Malta, kids and a long hot summer. Holiday bliss or hell? As we reach the half-way mark in the school holidays, we’ve done a straw poll of some kids’ feelings about their long time off over summer. We can imagine what the parents’ version of this would be, but, for now, it’s kids who have their say!

And to put this in context….
In Malta, and in some southern parts of continental Europe, ‘summer’s out’ lasts a record three months. For instance, this year, most Maltese schools broke up on the 26th June and are back on 26th September. Three solid months of fun or mayhem, depending which side of the fence you’re on. Plus, in June, Maltese schools operate a half-day system ending at 12.30 which means in effect a four-month holiday as far as parents are concerned. So, if you’ve moving to Malta with kids in tow, you are forewarned. Kids though find this state of affairs highly attractive, or do they?

The Good

1. No school for three months, and no early starts. (Note: some kids are waiting at bus pick up points as early at 06.30 in term time).

2. Beach practically every day if you want! So long as parents can get you there and back as waiting for the bus isn’t nice in the heat.

3. Lots more junk food such as ice creams, pizzas, pastizzi, granita, take-aways from beach bars, and lots of BBQ sausages. Mums are too hot to bother to cook much in summer, so kids get more ‘convenience’ food of various kinds.

4. Get to make new friends at summer school activities (and avoid the school kids you hate) and meet real friends from school (and not be bothered by those you aren’t keen on)

5. Have sleepovers any weekday night, camp out on the beach and stay up really late! Families here tend to keep little kids up very late in summer as they all go for an evening meal or passeggiata along a seafront to get some air and to socialise.

6. Get to go to Playmobil a lot (the factory funpark is very popular with younger kids, and it’s airconditioned so parents benefit too!), and Splash ‘n’ Fun (Malta’s open-air water park).

The Bad

1. Summer schools and various summer activities. they can be good fun, but by the second month of summer, we’d rather like to be able to get up late, not rush somewhere and just bum around at home in front of a screen. (If parents work, then summer school is a must not an option to be able to get bored kids through a very long hot summer.)

2. Other kids at summer school and other teachers. a lot are a real pain, and some ‘teachers’ are even stricter than our normal school teachers.

3. Beach. It’s OK, but we don’t like to go every day. We’re quite happy at a TV/computer/Wii screen too.

4. Summer can be as organised as school terms: parents often make sure their kids are catered for a lot so as to avoid hearing the ‘I’m bored..’ phrase.

5. We see a lot of granny: a lot of kids, especially the very young, tend to end up staying with grandma after summer school as their parents work. It’s probably not fair to some older, or less fit grannies, and not fair to the active kids who want to do more than granny can!

6. Parents tend to shout more: not surprising really, since they have their darling kids around almost 24/7 and have to think how to keep them occupied in the heat for 3 months! Tempers are bound to fray.

Steve Holmes is a ‘do-it-yourself’ kind of guy. He did up his Gozo farmhouse and feels passionate about the place. But he needs to sell it in a Malta property market that’s anything but buoyant right now - for old places, at least. So, who better to sell it than the man himself? Steve has all but given up on high street middlemen and set himself the goal of selling it online - ideally by end November. So, is this an ad? Quite possibly. But we think Steve’s story makes an interesting read for anyone thinking of online D-I-Y sales. A reality check on the market here, lessons to learn, tips and more. Let’s call it a value-added advert, and as honest a plug as you’re likely to get online!

Steve & the DIY estate agent’s story

What, selling online, myself, directly? Are you kidding? It is no surprise considering the property market today, many would answer “yes” to these questions. One would have to be living literally under a rock not to realise that the state of the European and world economy has negatively impacted a homeowner’s ability to sell. Homes are staying on the market considerably longer, particularly old stone homes here in Malta and Gozo.

My story started in Gozo when the enthusiastic buyer of my 3 bedroom farmhouse with pool could not honour their contract to purchase and withdrew from the agreed sale; other potential buyers seemed to suddenly disappear too. If you ask the property agents (and I have) they will tell you that there are very few buyers out there.

