for breakfast. Whaaaat? Why is it not swimming in water/grease? And why do I have a bread plate? A quick check of the menu confirmed we are indeed on BA … so enjoy!! And we did!





After all that excitement, it was time to settle down with our Kindles and await our arrival in Malta, which duly happened some 10 minutes early at around 1200. A gentle walk from the aircraft to Arrivals, across the air-side service road, instantaneous and polite passport check at Immigration, and headed for an almost empty Baggage Reclaim … to wait. And wait. Eventually bags started arriving on the next belt, from an Air Malta flight that arrived after us … oh, well, it’s their country, and their airline, and I suspect we do the same in UK And when the KM pax had all departed with their luggage, ours eventually started arriving. As a bit of a novelty, our case was one of the first to emerge, and thus we headed outside to find the driver of our pre-booked taxi for the 5-mile run to our accommodation. Success, and a nice shiny Mercedes too!

He had to take a rather devious route into Valletta, as there was a monster traffic jam near the airport exit - a colleague of his had been stuck there for an hour! Eventually we were safe within the City walls of beautiful old Valletta, and the holiday could commence.

Our home for the week (B&B only) is a ‘typical’ restored Valletta 17th Century (1622, actually) mini-palazzo Guest House, covering 4 floors and with part of an adjacent building incorporated once in the distant past. It’s down there, on the right by that white car.



The inner courtyard/reception area.



The Lounge and the Dining area … the property is rammed solid with antiques, very much in the Maltese style. And it’s not often you find somewhere where your coffee is served in a solid silver coffee pot!







Our Suite had it’s own, private, terrace, with views of Grand Harbour and the rooftops of the old City … our 2 sun-loungers just out of shot on the left:





And what of The City of Valletta? It seems to be resisting the march of time remarkably well. Efforts are being made everywhere to restore some of the derelict buildings, and it is yet untainted by ‘modern development’ as befits its World Heritage Site status. Would you like a wander round? Wear comfy shoes, and be prepared for some steep streets/steps!

Inland view from our terrace.



Our street.



Victoria Gate.



One of the many small Guest Houses in Valletta.



More waterfront. We were near that centre crane in the background.



In the centre of the City. Queen Victoria statues everywhere, including outside the National Library!



Classic shop-front with later addition!



We ventured once to the more ‘touristy’ area of Sliema, taking the Ferry across the Harbour (€0.90 r/t for Seniors!). That is not Valetta, or indeed Malta … it could almost be anywhere! However, I do give credit for building the new Shopping Mall (The Point) within the walls/colonnades of the former Tigne Barracks





Malta is a popular Cruise Ship destination, and they came and went with military precision. We had a great view from our roof-top terrace. “It’s Tuesday, this must be Malta” … but be quick, because we sail again at 1800





As a bit of scenic change, the Irish Navy’s L� William Butler Yeats >> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L�_Wil...ler_Yeats_(P63) << was doing a port visit … although sadly moored over the far side of the harbour. What a change from the days when Grand Harbour was filled with the Royal Navy’s ships!



A few events also took place during our stay, including the Malta International Air Show. Our terrace gave us an excellent view on both days … sadly my pocket camera, despite a 12x zoom, is not best equipped to do posh pictures, but I tried. Display Teams were provided by Switzerland, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. I won’t say which on I though was best, as they were all very good … and it made a change from watching the Red Arrows (sorry, jamier45



There was also a Port Visit by the Oman Royal Navy’s training ship, Shahab Oman II … we met some of the crew and trainees in the City, where they were dancing for the crowds, and got invitations to their ‘Open Day’ on-board. Sadly, that morning the Heavens opened with thunderstorms and heavy rain, so we never made the 1-mile walk to do that.






Food. I guess I should mention food. And indeed drink.

We are both broad-minded omnivores. And we like to eat ‘local’. If I want steak, or a burger, I’ll go to the USA. This is Malta.

Our breakfast offerings at our little Guest House were lovely, and they changed every day.





