32 comments so far.Hondoq award for Beach of Quality Status welcomed by MHH
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Moviment Harsien Hondoq (MHH) has said in a statement that it is delighted that Blue Flag International (a worldwide organisation setting stringent environmental and quality standards) has awarded Hondoq with ‘Beach of Quality’ status.
“This is great news for all those who have worked hard in their continued fight to protect the area from developers, and those involved in the continued upgrading of the facilities available,” it said.
MHH added that all recommendations have been against the development of this beautiful, unpolluted section of coast (be it the Church, the NGO’s, over 4,400 petition signatories, 85% of Qalin, and MEPA itself) – and this recognition of the high quality of the beach and coastal waters is further confirmation that the area should be protected.
The NGO went on to say that it hoped the long awaited MEPA report will be released shortly, in favour of saving Hondoq from development – and then it will be possible to move forward and push for the area to be become a National Park.
Moviment Harsien Hondoq concluded by saying, “in this way Hondoq can be protected not only for the local people, and future generations, but also for the tourists which are the source of so much of the island’s economy, and for whom clean, safe beaches are a major attraction.”
For the latest information please visit the Save Hondoq ir-Rummien facebook page.
We all should be greatfull to Pawlu for his ongoing fight to save the area of hondoq ir rummien. If it wasn`t for him the whole area would be OUT OF BOUNDS. Look at what happened elswhere in all over Malta and Gozo. Never give up paul
This is great news and a massive help to all those who want to protect Hondoq from development. Now I’ve been swimming at Hondoq every year for the past 12 years and it has always looked pristine to me so I guess my only question here would be why has it taken so long for Blue Flag International to award Hondoq this Beach of Quality status? Just like to say a big well done to Paul Buttigieg of Moviment ?arsien ?ondoq together with Flimkien g?al Ambjent A?jar, Ramblers Association, Nature Trust, FOE Malta and Din l-Art Helwa and everyone who has given their support over the years because without all those people Hondoq would now be nothing but another building site!
I believe hondoq plays an important part in our tourist industry and i also believ that if that area is covered up with concrete everyone will suffer .. local authoritees should wake up and do not kill the goose that lays the golden edd
Take care ofthat area
Given the choice between concrete and bricks or a nature reserve, who in their right mind would recommend concrete and bricks?
I hope the politicians in Malta and Gozo recognise what an absolute gem they have in Hondoq Bay and preserve it for all time for the people of Gozo and the people like myself who love to visit Hondoq Bay the way it is now, saved for everybody, not just the few.
I implore MEPA to make the right decision. Save Hondoq Bay from developers and put the developers out of their misery.
Tell them “Not now, not ever!”
It’s long overdue!!!. What do the Tourism authority think?
Keep on Mr butigieg wish we had you here
You are all right . But the tourist would be very happy when you remove all the pebbles from the beach .
A nice sandy beach is saver then with big stones .
i second that, what about the annoying Lorries laden with dusty stones up & down from Qala to the quarries, 24x(6)7 every few mins. its never ending, We too lived in Qala area,the amount of dust flying off these HUGE HGV lorries are something else, anyone suffering with Asthma should think twice before signing any contracts, Thank God we moved out 5 months ago but still visit Hondoq as well as Dahlet Qorrot depends on the direction of the wind, it does tend to be very windy, but still Hondoq is out no.1 spot. >>>>The only point we would like to include is the waste of time and space voting for the local mayor, full of promises before the election regarding the dangerous and filthy lorries to no avail i have a hunch his days in office are numbered for sure at least from us expats who just about had enough of the nosiey lorries early in the morning when i am still trying to having my beauty sleep, until the shooters during various months take over, Talking about the tranquility of Gozo…Think again!.
I’m a tourist so please don’t speak on my behalf. There is no problem with the pebble beach especially as it’s natural to that area. You cannot make a sandy beach out of a pebble beach and even the suggestion is silly.
