Qawra Clover Apartments

This was our first visit to Malta.

We were drawn to the island because it wasn't just a standard holiday resort. There seemed a lot to see and do from a historical perspective around the island.

There were four of us away for a fortnight (in our late 20's), so we were looking for a bit of everything; things to do during the day and a little bit of nightlife in the evening.

The first thing we noticed on arrival to Malta, was that there were cranes every 200 yards, and that there seemed to be a lot of building work going on. As they have just joined the EC, there has been a much needed cash injection. Upon arrival to our apartment (and true to form), we had a crane positioned down the end of the street where our balcony backed onto, however this didn't cause us too many problems as it wasn't too noisy, just a bit dusty.

In the apartments, our rooms were kept very clean (daily maid service), although we were disappointed, as there was no air conditioning, barr a plug-in fan. It did get really hot, so we more or less kept the fan on 24/7.

The complex staff very helpful, and there was always someone on duty 24 hours.

There is an in-house restaurant, although the two times we visited, we found it not that appetising (very basic), and felt it was over-priced compared to the rest of the resort. During our stay hardly any guests seemed to use this service.

The pool was fine during the first week, as the complex wasn't too busy, however the second week proved that it wasn't big enough to hold the number of guests they can obviously pack in at peak times. I felt there was a bit of competition between guests to 'bagsey' sun loungers in the morning. Generally the outdoor pool and area around it, was kept fairly clean. The sea is only a minute walk from the apartments, and there are many entry points from the rocky shore. The water was lovely, just watch out for the jellyfish though!

There are many local restaurants, and for £16 you can get a 3 course meal for 2 with wine. Spirits and beer (barr the local brew Cisk), are quite pricey. We found a little local restaurant 'Ta Pawla' in Qawra, where the food was excellent with great service, and it was very reasonably priced.

Bugibba, a little further along the front from Qawra, is the Morecambe of Malta (a little dilapidated with lots of tacky drinking holes). There are only 2 decent clubs that we could see - 'The Salsa bar' (which isn't just called that - they actually do salsa dancing there, and take it quite seriously), or if you like dance music 'Amazonia'.

The Clover apartments are only a 2 minute walk from the bus station, so if you want to see more of the island give them a try. They are really cheap and great fun (you'll know what I mean when you see them). If you go anywhere on your holiday you must visit Valletta. It is stunning, particularly if you get a boat cruise into the harbour. The blue grotto is over-rated, as it is packed with tourists during the day, so it is effectively like visiting a big pool. The Captain Morgan cruise 'around the island', was so busy, we felt as if we had been herded in like cattle. We all got sun stroke by the end of the day, as there was little shade above deck.

Be warned - Supermarkets are expensive!! You may find it cheaper eating out, rather than cooking in your apartment.

Overall I would say the Clover Apartments are worth their Thomas Cook 2 star status.

Malta is charming, with lots of character, and the Maltese people are lovely and seem quite proud of their British association.

On the whole, I feel a lot of work needs to be done on the island to really bring it up to par with most other mainland European resorts, and in 5-10 years time, (once all the badly needed building work is done), we may consider visiting again, (although we will probably go to Melliha where there is a beach).