Looking for advice on living in Bahrain

Welcome to Expat-blog, Andy

Hope that members soon reply back to you.

Regards,
Sheetul

Hi Sheetul,
many thanks, I hope I do get some replies.
Andy

Hi Andy !

Welcome on the forum and probably very soon in Bahraïn.

I'll try to answer your questions as precisely as possible :

1. Best place to live
I wrote an extensive topic on that subject in the French part of the forum (https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=42770). Maybe Google translate can help you with it ! Then you'll know almost everything you need to know about rental here
As far as the area is concerned, it depense on the kind of neighborhood you like and the amount you want to spend !
Juffair for instance is a district South East Manama, surrounding the American Navy facility. It's very "live", with a lot of Westerns and Philippinos. You can also choose to live in a very closed compound with British emigrants only or you might want to melt yourself in the local /Indian / Pakistaneese crowd of downtown Manama Bab Al Bahrain area 
As you can see, choice is there ! If you could let me know a little bit more about what you're looking at and your budget I could give you some better piece of advice
The only thing you don't need to be anxious about is security. Bahrain is a very cool place and I'm quite sure that you'll never feel threatened in any way.

2. What to bring
I'm not very aware of price level in Great Brittain but I assume it might be close to the French one. If so, don't bring anything !
Furnitures are not really cheap, nevertheless quality is there and the prices are close to the European standards.
Goods, appliances, electronics, TV etc. are usually cheaper than in France. The choice is very large and for instance you'll find in TV Philips, Sony, Samsung, LG, Toshiba, etc etc. I can't think of a well known brand of my country which wouldn't be available here.
Clothes' prices also compare to Europe, but you can find tailors everywhere who can stitch for you the latest Kenzo suit at your own measures for almost nothing ! Just bring the fabric and the picture of the suit

3. Brittish TV
Satellite is available very easily in BH. The most well known company is Orbit Showtime (http://www.osnetwork.com/) but here you can find a lot of "underground" providers cheaper if you want. Any expat here will be able to direct you to the right persons but shoosh !  :p

4. Rent a car
A lot of companies are available to rent a car or have a long term lease contract for brand new cars. Based on the kind of car you're looking for you'll select different companies. I'm currently renting a Toyota Corolla which is far from being new for 230 BHD a month after a good bargain. Of course the longer the contract, the better the price ! You might also consider buying a used car, some brands like Nissan or Toyota are flying when you put them on the market and it's quite easy to resell when leaving. At least you'll get something back from your investment

5. Socialization
There is definitely ! But it's like everything... It depense on what you appreciate ! You can go from parties to parties and create a nice network of "party buddies", you can also go through different networks and meet individual to create your own patchwork of friends. There are some clubs also (like the Brittish Club for instance) that you can be a member of to meet fellow contrymen.

Woof man I'm way too talkative even in writing !!
Hope this was helpful and feel free to send me a private message if you need any further explanation !

Friendly Yours

Olivier

Olivier,
many, many thanks for replying & providing so much fantastic information!
To try & answer some of your questions & so that you can help me even more:-
Best place to live
I am probably looking at around 750BD per month & would like a 3 bed apartment/ villa & I would prefer fully furnished as I don't want to bring loads of stuff with me.
I stayed in Juffair on my last visit & thought it a little remote & quiet however I didn't really venture outside my hotel (Elite Royale Apartments) so probably got the wrong impression. I did go out for a meal on "The Strip" I think that was it's name? & that was ok & I had a nice meal but I was shown around Amwaj Island & that kind of area would appeal to me & my wife but I am coming with an open mind as I realise that you pay extra for a nice area such as this.
What to bring
Since I posted my comments I have spoken to friends in the area who have advised the same as you so I am going to wait until I arrive & get settled then hit the shops!!
Rent A Car
Again I have been given similar advice on buying a car rather than hiring, I'm there for 2-3 years so may hire one short term then look to buy one. I will probably go for a 4x4/SUV as I like the extra security they provide.
Socializing
I probably fit in to all categories, obviously I'm coming to work but I think you'll agree we all need to let our hair down now & again!! I am an F1 fan so will be very much looking forward to going to Sakhir next March.

A couple of new questions if you don't mind me exploiting your fantastic good nature:-
My wife is very nervous & apprehensive about joining me full time & is reluctant to make that commitment, will she find it difficult to adapt, will she find it hard to go out in to the city in normal European dress?
I like to keep myself fairly fit, would I be able to buy a road bicycle out there or would I need to bring one from home?

