Zabbar holiday home accommodation with walking, balcony/terrace, internet access, telephone, rural retreat

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Castle or Riad-like Stone (house)

Home description

The house offers majesty, magnificence and a profound sense of history. It offers space, and a retreat from the world, with a profound opportunity for privacy and relaxation. GREAT FOR WRITERS and ARTISTS and CREATIVES of all kinds. It is marvellous for those visitors who wish to come home to a different world, and for you to BE in splendour and atmosphere. The home does offer options for more people to share with Z-bed options. The additional cost for groups over and above 7 people is 75.00 sterling per week.

Sculpted lion guarding the 1st storey on the stairs.	The lounge: soft sunlight illuminating honey-coloured stones.
The kitchen, showing the extensive work surface.	A detail of the well-preserved traditional interior.

To see more photos please visit http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/96163

The Island of Malta region

Zabbar, pronounced 'Zabb-arr' is the fifth largest town in Malta, with a population of just over 18,000 souls. Zabbar was granted the title of Citta Hompesch by the last of the Grandmasters of the Knights of St. John to reign in Malta, Ferdinand von Hompesch. Żabbar is a small, traditional town, within walking distance of an exciting new marina development in an area called the Cottonera (or 'Three Cities') centred in Fort St Angelo.

In broad-brush terms, Maltese society is divided between the north and the south, with Valletta sitting on the dividing line. Historically, the Cottonera -- the walled citadel that is a stone's throw from Żabbar -- was the cradle of modern Malta. It was here that the Knights of St John first settled and created the harbours for their powerful fleet in the 16th Century. Although the administrative capital moved across the Grand Harbour into Valletta, the Cottonera retained its importance as a hub of marine activity, and it housed the headquarters of British sea power in the Mediterranean for a hundred and fifty years. After the heavy bombing of the war, however, much of the civilian population re-settled in the north, which has subsequently seen an great deal of modern building development. The Cottonera and the surrounding area, including Żabbar, thus escaped the worst of the ugly and anonymous property development that plagued Europe in the 1960s and 1970s.

Only now, in more enlightened times, has redevelopment commenced in the Cottonera, but in such a way as to preserve and celebrate the historical heritage. The new marina on the Cottonera Waterfront, which is twenty minutes stroll from Żabbar, harmoniously blends new luxury building with astounding 500-year-old defensive structures. At the time of writing, we are at the leading edge of the gentrification of the Cottonera, with high-quality wine bars and restaurants already established. In Żabbar itself, nothing changes. It is an authentic expression of Maltese life, with its annual Festa, its band clubs, and its vegetable trucks. Żabbar is a quiet, typically Mediterranean town.

Zabbar area

Nowadays, Żabbar is a very prosperous village, with a number of small- to medium-sized businesses opening to cater for the city's ever-increasing needs. Amongst the famous personalities which emerged from the village is the former President Miss Agatha Barbara. Żabbar is famous for its village feast on the first Sunday after the 8th September, which features a motorcycle and bicycle pilgrimage each starting from Mosta and Rabat respectively. This is done because Our Lady Of Graces is the patron of cyclists. Strong competition exists between the village's two band clubs, locally known as the Societa' Filarmonica Maria Mater Gratiๆ (the Blues) and the Għaqda Madonna Tal-Grazzja Banda San Mikiel (the Greens). You will seen small blue and green coloured globe-lights on tall poles around the town, indicating allegience. Żabbar's main football team is St. Patrick's FC.

The biggest architectural feature of the town is the Sanctuary, dedicated to Our Lady of Graces. Many paintings and other artefacts can be found in the village church museum, most of which have 'VFGA' in some way or other imprinted on them. This is the Latin abbreviation for 'Votum Fecit et Gratia Acceptit', meaning that a 'miracle' had been granted to the people after due intercession by the Madonna tal-Grazzja (Our Lady of Graces). These paintings are one of the largest collections of votive paintings about marine subjects, and give much historical detail about ships from the era of the Knights of St John. The Mattia Preti painting, which has since been moved to the town's museum, is a particularly beautiful and invaluable painting. The devotion to Our Lady of Divine Grace dates many centuries and the Sanctuary has long been a centre of frequent pilgrimages. Zabbar became a parish in 1615. The present Sanctuary was built on plans by Tommaso Dingli. The building of the Church of Our Lady of Graces was started in 1641 at the instigation of the Parish Priest Don Francesco Piscopo and was completed in 1660 (or in 1696, according to other sources, and legend has it that it is never finished). The photograph on the left shows the Sanctuary illuminated in the Festa.

