Scenic Escapes, Gharb, Gozo
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About the home
I don't know which came first - falling in love with Gozo or my Maltese husband! After spending ten years working around the world and living out of a suitcase, I admit to being less than excited about being sent to Malta. With visions of crumbling buildings, endless churches and a slow pace of life, I was unprepared for the vibrancy and beauty of these islands. I actually loved them so much that I ended up moving there and marrying one of the locals. Now, several years later, after the success of our seafront apartment in Xlendi (ref 4249), we have bought this beautiful apartment with swimming pool to cater for those of you that prefer swimming in a pool to the sea.
We have furnished our home with considerable thought and effort to reflect the peace and character of these islands and have succeeded by creating a haven of peace and relaxation; a place to generally kick back and unwind. We named our property 'Scenic Escapes' as it really is an escape from the rest of the world; stay here a week and you feel as though you've disappeared for a month!
PS. I was right about the churches though!
| Size: | Sleeps up to 4, 1 bedroom |
|---|---|
| Nearest beach: | Azure Window, 3km |
| Will consider: | Corporate lets House swaps Long lets |
| Access: | Car advised Nearest amenities: 500m |
| Family friendly? | Suitable for children of all ages Suitable for people with restricted mobility |
| Notes: | No pets allowed No smoking at this property Self-catering |
Facilities
| Luxuries: | DVD player |
|---|---|
| General: | TV, CD player, Telephone |
| Standard: | Kettle, Toaster, Iron, Hair dryer |
| Utilities: | Clothes dryer, Microwave, Fridge, Freezer |
| Rooms: | 1 Bedroom, 1 family bathroom |
| Furniture: | Sofabeds (2), Double beds (1), Dining seating for 4, Lounge seating for 4 |
| Other: | Linen and towels provided |
| Outdoors: | Balcony / Terrace, Shared outdoor pool (unheated), Shared garden |
Further details indoors:
The apartment is beautifully finished to make your stay as comfortable as possible.
The double bedroom has a solid oak double bed with a comfortable handmade mattress, spacious wardrobe with plenty of hangers and a large freestanding mirror. Each bedside table has a lamp and a hairdryer is also supplied.
There is a tiled bathroom with ceramic bath and overhead shower. Lots of storage space, plenty towels, bright lighting with illuminated mirrors, heater and shaver point.
The kitchen is kitted out with everything you need for a comfortable holiday. Halogen hob, microwave with oven and grill, fridge/freezer, kettle, toaster, oils and spices and plenty of tea and coffee! The breakfast bar seats four people with very comfortable chrome and leather bar stools. An iron and ironing board are also provided.
The open plan living area has two very comfortable sofa beds that easily sleep two children on one sofa bed or if there are two adults sleeping in the lounge, they can have a bed each! The small private balcony overlooks the quiet residential street. The lounge is furnished a DVD player with a selection of films, board games, books and magazines to suit all tastes.
Thick fleecy blankets and extra pillows are provided to ensure a cosy home atmosphere for those cooler months - not that there are many! As we do not have to rely on solar power, there is always plenty of hot water for relaxing baths or showers
We have compiled a comprehensive information pack for our guests use with maps, restaurant, walking and rock climbing guides.
Further details outdoors:
The outside pool and deck is spacious with pretty planted gardens and plenty of space for sun loungers. The deck area overlooks untouched countryside; it is quiet and peaceful and a perfect spot for relaxing in the beautiful sunshine the Maltese Islands are renowned for. The pool is a constant 3m depth with a handrail at one end. Children must be supervised at all times.
Further details
The apartment is on the first floor and there is a lift. We are a non-smoking family and would ask all of our guests to respect this and not smoke in our apartment.
Photos
The Island of Gozo region
With a population of just 25,000, consisting mainly of farmers and fisherman, Gozo and it’s inhabitants have a personality quite distinct from big sister, Malta. The countryside is much greener with steep fertile valleys fringing spectacular rugged cliffs that plunge down to reveal alluring bays.