Once again, many many thanks for all of the answers you have provided, I am so grateful.
Best regards
Andy

Hey Andy,

Go ahead with my "fantastic good nature", it's inexhaustible ! My kids have been trying to dry it out since they were born 20 years ago, and since, they couldn't 

More seriously, as far as your accomodation is concerned, I guess you'll have to visit some places around to make your own opinion. I went to Amwaj myself... For my taste it's too new, too "man-made", too artificial... but again, that's just me
It's a bit far away from Manama as well so it depense on where you're going to work. The villas there are quite expensive and the flats are more in the European sizes than the ones you can usually visit here.
It took me 5 days (during Ramadan = low number of visits in the afternoon) to visit 33 villas so I'm quite sure if you spend a little time visiting you'll find easily something you like.
If you need references for some good Real Estate Agents, I can give you 2 excellent ones, and two other rather good if you need. The website bahrainpropertyworld.com/ might give you a good idea of what you can get for the budget you have. If you push a little you might find a nice villa with 3 bed room / 3 bath room even with a private pool !

For your car, if you want to have a look at the used cars market, here are two sites I'm checking myself :
bahrainautoservices.com/carlist.asp
bahcars.com/en/used.html
At least, you'll already have an idea when you reach here.

As far as your wife's worries are concerned, there is absolutely nothing to be afraid of. Bahrain is a very nice and quiet place where people respect you as long as you respect them. All the expat ladies are dressed in an European way and nobody will bother her about that. Some of my lady friends here find some places a little uncomfortable when they are alone such as flee markets or local souks but mostly because they are really surrounded by men, which is a strange feeling, even if none of those men pay any attention to them !
For sure it's better to stay "decent" and the ultra mini skirt she might have wore when she was a cheerleader might look a little inapropriate here But a lot of western ladies are wearing skirts, shorts, sleeveless tops etc... What's not offensive in your home country won't be either here. The only place you have to be covered in is when you visit a Mosq, female visitors should wear an abbaya to hide their forms and cover their hair with a tight scarf, and male should wear long pants and long sleeves shirts.
I'm sure you'll be very surprised to see the front windows of some lingerie stores here 
As far as I know, the main problem that wives might face here is boredom ! Their husband is usually working long hours and if they are "housewives" they might sometimes feel a little lonely. Nevertheless, there are a lot of structures to help them to socialize. I know for instance that there is an association of French people here who organizes every month a "welcoming breakfast" for the ladies new comers. I'm quite sure that the "Britts" can't do less than the French can they ?  ;o) Check with your Ambassy, they will be aware of those things.
The main thing I guess is at the begining to make some efforts to go towards other people... After sometimes, you'll have two or three good friends and snow ball effect will do the rest I think.

Hope this will help...
Feel free if you have any further question !

Hi Andy,

just to add a few things to what Olivier has already mentioned. Out of interest, is this your first experience living abroad? Figure out what you will miss the most when you leave home, then stock up on it and bring it with you!

Socialising is quite easy here I have found. People are quite approachable, and the weekends here can be exceptionatly hectic. There's always something going on, though admittedly, I do miss a quiet pub to have a beer and a chat. And I have also found the coffee prices here a bit outrageous. It took me a few weeks to even manage to locate a french press.

As for where to live, I support Olivier's statement. My g/f and I live in Adliya, quite pleased with the area and getting to work isn't too much of a hassle, but traffic is a small problem here. We didn't look in any of the gated compounds as I despise living like that, but again, personal preference. Plenty fo flats around town, and though alot of the buildings are quite ugly on the outside, the standard internally has been good on what we saw, mostly.

Some things to keep in mind about your expenditure is where and what you shop. Local produce is alot cheaper than the imported western goods. You could spend a small fortune buying food and general grociers if you so wish, or you could spend pittens for exactly the same. And you can also get pork produce. But its kept in the back of shops, looks quite seedy infact.

Also, before I end. If you guys have any hobbies which require items to be replaced/purchased from time to time, it might be worth checking the availability and prices here before you leave. My g/f has been trying to find canvas and paint for some time, but its not readily available, and its not particularly cheap either.

Did u make it to BAhrein?

