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Don't move to Malta!!!

Don't move to Malta!!!

Old Feb 22nd 2016, 9:39 pm
  #16  
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Default Re: Don't move to Malta!!!

Originally Posted by teejaydee
......As always, anyone thinking of moving here should come and spend several months (in winter and summer) to see if it suits them. It's not for everyone of course and an extended visit is essential before taking the plunge.
An excellent point! And that is exactly what so many retirees don't do wherever it may be in Europe, or elsewhere. They have one or several wonderful brief holidays in a place, fall in love with it, and move to their new found location after burning their uk bridges i.e. selling up completely.
It's when winter comes to those locations without efficient indoor heating, and encountering many other unheard of difficulties, that the rose-coloured glasses start to rapidly erode, and those dreams of paradise can often within a few years turn into terror when the realities kick in. And that's without even mentioning potentially more hospital visits with advancing age.
It's not being pessimistic, it's called being realistic.
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Old Feb 22nd 2016, 10:15 pm
  #17  
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Default Re: Don't move to Malta!!!

If you want to live on an island, what's wrong with the Isle of Wight?
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Old Feb 22nd 2016, 10:33 pm
  #18  
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Default Re: Don't move to Malta!!!

I think insularity is a natural part of being a small island. I live on Grand Cayman in the Caribbean, which is two-thirds the size of Malta with about one eighth the population. We've lived here for 38 years, and are still called "expats"; the word "immigrant" is not recognised here. Many of the natives are anti-expat, but we only mix with the ones who aren't - and with other expats, of course. No big deal. We're way too comfortable here to leave - except for the expense of it!
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Old Feb 22nd 2016, 11:09 pm
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Default Re: Don't move to Malta!!!

Originally Posted by Gordon Barlow
I think insularity is a natural part of being a small island. ....
A little etymology goes a long way.
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Old Feb 23rd 2016, 7:25 am
  #20  
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Default Re: Don't move to Malta!!!

Originally Posted by teejaydee
I'm interested to read the various comments on this thread, as I recently arrived in Malta to see if it is somewhere that I could retire to. Before arriving, I had done a lot of research and so knew more or less what to expect. I suspect the OP must have experienced something dramatic to warrant the emotive comments, and it would be nice to know more about what triggered the post. Although I would not be as strident in my comments, I do agree with many of his/her points, and they should not be dismissed out of hand. There is no doubt that Malta is a small island, and perhaps as a result, is somewhat insular. Despite, or maybe because of, the many visitors to Malta, those in customer-facing roles are often lacking in politeness or helpfulness. I am talking for example, about grumpy bus drivers and unsmiling check-out operators. Of course, surliness is not unique to Malta, but could be a surprise to anyone expecting a more friendly welcome from those with whom they come into contact. Malta is certainly overcrowded in the East (Valletta, Sliema, St. Julians, etc). The traffic is really bad in most of the island and the driving standards are very poor. Pollution from car fumes is a known problem on the island. There is also a lot of rubbish discarded along the roadside in many places, and quite a bit of fly-tipping. Building standards are very poor. Even new-builds generally lack heating and insulation. Walls are single-skinned (no cavity). It gets cold here at this time of year and so the absence of heating is both surprising and off-putting. I can't comment on the health service, although the large Mater Dei hospital looks impressive from the outside. I have no idea what it is like for anyone having to venture inside. Of course there are many plus-points. For someone from the UK, the fact that English is used widely is welcome. As always, anyone thinking of moving here should come and spend several months (in winter and summer) to see if it suits them. It's not for everyone of course and an extended visit is essential before taking the plunge.
I think the OP's post was a bit harsh and we all have different reasons for moving somewhere. I wouldn't see the benefits of living full time in Malta personally, especially if I was a pensioner with a State Pension and have no connection to the island, as you get free heath care in the EU anyway. I couldn't cope living there and the constant noise and pollution would get on my nerves and I suppose it's no different in cities, but at least it's easier to escape the madness, or you have more options.



It's also a question of budget and if you are buying renting, but I do find that Italy, Portugal, Spain can offer the same at a lower price and the quality is better, depending what you want.
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Old Feb 23rd 2016, 8:16 am
  #21  
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Default Re: Don't move to Malta!!!

