Sands Apartments

Overview

The Sands Apartments are managed by Maltaqua Dive Centre and offer a comfortable and convenient base for your holiday, just 100m from the dive centre. The apartments are situated on a quiet street off the main road, but within walking distance of shops, restaurants, cinema, banks and the St. Paul’s Bay promenade.

Accommodation

The Sands Apartments have been designed with the traveling diver in mind. All the apartments are within the same block and vary in size, so depending on the number of persons in your party you can choose the apartment that best suits your holiday needs.

One bedroom apartments are ideal for couples or single travellers, while the larger two bedroom apartments are perfect for a family or group of four. A spacious top floor Penthouse apartment offers three large bedrooms and comfortably accommodates six persons.

Each apartment has a living and fully-equipped kitchen area, and a bathroom with toilet and shower. All rooms are fitted with metered AC units. On arrival each apartment will have a welcome breakfast pack and a credit of 5 Euro worth of air-conditioning units. Towels are changed every other day, and a there is a change of linen mid stay for stays over seven days. Some apartments are fitted with cable TV's. There is a charge of €15 per week to activate channels.

Other Facilities

The apartments have a lift for access to the upper floors but there is no need to carry dive gear upstairs as there is a spacious wet room in the basement to wash and store equipment. Trekkers or rambling enthusiasts are welcome to leave footwear over night for drying, while cyclists can safely store their cycles here overnight.

There is free Wi-Fi service in the apartment building for all residents. Guests should request the password from the on duty housekeeper or enquire at Maltaqua.

Location

The Sands Apartments are located in the northern Maltese town of St. Paul’s Bay, just 100m from Maltaqua Dive Centre and 10 minutes’ walk from the seafront promenade. St. Paul’s Bay is located about 22km from Malta International Airport. A 24 hour airport transfer service is provided for guests staying at Sands.

Dive info

Malta’s calm warm seas make for excellent visibility and superb conditions for tackling everything from diving courses to underwater photography to wreck and deep diving.

Explore Malta, Gozo and Comino's dive sites

Read more about visiting and diving the Maltese Islands

Shore diving is possible at many areas around the coast. At Marfa Point in the North West of the island, it is possible to reach 30 metres in a shore dive, taking in a detour to see a statue of the Madonna placed in a cave by fishermen. Cirkewwa Reef, one of the Marine Protected Areas, provides a great dive site for all levels of divers. An impressive drop off allows depths from 5m to 35m and there are plentiful overhangs, swim throughs and an arch to explore. This area is also home to two wrecks – the Rozi and the P29 – which rest around 30-40m and offer much to entertain the more experienced diver or those undertaking additional training.

On the Southern coast, divers will enjoy the easy access to Ghar Lapsi, a shallow system of underwater caves well-lit by sunlight and with numerous entry and exit points to explore. Just a little further along the coast at Wied Iz-Zurrieq, the well-known wreck of the Libyan freighter the Um El Faroud lies on a sandy bottom with its funnel at 17m.

Over on the North East side of Malta, there are plenty more wreck diving opportunities. HMS Maori, sunk in 1942 is a Tribal Class British Destroyer and with its forward section lying between 11-15m, there is plenty of room for less experienced divers to discover a piece of history. Another historical wreck is the Bristol Blenheim Bomber, located a short boat ride off Zonqor Point. Only one of five known wrecks of its kind, the engine and wings are intact at 42m and make an unusual and memorable dive for experienced and technical divers.

Local regulations

Medical - Please note that Maltese regulations require an up-to-date medical, should you mark any conditions on the dive medical self-assessment questionnaire.

Unguided dives - Those wishing to dive independently of a dive centre guide must be a minimum of PADI Advanced Open Water or BSAC Sports Diver or equivalent. The dive centre’s discretion remains.

Dive prices

Maltaqua

Maltaqua is a PADI Dive Centre and a BSAC School of Excellence with over 40 years’ experience on the islands of Malta. A well respected family run business, you can be assured of the warmest of welcomes here, backed up by skilled and committed Instructors and Dive Guides.