Gozo is home to some beautiful peaceful beaches including Ramla Bay, a magnificent sweep of red sand on the north of the island, sleepy villages, prehistoric temples older than Stonehenge, the legend of the goddess Calypso and some of the most spectacular diving sites in the Mediterranean.
The island of Malta has been dubbed “the Mediterranean’s mini-Hollywood” by the London Times as it is becoming one of the world’s most popular film and television locations. If you take the time to explore beyond the 'package holiday' Malta, there is plenty to see and do. Wander around the baroque modern day capital Valletta, peruse the delights of colourful Marsaxlokk and it's famous Sunday market; amble through the medieval 'silent city' of Mdina for breathtaking views or unwind in one of the award winning spas on the island.
We have a large online photo library which we are happy for you to view. Please let us know if you are interested in seeing further pictures.
The Gharb area
GHARB VILLAGE
Our apartment is located on the edge of this peaceful inland village but within a short walk of local restaurants, grocery shops and bars. We are a 10 minute walk to the shrine of Ta'Pinu, a church that is so revered that to this day, all weddings in Gozo culminate with the bride leaving her bouquet on the altar of the church as it is considered to bring long life and prosperity to the couple. Gharb is also home to a folklore museum and a glass blowing shop selling plenty of samples of the local art, the beauty of which will rival those found in Venice at half the price!
Gharb is a place of intense natural beauty, especially in the area around the ancient chapel of the bishop-martyr San Dimitri. The legend says that an old woman beseeched the saint to save her only son from slavery by the pirates. San Dimitri left the altarpiece on his flying stallion and soon brought back her son. The altarpiece can still be seen in the chapel and a light is kept permanently burning outside as a symbol of the islanders' gratitude to the saint.
There are some excellent restaurants for a village of this size with a choice of pasta, local cuisine, fish and seafood. One of our favourites, Jeffreys, is owned and managed by a very colourful local character who consistently cooks and serves exquisite local dishes such as rabbit stew, stuffed beef and an astounding arrary of local fish in a very picturesque courtyard setting bursting with local flowers.
Just under a couple of miles away next to Dwerja and the magnificent Azure Window, you can swim at the Inland Sea, where the sea has cut into the cliffs to form a shallow, sheltered salt water pool with pebbly crystal clear water. Boat trips from the little jetty take you out to the open sea through a natural tunnel in the cliffs. Once through the tunnel the cliffs rise majestically out of the water and the boatmen wander slowly around a number of caves which dot the coast. The various dramatic rock formations, coves and drop-offs have earned Dwerja the reputation of being among the best dives sites in the Mediterranean and undoubtedly the best the Maltese Islands offer.
The apartment is an excellent base for exploring the rest of the island with the capital Victoria and its' markets only 5 minutes by road. We are just 5 minutes from Dwerja and the Azure Window and only 15 minutes from the red sandy bay of Ramla and the prehistoric temples of Ggantija.
WALKING
Gozo is wonderful walking country with plenty of well trodden tracks through the more famous of the islands landmarks such as Calypso's Cave or the Azure Window but also some hidden secrets such as the beauty and peace of the Lunzjata Valley and the tiny hamlet of Ghasri.
ROCK CLIMBING
For the adrenalin junkies, the Maltese Islands offer a varied and scenic playground for rock climbers of all levels. Whether you are looking to tick off some short and sweet challenges or setting out to push your limits on a multi-pitch adventure, there's a spot here to suit your style. There is a comprehensive guide in the apartment cataloguing 21 areas on all 3 islands with 1,200 + climbs.