Some that are out there tend to be looking for bargains, hovering above us like vultures ready to pounce on the desperate to sell, offering unrealistic prices. I heard of one property developer offering a desperate tearful seller no more than the value of the land that there beautiful house stood on. There are also of course a few genuine and honourable buyers out there.

So, how can I get the few genuine honest buyers out there through my front door?

We all know social media is playing a bigger part in our lives than ever and some would say it can move mountains, but can it sell houses on the Maltese Islands?

Information movement across social media channels is almost faster than the speed of light. When it comes to buying property, the first place people visit are local agents and property websites, but will that become old hat if the Twitter verse, Facebook chat and Blogerati (is that a word?) take over?

I know for sure that houses have been sold in the United States and UK using social media. So, with a targeted campaign using Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, online partners like Maltainsideout, the recently rolled out Google+ and my blog acting as my online brochure, I aim to give it a go.

The first thing I need is an incentive for my many thousands of prospective scouts, typically here on the Maltese Islands if a private individual were to find a buyer for a property they would be offered a 1% reward. I need a bigger incentive to enable my property to stand out, so I am offering a €10,000 reward, a figure that reflects more than 3% of the €325,000 asking price; a very generous reward I feel.

When selling anything product or service, word-of-mouth promotion is essential, particularly in a small island community like Malta and Gozo, so the large reward should set tongues wagging, I hope. As a property agent told me “it’s all about getting the maximum number of potential buyers through your front door to view the property; the more potential buyers that see the property the sooner you will sell it”. Which is plain common sense.

What is my D-I-Y strategy to sales?

Twitter – regular tweets including details about property, Gozo, Malta, Old Farmhouses and anything related. I am careful to make my tweets interesting and engaging, always including a link to my blog describing the farmhouse. I am careful not to bombard readers with a continuous stream of “buy my house” as this will simply alienate my followers. I currently have more than 350 followers on twitter and this is growing at a rate of around 10 a day. Some of my tweets are re-tweeted which helps spread the word, I have created the Twitter #Reward€10000 hash tag to accompany the relevant tweets. (If you Google hash tag a plethora of explanations will follow if you are not familiar with the term).

Facebook – advertising, those tiny little adds that appear on the right of your Facebook page. Not expensive (you decide how much you spend) and you can target who sees your add by location, sex, age, country and more.

Hand-outs – I had 100 colour postcards printed for very little more than the cost of delivery. I give these to family, friends, local bars shops and anyone that shows an interest.

Blog – The blog for the farmhouse took me a couple of hours to create.

Partnering - online buddies with synergy; ie. good content generating good traffic and attracting the right target audience. Maltainsideout is giving me valuable inbound marketing links, links, screen ‘real estate’ and your eyeballs.

My goal is to have the property sold by 30th November 2011. I have been actively marketing the property via social media for 4 weeks now, I have doubled the number of enquiries received compared to those from property agents in the same time, I am already taking appointments for viewings.

So is social media the next property buying revolution? I hope so. Oh, almost forgot: here’s the plug….
The property is a three bedroom, two bathroom fully-restored farmhouse with swimming pool on the beautiful Island of Gozo. Click here for more info, and do say you came via Maltainsideout!

Snorkeling, the poor man’s diving? No, not at all when it come to Malta, Gozo and Comino’s shorelines and especially if you pick the spots below (see map). These represent our favourites, and yours. Several of our Facebook fans chipped in with their recommended snorkel coastlines. Thanks guys.

The best of snorkeling is that it is cheap: you can pick up a mask and snorkel from most corner and village stores here in Malta, and while not the most robust equipment, they’ll last you a holiday here. If you want to invest in something more durable, dive and water sports set-ups usually have shops. Golden Bay for example, or Marsalforn, Gozo, have well stocked dive shops with snorkel gear. Snorkel in shoulder and winter months and you’ll need a wet suit. Go beyond the swimming areas designated in the popular bays, and we advise you get a buoy to indicate your whereabouts to passing boats. Also, if doing more than a very casual shallow snorkel in the safe swimming zones on major beaches and close to shore, never snorkel alone. Take a friend along for safety’s sake.