Maltaqua offers a complete range of introductory dives, PADI and BSAC courses, and daily diving excursions around the three islands of Malta, Gozo and Comino. All excursions and courses are led by fully qualified Instructors and Maltaqua pride themselves on their ability to match Instructor to Student in terms of language, age and outlook as closely as possible. Maltaqua’s sister company, International Diver College, is a PADI 5 Star Career Development Centre.

Diving is shore based and offered daily from Monday to Saturday. No diving is offered on Sunday. Dives may be guided or non-guided (subject to diver ability and experience). Divers will need to provide a fit to dive medical certificate signed by a Doctor should they indicate any contraindications on the dive medical self-assessment questionnaire prior to diving.

There is a large, well-stocked shop at their dive centre in St Paul’s Bay and they are also able to assist with car hire and excursions for non-diving partners.

Divers staying at the Doubletree by Hilton Malta will be diving with Maltaqua Dive Centre, who offer a courtesy transfer to their Dive Centre in St. Paul's Bay, just a few minutes’ drive away.

Just a few steps from the dive centre are the Sands Apartments which are managed by Maltaqua. These air conditioned, studio apartments are purpose-built for divers, and have an area set aside to wash and hang your gear.

Just three minutes’ from Qawra point dive site, Villa Michael is also managed by Maltaqua. This lovely, newly refurbished Villa offers comfortable accommodation in the prime sought after seafront location of Qawra.

DIVE packs

Options available include 6, 8, 10 and 12 shore dive packages with guide, plus an unguided 7 days unlimited shore diving options.  and 10 dive packages, plus an unlimited diving option.  Please discuss your requirements with the Regaldive team, who will prepare a quotation suited to your needs.

Dive Courses

A range of diving courses is available for those looking to learn to dive. Please enquire for details.

Resort info

Getting Around 

An easy island to access on foot, by taxi or rent a car locally. The airport is a 30 minute transfer from St. Paul's Bay.

Climate & Water temperature

Malta and Gozo have a classic Mediterranean climate. The summers are hot and dry, providing excellent diving conditions as water reaches the mid 20s. Spring and autumn are more comfortable on land, which is also reflected in the cooler water tempters, high winds can disrupt visibility. During the winter, air temperatures will drop to the low teens, and diving conditions can be limited. 

Water visibility:

Malta and Gozo are renowned for its clear underwater visibility. During late Spring, Summer and Autumn, visibility can easily reach 30+ metres.

Time

GMT +1 hour

Currency

€ - Euros.  Banks are normally open until early afternoon from Monday to Friday, and until midday on Saturday. Summer and winter opening hours may differ.  Credit cards widely accepted.  ATM's are widely available.

Travel info

Flight Information

Flights are generally with Air Malta but Regaldive can also offer Easyjet, BA or charter flights.

Flight schedules - Air Malta offer London Heathrow, London Gatwick and Manchester departures.

Flight duration: UK to Malta International Airport (Luga), Malta:  3 - 3½ hours

Departure tax: N/A

Passports & Visas

Passengers travelling to Malta should have minimum six months valid on their passport from the date of return to the UK.  Visas are not required for UK citizens.

Vaccinations

There are no compulsory vaccinations for travel to Malta, but we recommend protection against typhoid, tetanus, hepatitis A and polio for anyone. Vaccination requirements are subject to change and should be confirmed before departure with your GP or local travel clinic.

Further information regarding vaccinations for travel can be found at www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk and from your local healthcare provider.

Prices

The price panel above provides an indication of a lead-in price for your holiday, based on the cheapest time to travel. Prices shown are per person, and based on two persons sharing. 

As flight prices vary from day to day, Regaldive will prepare a quotation for you based on current flight prices available. This ensures that you receive the most competitive price for your chosen travel dates. Flights from regional UK airports may be available, depending on your destination and date of travel.

Nb: Although departures are available from the beginning of April, diving conditions are more settled from the end of May onwards. For this reason we recommend diving trips from late Spring.

Please call 01353 659999 or e-mail Regaldive, using the link below, for a quotation.

Our Price Promise

At Regaldive we are committed to offering you the best possible value for money on all our diving holidays. That's why we offer you a price match promise. Learn more about our promise to you.

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