Originally Posted by Moses2013
I think the OP's post was a bit harsh and we all have different reasons for moving somewhere.
I too thought it sounded harsh, and I would sincerely like to know what happened to trigger such a post.

Originally Posted by Moses2013
I wouldn't see the benefits of living full time in Malta personally, especially if I was a pensioner with a State Pension and have no connection to the island, as you get free heath care in the EU anyway. I couldn't cope living there and the constant noise and pollution would get on my nerves and I suppose it's no different in cities, but at least it's easier to escape the madness, or you have more options.
I have been here for two weeks, and am coming to the same opinion. The two attractions for me were the use of English, and the favourable tax regime. My plan was to stay for six weeks, and if I liked the country sufficiently, to then rent an apartment for a year. I have decided not to do that, but to leave at the end of the six weeks. I can understand why the contributors to this post who are Maltese would stand up for their homeland, but for the rest of us, there would seem to be better alternatives.
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Old Feb 23rd 2016, 12:38 pm
  #22  
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Default Re: Don't move to Malta!!!

I agree with all the points as well as the comments of this thread

Different strokes for different folks, depending on your age, health & wealth as well as what you want out of life

One can be jut as happy & contented retired in an inner city environment, or an island somewhere off the coast of Scotland, Ireland, the Far East, or the Caribbean.

Its down to lifestyle choices in retirement, in no particular order

- Safety
- Healthcare
- Language
- Access
- Government & corruption
- Cost of living
- Taxes

Moses, you live in Ireland & are still working

Teejaydee, I'm guessing that (living somewhere in the far east) you're semi-retired or about to be retired looking for a perfect place

themajor happy as larry in Cyprus

maltaman ex-pat living in Malta

Gordon Barlow (the Aussie via the UK) lives in the Caymans

Few of us live in North America

Many retired Brits in Spain, Portugal, France & wherever else



.

Last edited by not2old; Feb 23rd 2016 at 1:23 pm. Reason: added to the thread
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Old Feb 23rd 2016, 5:12 pm
  #23  
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Default Re: Don't move to Malta!!!

If the OP is leaving I believe there are houses for sale on Tristan da Cunha.
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Old Feb 23rd 2016, 9:46 pm
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Default Re: Don't move to Malta!!!

Originally Posted by scot47
If the OP is leaving I believe there are houses for sale on Tristan da Cunha.

invite him to Bute, he should fit in quite well
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Old Feb 23rd 2016, 10:42 pm
  #25  
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Default Re: Don't move to Malta!!!

There are some good things about Malta, like the very rich history and the traces of it left on the island ie. the original inhabitant Maltese, the Greeks, Phoenicians, Arabs, Romans, Normans, etc and especially the Knights of St John which have left a huge imprint on the island.

However, the negatives far outweigh the positive. As one poster wrote, you can be happy anywhere; on a Caribbean island, or in outer Mongolia. However, there are some things you should not compromise on if you can, and it is even these basics that Malta lacks:

1. Clean air. Malta is full of cars and diesel belching trucks. Even if one car goes past, you smell the fumes instantly. There is no emission control whatsoever. I was in the middle of Berlin during peak traffic and the air was far cleaner! The world is polluted enough so why go to Malta and get even more polluted?

2. Clean water. The local water is salty and not the best quality, which means that for the rest of your life, you have the added expense of buying bottled water.

3. It's way over-crowded. Even off-season, the island is overcrowded, with 423,000 people on an island (unofficially, it's more) on an island that's 35 kms long and 25 kms wide. Now, get this. During summer, the population expands to twice or three times that amount. That's a lot of people, which makes driving, parking, even walking a test of endurance and patience. Do you really need this in your life?

4. Everyone seems cranky, especially when the temperature reaches 40'C plus!

5. The Maltese are tourist/foreign fatigued. You can see it on their weary faces. If they meet one more tourist asking for direction to their hotel or whatever, you would swear they are about to knock them down. Often however, they are curt, off-handish and plain rude (but can we really blame them?). Still, as an ex-pat living there, many Maltese will simply assume you are another pain-in-the-arse tourist and give you the tourist treatment. It's no good trying to explain: hey, I'm an ex-pat; I'm a resident; I live here permanently. The Maltese can't distinguish you from a visitor or a resident and they wouldn't care anyway.