DIVING
Gozo is an enviable base for diving and we work closely with one of the established diving schools who have been operating since 1989, and offer a wealth of experience and local knowledge, whether you are a complete beginner or an experienced diver. They offer over 50 shore and boat sites with depths from 5m to 45m in Gozo, Comino and northwest Malta; and sights from natural rock formations to sunken wrecks and reefs bursting with marine life. First timers can have a go at a trial dive at the shallow end of a safe bay and experienced divers can join others of similar experience on accompanied dives. Unaccompanied diving is possible for those divers holding the local government dive permit.
How to get there
Click map icons for more information
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| Nearest Travel Links | |
| Airport: | Malta International: 38 km |
| Railway: | None |
| Ferry: | Mgarr: 8 km |
FLIGHTS
Fly to Malta's International Airport from London Heathrow/Gatwick in just 3-3½ hours. Most other UK airports will only add another 30 minutes or so to your journey. Malta is also served by numerous other large European airports and is very well connected.
WHICH AIRLINES OPERATE FROM UK?
AirMalta, First Choice Airways, Ryanair, Thomas Cook Airlines, Thomson Fly and Easyjet
BUYING YOUR FLIGHTS
From the UK
We have found these websites to offer competitive fares where prices can start from as little as £50 + tax per person
www.easyjet.com
www.ryanair.com from London Luton (daily), Dublin, Barcelona (Girona), Bari, Bremen, Venice (Treviso), Stockholm (Nykoping), Valencia & Pisa (3 times a week)
www.airmalta.com or 020 8785 3199
www.maltadirect.co.uk
www.travelocity.co.uk
www.majortravel.co.uk
From Europe
www.germanwings.com from Cologne & Stuttgart
www.norwegian.no for cheap flights to Malta from Oslo, Norway every Tuesday & Saturday
www.clickair.com from/to Barcelona to Malta twice weekly
TRANSFERS TO GOZO
There are several options as detailed below:
For a stress free start to your holiday, we can organise private transfers from Malta airport direct to our apartment. Please contact us for a quote.
Alternatively there is a public bus service from €4.50 (£3.40) per person direct to Cirkewwa (the ferry port in Malta) where you can catch the regular Gozo ferry. The ferry runs frequently (approx every 45 minutes) and costs €4.75 (£3.60) per foot passenger. The crossing takes around 25 minutes.
The other option is to hire a car at Malta's airport. Car hire is amongst the cheapest in Europe, with prices starting from €18 (£14) per day. Please contact us for a quote.
Whichever mode of transport you choose, it is actually a scenic journey along the coast road and the ferry has excellent facilities including a magazine kiosk and cafeteria. The total transfer time should not exceed an hour and a half.
Activities near Gharb
Watersports
Walking holidays
Rural / countryside retreats
A winter sun break
Reviews
 09 Nov 2011 |
We booked the apartment for our trip to Gozo in August 2010, my partner had visited Gozo & Malta on a number of occasions but this was my first trip and I could not wait to see what my other half had been raving about! The apartment was perfect for us, bright and airy with a little balcony- it was just lovely. We hired a car for our stay which was great to tour around the island, it felt like we had the whole place to ourselves! It was really nice to have the pool too for the odd day that we felt like doing nothing. I would highly recommend the apartment and absolutely fell in love with Gozo, we cant wait to go back! |
Guestbook for Scenic Escapes, Gharb, Gozo
Thank you so much for letting us use your apartment. The setting was ideal for us as we wanted a laid back,
restful holiday. The apartment itself was very tastefully decorated ... the photos on the
net do not really show how lovely it really is. We enjoyed the pool ... swimming at least 2 twice a day and spent loads of time reading by the pool. We had meal at Salvina ... in their courtyard ... it was such a romantic
evening candle lit ... music gently floating in ... open sky ... on balmy evening ... the service and food ... what a perfect evening. We did 2 walks other than going around Gharb, one to to Victoria on Sunday ... even managed to find and attend an English service in a tiny church in Assunta street [Gozo Jesus Centre]; and the other walk was Dwjera.