Hi Olivier, Knut & Cape!
once again many thanks for the brilliant advice, it's a massive help to me. To reply to some of the comments:-
AmwajI fully understand what you are both saying & my research backs up your comments that the area is expensive but I will be working in Hidd & saw this as being a place where I can get to work without queuing & it will be a nice place for my wife to live. I have seen a few places actually in Hidd, does anyone know this area?
First time abroad
Yes it is my first time, I was in the Royal Navy a long time ago so sort of knwo what to expect but I am coming with an open mind so whatever I have to leave behind I will just have to find something new to keep me occupied. I'm definetely getting a season ticket for Sakhir to catch some motor racing, especially the F1 GP.
Hey anyway, on the socializing subject, you guys will have to let me buy you a beer when I get out there with all this advice & support you are providing!!
Andy

I'll pass the beer and have a Perrier instead ! But don't tell my parents ! I'm alsacian, they'd kick me out on the spot :p
Though we can sure have a drink when you'll be around... That will be the start of the snow ball effect we were talking about isn't it ? 

As far as Amwaj Island is concerned, it's sure that if you'll work in Hidd the traffic inconveninece ins't a point anymore.
You can also find some nice villas in Hidd for a lover price
some are here : http://www.bahrainpropertyworld.com/sea … Properties


If you (or your wife !)have any further question... Go go go :p

See you soon I hope

Well thanks for that! I'm still trying to find somewhere with a good selection of beer, as I dont' really rate Heineken as a very good beer. Seems to be the big one out here. Need to find where the good selection is. And when I leave, I'm definatly sendign a few crates of something special back! 

And as long as you keep an open mind to new experiences, thats great! I'm surprised at how many I come across who are negative before even arriving, and just increasingly getting more aggeitated yet staying..but I suppose money really is that important to some people. I won't go as far as saying that Bahrain is that fantastic, but it's a good place to live. It is after all, quite small and lacks somewhat in things to go see and marvel. I haven't been out to the tree of life yet, but it sounds like a bit of an anti climax. Could do with some more and nicer public beaches too. It is an island after all..beaches should be mandatory!

Dear Forum Memebers,
I have been following this Topic for a cpl of days, as i m due to Move to Bahrain in Mid Nov. I m from India and shall be moving with my wife and child. Though most of my querries have been answered by Olivier ( this happens to be the name of my presnet boss .. i work for French cmpny), however i would like to explore the opportunity for Buisness/Job for my wife .. She is a qualified Beautician and Manages a Ladies Salon here in Mumbai. Does any one have any idea about this..
thanks for ur responses.
saket

Hi Saket and OMG ! There are too many Olivier on this island ! 
One came just 1 month after I did, one is about to come and now you tell me there is a fourth one ???

As far as your wife's job is concerned, I know that there are a lot of beauty salons here ! One of my lady friend just retired from her job and wants to open one. She told me that they usually bring some Philippino ladies because they are very well trained to whatever is done there
So if your wife wants to find a job, I guess she might check the classifieds or when you land here maybe some door to door to the salons would be more efficient. If she wants to run her own, I suggest that she tries to meet one of the lady running one of them to know whatever she'll need to know.
Beauty salons are definitely not my main area so I'm sorry if my responses sound a bit trivial !

Hope it helps a little

Friendly yours

Olivier

Hi..I'm Computer Engineer from Syria,I was in UAE for the past six years and now I'm in Bahrain with my other half.
I'm really interested in networking with "Western Expats" since I used to live in Europe and I used to life style there.
It was very hectic to find good people so feel comfortable during any hang out or any discussion however I feel its not the issue after finding your blog... please feel free to drop me a line or a call (any time before 9:00 pm)to have something and socialise.

I'm very open minded (anti racism) and like to deal with all people on mutual respect basis. If any of you is not a bachelor , please inform me so both our families can meet up and enjoy our time together unless you like to have individual meeting

I'm very fluent in Arabic and I would be very glad if you ask for any assistance.

I can speak Arabic,English, bits of Spanish and German

My birthday is on 24 January

Interests
karting, networking, photography, swimming.

I have one concern only ...I feel like i'm the youngest here 30 years only I hope its not an issue.

Waiting for your replies.

Dear Olivier,
thats great of you..no matter ..your advice is always helpful.. i would be really interested to get in touch with your friend who plans to open up a Salon.. to chk the possibility..
i would have time as i move in Nov and wife shall join in March after the acedimic session for my son is over..
thanks a lot for ur advice..
cheers
saket

Hi Maghrebi...

