Caseri Cottage In Malta
Our decision to stay in Rabat was mostly because we wanted something different, we wanted to be away from Valletta (not knowing how busy Valletta would be) and after researching it I found that we could get almost anywhere on the buses from the Mdina stop.
I found a very cool little traditional house in the middle of Rabat through AirBnB and it was perfect for our stay. Tiny in footprint but it had everything we needed including a downstairs sitting room, bathroom on the 1st floor, bedroom on the 2nd, TV room on the 3rd and a great terrace on the roof. All this combined together with an amazing staircase that was a combination of traditional sandstone stairs and modern glass wall. Very cool indeed.
It was a standard AirBnB stay when we booked it however I notice now that it is an AirBnB Plus stay.
Accommodation Facilities
Caseri has everything you will need. I can't remember anything we didn't have and Claudette (who was our contact) was great at helping us if we had any challenges. We couldn't get the TV to work at one point and she got Mark to call us and walk me through it. Nothing was too much trouble.
Location:
The location was perfect. Rabat is on the other side of the island to Valletta, however I loved it and would stay there again. The cottage isn't in the actual Medina, however the streets outside the Medina are equally as rambling so you do very much feel the history of staying in such an old area.
It is initially VERY hard to find. We were literally 15-20 metres away and just couldn't find it. Claudette spotted us luckily however if you aren't from Malta and don't understand how it all works there aren't really names for all the alleys and lanes so you can find the main access street and then could wander up and down for ages if you weren't careful. While the exact address was supplied it doesn't really help. I would suggest giving you a google map (satellite view) which I think would help much more than the street view.
There is heaps in the area. The Medina, restaurants and cafe's, St Pauls Catacombs, a little supermarket, a medical centre, bakeries, churches and best of all it's locals that live there. I would see the same elderly men every morning when I went for Pastitsies at the bakery and within a few days they would holler out to me and wave and carry on. My Maltese friend told me that they were yelling “hey drawing girl” because of all my tattoos. But it was lovely to be in an are with the locals.
You can easily spend an afternoon wandering the Mdina and Rabat itself is the same. There are a few small grocery stores around and one slightly larger one (on the road to St Agatha's Catacombs) so you can get most things. There is a great wine and alcohol shop just off the church plaza, but it is usually closed by dusk.
Transportation:
The buses from the Mdina Stops can get you almost anywhere however the stops further down into Rabat are often only used early and the last pickup there may be as early as 8:15am. I am assuming these are the before and after work runs and then the balance of the day you head to the Medina for the buses there.
We were going over the other side to get on a ferry one day and looked on their transport website and found out we could get on the bus just at the end of our street, however when we got down there that was the last bus that picked up there during the day so if you are searching for options make sure your times are correct or you will be standing there for hours! The buses are very cheap though and easy to use. The Mdina stops do have buses that can get you almost anywhere on the island so if you miss a stop at a specific station, just walk to the Mdina and you will be able to get where you need to go from there. The Hop-On and Hop-Off buses also stop at the Medina so its really handy.
In Summary:
Location: Rabat has the Mdina which makes it's accessibility to the rest of Malta perfect.
Staff: Claudette (from Caseri) was lovely and even though we didn't arrive until 10:30pm met us at the house and showed us around.
Facilities: Great – its a small house but has everything you need.
Beware: Nothing – except the aforementioned bus timetables and because you are kind of underground, the bottom level does have a musty smell. I can't think of anyway to avoid that though. I would think all houses would have it.
Value: Accommodation = 10! Location = 9. Rabat was a great place for us to stay and the only reason I didn't give it a 10 was that it's not close to any beaches so if you are looking for a beach stay – its not for you.
Bed Comfort: 6 (* Bed rating explained at the bottom of this post). The bed was very hard and not for me, but that is a personal choice.
* Bed Comfort Rating:
1 is OMG I'm sleeping on the floor and 10 is I died and am floating in the clouds
Bonus Notes:
The map will open to Google Maps with the Medina Gate at the center when clicked.
Our host recommended a restaurant called Route 81 which is right next to Cork and Fork on the map here. For some reason I can't get it to show on Google maps but the owner can so I'm not sure what was going on there but it is lovely. Amazing food and while its not crazy expensive its not a cheap dinner. Its good food in a great atmosphere with incredible staff. Can't recommend it enough.
AirBnB – This link will take you direct to the property. If you haven't used AirBnB before, use this link to get $55 discount on your first trip over $110.
Air Malta – we flew Air Malta from Paris and they were great. They also partner with Air France which gives you a wider range of flights.
Malta Public Transport – there is a journey planner to help you find where you want to go.
Skyscanner flight box below for flights further afield than Malta.