We had wonderful and very kind neighbours. Thank you for your patience for helping us when things went wrong right the start of our trip.[delayed flight-couldn't find the place in wee hours of the morning] Enjoyed cooking and buying ingredients from the local shop.
Thank you once again for helping us celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary.
My new husband and I stayed in Gharb on our honeymoon and couldn't have been happier with our choice of apartment. Clean, well-equipped, stylishly decorated and comfortable it was the perfect place to really get away from it all and enjoy the peace and quiet of such a beautiful Island. We decided to see Gozo by bike and spent a week cycling around the gorgeous countryside. We discovered excellent eateries in the surrounding area but were content on more than one occasion to eat in and enjoy a bottle on wine on wonderfully peaceful balcony of the apartment.We'll definitely be coming back to re-charge our batteries in the future.
Very nice and cosy apartment. Everything new and clean. Quiet street. Balcony with little table and two chairs - perfect for coffee in the sun. We slept like at home in a gorgeous bed and the birds and the sun were our morning greetings. It is really a place where you will like to come back to. With our rental car we started a lot of tours - good guides and books for that are in the apartment. We had a very good description to find the place, a welcome starter pack was in the apartment, the owner had a lot of informations for us and I can recommend this property as a place where we felt at home.
I can't say anything about Malta and Gharb that hasn't already been said by Elaine, other than confirm its a very beautiful and laid back place to visit.
The location of the apartment is great, it is just a 2 minute walk to the Shrine of Ta Pinu. You will need a car if you want to see the island and make the most of your stay. These can be booked through Elaine too and make your life easier on arrival.
The apartment itself is very nicely decorated and served the job more than adequately for me and my partner.
The local wine on arrival was excellent - as was having milk, water, bread etc. The arcadia in Victoria sells all you need to stock up on food for when your in the apartment and there is a shop 3 minutes walk from the apartment in the centre of Gharb.
There were also local guides in the apartment to make full use of . these include various walks on Gozo and Malta, Rock climbing pitches as well as restaurants to visit and the usual tourist info.
We used the airport transfers booked through Elaine and these were great delivered to the apartment from the airport in Malta.
For eating out there is a local restaurant called Jeffreys, the food here is excellent - but with the week pound to the euro don't expect cheap nights out here just because your abroad. For a bottle of wine 2 starters and 2 special mains cost was 65 Euros although the special was the most expensive thing there!
Tatitas in San lawrence as well is easily walkable to those whom don't mind walking! (about 15-20 minutes) again this is top quality food and service and again we didn't skimp as we were there to enjoy ourselves and this cost 80 Euros for 3 courses and wine. There are places that you can eat at cheaply - a great bar is on the front in xlendi (the middle one) does nice cheap snacky food for those on a budget.
We also went diving - for those that are interested i would recommend it - we went through St Andrews diving school, our french instructor was great - engaged us with conversation all the way to the dive site and back, a great teacher and came and spoke to us later in the holiday to ask how we were enjoying it. It was his 3rd season back there so it musn't be bad. All the courses are a lot cheaper than UK with clear and warm water to add!
Nothing was too much trouble for Elaine and i will be going back again at some point. Would recommend without hesitation.