Being 30 is a problem !!! My mom always says that as far as wisdom is concerned... I stayed stuck around ten ;o) so you're way too old for me I guess :p
My email address is [email protected] feel free to contact me anytime and why not having a cup of coffee together ? I met some really nice people through the forum, even if I hardly have time to manage to see them on a regular basis  >_< but at least we know each other and meet again in different occasions.

Looking forward to reading from you...

Olivier

Hi AndyK

Hope you enjoy Bahrain as much as we have! We came from W London in February, our first time living in the Middle East, though we'd lived abroad before. Here's some of our experiences...

I gave up work to join my hubby here and became an expat wife....tell your wife not to worry. There is plenty going on, especially if she has a hobby or particular interest, she'll soon find a like-minded group of people, I often wonder now how I managed to fit in work! We joined the British Club for the squash (hubby), the library (me) and because it was close to where we live so could pop there for lunch or supper (both of us). We also joined Bahrain Yacht Club as we love watersports and there we've met a mix of locals and other nationalities - many now are good friends.

Places to live - we have a lovely apartment with a pool on the roof and seaviews in Juffair but, if it wasn't for the fact that we are now leaving the island, our next place would have been within walking distance of the British Club and the restuarants of Adlyia - Umm Hassan, Mahooz or Adlyia. I love the Floating City in Amwaj where we have several friends but couldn't live there as its too far from shops, cinema's and restaurants. You need a car just to get a pint of milk, at least in Juffair it's possible in the cooler seasons to walk to the local cold store or supermarket.

Would recommend you make a list of things you and your wife want and don't want from an apartment or villa: gym, outdoor pool, balcony, no of bedrooms, open plan kitchen/living space vs separate kitchen, pets allowed, close to the office or not etc. I found this useful to set some boundaries for the agents before we went to viewings. One agent understood us well, another not so well. It took us just two days of viewings to find a great furnished place.

Things to ship: we brought no furniture and only a few electrical items like an iPod (rather than ship all our CDs) and our laptops, a fairly new printer and some kitchen gadgets. We also shipped a few books, games, ornaments and a few other household bits so our fully furnished flat feels more like home. Two large flatscreen TVs and a home cinema system with a not-so-legal satellite system were provided with the flat as was internet, the latter was fine during the day when everyone else was out but poor at night so we signed up for Mena's Wimax service which is great.

We had to purchase some extra bedding as our landlords provided just one set per bed and the master bed was far bigger than anything we'd had in the UK. We've also bought additional towels & t-towels for similar reasons. And there were a few other odd things our landlord did not provide which you might expect but they were cheap to purchase so we had no grumbles. One of the first things I had to buy was a new iron as my husband needed shirts ironing before our shipment arrived so now we have two! I do regret shipping some of the framed photos that hung on the walls in our old home as the humidity during the summer has not done them any favours.

Shipping: we used a UK company called Whites who have a good agent here in Bahrain so once the stuff arrived here it was delivered and unpacked on the same day that customs clearance was done. They packed our stuff in the UK without any fuss and held it in storage until we had this end sorted out.

Hope you are still with me... I realise I have written a lot but if there is anything else you want to ask feel free to do so.

Susie
gbr195t.blogspot.com

Hi Oliver,
WOW !! You probably are the most helpful man on the internet

thanks for all the information you gave us through the blog. Just reading it gave me a good insight about Bahrain.

I've been following this link for a while as I am seriously considering moving to Bahrain by Dec 2010 or Jan 2011

I do have some questions. The company I am joining is in Gudaibiya Ave. I will have a company car, will be living alone and am looking at searching for a 1 bedroom hall apartment within 300 BD per month.

1. Is 300 enough for a decent furnished one bedroom + Hall Apartment?

2. Which area do you think I should consider? My main aim is to get to office quickly (without traffic hassles) and at the same time be in an area where restaurants and bars are easily accessible.

Thanks
Nishant

Hi Nishant...

Thanks for the good words but this is no big deal for me to share my little knowledge of the island with fellow expats and I can see that many members are giving their advices which is great !

To answer your questions :
1. Yes 300BHD is enough for what you're looking for.
You can check this website to have an idea : http://www.bahrainpropertyworld.com/
I found several available apartments within your budget, with 2 or even 3 bed rooms.