And we discovered, just 50 yards up the street, a tiny (just 4 tables) hole-in-the-wall Cafe/Bistro/Wine Bar called Dimitri >> https://www.facebook.com/DimitriValletta/ <<
We ate there every day, either late lunch or dinner [closed Sunday]. The owner is a star [and a former chef at Gleneagles!] and the food is simple and yet excellent and extremely fresh! When you see fish being delivered just in time for dinner from the day’s catch, you know it’s going to be good. I do seriously recommend it, unless you need pretentious surroundings to enjoy perfectly-cooked fresh produce!



Small Prawns



Swordfish steaks … perfectly cooked, of course!



Overflow area outside!



A busy evening! A very International clientele - we met Australian, Canadian, French, Polish, Scottish and English fellow-diners.



On the Sunday, we re-visited >> Palazzo Preca Restaurant ? 54 Strait Street, Valletta, Malta | << which is also lovely, more up-market and yet still sensibly priced. Good atmosphere, and delightful food and staff.



So we spent a week wandering, and eating and drinking [excellent local wine] and getting far more exercise than usual (especially with the steep streets) and enjoyed perfect weather … apart from that one morning. And then it was time to go home

Wed 27 Sep 17
MLA-LGW
BA2645, 1250-1510, A320 G-GATU, CE seats 2D/F

I awoke early [by my standards] to discover some clouds. It was definitely time to go home!



A nice simple journey in prospect, and with our taxi booked for 1030 we had a leisurely breakfast, finished packing and headed downstairs [sorry, in the little lift] to settle our bill. A couple of bottles of wine when our shopping/consumption failed us (€9 each) and our taxi shuttle (€25 e/w). We were seen off by the owner, who we assured we would be returning as soon as possible!

And so to MLA airport, and the BA desks. They have queues! To be precise, they had 3 queues. One for normal check-in, one for Bag-drop, and one for “Club Europe, and BAEC Gold, Silver and Bronze”. Guess which was the longest, and slowest queue!!





Thirty (yes, 30) minutes later we escaped, and clutching our LaVallette cards [issued at check-in, for Priority Security and Lounge Access] we made our way upstairs. Security was extremely quick and efficient, and with equipped with tray-loading similar to LGW. That micro-obstacle sorted, it was time to find the Lounge.

On our last visit, in 2014, the Lounge was off the main Departures area. It is now on an upper level, accessed by an elevator. And it is really rather good! Let the pictures tell the story of decent Maltese nibbles, drinks and seating … including a lovely outside smoking terrace with comfy furniture, equipped with Mdina Glass ashtrays, no less! Great view over the Ramp area, too.











Boarding was via Gate 11, via a passport check, where everyone loitered for a while as 4 wheelchair pax were loading into the high-lift truck. What an undignified way to have to travel And then the were released to walk across the road to our aircraft on Stand 6, where we resumed our bulkhead seats. Sadly, due to the slightly late arrival of the inbound, there was a ground delay due to a lack of slots somewhere in the ATC system … so the Captain invited pax to visit the cockpit to pass the time. Once the majority had visited, I popped in to apologise for my civil ATC colleagues

Eventually we got going, and discovered that we had another very good set of CC, and with a really on-the-ball CSD. And we were greeted in a Goldly manner again!!

Lunch was ‘interesting’ … everything bar the Main on the tray [with no bread plate this time], but a bit of juggling using the centre-seat tray created room for manoeuvre. And then the main course … Braised Beef and Mushroom Casserole, with Crushed Potatoes and Spring Onions. The Spring Onions had metamorphosed into Broccoli, and the presentation was, on first appearance, horrendous. I ate mine with a spoon! BUT, Dear Reader, it was absolutely delicious! Absolutely packed with flavour … apart from appearance, I couldn’t fault it at all. And the Dessert and the Cheddar were very tasty too!



The almost inescapable Mozzarella and Tomato starter, with the Bread Roll hanging on for dear life until relocated!



And what I called “Beef Soup”, which I ate happily with a spoon



Not much more to say … we flew, and landed at LGW … with rumours of fog developing. Oh, NO … Fog and JER are a bad combination!

And so to the last bit … Through Immigration, where only half the e-passport machines were open. Out through Arrivals to kerb-side for a quick ciggie, and back through Premium Gatwick security … haha, iWife got pinged for Secondary screening this time Up to the BA First Lounge for a glass of fizz and a nibble of cake, and then off to the Gate for the last leg.