I recall journalists being taken to Hondoq from Malta by helicopter all those years ago, to try and persuade them that it was such a good idea to develop Hondoq. It isn’t. It never was and never will be. But there must be a great deal of lobbying going on with MEPA etc.in the hope that permission will finally be given to build in this area. A handful of greedy people must be behind this
Paul please keep your watchful eye on this.
I live in the vicinity of Qala and as foreigners we think that Hondoq could do with an uplift, ie., better access a restaurant and not a small kiosk, a better car park and possible a hotel and a mini market., but no marina this would spoil the enjoyment of the visitors that dip in the water when of course it is free of mauve jellyfish, Just an opinion
Mavies with all due respect Hondoq does not need a hotel, a restaurant and a mini market! To be honest that idea is just as stupid as a marina. What the area needs is to be turned into a nature reserve protected for all time to keep all the greedy scum from trying to make money from it at the expense of the people. Yes you do get the odd bloom of mauve stingers but we can live with that because it’s nature. If as your name suggests you are originally from Australia you should appreciate what you have at Hondoq as nothing there wants to kill you unlike Australia where I lived back in the 80’s and every damn thing you came across was dangerous!
What has happened to the Green Integrated community for Hondoq This comes to my mind .This attracted a lot of negative comments because is is nothing more than villas and bungallows down at Hondoq something I believe that this means.We want clear indications from high above that no development will take place down there unless for a national park for everyone to enjoy .This link gives a lot of thinking please also read the comments https://gozo.news/26719/further-to-my-letter-of-december-the-4th-2012-jane-carr/
Joking aside i still think that a hotel and a proper restaurant and ample space for a cars would be an asset for Hondoq, judging by the video seems a hell of a walk to the beech, whats happening to the empty building close to the toilets. Don’t tell me another Lidl’s.
Danniel I have never had a problem parking at Hondoq so I don’t really see the problem. It’s only a long walk to the beach if you walk from Qala. And all joking asside how would destroying the entire area to build a hotel and a restaurant and a car park be an asset?
Danniel remember one thing. That if what you propose gets through it will be the end of that area because it will start like mushrooms and we will end up like Xlendi and Marsalforn. No way for these stupid ideas .
Yes i know where you’re coming from when you mentioned Xlendi/Marsalforn its too commercialised, the restaurants are nothing to write home about, very low standards(presentation wise) compared with 5 ***** Turkey/Spain, many a time we get these annoying waiters trying to shove fish under our noses. We sat at one restaurant, & on the menu it says fish& chips but in actual fact it was fish fingers, now come on what so of a joke is that and this was in Marsalforn needless to say i am still getting nightmares trying to forget the 2 resorts,however on a better point Hondoq is natural,should be left untouched as God intended to be,the only negative aspect is that i really think that the beach should be clean and pebbles removed, i have talked to many visitors that at one time of another had to have a tetanus injection cause of glass, rusty nails they unfortunately happened to walk over. On the whole i think out the three resorts Hondoq comes out tops and one last point i like to make is to keep the 2 legged money making sharks as far away as possible, all they are interested in is making money with a disregard to the area and beautiful Hondoq.
Wilf on the one hand you say you want to keep Hondoq natural and on the other you say the pebbles should be removed! Where do you think the pebbles come from? Are you assuming that Qala council decided to save a bit of money and cover the beach in pebbles instead of sand? The beach at Hondoq is a natural pebble beach, that’s the way nature made it and that’s the way it should stay. Let’s say someone was daft enough to take diggers down there and remove all the pebbles and fill the area with sand, how long do you think it would be before nature reclaimed it with pebbles? Next time you are heading down to Hondoq or Marsalforn or Xlendi call into one of the dive shops and buy yourself a pair of divers neoprene booties. They don’t cost much and have nice thick rubber soles to protect your feet. I’ve been using them all over Gozo for years and have never needed a tetanus shot!
