I've spent eight months in Gozo now (leaving in 2 weeks, might come back sometime in Autumn though!) so I'm by no means an "expert" on living here... but still.
Where to live:
1. Marsalforn: the town looks kind of boring. Very busy between (just a guess here) May and late October. There's a nice little bay to go for a swim between Marsalforn and the salt pans. Go early or it gets busy.
2. Xlendi: I love the cliffs around Xlendi. Found myself a nice empty hotel gym (during off season) haha! It's really small and touristy, so I wouldn't recommend renting there. One thing though - Xlendi is a great starting point for hikers. You can either climb up the giant cliff on the right side of the bay and hike all the way to Azore Window (superb views, no traffic/people!) or walk over to Xlendi tower and walk towards Sannat (there's a nice clifftop path all the way to Sannat). The Xlendi-Sannat walk is much easier.
3. Sannat: for some reason I just don't feel "cozy" there. It's nicer than Xlendi or Xewkija (for living), but...
4. Munxar: same as Sannat.
5. Victoria (Rabat): I like the central areas - park, cafes - and the fact that it's very easy to catch a bus to any other town on the island. I live on the outskirts of Victoria - beautiful view, 3 min walk to a large grocery store, 8-10 min walk to the center. Not sure I'd like living in the more central parts of the town though - street here are very narrow and it can often be loud during the busier months.
6. San Lawrenz: booring, no character. Meh.
7. Qala: a bit out of the way - nice little town though. Not well enough connected for me... and not much going on tbh.
8. Xewkija: looks a little run down and boring. Only been there maybe 4-5 times.
9. Ghajnsielem: small, somewhat far from Victoria/bus connections. Great place if you need to hop over to Malta often. Some nice apartments there and nice coastal walks as well.
10. Xaghra: I like the town - it's a decent size, a good mix of residential and "things to do". Good location as well. I'd probably choose a nice place on the outskirts of Victoria though.
11. Nadur: a nice big town. Somewhat similar to Xaghra, but located slightly further out.
The best thing to do is contact a couple lettings agents before you get here and set up appointments. Then spend 2-3 days being driven around the islands looking at different apartments.
In general though there are A LOT of empty apartments here. You can almost always negotiate the price down, especially for long term lets. My advice:
1. Look out for "half built" apartments blocks or nearby construction sites. These can be an absolute nightmare. The agents (almost) always lie about this, so have a good look around every apartment you visit.
2. Go for South/South East facing places ONLY. November through March can be very cold and damp here. You're going to need that daily dose of sunshine. Badly.
3. Make sure that there's at least a fan in the living room and either a fan or aircon in the bedroom. Having an aircon in the bedroom is really important...
4. A lot of the apartments here are ridiculously badly built. Crosswinds in winter even with all doors/windows shut. Damp (limestone) and mold (you have to ventilate the rooms well to avoid this. south facing also helps).
So... go for a small apartment. We're in a small 3-bedroom (ahem..) right now and I'm so happy that we didn't go for one of those huge apartments with 2-3 beds, a massive living room and a HUGE coridoor that goes on forever with super high ceilings... a place like that would be impossible to heat.
A lot of "apartments" here feel more like giant caves~warehouses. Find somewhere nice and cozy. We viewed 14+ properties and only 2 were nice, cozy and livable.
5. Buses - we take buses everywhere. It never takes me more than 15 mins to get anywhere. Waiting is also not an issue at all. I enjoy walking (we walk a lot - Xlendi to Victoria is a "nice short walk" after the gym for us...) and it's usually very easy to take a bus to anywhere you need to go and then walk for 1-15 mins to get there (say if you're going to a more secluded beach or something).
6. Most fruit vendors and other local sellers are going to rip you off big time (at first). If they don't start charging you "normal" prices after a while - shop somewhere else.
........ anyway. If any of you want to know more about Gozo - ask. It's a nice little place. Lots of pros and a lot of cons to living here...
