I wish the title suggested the striking scenery in Malta but unfortunately that is not the case. All the buses, taxis and hearses (yes I did type hearses) are on strike. This is because currently the Malta buses, taxi’s and hearses have the monopoly in Malta and now the government has opened up the market for the hearses to the private sector.

The buses and taxi’s fear they will be next, and the reason they fear this is because they give the most appalling service and they would probably get squashed by any private company coming in and giving a good service. If the buses and taxis already gave the service that they should be giving they would not be so up in arms about this. We are totally behind the governments decision on this and hope that this will finally mean we will all receive a better service.

Don’t misunderstand me, everyone has a right to strike and make their voice heard, but it is how they are going about this that is despicable. Firstly of course this effects the broken hearted of the deceased as no hearses are in operation so the dead cannot be laid to rest.

Then of course there are the bus drivers, well that’s not fair I should just call them thugs and idiots from the start. They are obviously not running which leaves hundreds of people unable to get to work and the sick and invalid unable to get to doctors, hospitals etc. But that is not where this ends the bus drivers are still filling the roads with their buses, driving at snail paces (which they never do), blocking roads so the general public in their own vehicles cannot get through. The worse is though that the government provided transport for emergencies and these thugs actually mounted these vehicles terrorising the passengers beating up the drivers, smashing the windows and stealing the keys! As I write this I still cannot believe how they are behaving. It’s one thing to go on strike but quite another to behave this way. It is now complete bedlam here. This morning they have actually put soldiers at the airport to stop the bus drivers getting in and terrorising the tourists!. As of course if you are arriving in Malta for your holiday, there are no buses or taxis to get you to your hotel.

If you are coming to Malta for your holiday, it would be advisable to book yourself a hire car for your arrival. This would be best to do whilst still in the UK to ensure there will be one here for your arrival. Obviously if you are wanting to get about whilst here then you will be best keeping the hire car for the duration of your trip as at the moment there is no end to this strike in sight. A company our parents used when they visited Malta was Holiday Autos, who provided them with a good deal and good service.

The following was of the latest incident as described in the Times of Malta

‘A coach driver was forced off his vehicle and beaten in an incident near Zebbug this morning. Informed sources said the incident happened near St Dorothy School. The coach was transporting FISEC Games athletes when it was stopped by people who appeared to be striking public transport drivers. The coach driver was ordered down and beaten. His keys were stolen and the coach was left in the middle of the road. The police are investigating.’

Keep upto date with the situation on Times of Malta

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There are several British High Street Stores in Malta. Whether you are looking to move to Malta or just love to shop we have been asked what High Street Stores can be found in Malta. We have therefore listed a few of these below.

Most of the High Street Stores in Malta are located in Sliema. No matter where you are staying in Malta if you just get a bus to Sliema’s bus terminal you can find the shops from there. The bus terminal is located on the waterfront. Opposite here you will see Marks & Spencers, BHS and Dorothy Perkins, keep walking along and you will come to Zara’s on the corner. If you turn left here you will find Claire’s Accessories and Miss Selfridge take this street to the top to find Principles, Wallis, Evans and Oasis. Clarkes shoe store is on the corner then follow this street back down to the main street to find Miss Sixty, Accessorise, Monsoon, Top Shop and Next. It is set out quite well and all the shops are located on or next to these two streets. As you can see there is quite a good selection of British High Street Stores in Malta for ladies, men unfortunately struggle a little more but Marks and Spencers, Next and BHS in Malta all have men’s departments.

Malta opening Hours for Marks & Spencers and BHS are all day from 9am till 7pm Monday to Saturday. The rest of the stores close between 2pm-4pm, then re open until 7/7.30pm. All the stores are closed on a Sunday.

Valletta (Malta’s Capital) also has a few British High Street Shops but nothing on the scale of Sliema. Get a bus to the main Bus Terminal in Valletta, which is located just outside the city gates, you then enter onto the main street Triq Ir-Repubblika (Republic Street). From here if you take the first or second right then the first left onto Triq Il-Merkanti (Merchants Street) here you will find Next and Principles. Turn left again at any stage to get back onto the main street. Proceed along here and you will find the Body Shop and if you wish to visit the large Marks and Spencers here turn left further along onto Triq it-Teatrul-Antik.

