We will be in England for a family event so we booked our flight from a London airport. I think we could have got a better deal with a package but we were trying to coordinate a trip with others.

Malta is relatively inexpensive and this is off-season. However the water temperature of the Mediterranean around Malta is 16C in December and for someone used to northern lakes, that's warm! It isn't a great beach holiday destination anyway, according to the guidebooks. We are going for the ambiance, the history, the archaeology.

On the recommendation of a friend of a friend, we are staying at the British Hotel in Valletta. Evidently it is a little spartan but with a great location overlooking the harbour. We didn't want to be in a resort so it suits us. It is about $80 Cdn ($60USD) a night, B&B for a for a double seaview room. http://www.britishhotel.com/

Buses all go from a hub in Valletta and bus transportation is low cost. We plan to focus on the archaeological sites and villages. http://tinyurl.com/rohn http://www.heritagemalta.org/ http://www.mol.net.mt/

More after I finally go!

Frances Toronto, Canada