Last Updated: 15 January, 2025
At RamonaDepares.com we are all about exploring Malta’s cultural and lifestyle landscape. The website is run by myself, Ramona Depares, and I aim to provide honest, in-depth theatre reviews, book reviews and restaurant reviews to help locals and visitors make informed choices.
What We Do
This is mainly a theatre reviews and lifestyle review website, which means I publish critiques of theatre events, books, concerts, and fashion events. To find out about the process I follow, see the How I Carry Out Reviews page. For a quick overview, feel free to check the FAQs page.
- Independent Restaurant Reviews: Every restaurant featured on this site is independently reviewed based on my personal experiences and research. I do not receive compensation from the establishments I review, nor do I include any affiliate links.
- Independent Theatre Reviews: All the theatre productions reviewed on this site are done following journalistic principles of transparency and honesty. I do not carry out a review if there is a conflict of interest. Neither do I accept payment for reviews. I do accept complimentary press tickets, as is standard practice followed internationally and locally by main media-houses, including the Times of Malta.
- Independent Book Reviews: These form a lesser part of this site for the simple reason they take longer. When there is a book review it means I have receive a complimentary review copy. I do not accept payment, and there are no affiliate links included in reviews.
- Independent Music Reviews: Occasionally I also carry out reviews of gigs and concerts. I no longer carry out reviews of classical music events, so please do not reach out for this. I am willing to review indie gigs from up-and-coming bands. I also do not accept payment for these, although I do accept complimentary reviewer tickets as per standard practice.
- Fashion News & Updates: I report on the work of local designers, whether by means of lifestyle features, event coverages or product launches. These are accepted without payment, as regular press releases. I accept complimentary tickets to fashion events, and product launches may also include press gifts. In the latter case, I will indicate this clearly within the individual post.
How We Operate
- This website generates revenue through Google Ads, which helps me maintain and grow the platform. Any type of advertisements are clearly marked, and they do not influence my reviews or recommendations.
- As a general rule I do not use affiliate links or receive payments from restaurants to feature them in our content. Should this change at any time, it will be clearly indicated within the post itself. You can read more about this in our Affiliate Disclosure link. The Disclaimer page contains further information about how to best use the reviews on this site.
Our Commitment to Transparency
I value your trust and remain committed to providing unbiased and valuable content. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to contact me at [email protected] or by filling the details on the Contact Us page.
About Ramona Depares – a bio of the person behind the website
Ramona Depares is a veteran, multi-award winning journalist who spent over a decade working as features editor, and then as Head of News with the Times of Malta, before deciding to move on to the world of digital content. Her work in journalism was twice-honoured with journalism awards. For more detailed information take a look at the Wikepedia page.
Ramona specialises in cultural and lifestyle journalism and her work in the cultural sectors is respected by various public cultural organisations, and she is regularly invited to review cultural productions (theatre, music and literature) on behalf of this website.
She is on the team of evaluators for Arts Council Malta funding and support schemes and takes part in various conferences and seminars as a cultural speaker and on panels. She is also a visiting lecturer at the University of Malta in cultural journalism and creative writing, as well as within the Department of Digital Arts for the study module Managing Your Research Project.
Ramona founded the Malta culture website RamonaDepares.com in 2018, the result of a passion for the arts, for food, for fashion and all the good things in life. This site started out very much as a mini-project that focused on the lifestyle in Malta. With the tagline A Shot of Island Life, it is very easy to see what the idea behind it was.
A year down the line, the website grew exponentially, allowing Ramona to focus on those areas in which her personal expertise has garnered her a strong following. Hence, a rebirth, with a new motto and a design that makes it easier for users to zone into that topic that interests them most.
Food. Art. Fashion. What’s not to love? This site is intended to celebrate the good things in life, with a definite Maltese (and Gozitan) angle. Books, theatre, music, restaurants, designers… it’s all on ramonadepares.com.
Featured In
Ramona has published work on various international and Maltese journalism sites. Here are a few examples:
- Times of Malta
- WhosWho.mt
- MaltaCEOs
- Lovin’ Malta
- Malta Today
- Illum.mt
- National Book Council (Malta)
- BDL Books
- MGRM – Malta’s LGBTQI+ Movement
- Encore Arts & Culture Magazine
- MaltaArti
- KorMalta
- Arts Council Malta
- OhMyMalta
- Elite Daily
- WhatCulture.com
Ramona Depares – Books Published
Ramona Depares has published three books, in the Maltese and the English language:
| Book | Publisher | Year Published |
|---|---|---|
| Beltin: Stejjer Minn Nies Minsija | Merlin Publishers | 2019 |
| The Patient in Hospital Zero | Merlin Publishers | 2021 |
| Katya: Easy on the Tonic | MGRM Malta | 2022 |
You will find more information on Ramona Depares’ published books here, on on her Goodreads Author Profile.
RamonaDepares.com Awards
- Award for Cultural Journalism in 2015, conferred by the Institute for Maltese Journalists (IGM).
- Award for Best Opinion Writer, in 2014, also by the Institute for Maltese Journalists.
- Honoured by the Irish Ambassador to Malta Jim Henessy for her contribution to cultural journalism.
- Best International Contribution at the Premju Għall-Arti, with the project Urban Fabric, in 2023 as part of the winning team awarded . The awards are organised by Arts Council Malta.
As Seen On