We hope you enjoy your Malta shopping trip!

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Is there a M&S in Malta? This is the all important question we are asked time and again. Not ‘what do we need to do to get an ID card?’, ‘finding the best place to live’ or ‘where to get a job in Malta’. No the most important question on any Brits list before moving or even visiting Malta is ‘is there an M&S?’. Where would us British be without a Marks & Spencers?. Luckily the answer is yes, as far as we know so far there are three Marks and Spencers in Malta. We have therefore put some details together of where the Marks and Spencers shops are located.

The main Marks and Spencers store is in Valletta. This store seems to stock everything a large store back in the UK would have. The store is huge and spread over five floors. The ground floor has a great Cafe with M&S sandwiches, cakes, soups, pastas and drinks on offer. On the ground floor there is also the food section. Now admittedly it is nothing like as large as the food stores back home but they do have quite a bit of stock. They have M&S soft drinks, wines, biscuits, sweets, chocolates, crisps, dry pasta, pasta sauces, sandwich spreads, soups, tinned veg, spices, sauces, onions, pickled beetroot, jars of peaches, pears, tea and coffee. A recent addition to the stores here in Malta is the frozen section. Here they store Bangers & Mash, Chili, Chips, Creamy Mash and Pizzas. This is not everything that the M&S food section stocks but you get the general idea.

The other floors house a home department-towels, bedding, pots, pans etc. Two floors for men!! one is casual the other smart-suits, shirts etc. There is also a children’s section and a large women’s section that expands across a bridge! You can find everything from pants and bras, to shoes, sleepwear, skirts, trousers, swimwear, tops etc. It is a really good store that covers most items you would want from home.

Here are a few directions to help you locate the M&S Valletta store. Get a bus from wherever you are staying in Malta to the main bus terminal in Valletta which is situated just outside the city gates. As you enter the city gates you will be on the main street called Triq Ir-Repubblika (Republic Street). Follow this street along for quite a way until you get to a cafe called Cordina. This is situated on your left with seating area outside on your right.  You need to turn left here onto Triq it-Teatru l-Antik. You will see more or less straight away on your left a Marks & Spencer sign, this entrance is new and is housing the Per Una ladies clothing range. They have escalators that will eventually link up to the rest of the store but at the time of me writing this you have to carry on past this entrance to enter the rest of the store. Go past this Per Una section and take the next left, it looks abit like a back alley (well I guess it is) and here is the main entrance to the Marks and Spencer store.

The other M&S Malta store is located in Sliema. Get any bus to the main bus terminal in Sliema, which is on the waterfront, directly opposite here is the Marks & Spencers store. It is nothing like the size of the M&S store in Valletta but still stocks quite alot of items. Downstairs to the right is the small home section (ie: a few shelves) that has some towels, bathmats and kitchen utensils. Then there is the food section which pretty much stocks the same as the M&S Valletta store. The rest of this floor is home to the men’s department which has just about everything covered from casual trousers, shorts, shirts, tops, swimwear, nightwear, belts, suits, shirts and underwear. Upstairs is home to the children’s and ladies department. The ladies section covers everything again from underwear, swimwear, shorts, trousers, skirts, dressers, blouses, tshirts etc.

The only other M&S Malta store that I am aware of at this stage is one in the Baystreet Complex in Paceville within the St Julians area. This small store though is purely a food store and stocks about the same as the Valletta and Sliema stores.

Something to note is that anything purchased at Marks & Spencers in Malta you cannot get a card or cash refund on. You can only get gift vouchers back. These can be used back in the UK though, if this makes things awkward for you- try on first!

The M&S Malta opening times in Valletta and Sliema are open everyday from 9am to 7pm, (not closing at lunch) Monday to Saturday. The Paceville M&S Foodstore has the same times but is also open on a Sunday.

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