Retire Early Lifestyle
Retirement; like your parents, but way cooler

In 1991 Billy and Akaisha Kaderli retired at the age of 38. Now, into their 4th decade of this financially independent lifestyle, they invite you to take advantage of their wisdom and experience.

Our Apartment, Santa Lucia BnB Suite

Rabat, Malta

(Pronounced Ir-rah-BAHT, MAHL-tuh)

Billy and Akaisha Kaderli

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Leaving Catania, Sicily to fly to Malta we paid Catya, our landlady, $30Euros to take us to the airport (CTA). 

After we boarded our plane, in less than an hour we landed at Malta International Airport (MLA).

The route from Catania, Sicily to the island of Malta

For $22Euros our taxi took us to our apartment in Rabat.

Our instructions were to contact the bakery downstairs upon arrival. After a bit of hip-slamming on the downstairs door, Paula brings us upstairs to show us the apartment.

 It’s a lovely rental with 2 balconies and 3 windows / doors that open out to the street with wonderful views.

We are right in the historic district and the limestone of the city stone is vanilla-colored like the stone in Lecce, Italy.

Our apartment

Our lovely apartment had 2 separate beds, a desk, plastic table and chairs next to a door with a balcony, tile floors and an air conditioner.

 It’s compact, efficient and comes with plenty of hot water. The beds are good, too.

We are paying $78Euros per night which is about $85USD.

You can see that this typical Maltese townhouse - built in the 1800's -  with limestone walls has been updated to modern standards. Apparently this apartment is new to the rental market.

We are right in the heart of Rabat, just steps away from the Iconic St Paul Church.

Looking from the sleeping area to the rest of the apartment

The place is immaculate.

The stairwell that comes up from the street is to the left (the doors shut for privacy and for temperature control). Further into the apartment, the kitchen is located also on the left at the far back wall.

Looking back into the sleeping area from the middle of the apartment

Our apartment is nicely furnished, and when the windows and doors are open we get a lot of daylight. I prefer bright, airy places and this fits the bill.

The apartment is about 400 square feet total, with a miniscule kitchen.

The smallest kitchen we have ever used or been in.

Even the kitchen in our 5th wheel was larger than this one.

Our small kitchen

Fortunately, there is a window above the sink and the countertop, which gives us light and also the feeling of openness in such a tight space.

There is a hot plate (heats up super fast) on the right outside the photo, and an espresso machine to the right of the kitchen on a table.

I think just about every kitchen in Europe has an espresso machine. It's not only civilized, but is related to survival (!)

Refrigerator, freezer and microwave on the steps.

These steps on the left lead to a laundry drying area on the roof and a beautiful view of our area of Central Old Town in Rabat.

View outside our apartment

This photo is taken from our sleeping area down to the street.

You will notice the wrought iron balcony to the left. That is an area next to our dining table and chairs.

One can stand on this balcony and look in either direction and see more of the goings-on downstairs.

Many of the buildings in this Old Town section date back to the medieval period. This is evidenced by their thick stone walls, arched doorways, and narrow windows.

The bicycle attached to the wall is a decoration for the bistro with the blue window and entrance. People would eat on the balcony as well as down below. It made for a most romantic photo.

You can see the menu stand at the entrance.

The view from our front balcony

In the mornings we'd watch the sun rise from our balcony. The sweet pinks and silvers with a little bright yellow peaking through as the sun became brighter was very peaceful to observe.

The street down below would become more active as the town woke up.

In the evenings when the sun set, the colors were hotter - orange, red, mustard and sometimes deep purple as the sky prepared for the moonrise.

St. Paul's Cathedral is straight ahead and is one of the most iconic landmarks in Rabat, Malta. It's a magnificent Baroque church known for its stunning architecture and rich history.

According to tradition, St. Paul was shipwrecked on the island of Malta in AD 60 and preached Christianity to the locals. He is now the Patron Saint of Malta.

Limestone stairwell to our apartment

Townhouses in Malta date back to the Medieval period. These steep limestone walls and steps were cut by dedicated stone craftsmen.

The beautiful Old Town city of Lecce used limestone from their local quarries also. It is beautiful to see a whole town done in this same fashion.

The front of our apartment, bakery downstairs

This is the front of our Maltese townhouse, with the bakery downstairs highlighted in blue.

See the tiny square to the right of our balcony? That's our kitchen window!

The blue door immediately below on the street next to the bakery is the door we needed to hip-slam to open. It leads to the limestone stairwell.

The balcony directly above looks out onto the street in the direction of St. Paul's Cathedral.

The town's narrow, winding streets are characteristic of medieval European towns. They create a charming and intimate atmosphere.

The view from our balcony at night

All seemed well the first evening when we went to bed.

At some point in the middle of the night, I felt "rain" coming down upon me, and my bedding was soaked!

The air conditioner had frozen up or malfunctioned so Billy turned it off. About 2 hours later the fan began to make loud groaning noises.

At this point, Billy takes a video and sends it to the landlord at a reasonable hour in the morning.

 The landlord acts immediately, which is great, and between him and Paula – who strips Billy’s bed but not mine, they put the mattress outside.

Paula then takes the sheets and does something with them... and the air conditioner guys come.

 The house is wide open to the street, it's a total mess with everything in chaos. Paula is chattering our ears off and the repair guys are chipping the ice off the air conditioner.

The men took out the screens but forgot to put them back in place, which we didn't find out until later.

Paula promises to come back.

With all the activity of the maid and the repair men coming in and out, our place seemed to be in disarray and in a state of pandemonium.

This is definitely NOT our style.

Billy and I put the bed back together ourselves just for some peace of mind and for some quiet.

We called downstairs to the bakery, and cancelled the maid's return - which they couldn't understand.

"No, no, everything is fine. No, we are not disappointed in the maid's service. We simply want peace and quiet."

 The air conditioner worked just fine that night and every night since for our entire stay.

Plugs used in Malta

Billy took a photo of the style of plugs used in Malta. If you visit here, bring necessary adaptors so your computers and phones can be recharged properly.

Would we return to Santa Lucia BnB?

Maybe. But check it out for yourself!

__________

Santa Lucia BnB Suite

40 Triq il-Kbira

Rabat, RBT 1010, Malta

Phone +35699880632

Retire Early Lifestyle appeals to a different kind of person – the person who prizes their independence, values their time, and who doesn’t want to mindlessly follow the crowd.

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