Snorkeling safety tips, click here.

Top Snorkeling Sites
Five plus one actually; we’re sure to be adding to it on your recommendations.
Ħondoq ir-Rummien, Gozo (beyond Qala) - is popular with snorkellers because of its deep and clear water and the small caves at water level. Access to the sea is from bathing ladders. Beautiful, natural spot down a long track from Qala village. Generally quiet. Sadly, the area is under threat from development, we believe. So go there now.
Fomm ir-Rih, Malta (beyond Bahrija - a little trek down a slope). The beach itself is very pebbly, so best to wear rubber shoes. Only swim here if the sea is calm. Very clear water, generally very quiet, and a lovely natural location.
Wied il-Għajn, Malta, (Marsascala) / Zonqor Point, Malta (beyond Marsascala town on the tip of the harbour below swimming pool). There is a reef that goes out in the sea, more or less across the harbour mouth. It is very beautiful. Just mind the currents and passing boats.
Ghar Lapsi, Malta (beyond Siggiewi): a local beauty spot which can get busy in summer. It’s a small inlet below impressive, craggy coastline, and used by a few local fishermen. Swim out of the inlet and along the coast - it’s very deep here! And excellent snorkeling. Easy road down to inlet, parking and cafes.
Comino - all the coast, if you can get to it. Blue Lagoon on summer day trips is too busy to enjoy.
Gnejna Bay, Malta - this is more rocky than the other two north-western bays. Go along the outer sides, past boathouses on the right after the so called Chicken rock, nearer to the bay.

View Top 5 Snorkeling Sites in Malta & Gozo in a larger map

Photo: Canlasa

Just when you thought that cultural festivities were over - apart from clubbing and big event gigs - ‘Evenings on Campus’ (26 July - 12 August) comes along to take over where the Malta Arts Festival left off. See the full programme here.

Tonight sees its launch with the opening of an international, touring art exhibition on Human Rights. In fact, human rights is this edition’s overall theme and focus. Over two weeks, Evenings on Campus offers up a range of cultural delights taking in film, performing arts recitals and more and featuring both local and overseas artists and productions.

What’s it all about?

Evenings on Campus originated in 1992 and is now in its 19th edition. Since then, Evenings on Campus has become a regular and appreciated addition to Malta’s summer cultural life. One of the objectives has always been to involve University students and staff and to offer a venue to whoever felt they had a talent, whether it was artistic or organisational. What could be more appealing to the senses than an evening of quality performances? So says its Facebook page.

Tickets, Times & Place
All events start at 21.00 at various venues around the University of Malta, Msida campus (see programme).

Tickets (Euro 5.00 - 8.00 depending on event) at the door or booking by email: eveningsoncampus@um.edu.mt.
Children under 12 half price to all events.
Location: see Google map.

Photo: Rhythms of Vision, dance, 4th August. See here for details. Photography: Stephen Buhagiar.

I’ve just got back from a two-week holiday in the south of France. But why I am talking about France when this site is about Malta? Well, first up, there’s nothing like travel to put home into perspective. France, I love for its weekly town markets, the produce and the wine of course. I find its rigid dejeuner difficult to cope with in my tourist routine of late starts and my need for a simple caffeine fix at just the time cafes are serving the plat du jour. Malta’s far more relaxed about what you can eat and when. Malta is far easier for tourists eating out with kids in tow (not all French restaurants do a menu enfant, so the full set meal is a bit pricey if your child leaves most it).

