Last summer I embarked on my first "Solo Trip." I stayed with friends in Turkey, the Canary Islands, and the Costa Brava, but the rest of my travels were truly "solo." In Malta, I stayed at Hostel Malti and it was the best lodging experience of my entire trip!
I arrived on a Sunday evening and Aaron, one of Hostel Malti's managers came down to the lobby to help me check in. He explained that I had arrived in time for their weekly rooftop BBQ so I made my way up there after dropping off my bags. 11 euros buys you tasty grilled meats, salads, and all the sangria your heart desires. Everyone was really friendly and welcoming and having dinner under the open air (while fireworks exploded in the sky for one of Malta's ubiquitous summer festivals) was the perfect way to kick off my stay.
Everyone working at Hostel Malti was fabulous. Aaron took us out my first night there and showed us the buzzing nightlife of St. Julians. Chris, Hostel Malti's owner, was just as awesome and helped drive us to the boat to Comino one day. (If you get the chance, ride in the back of the jeep- you won't regret it!)
Another thing I loved about Hostel Malti was the delicious "English" breakfast cooked by in-house jack-of-all-trades, Violetta, a sweet woman from Spain. Breakfasts are optional but I sure didn't mind forking over 4 euros every morning to enjoy her hearty home-cooked fare. I loved the roasted peppers and onions and the meat, eggs, and beans were all I needed to get my day started on the right foot. (I didn't even need to eat until dinner.)
What would Hostel Malti be without its resident cat? This cutie often hung out by the front door, and most definitely knew all the goings-on about Hostel Malti's travelers.
In a nutshell:
PROS
☻welcoming community environment (There were many solo travelers and everyone in the hostel hung out together)
☻cost (very, very reasonable)
☻location (just up the steep hill from the beach and nightlife)
☻food (Sunday rooftop BBQs, tasty breakfasts)
CONS
☻none!
One more cool thing I experienced?
A blowout for 9 euros by the lovely Joana. I noticed her ad on Hostel Malti's bulletin board in the common area. My long, curly hair and the Maltese sun and saltwater don't mix so I took advantage of Joana's great deal. I called and booked an appointment and she showed up with her blowdryer and gave me a grew blowout for my last night in Malta. (Be sure and wash your hair right before your appointment so that it is ready to be blow-dried as she does not have these facilities.)
Hostel Malti is located at 41 Birkirkara Hill, Ta' Giorni in St Julians, Malta
Last summer, I embarked upon my first "solo-trip", after travel plans with a friend fell through. It ended up being a great experience and I have plans to do it again. I decided to stay in hostels in the cities where I had no connections, and selected Hostel Independente for my visit to Lisbon. Overall, it wasn't the experience I'd hoped for (but my stay at Hostel Malti in Malta more than made up for it), so I wanted to share what I observed there in Lisbon.
Pros:
☻Location-this hostel is located in the lively Bairro Alto district and is literally across the street from a gorgeous park looking out over the city.
☻Price- like most hostels, it was reasonably priced and this one included breakfast
☻Cleanliness- for being a hostel, the rooms were quite immaculate
Cons:
☻Environment- it wasn't very welcoming, and most people staying there weren't solo travelers. I think this was partly due to the size- it was quite a big hostel and didn't have a big community feel. Most travelers tended to "do their own thing" during the day and just use the hostel as a base for sleep. I eagerly signed up for a "dine with the staff" meal on my first night and ended up being the only traveler attending (despite a full hostel!), where I ate mediocre food as the staff spoke Portuguese amongst themselves. The hostel even has a restaurant open to non-hotel guests for dinner, so it was easy to get lost in the crowd. This ended up making it feel more like a hotel than a hostel.
☻Bathrooms- the toilet stalls were about 4.5 feet tall and many of the doors didn't lock.
☻Rooms- this complaint is minor, but the lockers were very difficult to open and close (and insert the padlock every time) so arriving back to the room at night when others were sleeping posed a problem.
☻Bar- there were positives and negatives to this bar. The drinks were pretty good and the bartenders were friendly. The seating design was terrible. There were tall bar stools to sit on but no room for your legs underneath the counter. Additionally, the counter was much higher than chest-height which made it really awkward and uncomfortable to sit and stay awhile. (Hence, I only ran into a few people there.)
Overall, I probably wouldn't stay here again, especially as a solo traveler. For me, the point of staying in a hostel (more than just saving money) is to feel part of a traveling community and I just didn't get that vibe here. Luckily, my trip wasn't finished, and my final stop on my solo trip included an amazing hostel experience (which I'll be writing about in the future).