2. For the area, my point of view is "If you work East, stay East". The crossing of Manama form East to West or vice-versa is a real nightmare at peak hours. So close to your working area there is Juffair, if you like the tall buildings, Hoora, Mahooz, Adliya or the South East Manama if you're more into small buildings. Adliya is the location of most of the restaurants in Bahrain and so managed to be one of the hearts of the nightlife.
So if you want to live there, you DO need a parking place otherwise, you won(t be able to come home with your car on weekend evenings

Hope this was helpful... Feel free if you have more questions.

Friendly yours

Olivier

Thank you Oliver
I'll certainly buy you a perrier when I get there ... I can thank you for your help .. and we can have a drink together.
Regards
Nishant

lol I should ask for Perrier to get me on their payroll !
Anytime my firend just let me know when you reach here...

thank you for the details...it is a small country i guess...but interesting to know all this about it...

what about the weather?

Hi Bestcoach,

You're right it's small
Climate is not that different from the Omani one I guess.
Now it's winter time and the temperature stands between 15-20°C at night to 25-30° during the day. In July and August, the hottest months we stay in between 35-40° during the day and the temperature hardly gets under 30° at night. Add to that a terrible humidity during those two month, it's very hot for a poor french guy like me
But honestly, besides those two month while you really have to live indoors, weather is quite nice here. It almost never rains, but when it does, we almost could use Noe's arch nothing is designed to evacuate the water and most of the streets are just looking like rivers !
Happily, this happens only 2 or 3 times a year.

How is it in Oman ? Same climate ?

hi olivier,,,
now i that i have moved to bahrain,, and after staying in Juffair for abt a week ..finally got a apartment in Adliya ..
so all settled ..was busy in settling down with the work and place.. it seems to good place ,,,except that i will hv to wait for the driving licence to actually start exploring this beautiful place.. all ur tips actually proved to be very very handy ..thanks for that .. now look forard to meet some like minded ppl.. around .. ofcourse .. a booz with you ..
cheers .. hope to start interacting ppl .. around..

First: be welcome in Bahrain. Second, even if I'm a little late : Happy birthday to you

If you're in Adliya, you're very close to the Gulf Hotel which has a cool pub with a nice outdoors part (well used to actually I haven't been there since... a while )
And next weekend is totally busy but if you'd like to go for a drink, a lunch, a dinner... My e-mail address is [email protected] send me one I'll give ou my phone number.

Cheers !

Hi all.
Sorry I haven't been on in a while, the pressures of relocation!!
So anayway, I am now officially a resident of Bahrain & have got a nice apartment on Amwaj. I have to thank each & every one of you for the invaluable advice provided which helped me to get to this point. Special thanks of course to Olivier (Mr Bahrain) & to Susie, the tips & advice were so true & really proved essential as I progressed through my arrival.

Now I'm here & settled I wondered if anyone could offer advice on the subject of car hire/ purchase? I have an allowance provided by my company but it's not really sufficient to get a decent car. I think I have two options, either to add to my allowance for a lease car or use it to finance a loan to buy a car. What do you guys think about buying a car, are the salerooms trustworthy, do they offer finance options, are the rows of unofficial car showrooms such as the one near TGI Friday's in Juffair an option, can an expat get a loan from a bank, what would BD3000 buy me?
AndyK

Hey Andy !

Welcome back on the forum and in person in Bahrain
For your car search, try this website, it's full of excellent tips and addresses : clickbahrain.com/index.asp
Bahrain Auto Service on Budayia highway is quite well known and has a good reputation. You can see their used cars here : bahrainautoservices.com/ or there is another valuable website here : .bahcars.com/en/

As far as I'm concerned, I think that buying a car is the best shot. Try to go for popular cars easy to resell (avoid "exotic" cars and Mitsubishi, specially Pajeros which became very hard to sell due to the poor level of the agent here).
If you buy a car directly from someone be aware that your level of protection here is definitely not the same than in European countries. If you know nothing about cars and motors (like me :p) you might want to walk on the safe side of the road by going to a showroom.
For your loan, usually most of the big banks have packages accounts for expats with various advantages, including loans. Nevertheless, you might have to wait for one or two month because they'll need at least one salary transfer and a letter from your employer to activate the advantages attached to your account.
I guess you already do that but take sometimes to check your bank monthly statement. Mistakes are very common here and you might find some transactions that don't belong to your account or purchases you've made that were debited twice... It definitely woth a check

Keep being well and in case you need anything... Feel free !