Old farmhouses as all-year-round homes

France is at its best, I feel, for not for dining out but its stylish homes. We stayed first week in an 18th century villa which belonged once to some minor royal of Louis ? fame. It had large louvre windows, faded grey paint, pencil-thin pines gracing its portals and inside it smelled of the fresh-laundered linens and lavender. An archetypal old French villa. Croissants and baguettes were delivered to the door in a hand-embroidered bag each day. Bliss.

So, after two weeks of pampering in faded elegance, I return to my old limestone farmhouse in a Maltese village. I open the door to a musty smell, crumbled stone, ants invading my kitchen and plumbing that’s seized up. A bulging linen basket greets me even before I’ve unpacked. The house is not happy. It’s my fault; I was working till getting on the plane and had no time to organise it for our return.

I’ve been back a week from holiday and it’s taken me this long to work out something about the place I live in that makes it, yes, wait for it, as good as that place in France (croissants delivery aside). My farmhouse is a person; a living thing and needs to be treated courteously. Go away without saying good bye (nicely) and it pays you back.

Old limestone houses in Malta are every bit as attractive as their Italian or French counterparts if you get to know them, treat them well, love them, cherish them even. They crumble and grumble, but if you spend time on them, and I don’t mean heavy expensive stuff here, they will respond. They are unique personalities and like us all, they have their off days. In summer, they love, for instance, to crumble gritty limestone all over (floors, computers, books, beds and more) as they dry out in the heat.

Old Maltese houses are not for those who dream of right-angled walls, plaster that stays put and penthouse apartments. They are for people who are happy to spend some time each weekend on tending, caring and loving their homes. These are not places that ‘look after themselves’. Like kids and pets, they need constant attention. More on that here.

An old farmhouse as holiday home?

Once you’ve got that into your head, then an old Maltese house can be in France, Italy or Spain in your mind’s eye. If you’re thinking of a holiday home in Malta, and thinking old stone house, then make sure you’ve reliable facilities management people or a local contact who can care for it while you’re away.

What of the perception of an old house in Malta as a holiday home? Well, it isn’t going to be mini version of Provence or Tuscany as Malta and its old houses have an allure all their own. Here’s what one UK friend said of my place after a visit: ” Whenever I describe your place to friends they’re always wistful. I think it is the concept of rooms opening out onto a courtyard, with your bedroom having its balcony and terrace and stone steps leading up to flat roofs with views, it seems a whole different world to UK and French cottages. There’s no pool, but really, it’s not an issue as people are always renting places in Italy and Provence without a pool. But you’ve the sea five minutes away, so who cares!”.

A stay-cation next year perhaps for me?!

This coming weekend sees the Farsons Great Beer Festival. It runs Friday 22 - Sunday 31 July at Ta’ Qali national park. This is its 30th year, so the 2011 edition is being seen a bit of an anniversary and certainly more than a coming of age . The Beer Festival is a mid summer institution. Whether you’re a music lover, a beer lover, or just in search some slightly cooler night air, perhaps with the family in tow (and families do go in droves; expect lots of buggies!), the Beer Festival is worth heading for at least one night in the week.

Not all who go to the Farsons Great Beer Festival are interested in all the music on offer though with such a diverse line-up you can cherry pick a night to suit. You’ll find the programme here. And beer line-up here. Since it’s billed as ‘Malta’s largest outdoor music festival’, we’ll concentrate on the bands.

The line-up is nearly all local (with one exception - an Aussie rock n’ roll band) and spans almost all tastes with something of interest to most generations. The event is about promoting new talent and bringing back popular favourites. The programme takes place on a main stage and a rock stage with around three bands / artists a night on each. Music varies from the Big Band Brothers with their exuberant blasting sound and Malta’s Eurovision entrant 2011 Glen Vella to the Rifffs with their Ska formula, heavy metal Loathe and the eclectic, ethnic-inspired sounds of Tribali. Then there’s Fakawi. In fact, Fakawi on the last night has become an institution in itself with a theatrical not just musical performance that is always a big crowd puller.

We asked the organisers what makes 2011 special and to give us some insights beyond the regular PR.