Newbie seeking general advice

Lee/Ayale,

You are not alone in your questions as i am also in the transition of a move from UK to Bahrain in a couple of months.

However back to your questions, this Bahrain forum is one of the best ones on the whole site, there are some very knowledgable individuals who have both drafted help guides and answered many a questions.

I think you should read the stickys on the top of the questions list on the forum, I thought they were very informative.  They give almost every FAQ's you would come up with, including most of yours.

You are not alone in your move, the main players on this site will help direct you and guide you along your move. As so much time has obviously been put into the stickys on the 1st page I would suggest maybe reading these first then asking for specific help!

Good luck on the move,  you maybe one that helps me with my move when you get settled.

Enjoy, Paul

Hello Ayale/Lee

Welcome to the forum.

This link would be useful for you - has a discussion on internet charges: https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=277849

Data charges while roaming are quite high. My advise is to get yourself a local data sim card. I have a data package from one of the telecom companies here and pay just BD 5 per month and am quite happy with it. Broadband is also not too expensive. There are different packages for you to choose from.

There are a number of expat clubs in Bahrain. British Cub, Dilmun Club, Bahrain Rugby Club, to name a few. You will find these great places to socialize.

Public transport is unreliable and sporadic at best, and almost non-existent at worst. Taxis are available, but quite expensive. Private taxis (which you could find through friends here) are more reasonable. You could think of getting a car. It will give you all the convenience you need and is not too costly to maintain. Fuel is as cheap as water here.

This is a link to a recent discussion we had about cost of living. answers questions regarding car costs, among other things. https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=291845

Look forward to welcoming you in Bahrain soon. Best wishes.

I got my phone chipped before moving here and bought a Batelco sim for BD2 a year ago - I get data (3G) for a fixed price BD3 for 3GB, BD5 for 5GB. I'm on facebook, emails, internet a heck of a lot and have never run out of allowance. I think in a year I've used about BD40 on my mobile for calls etc and I use it a lot.

I have unlimited download internet at home as I don't want the hassle and cost of satellite. That costs me BD30 a month. I use Menatelacom as you can plug the box in anywhere and get wifi. My son took it to hospital when he had to stay in.

Expat clubs like Farhaz says but they are all different.

The Dilmun is a family club, nice and quiet with a great pool etc

The Rugby club is loud and full of drunks at night as is the British club.

Country club is free to get in but all bars are smoking and it takes hours to get served.

You will have to visit each one to find out which is to your taste.

Don't know your age but the minimum age for hiring a car is 25yrs.

Josnuggles wrote:

The Rugby club is loud and full of drunks at night as is the ...

Josnuggles - You really do not seem to like the noise, etc., at the Rugby Club!?

I find it quite entertaining to see and hear all the "sights and sounds" there.

But, yes Lee - Josnuggles is right. It does tend to get quite noisy at the Rugby Club when patrons are "spiritually uplifted".  Select a place that suits your personal preferences.

And, again depending on your preferences (I know Josnuggles hates the place) bars like JJ's in Adliya are a particularly popular haunt for the younger Brit expats.  Am sure as soon as you start work as a teacher you will find lots of similar people to yourself at work and before you know it your social life will be huge.

Everyone here is in the same position at some point so you wont find it difficult to make friends.