I booked this apartment through Tripadvisor (which was cancelled and had to be rebooked after several telephone calls and emails) and the communication with Alice was fantastic. We were met by Alice in Marsaxlokk and driven to the apartment about 10 minutes away.
The apartment is in Birzebugga overlooking St. Georges Bay, which is lovely, full of traditional Maltese fishing boats. It has a lovely sandy beach around the corner, a few restaurants and bars a few minutes walk away and a great Convenience store.
The apartment itself has a large kitchen/lounge area when you walk in which is cosy and has a large window overlooking the bay. It is very well equipped! Kitchen has all the pots, pans and implements you could wish for. We stayed in and cooked about 3 evenings and it had everything we needed. Large TV and free wifi too. The bathroom is a good size with a great shower! The water was always hot and a nice airy feel to it. The bedroom is a good size with huge wardrobe, dressing table, comfiest bed ever, ironing board and hair dryer. Lots of sockets and converters cover everything you will need. There is a double door leading to the upstairs terrace area, which has a bbq, table, chairs and an amazing view of the bay. (Stairs are a small metal steep staircase, bit scary, but just take your time). The apartment itself is very warm, but all doors and windows open so you can adjust accordingly.
We did not hire a car, but bought two weekly bus passes at 21 euros each which enabled us to travel all over the island without worrying about cost or change. There is a bus stop right outside the apartment which takes you to the airport (X4 or 119 - 14 minutes) where you can then catch a bus to anywhere on the island. Or you can take a left out of the apartment and walk around the bay to the Convenience store and there is a bus stop on the other direction where you can get the bus to Marsaxlokk (119 - 15 minutes) or Valletta (82 - 25 minutes) There are other buses in and out of Birzebugge, like the 81 & 85, but these visit other villages and take longer. We just got the 82 to Valletta and back, this seemed the quickest. We went to Gozo for the day and took the 82 to Valletta, then the 42 to Gozo, this is nearly 1.5 hours. However, if you get the 119 (outside the apartment) to the airport, then the X3 to Gozo, it's direct and a lot quicker!! Wherever you travel on the buses, you get to see lots, so it does not really matter. Last bus to Birzebugga from Valletta was 10.40pm.
Gozo was lovely, we arrived and got the ferry around lunch time, 4.65 euro each return. We then paid 10 euro for the Citysightseeing bus and spent the next couple of hours travelling around the whole island. We got off at Dwerja Bay (Apparently, Game of Thrones was filmed there) which was really unusual and Marsalforn Bay which was nice, but quiet. We then returned on the ferry back to the main island and started our journey back. Well worth a visit.
We walked to Marsaxlokk a couple of times or you can get the bus outside the convenience store (takes 10 minutes). There is a good market there, best day is Sunday where it is full of fresh fish, vegetables and fruit along with the normal stalls that are there in the week. This closes around 5pm, when all the restaurants set up there tables on the promenade. There are a few restaurants, but as we stayed the last week in November, they shut really early and there is hardly anybody around. At the height of the season, these will be open until around midnight.
We went to the Popeye Village (119 - Airport / X3 - Luna / 101 - Popeye). So pretty! It's built in it's own little bay and definitely worth a visit. 10 euros each, free postcard, free drink in a bar and a boat ride. Got roped into making a popeye movie and dressing up, but it was hilarious and we have the dvd! (7 euros).
Visited the Blue Grotto which is near to Birzebugga but difficult to get to. (119 to airport - 201 Grotto) Took around an hour. When we got there the caves were closed and the boats finished for the season, which is end of October. But, nice to wander around the shops and we had a coffee, then took some nice pictures, so worth the visit. Buses only come back once an hour so time it right.
We found everywhere really cheap. We were paying around 1 euro for tea/coffee in bars, 3 euros for a large Cisk Lager and a glass of red wine and food was all reasonably priced too. We got a bottle of wine to take home from the local convenience store and it was 2.30 euros for Shiraz!! Never expected it to be this cheap, but pleasantly surprised.
All in all, a great apartment, probably overlooking one of the prettiest bays on the island. Eating and drinking out is pretty cheap, the people are really friendly and we would definitely go back.
All bookings are direct with the owner 