PS : Mr. Bahrain ? O_o... I pictured myself "catwalking" in a speedo in front of an audience for the election... I almost laughed to death    Thanks for giving my day an extra smile :p

Hi Olivier,
many thanks once again for the helpful advice. So if I see a guy in City Centre Mall wearing Speedo's & big smile (& not much else) I'll know its you, ha ha!! I'll carry a bottle of Perrier just in case.

Anyway, back to the car, the day after I posted my last message a guy at my workplace leased me his Qashqai as he bought it during Ramadan last year but hasn't passed his driving test yet. Quite a result as I get a brand new car for exactly what I had left of my allowance & he gets his loan paid off, everybody's happy. Also with it being new, all the servicing etc is covered under the warranty so I think that will do me for my time here. Having said that, I saw a 4 year old Range Rover advertised in my local Supermarket for BD4500 & am very tempted to spend my January bonus!! Better ask the wife first although it is Christmas.....

Andy

OK guys,
next question, oh & by the way, if I can be of any help on any subjects then please ask, although I am currently limited to my field of expertise I'm afraid so ask away if you need any answers to problems you are having with regard to Health & Safety in Power Stations
Now I have a place to live I wanted to buy some home comforts such as indoor/ outdoor plants etc, are there any Garden centres on the island? I have found artificial one's (plants not garden centre's) in the malls but I would prefer living one's (to give me someone to talk to )
Andy

Hi Andy !
I'm till trying to find some questions about health & safety in power stations but so far I feel like you won't need to bother much to answer :p
For the plants, you have many places available in Bahrain. If you are not afraid of driving a little, there is an excellent one on Janabiya Highway approx in the middle of it, on the left if you drive towards Saudi or on the right if you drive towards Budaiya.
I think the name is Aida Garden. They grow their own plant and have a lot of choice with a very reasonable price... (The area name is Al Qurayah). Otherwise there are many at the begining of Budaiya Highway, in the South of Sanabis district all along the road.

Hope you'll find what you're looking for !

Cheers

Olivier

Brilliant thanks Olivier.
Hey, are we going to meet up & let me buy you that Perrier I promised you? I'm going home (Weather permitting) on Boxing Day for a week but would be good to meet up & chat face to face sometime?
All the best to you & your family for the Festive Season Olivier, I hoe the New Year brings you everything you wish for.
Andy

Thanks Andy!
Same for you have a very merry Xmas with your family and friends.
Of course we have to meet in person. My office is in Bahrain Mall so if you come for shopping we can already have a cup of coffee (as I caught a cold, I'm more into coffee than into Perrier nawadays :p) or if planned we can have lunch together somewhere... Whatever suits you suits me ! I'll send you my mobile number in private message then it becomes your call :p
Until new year it's a bit hectic but in January, my son will be here for two weeks and I'll take some time off so it can also be a good time to visit us in my place.
I'm sure you'll do for the best !

See ya

Olivier
PS I love your smiley... Could you please teach the spirit to my kids, ex wife, boss, mom... Hey lnow what I'll make a list

Hi Olivier, yes send me your number & I will call you late January when you are less busy. Bahrain Mall is fine, I love shopping!!
I got the Smilie when I clicked on the Smilie icon above the message box & it then asks if you want to see more Smilies.
See you in 2011, ALL THE BEST.
Andy

wish u all the best and welcome to bahrain

Hi There

Your discussion in this forum comes at the right time for  me....
I was offered a job in Bahrain around 21000 BHD per annum+accommodation and I would appreciate your advice on the the amount. Well I guess this is a subjective matter but I would be interested in know the average salary of an expat in Bahrain, so that I can see where I am standing.
I have read all the useful information about accommodation etc. but I will be coming alone, so any advice on that?
Also, about cars I have EU drivers license but is it valid in Bahrain? I saw there are some decent offers from the links suggested by Oliver wink
To be honest it will be my first time in M.East, I have lived for years in EU and Africa for a while, but to be honest I do not know what to expect...just to mention here that there is no Hellenic embassy in Bahrain, so this makes more difficult in getting information about Bahrain.
Your feedback would be greatly appreciated.

By the way Happy Holidays smile:)

Hi naser82, many thanks for your kind wishes, Bahrain & its people have made me very welcome & I look forward to a very happy time living here.

naser82 wrote:

wish u all the best and welcome to bahrain

Hi Expat 13 !