Wed 27 Sep 17
LGW-JER
BA2776, 1800-1900, A319 G-DBCJ, CE seats 2A/C

Ummm … we arrived at the Gate after boarding had started, despite having left the Lounge as soon as the Gate was declared, and thus shuffled on board with the herd. Nothing of note happened, apart from taking off, climbing, descending and landing. Did we even eat the offered meal? Oh, yes, we had the Croque-Monsieur again … this time served efficiently by just 2 CC to 6 rows of CE. Having recovered the case from the Reclaim belt, we emerged into a dark, damp, drizzling Jersey evening to find … no taxis. None at all. They are usually gathered like flies round dung when there’s an inbound aircraft, but not on this occasion. We were fortunately about #4 in the queue, and only had to wait 30 minutes before one arrived!

But that was it, home at last, and very contented.

………..

Afterthoughts.

Malta is an acquired taste. It has a very distinct national character, and Valletta itself retains much of its 16th century character and architecture. It’s therefore best enjoyed if you stop trying to be ‘on holiday’ and try to imbed yourself [as far as anyone could] in the local culture. That means small pavement cafes, tiny shops that seem stuck in a time-warp, and savouring being in a totally different environment from the typical high-rise concrete holiday destination. Eat local food, drink local wine, and relax! Oh, and try to learn a few words of Maltese, like "Hello" (bonju) and "Thank You" (grazie hafna)... it's always appreciated, and shows you've made a bit of an effort with a staggeringly complex [and ancient] language!

The weather, as you can see from the pictures, is usually lovely for much of the year. Apart from the night and morning of thunderstorms [and very heavy rain] we hardly saw a cloud, and enjoyed temperatures in the low-80s F [27� C].

We will undoubtedly return, and have established 2-way comms with the owner to facilitate that. And, with only 4 suites available [and only one with its own terrace], I’m not going to jeopardise future availability by telling you where we stayed

BA lived up to it’s usual variable reputation! On this occasion we had excellent CC on both the Band 4 sectors, which was a pleasant surprise … especially as they do this rotation as a back-to-back, which makes for a VERY long day at the office!

The Hilton at LGW(S) seemed glossy in the Public areas, but I have to say our room was somewhat battered.

Oh, the icing on the cake was the return leg to LGW, which clocked up enough TPs to renew Gold status for another year
That was done with just ANU (Jun), OGG (Aug) and MLA (Sep) - all in Business, of course! We will now take a deep breath before CPT (Dec) on a 2-4-1 and a gratuitous, sale-tempted, KIN (Mar) to finish the Membership year! Our everlasting thanks to the Flyertalk community for showing us how to do all this stuff affordably ^

Excellent report with great pics. You captured the charm of old Valletta much of which looks like it did 100+ years ago.

Nice trip report, nice photos of the steep streets.

But it took you a whole 2.5 days to write this TR, I sense a bit of slacking.

It's the photos that take must of the time! Download from camera to Mac, select those to be used, copy to Desktop folder, re-size/enhance/rotate, upload to imgur, then embed the image codes into the text. Only about 5-6 hours overall.

On this journey bar the Jersey leg 2 weeks today...so interesting read. thanks

Lovely report, thank you!

So was your Road Trip!

After your last TR from Malta, I was keen to visit but still haven't managed it. After this one, I will try harder to organise a long weekend there next year - good report, thank you.

Oooh, Malta Tourism owes me money!

Be aware that Valletta (the City) is dramatically different from the other locations, such as Sliema. Like it's Original!! Do feel free to PM me for more detail, and I know there are BAFT reaidents there as well who could advise further. Perfect for a long weekend, with the proviso that Sunday, in a deeply religious Catholic country, means that a lot of places will be closed.

Thanks Uncle T, I will do.

Keep a watch for deals from BA Holidays - me plus OH have a long weekend coming up where BA Holidays price for CE and hotel was less than the underlying CE price!

Agreed ... we've had some very good deals with bookings through BA Holidays, although you tend to be restricted to the larger mainstream hotels in the more touristy areas. Depends on what Nimrod1965 is looking for, of course!

What a lovely report UncleT - brought back some nice memories of my first trip to Malta a few years ago. That sunrise shot is brilliant! I'm glad the food on the return tasted better than it looked.....! Presentation is not one of BA's strong points!