Boutique self catering accommodation in Malta
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
How does one make a town house environment friendly? We restored a 16th century house with the help of an architect specialised in restoration, using the right methods and maintaining all original features. The most time consuming jobs were not necessarily the most visible but we feel proud to have prolonged the life of this beautiful building.
We researched effective insulation for the roofs and for the more exposed walls within the rules and regulations of a conservation area. The outside facing wooden apertures within the house are all double glazed and we introduced louvres in key apertures so that they can be safely left open in the night to introduce ventilation, avoiding the need for excessive use of energy to keep the house cool in the hot Maltese summer.
A solar water heating system has been fitted to reduce the carbon footprint. We also encourage our guests to hang towels to dry and re-use where possible.
Wherever possible, our light bulbs are energy efficient.
Provision was also made to harvest and re-use rain water to use for watering and flushing. Our house keeper is instructed to not use any cleaning liquids on the flat roof where the rain water collects so as to keep the water reservoir clean. The rain water is also much better for the plants on the roof terrace.
Community
Throughout the works and for the refurbishment we have used the very capable local craftsmen to make the bespoke furniture that was designed for the house. We did get the occasional chuckle and the "What is that?" from the carpenter but we were all very pleased with the result at the end.
We recommend local restaurants, cafes and shops both through our website, our facebook and twitter pages as well as our house instruction booklet. We also have separate guest books in the house for our guests to write tips on which local places to choose to support.
Our welcome pack includes local produce such as wine, jam and bread to both introduce our guests to the island but also to support things local. We also use some local producers for the occasional honey or capers jar we provide for our guests.
Both our staff benefit from a bonus system based on our clients' feedback and on the profit made throughout the year. That way they feel they are a vital and important part of the business. It works both ways since we feel we need to trust them to be responsible and there's no better a way to do that then to have staff who feel the business is theirs too.
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