Welcome to our forum, and hopefully soon in Bahrain
I don't think we have much Greek people here so we will enjoy to have another European point of sight...

As always I'll try to answer your questions in the order they came :

- Advice on the amount
That's a tricky one... If you are used to live in a palace with 3 wives, 7 lovers, 16 housemaids, 9 cars... You won't make it
If you have more a regular guy life, you'll just be fine with this salary, specially if accomodation is free !
I don't know really about average expat salary, and remember that here, expat means Bengalis, Indians, Philipinos, Indonesians, etc... more than European. After that, salaries are usually scaled by the scarcity of your skills. For example accountants are very easy to find here so salaries won't get too high. But if you are a French baker... you can really bargain your contract
Let's say to give you some tip that as far as I know about western expats salaries, you won't be at the bottom of spread !


- "I have read all the useful information about accommodation etc. but I will be coming alone, so any advice on that?"
Hum here I must say I'm not getting what the question is. Are you asking about what accomodation you should have ? Isn't it included in your contract ? I suggest you might be more specific in your question I'll try to help you out then.

- Cars
For short term rent, your EU driving license and passport are OK. You'll need an International Driving License here and then you will have to get your local one. Basically it's just paperwork + eye test. International DL is merely a translation of your national one in several languages.

- First time in Middle East
According to ALL the people I know who lived in several countries in the Middle East, Bahrain is the best one, except maybe for some of my younger friends who are really into "clubbing almost everynight" who find Bahrain less exciting than Dubai.
So feel relax about coming here I'm quite sure you'll enjoy your life. I don't know Africa enough to give you tips about what might be the biggest changes but I'm sure some members might be able to do that !

Happy holidays to you too and looking forward to reading from you soon...

Friendly yours

Olivier

Merry Christmas to everyone on the Expat.com. I wish peace & goodwill to all.

Merry Christmas to everyone!!

Olivier-France wrote:

Hi Expat 13 !

Welcome to our forum, and hopefully soon in Bahrain
I don't think we have much Greek people here so we will enjoy to have another European point of sight...

Great! If everyone is so welcome as you Oliver, then is must be great being in Bahrain.

As always I'll try to answer your questions in the order they came :

- Advice on the amount
That's a tricky one... If you are used to live in a palace with 3 wives, 7 lovers, 16 housemaids, 9 cars... You won't make it
If you have more a regular guy life, you'll just be fine with this salary, specially if accomodation is free !
I don't know really about average expat salary, and remember that here, expat means Bengalis, Indians, Philipinos, Indonesians, etc... more than European. After that, salaries are usually scaled by the scarcity of your skills. For example accountants are very easy to find here so salaries won't get too high. But if you are a French baker... you can really bargain your contract
Let's say to give you some tip that as far as I know about western expats salaries, you won't be at the bottom of spread !

Well having one sometimes is more than enough heheh!! and my mother always was advising me to become a baker...but from cooking maybe in the best case I can fry two eggs
Not being on the bottom of spread is ok...

- "I have read all the useful information about accommodation etc. but I will be coming alone, so any advice on that?"
Hum here I must say I'm not getting what the question is. Are you asking about what accomodation you should have ? Isn't it included in your contract ? I suggest you might be more specific in your question I'll try to help you out then.

I was thinking in which area in Manama would be a good place for a single to live (what you suggest), of course considering the above amount. 

- Cars
For short term rent, your EU driving license and passport are OK. You'll need an International Driving License here and then you will have to get your local one. Basically it's just paperwork + eye test. International DL is merely a translation of your national one in several languages.

Great info! To be honest I was not aware of that!!
I was looking the link you have provided and it seems there are some good used Japaneses cars (the only to consider for buying used)for good price. What about leasing vs buying old one? Any suggestions?

- First time in Middle East
According to ALL the people I know who lived in several countries in the Middle East, Bahrain is the best one, except maybe for some of my younger friends who are really into "clubbing almost everynight" who find Bahrain less exciting than Dubai.
So feel relax about coming here I'm quite sure you'll enjoy your life. I don't know Africa enough to give you tips about what might be the biggest changes but I'm sure some members might be able to do that !

Happy holidays to you too and looking forward to reading from you soon...

Friendly yours

Olivier

Oh! I just wish I was in that age of clubbing etc. but I more looking into quality of life...


Thank you once again Oliver, you insight is really valuable