Bahrain is an interesting blend between conservative Islam and sporadic hedonism. You wouldn’t think the two could coexist, but Bahrain has gained the reputation of the ‘entertainment’ destination in the region. While I noticed many of the restaurants have both a family entrance and male-only entrance which is considered conservative, there might be a number of clubs or bars within a stones throw’s distance. I read prostitution is widespread in Bahrain, but didn’t see anything in the open regarding this; although I didn’t go into any bars or clubs either… The nearby countries of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are extremely restrictive with alcohol, so Bahrain can be a convenient destination to indulge. On the weekends, hoards of Saudi-plated vehicles descend on the country across the long causeway bridge built to connect the islands of Bahrain to Saudi Arabia. We saw plates from Kuwait, UAE, Qatar and Saudi (KSA). There were more foreign plated cars than local it seemed, which I heard is mainly true during the weekend.
Bahrain is only an hour flight from Dubai so this is an easy hop for us, even just for the weekend. We got to the airport earlier than planned on Thursday so were able to get on the earlier flight, arriving just before sunset. Gulf Air is the airline of Bahrain and they offer some great prices to many destinations, including Europe. There is very limited public transportation service to/from the airport in Manama and it was not very practical to get where we were staying so we took a taxi ride into town (2 BHD added to fares from the airport). The total fare around 4.5 BHD to the city which is much higher than a similar taxi ride in the UAE. Our hotel room at the Holiday Villa Hotel had great views and is one of the tallest in Bahrain. The breakfast area is near the top floor and views from the rooftop terrace were amazing! Book in advance for good deals. The other hotel I would like to check out next time is The Domain, which is closer to the CBD.
We could easily walk to the marina and Bahrain National Museum from our hotel, which are both worth a visit. The restaurant at the marina is a great place to have a meal, which are very reasonably priced for the venue, but the beers/drinks are expensive. It’s a great place to relax, have a coffee or meal and admire the boats in the marina (no sailboats though). The museum is a short walk from the marina and was a lot larger than I expected. Everything was put together very well and the signs were in Arabic and correct English. The National Museum is open 7 days a week from 8am-7pm except public holidays. I found a few websites that said otherwise, but they are definitely open 7 days a week and is one of the most visited sites in Bahrain… There is an art institute next door that usually has at least 1 exhibit per month and is free of charge to visit. Overall Bahrain is a good destination for a weekend trip if you’re in the region.
Bahrain is only an hour flight from Dubai so this is an easy hop for us, even just for the weekend. We got to the airport earlier than planned on Thursday so were able to get on the earlier flight, arriving just before sunset. Gulf Air is the airline of Bahrain and they offer some great prices to many destinations, including Europe. There is very limited public transportation service to/from the airport in Manama and it was not very practical to get where we were staying so we took a taxi ride into town (2 BHD added to fares from the airport). The total fare around 4.5 BHD to the city which is much higher than a similar taxi ride in the UAE. Our hotel room at the Holiday Villa Hotel had great views and is one of the tallest in Bahrain. The breakfast area is near the top floor and views from the rooftop terrace were amazing! Book in advance for good deals. The other hotel I would like to check out next time is The Domain, which is closer to the CBD.
We could easily walk to the marina and Bahrain National Museum from our hotel, which are both worth a visit. The restaurant at the marina is a great place to have a meal, which are very reasonably priced for the venue, but the beers/drinks are expensive. It’s a great place to relax, have a coffee or meal and admire the boats in the marina (no sailboats though). The museum is a short walk from the marina and was a lot larger than I expected. Everything was put together very well and the signs were in Arabic and correct English. The National Museum is open 7 days a week from 8am-7pm except public holidays. I found a few websites that said otherwise, but they are definitely open 7 days a week and is one of the most visited sites in Bahrain… There is an art institute next door that usually has at least 1 exhibit per month and is free of charge to visit. Overall Bahrain is a good destination for a weekend trip if you’re in the region.
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