At one time, Sliema, Malta’s largest city, had many very affordable guest houses. This was before the “discovery” of Malta as a tourist destination. Unfortunately, the guest houses have disappeared; the tourism department does not believe that they contribute to a positive image of the island. Yes. Not only are they considerably less expensive than most hotels, but they are so much more fun.
We stumbled across the Sunny Guest House on Ghar-id-Dud street on our first trip to the island in 1994. The whole trip was something of an accident because we arranged a two hundred dollar return fare to London with a to Malta for a similar price. We didn’t have much time to make sleeping accommodations so we booked a hotel in Qowra, on the north-eastern tip of the island, online. It was nice, but too remote, and really not our kind of place. Read: too expensive.
We found another hotel on The Strand in Sliema and made a reservation for one night. That night we went out to see the town and wandered into the Snuggy Pub (yes, that was the name) which was part of the Sunny Guest House. It was loud and friendly and everyone seemed to be having a great time. The walls were lined with photos of the bartender/hotel manager, Joey Bugeja, with guests. As we sat with our beers a matronly white haired English lady came over to our table and asked if we would like some tea. She would do it for us. Who could resist?
He disappeared and returned from the hotel kitchen with a tray with a teapot and three cups and sat down with us. We found out that she was from York and a guest at the hotel. She introduced us to a Scottish couple. The three of them suggested that we stay there.
The next night we moved. We were thankful for our good health because the reluctant elevator thing that night whimpered a little and then stopped. Joey had a full house, so we got “a room with a path” to the community bathroom. He promised us a better room for the next night. The first night’s accommodation was a minimalist’s dream: a bed, a tiny nightstand, some drawers and a wooden wardrobe. But the bed was comfortable and we were satisfied with our choice. True to his word, the next night we had a room with a private bathroom. We stayed there the rest of the trip.
The next day we had breakfast with the other guests. Together with our three new friends we met people from Great Britain, Australia, Germany and France. They filled us in on their favorite places to see. Many had made annual pilgrimages to stay at the boarding house, visit the island, and renew friendships with Joey. We invited Dora, our British friend, to join us for a day of sightseeing and she turned out to be a lovely companion; We exchanged Christmas cards for several years. Would that have happened in a four star? I had my first experience with Maltese bread. Fantastic. (I later learned that the original starter for San Francisco sourdough bread came from Malta.)
I have stayed at the Soleado on all eight of my trips since. The guest house became the setting for my novel, Cellini’s Masterpiece. Her name changed to Bellestrado and Joey became Josefina, but if you read it, you’ll find the bar and meet some guests a bit like real life. I would recommend the Soleado to anyone who plans to visit the island and prefers adventure to luxury.