The Famous Paceville in Malta

Paceville.

Paceville is Malta's nightlife capital. It's the first word many foreign students learn when they arrive in Malta. Paceville is actually a small area-a few streets located north of St. Julian's-and packed with bars, nightclubs, restaurants and fast-food places. On a weekend or a warm night during the week, the air is full of perfume, earsplitting noise (or music) and flashing lights-not to mention the sight of tiny Band-Aid garments that are supposed to be skirts.

Paceville boasts of music for anyone's taste-except for those visitors who want to maintain their hearing.

One time my daughters came to visit me from the US. We got into a quarrel, and as my punishment, they made me walk through Paceville at one of its most crowded, noisiest, drunken times.

Besides drink, you can go to the cinema, or go bowling or shopping along Bay Street, a well known spending region in Malta. In the "quieter" sections of Paceville you'll find the five-star Hilton Hotel and the Dragonara Casino. If you're looking for nightlife, especially if you're young, young-at-heart---or deaf--you'll enjoy this night-life dream.

Although you can do a lot of things in Paceville, the main thing people I know (that's students) do is drink. No wonder I usually teach students the difference between having a hangover and being hung-over by their second day in Malta.

So when the heads of your students are lolling over their desks the next day, you can be glad that they have supported the Paceville economy.

Ilene Springer lives and teaches EFL in Malta, and is author of An-American-in-Malta.com.