What to take ….

Sun cream , ant fly cockroach spray etc , microwave kettle other electric items that won't be in flat but are expensive here .

Thanks for that robpw2 …. we are taking our TV, kettle, toaster, iron etc., but what about:

- fans/humidifiers (our flat has no air-con unfortunately!)?
- linens/blankets/duvets?
- Rugs (the apartment has marble (?) floors so quite cold underfoot)

Someone also mentioned whilst we were there to bring over cutlery (??)

As we are taking a van, just want to ensure we bring as much as poss that will be useful or hard to come by/expensive in Malta

Thanks again,

PIllows are soemthing I would also bring they are expensive here , you won't need a duvet but bring blankets and sheets
May be worth bringing fans , ours had one plus a dehumidifier so it may be something landlord provide

I agree about cutlery
If your bringing a van bring anything you think you might need .... Oh yes a proper tin opener ... Etc

Super, thanks again for the info and if you think of anything else, please let me know as we are planning our trip for mid April.  Cheers

Are you buying/bringing the stuff from the UK or France?

Hi Sam4321, we are coming from France

Pans!  They seem to be expensive here. I've still not bought any because I keep looking at the price in shock and walking away.  Eventually I'll come to terms with the price and just pay it.  We've just moved from France and to be honest the prices for electrical items are about the same price, so I'd wait if you were buying new in France.  Bedding is cheaper here, as well as rugs. 

We've only been here a couple of weeks, but I'd say if you're buying new in France I'd wait, but if you're bringing stuff over fit as much as you can in the van and bring it over with you.

Thanks for that Sam4321, we are not planning on buying anything new, just filling the van with as much useful stuff as possible that we currently have, so pans are now on my list !!  Anything else you can think of please let me know …. merci !

Sam4321 wrote:

Pans!  They seem to be expensive here. I've still not bought any because I keep looking at the price in shock and walking away.  Eventually I'll come to terms with the price and just pay it.  We've just moved from France and to be honest the prices for electrical items are about the same price, so I'd wait if you were buying new in France.  Bedding is cheaper here, as well as rugs. 

We've only been here a couple of weeks, but I'd say if you're buying new in France I'd wait, but if you're bringing stuff over fit as much as you can in the van and bring it over with you.

Try lidl for pans , I just got a lovely wok for 15€ - also try Marsaxlokk market

electric blankets for the winter for sure - and they come in handy to cope with the dampness in the evenings and mornings  - drape one (on the lower settijg) over a clothes drying frame and keep your clothes on it overnight.......

theres not much if anything at all you cannot get in Malta.. as long as you are prepared to pay the price !

robpw2 wrote:

Try lidl for pans , I just got a lovely wok for 15€ - also try Marsaxlokk market

Thanks, I'll have a look there later today.

The lidl offers change each week and they can be very popular but they stil had woks and frying pans in the one in qormi on Monday , but keep an eye out they also have an app that you can download and they tell you what's new every Monday and Thursday so you can plan for next week . The market at marsaxlokk has a number of stall selling pots and pans etc  every Sunday

Sc00byd00 wrote:

- Rugs (the apartment has marble (?) floors so quite cold underfoot)
....

You soon appreciate them: cool in summer and very cold in winter. I think Maltese people wear slippers at home. I do! winter and summer. I find hard flooring more taxing on feet than cold.
When wet, marble floors can be dangerous. but all these are small price to pay for their natural beauty and ease of keeping them clean. I soon realised how much dirt our fitted carpets hold or hide from us.
I give floors a quick dry brush every day and once in a while a proper wet wash.

I still miss sitting down or laying on the carpeted floors.

Good luck with the move.

Thanks all for being so helpful, much appreciated.  Please keep tips coming as you think of them ...

Moving to Malta in August from London. Any tips on schools for kids? I've got two boys 7 and 12 who are football, golf and basketball mad. Are there clubs there for kids for sports? Any tips will help thanks.

Sam4321 wrote:

robpw2 wrote:

Try lidl for pans , I just got a lovely wok for 15€ - also try Marsaxlokk market

Thanks, I'll have a look there later today.

JB stores in Iklin is great for all types of homewares, and really reasonable. I didn't find this shop until about 2 months after we arrived....wish I had found it sooner could have saved myself a small fortune!

Izzybenjaz wrote:

JB stores in Iklin is great for all types of homewares, and really reasonable. I didn't find this shop until about 2 months after we arrived....wish I had found it sooner could have saved myself a small fortune!

Oh thanks!  It's funny you should mention that because we saw the one in St Paul's Bay from the road the other day and planned to go tomorrow.  I was going to look for nets because I thought it was only soft furnishing, so I'll definitely look there for some pans as well.  I tried Lidl yesterday, but they said the offer was about four weeks ago for the Chinese new year and they were long gone.

the Iklin shop is massive and a much better bet in finding the stuff you need......

Toon wrote:

the Iklin shop is massive and a much better bet in finding the stuff you need......

It's definitely massive, I was there for almost two hours!

Thanks Izzybenjaz, you've saved me an absolute fortune on kitchen stuff.  I managed to get a pan set, five pans plus a frying pan, for just €45.  The quality is no different to the ones I've been looking at for over €30 for just the frying pan.  I've not had a bargain like that for years.  I paid €100 for a stainless steel kitchen bin the other day because I couldn't see any cheaper and we'd gone for too long with a sack in the sink, but if I'd have waited I could've got one there for €25, so that was a bit gutting.  It's my favourite shop here so far!

Sc00byd00, it's definitely a shop worth remembering when you come over.  Everything is very reasonably priced, or cheap compared to prices in France.  The quality seems perfectly fine as well.

Whereabouts in Iklin is the shop and do they sell small electrical kitchen appliances like coffee machines and steam generator irons?

Thanks in advance.
Ray

Toiletries are expensive here if you want something a bit nicer than Lidl basics so I would stock up on shampoo and deodorant.  Also pain killers,  ibuprofen and paracetamol are cheaper abroad.  I would bring a winter weight duvet if you have one,  we have shivered our way through winter this year cos I'm too tight to buy one at Malta prices when I have two doing nothing at my house in the uk.
I think most things are more expensive here so if you think you'll need it buy it in france. Small electical items such add kettles, blenders,  toasters etc are a ridiculous price here!

Toiletries are cheaper in Malta, don't overload yourself buying them to bring from France!  We've only been here just over a month, but Malta is cheaper than France for a lot of stuff.  It's not massively cheaper, but coming from France you won't have the same shock in prices that people coming from the UK seem to have.

What I would say though is if you use any french brand toiletries, stock up because the choice is nowhere near as good here.  It's the same with chemist brand face products (face cream, washes etc).  I'm missing them and regret not bringing some over with me because France definitely has better products when it comes to hair and beauty.