Hi MmePerdu,

Firstly, I would like to sincerely say that I am very sorry that the vast majority of Maltese that you've met came accross as being so rude that you sort of labelled Malta 'as Most Rude' which is definitely not the case, altough that doesn't mean that everyone is polite - far from it!

I am a young Maltese National who lives overseas (Edinburgh - UK), I have travelled quite a lot and I am also a regular reviewer on Trip Advisor, so I'm not here to post a patriotic statement defending Malta but nonetheless I believe that I should express my opinion in this regard.

I certainly agree with you that the majority of Bus & Taxi Drivers are very arrogant, poorly educated and provide a very bad customer ,this is well known fact in Malta and I'm sure that everyone would agree, so you're definitely right on this one.

Nonetheless that doesn't mean that all Maltese are all like that, on the contrary most Maltese are warm and go out of their way to help tourists. Many visitors choose Malta over and over again as their Holiday desintation not because of the sights nor the weather but merely because of the friendliness of the locals that are always willing to help tourists and feel proud showing off their country and what it has to offer.

On the other hand, I do agree that the older generation is more conservative but that doesn't make them unfriendly? I don't think there's any correlation between being unfriendly and conservative.

With regards to what xMaltesex said - that staff at Hotels might say something about you in our language - I wouldn't be surprised. It happened to me in Italy, Spain and France!! fortunately I could understand what they were saying, this is not something that happens only in Malta and we're no exception. Again, this is not reason enough to label all Italians, Spanish and French as rude!! I would also like to remind him that luckily Malta is a member of the European Union so he's free to follow my example and move abroad where everything and everyone is perfect - NOT.

Bottom line, I think that you generalised a lot in your post and generalisations are rarely if ever correct. I hope that by the end of your holiday you'll meet some nice people too and that you'll realise that, like everywhere else in the world you get nice and rude people.

Also, if you're ever back to Malta in the near future and hopefully by that time I will be there too, I invite you to contact me, seriously, and I'll take you around and show you why Maltese people are usually renowed as being welcoming & Friendly.

Enjoy your Holiday,
Franklyn Brincat

*This thread was mentioned on the Times of Malta*

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles...st-rude.449718

<<I don't know about them being rude, but it seems a fair number of Maltese have a reading comprehension problem.>>

The very first sentence of the article would tend to support St. Cirq's theory:

<<A woman who complained on travel website Fodor's about Malta having the rudest people was contradicted by all 10 commenters who replied.>>

in fact, xMaltese, Valraven1 and emilianenko agree with the OP.

I should add that we went to Malta about 20 years ago and we had a very nice time. WE found everyone vey friendly so far as I remember.

in case anyone thinks i'm biased against Malta.

Interesting that the Times of Malta failed to mention those Maltese posters who actually agreed with MmePerdu.

clearly another failure of comprehension, St. Cirq.

I was attacked once by some lads on motorcycles in Syracusa. 50 $ were stolen from me in Catania.
Pickpockets stole my camera and 260 Euros in Prag.
In a Vienna supermarket a client demand the deportation of me and my family, because we spoke a foreign language.
At Valletta bus terminal my husband had to stop two Maltese boys from beating up an elderly British couple.
You can encounter, unfriendly folks everywhere in Europe.

The people who generate money from our tourists should engage themselves in teaching manners, politeness and friendliness.

We should do our best to make everybody feel at home, it should not matter if he stays in a 4 Star hotel, or in a tent in Hal Far.

It is a matter of dignity

I suspect the newspaper article was written before the author saw any of the posts here agreeing with the original poster.

Nikki, I think you're right. But now there are opinions on both sides of the argument on both websites. What I've noticed both places is that when those commenting appear to have actually read my entire original post the response seems more considered. I guess that's always true on forums, knee-jerk responses vs considered ones.

Also, if I may be so bold as to expand on a previous thought at the risk again of being thought to overgeneralize, the seemingly educated vs less educated among the responders (if use of language is an indicator and I think it is) rather prove 2 points. That education frequently promotes 1. inclusiveness and improves behavior toward perceived outsiders 2. Constructive self-awareness as an individual and as a society. To refuse to consider thinking differently than previous generations dooms us all to repeat destructive behaviors we've likely all learned growing up.