Rental prices
| Rental prices originally quoted in: British £ | Convert to: |
| Prices for group size 2 | ||||||
| Period | From | To | Weekly | Nightly rate | Minimum stay | |
| Weekday | Weekend | |||||
| High season | 1 Sep 11 | 1 Oct 11 | £ 449 | - | - | 1 Week |
| Mid season | 1 Oct 11 | 1 Nov 11 | £ 339 | - | - | 1 Week |
| Low season | 1 Nov 11 | 1 Apr 12 | £ 199 | - | - | 1 Week |
| Mid season | 1 Apr 12 | 1 Jul 12 | £ 339 | - | - | 1 Week |
| High season | 1 Jul 12 | 1 Aug 12 | £ 449 | - | - | 1 Week |
| Peak season | 1 Aug 12 | 1 Sep 12 | £ 499 | - | - | 1 Week |
| High season | 1 Sep 12 | 1 Oct 12 | £ 449 | - | - | 1 Week |
| Mid season | 1 Oct 12 | 1 Nov 12 | £ 339 | - | - | 1 Week |
| Low season | 1 Nov 12 | 1 Apr 13 | £ 199 | - | - | 1 Week |
| Prices for group size 3 | ||||||
| Period | From | To | Weekly | Nightly rate | Minimum stay | |
| Weekday | Weekend | |||||
| High season | 1 Sep 11 | 1 Oct 11 | £ 459 | - | - | 1 Week |
| Mid season | 1 Oct 11 | 1 Nov 11 | £ 349 | - | - | 1 Week |
| Low season | 1 Nov 11 | 1 Apr 12 | £ 249 | - | - | 1 Week |
| Mid season | 1 Apr 12 | 1 Jul 12 | £ 359 | - | - | 1 Week |
| High season | 1 Jul 12 | 1 Aug 12 | £ 469 | - | - | 1 Week |
| Peak season | 1 Aug 12 | 1 Sep 12 | £ 509 | - | - | 1 Week |
| High season | 1 Sep 12 | 1 Oct 12 | £ 469 | - | - | 1 Week |
| Mid season | 1 Oct 12 | 1 Nov 12 | £ 359 | - | - | 1 Week |
| Low season | 1 Nov 12 | 1 Apr 13 | £ 249 | - | - | 1 Week |
| Prices for group size 4 | ||||||
| Period | From | To | Weekly | Nightly rate | Minimum stay | |
| Weekday | Weekend | |||||
| High season | 1 Sep 11 | 1 Oct 11 | £ 489 | - | - | 1 Week |
| Mid season | 1 Oct 11 | 1 Nov 11 | £ 379 | - | - | 1 Week |
| Low season | 1 Nov 11 | 1 Apr 12 | £ 279 | - | - | 1 Week |
| Mid season | 1 Apr 12 | 1 Jul 12 | £ 379 | - | - | 1 Week |
| High season | 1 Jul 12 | 1 Aug 12 | £ 489 | - | - | 1 Week |
| Peak season | 1 Aug 12 | 1 Sep 12 | £ 519 | - | - | 1 Week |
| High season | 1 Sep 12 | 1 Oct 12 | £ 489 | - | - | 1 Week |
| Mid season | 1 Oct 12 | 1 Nov 12 | £ 379 | - | - | 1 Week |
| Low season | 1 Nov 12 | 1 Apr 13 | £ 279 | - | - | 1 Week |
NB: Prices may be subject to change at the advertiser's discretion.
Prices all inclusive of linen, towels (not beach), water, electricity and maid service. Transfers, car hire and additional services required are not included. We offer a free welcome food pack including a bottle of local wine.
A supplement of £50 per week is applicable for Christmas, New Year, Easter and Bank holidays.
A 25% non refundable deposit is required at the time of booking plus a security deposit of £100 to cover any breakages or damage during your stay. This will be returned to you in full, subject to any deductions, after your stay either via cheque, bank account (UK customers) or Paypal (overseas customers) depending on the original method of payment. The balance is due 8 weeks before travel. For cancellations after the balance is received, if we can relet the property, you will be refunded. If not, there is a 100% cancellation charge.
The late deal rate is for 4 people but is also available for parties of 2 or 3, so please contact me for prices.
Availability
See below for next 9 months' availability - to see the next 24 months click here
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Contact the owner
* Required fields Please check the following errors: | 7 years listed You are contacting Elaine Adams
Payment accepted
Languages spoken   The owner is based in the United Kingdom and has advertised with Holiday Lettings since 2004. This apartment has received 1 review from previous guests.  |
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 Azure Escapes, Xlendi, Gozo in Xlendi, Malta |