Mr Tyrrell everyone nows that Hondoq is a very inportant place for locals,tourists,maltese and so on. So the big and long question is WHY IS IT TAKING SO LONG FOR MEPA TO TAKE THE RITE DECISION THAT EVERYONE AGREES EXCEPT THOSE WHO ONLY THINK OF THEMSELVES
This might sound funny & out of the ordinary,why not develop the area a nice 5 star hotel, a proper restaurant but not a yacht marina too dangerous for swimmers, My point is to turn it into a private nudist beech where tourist and perhaps locals- liberal locals with a question mark-? (have my doubts) most are in church praying for more money from the visitors i guess. Now that Malta is in europe. i know of many of my countrymen would appreciate a private beech and at the same time stops the peeping toms with a binoculars from spying as is the norm in Malta..
You would need to direct that question to MEPA but don’t expect an answer. In my opinion someone or many people at MEPA have already been persuaded to pave the way for a marina. Unfortunately for them everyone including the church are opposed to any development at Hondoq so I guess they are just trying to find a way around that.
Asta, try and get something into your head, Hondoq does not need a hotel, nor a restaurant and it certainly does not require being taken over by some bunch of foreign weirdo’s who like to run about with their kit off so your idea doesn’t sound funny it just sounds stupid.
This is starting to sound like a ‘loony letters’ page, who in their right mind would suggest any sort of hotel, restaurant or a nudist beach!
The whole attraction of the place, is being what it is and as for a nudist beach, it is, as far as I know, illegal in Malta to even go topless!
Hondoq is too small for any sort of development or expansion and is already jam packed in the summer with the day tourists from Malta, to the extent that many locals, ourselves included, stop going there.
The only addition I would suggest would be a small park and ride at the top of the hill with a minibus going up and down the hill instead of allowing all the parking at the bottom.
With due respect I believe I read above that you are a tourist, so whats it got to do with you, we can’t all please you my friend, other people have an opinion too unless you have got shares in the area of Hondoq.
I don’t know where you got the idea that I am a tourist but I am a resident of Gozo and have lived here continuously for four years.
There is no need for any development as the area is fine as it is!
My apologies Mr.Pizer, i was replying to Mr.A.Tyrrell – 7 replies from the top comments :*.Amendment*: the term we used in the newsprint department. before going to press.
And I read above that you are from Sweden which would make you a tourist so I guess Ray should be asking what it has to do with you.
The point is it has to do with everyone who has a vested interest in the area whether they be locals, Maltese or tourists. Hondoq does not belong to any of us, we are only taking care of it for our children and grandchildren so it should never be used as a way of making money by developers. The main island has already been destroyed in many areas by people who call themselves Maltese but who don’t give a damn about their own country as long as they can line their pockets. These are the type of people we are trying to protect Hondoq from because given the chance they would turn it into another Xlendi.
Mr Tyrell Sweden is in the EU so every Swedish that resides in Malta has all the benefits that we have. But if the UK votes against the EU all UK residents in Malta will be downgraded as GUESTS.
So what exactly is the point you are trying to make Peter?
I don’t think that you can’t understand the point.
So Peter you say and I quote, ‘I don’t think that you can’t understand the point.’
You’re quite right there Peter. Perhaps if you tried it in English it would help.
All i can say Mr.James.A.Tyrrell is if and when the UK leave the EU the sooner the better, besides all foreigners specially the Britons are treated as second class citizens in Malta< what with double W&E bills thus the two tier system still exist not forgetting buying a property and all the red tape that goes with the contract for foreigners.
Edit I’m glad that you understand my point that Mr Tyrrell didn’t. Edit you said and I quote ‘Britons are treated as second class citizens in Malta’ so why there are still thousands of British living in Malta ?
In your comment you said and I quote ‘the UK leave the EU the sooner the better’. I can only tell you that the majority of British that reside in Malta are senior citizens and most of them use health services such as Hospitals, clinics and medicines for free. If Britain leaves the EU you should pay for these services. These are some of the many advantages that the British residents lose if Britain leaves the EU
If these UK senior citizens use hospital or clinic services in Malta then the Maltese government is reimbursed by the UK through either the RHA or via the S1 form!
This is also the case for Maltese citizens in the UK, the two governments,in theory, periodically balance the books.
What on earth this has to do with Hondoq I have no idea!
Agree wit you Ray. This conversation should concentrate on the Hondoq issue. Let`s us do what we can to save that area