As far as I can see, the majority of the Maltese who agreed were the ones who have come here a long time ago and have sadly seen only the negative side. While yes, its true, in Malta, the Maltese are rude and do have a tendency to swear but they are missing the big picture. My opinion is that most Maltese as many people nowadays are just not realizing how lucky they are. They think, look at Washington or London, big city lots of jobs etc... and Malta, close knit, old, behind the times etc.... What they fail to realize is that Malta have something very special about it; its unique heritage and history. Malta isn`t and never will be a "breed" so to speak. The Maltese are people from around Europe who have come and live in peace in one place. Look back, Malta has been controlled by many a country throughout the decades and each one has left its people and its cultural aspects here which make it unique. The Maltese that complain, have the incorrect belief that Malta is a terrible place to live in, but I know many a person, who'd give their right arm to live here. Most of the comments by these Maltese reflect their true colors; people who fail to see true beauty and realize their luck. Imagine you live in a big city. True, you would have a job and there could be good commerce, but would it be worth it? Living in a flat or a small house, with people who can be just as or even more unfriendly than those as mentioned above in previous comments, or in a small quaint village, where true, there may be a less chance of a job, but you can live better, and true, there will probably be people who will be unfriendly and rude, but also others, who will be closer to you and you can know them better. Overall, I believe that the reason that the Maltese above complained is the simple fact that they have not fully comprehended what Malta in fact has to offer. I hope this answers your query annhig.

thank you kenny.

<<While yes, its true, in Malta, the Maltese are rude and do have a tendency to swear >>

you do seem to agree with the OP.

and I'm not sure I really understand what you are saying - your thesis seems to be that maltese people who are agreeing with the OP about the rudeness of their fellow citizens should ignore it because of the beauty of their surroundings.

Given that beauty, and all the advantages of living in Malta that you have shared with us, why are they so rude in the first place?

About agreeing with OP, I do give her some credit, as the Maltese may be rude, but are actually no ruder than most people I`ve met during my travels.

As for the reason for rudeness,its all down to the growing-up aspect in my opinion. As a child, I`ve heard may a person first swear at someone then just claim its a joke. This projects a mentality about children, that being rude is normal and that its just a "little joke". I myself have been on the receiving end of many negative comments by my fellow Maltese only to after a torrent of abuse just say "I`m kidding" or "Its a joke get over it". What they aren`t realizing is, that by being rude, their leaving a negative impression on the person and unwittingly, exposing any children to a trait, which I firmly believe should be stopped. That`s not to say that this problem is only confined to Malta, its a worldwide problem which is being catalyzed by the advances in mass media. The reason is is visible in Malta is the fact that the Maltese are a close knit community; everyone knows everyone, so occurrences like these become rather more common and visible than say in the UK for example.

I hope this answers your query and if you have any doubts or more questions don`t hesitate to ask.

I'm taking a break from packing for my departure to assure everyone, Maltese and visitors that, while I stand by my original post for the most part, I will retract the part about my most vivid memory will be the rudeness. That won't, in fact, be true.
My most vivid memory will be the beauty of the architecture here, just wonderful. And I was pleased to notice that new buildings are constructed with details of the old that make them so charming.

My second pleasant memory will certainly be of the people who treated me well. There were many. I hope in the future the young will learn from these kind and generous people and when the rude die out Malta will be a better place.

I`m very glad you got to enjoy our unique architecture here. Have you been to Gozo? If you weren't, I`d recommend visiting it especially the Citadel, Ggantija and Dwejra. Their beautiful places to visit and I`m glad you also met some nice people while visiting. I wish you luck on your travels and hope you come to Malta again soon.

Well this seems to compound my problem with Malta.

After 43 years of yomping round Europe and being surrounded by friends, family etc who have all conspired to make Michael O ' Leary rich....... there is one thing I can be certain of :

You never get a straight travel answer when it comes to Malta.

Some love it, some hate it.

There just seem any commonality in the the type of people who fall into either camp

Ann

I mentioneded a trip to Sicily. We noticed the easy way to get there was fly to Malta and spend a couple of days there and then take the ferry to Pozzalla.

I will report back when a thorough investigation of the naughtiness of the Maltesers is complete.

StCirq - the only 'obvious' reasons I can think of, when it comes to using pseudonyms are that (i) one works in the trade and therefore has a hidden agenda; (ii) one is exaggerating or lying or (iii) one feels freer to insult others than one would if one's real identity would have been given.

tanjamaltija - a much more common reason is that one's own name is already in use by someone else who has the same one.

i don't think that it would take a genius to work out what my real name is.

Well, then, Tanjamaltija, your scope of "thinking" is extremely limited, as is, apparently, your familiarity with message boards on the internet.

Is YOUR name Tanjamaltija? If so, it certainly doesn't make me or anyone else on the internet feel we know anything more about you than if your screen name were Bobo. Nor does it suggest that you're not exaggerating or lying or working "in the trade" (whatever that means) or less likely to insult someone, or someone with a "hidden agenda." It's nothing more than a group of letters - it doesn't tell us one single thing about you.

sorry - i pressed too early.

Dickie - I've checked and we could fly on Ryanair from Bristol to Malta, so the fly/ferry option might be attractive.

easyjet are also starting flights from Bristol to Naples in May, so connecting through there and getting the ferry is also a possibility.

Mme Perdu

Sorry to sidetrack this, but I couldn't help seeing that you travelled on a container ship from Singapore for 3 weeks. How did you manage that? Can you post the details? Something I'd love to do but have never found out how.

Oh yes,and I loved Malta and didn't meet any grumpy Maltese.