6. Ask yourself: do you really want to live on a tiny island where, 3 months of the year, you hear gun-shot sounds outside your bedroom window knowing that about 10,000 Maltese men are armed and roving the island looking for little birds to splatter?

7. The normal everyday noise. If you are the type of person who likes peace and quiet, waking up to the sound of chirping birds that haven't yet been killed, or likes to walk in a park or along a beach, for some solitary introspective moments - forget Malta! From 7am to 8pm, there will be noise, often just outside your bedroom window. Cars honking, engines revving, road repairs with hammer jacks blaring away, your Maltese neighbor has decided to use his garage as a mechanic's workshop, the quaint little Maltese house next to yours is being demolished to make way for a newer, seven storey apartment complex that will take two years to build, which will mean you will have construction noise next to you from 7am to 8pm six days a week.

Just about every noise you can think of and some more, you will get in full in Malta.

8. I've met many ex-pats in Malta who, 10 or even 5 years ago, had bought their dream home with a fantastic sea-view. Today, many of them have a fantastic view to their neighbor's living room 10 meters across the road! Every week, it seems a new, bigger and uglier apartment complex springs up on a cliff-top to be sold as a "luxury dream life-style". A dream for some; a nightmare for others!

Gee, I could actually go on. But I think this will do for the time being.
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Old Feb 23rd 2016, 11:41 pm
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Default Re: Don't move to Malta!!!

Originally Posted by andronicus
There are some good things about Malta, like the very rich history and the traces of it left on the island ie. the original inhabitant Maltese, the Greeks, Phoenicians, Arabs, Romans, Normans, etc and especially the Knights of St John which have left a huge imprint on the island.

However, the negatives far outweigh the positive. As one poster wrote, you can be happy anywhere; on a Caribbean island, or in outer Mongolia. However, there are some things you should not compromise on if you can, and it is even these basics that Malta lacks:

Gee, I could actually go on. But I think this will do for the time being.

In which part of Malta or Gozo is it that you live & for how long have you lived there on a continuous basis?

Do you work in Malta, are you retired or self-sufficient?
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Old Feb 24th 2016, 7:05 am
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Default Re: Don't move to Malta!!!

Avoid anywhere that is full of tourists. Did you suppose that the Maltese would welcome all those "expats" ?
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Old Feb 24th 2016, 7:34 am
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Default Re: Don't move to Malta!!!

Originally Posted by scot47
Avoid anywhere that is full of tourists. Did you suppose that the Maltese would welcome all those "expats" ?
I actually don't think it's tourist people hate, but actually those expats who plan to stay in Malta. Tourists are annoying, but they bring money, create jobs and leave after 2 weeks, while expats either take away jobs, make housing even more unaffordable etc. Every overpopulated island has the same problems and it's mainly lack of affordable housing. The wealthy aren't bothered, but the working class people see Expats as a danger.

Last edited by Moses2013; Feb 24th 2016 at 7:43 am.
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Old Feb 24th 2016, 9:02 am
  #29  
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Default Re: Don't move to Malta!!!

Originally Posted by andronicus
Gee, I could actually go on. But I think this will do for the time being.


Your post should be required reading for anyone considering immigrating to Malta. It's a very good summary of what I have found since being here.
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Old Feb 24th 2016, 9:05 am
  #30  
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Default Re: Don't move to Malta!!!

Originally Posted by Moses2013
I actually don't think it's tourist people hate, but actually those expats who plan to stay in Malta. Tourists are annoying, but they bring money, create jobs and leave after 2 weeks, while expats either take away jobs, make housing even more unaffordable etc. Every overpopulated island has the same problems and it's mainly lack of affordable housing. The wealthy aren't bothered, but the working class people see Expats as a danger.
Leave after two weeks, are you kidding! Tourist season is now practically 12 months of the year, with the worst being the summer months. There is no RESPITE! Malta is a business that goes 12 months of the year. Forget about two weeks.
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