The Hypogeum, the Tarxien temples, and the world heritage city of Valletta are a very easy and frequent bus ride away from the house, for those not wishing to hire a car.

How to get there

Ryanair fly to Malta from Luton. British Jet flies from both Gatwick and Manchester. Air Malta, the national carrier flies from Manchester, Gatwick and Heathrow. Formerly GB Airways, the sister company of British Airways also flies from Gatwick. In addition there are several charter companies flying from airports countrywide during the Summer.

All flights land into Malta International Airport which is a 15 minute drive from the apartment. Once your plane lands, you can look forward to stepping into the apartment within 45 minutes or less. Baggage is delivered promptly into arrivals.Arrive by Air Malta, British Jet, British Airways, EasyJet, and Ryanair.

The local car hire company is within a 2 minute walk from the old stone house. The company is Pitty's Car Hire and Taxi company, Sanctuary Street, Zabbar. Telephone Louis: 00356

Activities near Zabbar

Facilities

Further details indoors:
The home does offer the opportunity for more people to share with Z-bed options with children sharing in the largest bedroom wherein there is one double bed. The additional cost for groups over and above 7 guests (2 double beds, 1 single, and one bunk bed option for 2 people) is 75.00 sterling per week per person (negotiable depending on the season). The bunk bed option is situated off the en-suite double room and is perfect for parents wishing to be adjacent to their children. PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THIS HOME IS RECOMMENDED FOR CHILDREN OVER AND ABOVE THE AGE OF 8 YEARS. The property offers 2 bathrooms - one of which is en suite to the main bedroom, as mentioned above. The other bathroom is situated downstairs and offers a shower, a toilet and wash basin.

Conditions

This property is inviting for children with imagination, however it is not suitable for children UNDER the AGE of 8 years. There is a wondrous spiral staircase and a roof terrace and balconies, and EVEN children OVER the age of 8 one would recommend SUPERVISION on the spiral staircase and the roof terrace.

Rental rates

Period	From	To	Weekly	Nightly rate		Minimum  stay
				Weekday	Weekend
High Season	8 Aug 09	1 Oct 09	600£ 600	0-	0-	1 Week
Mid Season	1 Oct 09	4 Jan 10	500£ 500	0-	0-	1 Week
Low Season	4 Jan 10	15 Mar 10	400£ 400	0-	0-	1 Week
Mid Season	15 Mar 10	1 Apr 10	550£ 550	0-	0-	1 Week
High Season	1 Apr 10	30 Sep 10	700£ 700	0-	0-	1 Week

NB: Prices may be subject to change at the advertiser's discretion.

Payment by cheque to a secure address in the UK or by bank transfer in euros to HSBC account in Malta.

The house is available from the 8th August 2009 and presently the rental cost is £600.00 per week, or the euro equivalent for up to and including 7 people. For persons over and above 7, the additional cost is £75.00 per week per person.

Guestbook for Castle or Riad-like Stone

I'm Clare, Scott's partner. I know he sent an e-mail to say thanks but I wanted to send you one too on behalf of my mum, sister and I. We just wanted you to know we all had a brilliant time and were very sorry to leave your lovely apartment and Malta. I know we all miss having that first cup of coffee out on your terrace, our gardens just don't quite compare to the view we had at yours! Thank you for all the help and advice you left for us it was all very useful - especially in finding the bakery! Please rest assured we will visit again, sooner rather than later if its left up to me. In the mean time we will be recommending your apartment and Malta to all our friends.
Once again many thanks and we all hope to see you again soon. Clare
Summer 2009

Availability

See below for next 9 months' availability - to see the next 24 months click here

Send Enquiry

To contact this advertiser please visit: http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/96163

Contact details for the advertiser of home 96163
Name:	Deborah Marshall-Warren
Tel:	+356 2180 4246
Mobile:	+356 7927 6611
Be aware of time-zones Please mention Holiday Lettings when contacting this advertiser
Languages:
Contact Notes: Telepone or Email with Telephone number
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Advertiser joined: Jan 2007

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