When is the best time to rent in Malta?

For those of you who are planning to move to Malta due to work or study reasons want to know when the best time to rent on the island is. This is mainly question of the price. If cost of rent is not something that you are taking into account then you can skip this post.

Storm in Malta, December 2012

Answer is quite straight forward – the best (read – cheapest) time to start renting in Malta is during Maltese winter. January and February are probably the best months to find a good place. These are the coldest months on the island and tourists are rare. Another thing is that popular English schools are having their low-season.

The minimum long-term rent is 6 months, if you need a place for less than that then the rent will go up. Great thing about looking for a place during the low-season is not only the price but also the number of great flats you can chose from.

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Published on 01/05/2013 by dp Share opinion

Spotify in Estonia

Quick update for those who live in Estonia, love Spotify but could not use it due to the fact that service was not available officially in Eesti. As of middle of April 2013 Spotify has entered Estonian market. Now, going to spotify.com from any place in Estonia you will be able to register and download the setup file as well as buy Unlimited or Premium subscriptions.

Another good news is that the cost of both Unlimited and Premium is lower than lets say in Sweden or UK. For unlimited, which offers no ads, good quality of music you will pay 3.59 EUR per month and for Premium which in addition to no advertisement and good quality will offer you to use software on your mobile and tablet as well as to keep some music that you want in off-line mode is 6.99 EUR.

In comparison, for same subscription in Sweden you would pay 5 to 10 EUR.

Published on 25/04/2013 by dp Share opinion

Insider’s guide to cost of living in Malta

When I first tried to find a good resource of information on cost of living in Malta I realized after few hours of search that there are at least 10 different sites and dozens of forums where people with different incomes describe how cheap or how expensive it is to live on The Rock. Of course, when planning to move to Malta such diverse information can add additional stress.

What I want to do in this post is to put all the most important information together regarding the costs of living in Malta. I will cover cost of rent in Malta, utilities and other bills, food and going out, prices for clothes as well as public transportation and taxi prices.

Typical street in Sliema, Malta

Rent in Malta

No matter that Malta is only 300 square kilometers the cost of rent will drastically vary depending on in which city you live, do you have a sea-view and how cool the flat or house is.

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Published on 22/01/2013 by dp Share opinion

Small Boat in Marsaxlokk

Marsaxlokk in December 2012

My first trip to Marsaxlokk, a small town on the south of the island of Malta where the famous Sunday fish market is held, was in the beginning of December. Weather was good, it was warm for a long-sleeve shirt. This photo was taken using Canon 7D with 17-40 4.0 wide angle lens. ISO 200 if I am not mistaken.

On that day I got very lucky with the weather and especially with clouds just before the sunset.

Published on 09/01/2013 by dp Share opinion

Review: Villa Ammende in Parnu, Estonia

A month before my trip back to Estonia for Christmas holidays I bought a voucher for one night at the Ammende Villa located in the “summer capital” of Estonia, the city of Parnu.

The voucher offer was very simple and basic; it included obviously 1 night in the suite on the top 3^rd floor of the house, sparkling wine in the room and breakfast next morning served downstairs in a very nice big hall.

Villa Ammende has a rich history dating back to 1904, when of the richest merchants of the city, Hermann Ammende, decided to build this house. Initially he was looking for an already existing building for his daughter’s wedding but could not find one, so, as many rich people do, he decided to invest lots of money and build a house.

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Published on 09/01/2013 by dp Share opinion

Insider’s Guide to Malta

I’ve been living in Malta for a bit over 6 months now. For a local living here 6 months is nothing and most will say that you don’t have enough of experience to come up with a guide. For others, mostly tourists who come to Malta for a week or students who study here for few months, can be still very beneficial to have a list of things compiled by a “long-term tourist”.

Upper Barakka Gardens

There are websites suggesting from Top 10 things to do up to Top 100. It might be difficult to decide what top pick out of the list, what to skip and so on. In this short insider’s guide you will find a list of places and activities with short explanations and some additional info. OK, so let’s start.

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Published on 18/11/2012 by dp Share opinion

Most expensive hotel in Japan

Japan is famous for many things: its culture, its innovative approach to everything related to technology, its crazy fashion and its high prices especially on accommodation.

Credits: Ritz-Carlton Japan

Tokyo being one of the most expensive cities on the planet can offer you a relaxing night or two at the most expensive Suite at Ritz-Carlton Hotel. The thing is that comparing to many other most expensive hotel rooms in the world Ritz in Japan will not offer you anything extra ordinary.

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Published on 14/11/2012 by dp Share opinion

Top 3 hostels in Paris

“To see Paris and die” as Ilya Ehrenburg said for the first time in his book “My Paris” (1931). French capital being famous for its architecture, food, history, museums and art galleries attracts hundreds thousands of tourists each year.

Credits: saxman772(flickr)

As any other “world capital” Paris can get expensive. In 2012 Paris was rated as one of the most expensive cities in Europe. In case if you are a 5 star traveler it should not be a problem for you to find a suitable hotel to stay. For example one of the most expensive hotel rooms you can get is in Paris. The Royal Suite on the 5^th floor of The Plaza Athenee will cost you around 26000 USD per night.

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Published on 10/11/2012 by dp Share opinion

Metro in Madrid, how does it work?

Madrid’s metro is one of the biggest in Europe and at the same time very simple (user friendly) and convenient. Using metro in Madrid will save you lots of time as well as money as it cheapest option to move around the city, cheaper can be only on foot.

Credits: chylle (flickr)

For a first time visitor the ticket system might look a bit complicated mainly due to several different options you can choose from. It really depends for how long you are planning to stay in the city and what is your plan when it comes to sign seeing.

The Metro is split into zones. All major attractions, museums, art galleries are located in Zone A. Single journey ticket will cost you 1.50 EUR.

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Published on 06/11/2012 by dp 1 opinion

Review: Way Hostel in center of Madrid, Spain

On my recent trip to Madrid for MUSE concert I stayed at Way Hostel for 3 nights. Location of this hostel is very good. It is close to all main touristic attractions. The entrance is from small quite street, so you avoid most of the street noise. Most but not all, as this hostel is big be prepared that people can stay up late and party, so you still get some noise.

Way hostel is located on Calle Relatores 17; the closest metro is Tirso de Molina and it is 1 minute walk from the hostel, very convenient.

Around the hostel you will find several quite affordable bars and dining places. Right behind the corner is LIDL. Way hostel has a small bar with cheap beer and cider.

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Published on 31/10/2012 by dp Share opinion

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