Sliema
and the coastline up to neighboring St Julian's constitutes Malta's
main coastal resort. It is a centre for shopping, restaurants and cafe's
life. Sliema is pronounced "sleeyma" and sometimes mistakenly
pronounced "selima" by tourists. Sliema is also a major commercial and
residential area and houses several of Malta's most recent hotels. Tower
Road is its 5Km promenade, full of shops, restaurants, banks,
supermarkets, Internet cafes, and day cruise boats.The road continues
north to St. Julians and Paceville and southward towards the Strand
Gzira, Ta Xbiex , Msida and Valletta. Sliema, coming from the word Sliem
,meaning `peace', was once a fishing town on the peninsula across Grand
Harbor from Valletta. The town began to develop rapidly in the early
20th century as a summer resort for wealthier Valletta residents. Their
elegant villas and town houses line the quiet, inland streets. The
Sliema promontory offers on one side stunning views across to Valletta
and on the other, open sea views.
The promenade,
which runs for several kilometers from Gzira just south of Sliema to St
Julian's, is ideal for walker and joggers. There are plenty of seats
along the promenade and on summer evenings the seafront becomes a
sociable meeting place for locals. The coastline has two tower
fortifications: a De Redin watch tower built in the 17th century; the
other was built by the British in neo-gothic style in the 1880s.
Nearby Valletta with its historic attractions and corporate importance
is also very close the area is considered to be most central on the
island They are also key commercial and residential areas with some of
Malta's newest hotels in Sliema as well as modern apartments. Sliema,
once a fishing town, began to develop in the early 20th century as small
resort for wealthier Valletta residents. Their elegant villas and town
houses line the quieter back streets. The sea front from Gzira to St
Julian's, which offers first stunning views across to Valletta and then
open horizons, is a popular meeting place and ideal for walkers and
joggers. St Julian's
and Paceville are Malta's main nightlife areas. Picturesque St Julian's
Bay, still used by fishermen, is lined with bougainvillea-clad cafés
and restaurants.