Vacationing in Bahrain (please share your experiences)

You know what they say, what happens in Bahrain stays in Bahrain 

Try to get a room looking over the quay if you stay in Manama, that's nice and central. The shopping over there is better than in Riyadh, as are the drinks, so take enough spending money.

Lelasly wrote:

Hi all

I've seriously been thinking about going to Bahrain for the up coming holidays and I'm sure many of you would have visited the Island before. Is it really as fun as people say it is? Can I get a good hotel at a reasonable price? is it easy getting around? what nice activities and interesting places can I visit besides night clubs? I want to know anything and everything there is to know lol.

Decide fast as most of the hotels get full due to the season... get your selves reserved in a good hotel as most of low star hotels do a different kind of business.. You may not like.. I suppose you check on booking.com.. they have some good deals.. As for getting around, Bahrain has a good commuting being a small city.. you can watch some good movies and check online what activities does Bahrain has for the new year..

Enjoy !!

Thanks guys, will take all your advice into consideration. now I'm getting so excited about it I think I might just go ahead and book that flight. Mostly excited about drinking something other than juice lol and ofcourse what happens in Bahrain will definitely stay in Bahrain.

Good luck! and tell us your experience when you come back 

Thanks Aman, will do

There are good places to see in Bahrain, you can go to "Areen wildlife park" or "Wahooo Water park", you can go to Amwaj Islands and have a nice walk there (although it might be a little cold now for that and the water park:P). "Viva Karting" is fun as well.

And of course, there are the malls, theaters and all..

like atomoicworld said, if you planning to go in next few weeks, better do your booking now as it will be holidays in Saudi and people will start pouring in!

the only method of transportation i know is having your own car or hiring a cab!

Have Fun!

Hi Lelasly,

Please note that your topic has been moved to the Bahrain forum for more visibility and for more interaction with the members.


Thank you,

Priscilla
Expat.com team

Hi Lelalsy

Bahrain has a number of things to offer, in addition to the usual stuff for which some people from your side of the Causeway come here for

Usual stuff includes night life, drinks, wine and dine and what comes after, cinema, shopping malls, eating joints.

If you are into culture and similar stuff, a visit to Bahrain National Museum is nice. Plan to spend about 3 to 4 hours here depending on how much you wish to learn about the place. Entrance is 500fils (5 Saudi Riyals). Another place of Interest is the "Bait al Quran" - entrance is free, but you can make a donation if you wish. Also nice to visit is the Bahrain Fort Museum. Also a number of Forts around, such as Riffa Fort, Arad Fort, Portuguese Fort. The Burial Mounds in Aali are interesting to see, though most of these are being built over now, sadly.

The Tree of Life is a 400 year old tree in the middle of the desert. It is a nice drive into the desert.

Royal Golf Club in Riffa is a nice golf course if you would like to try your hand at a few rounds of golf. This place also has some nice restaurants.

If you have the time, you could do a boat trip to Al Dar Islands for some sea bathing and sun and sand.

As someone has recommended, Al Areen Wildlife Park is a nice place to kill some time, as is the Viva Go-Karting track.

As for transport, I recommend you hire a car with GPS and drive around yourself. Otherwise you will get fleeced by the local taxi drivers.

Stay away from unknown hotels. These are notorious for nefarious activities.

Let us know if you need any more ideas and advise in general about Bahrain.

Have fun!

Just to add to Fahaz' useful info,
The Grand Mosque which is located in Juffair is a good place thats open to visitors. It's open everyday apart from Friday (which is pray day). They have a guide that's takes a small group around and explains things really well. Just a note, you have to dress respectfully as this is a place of worship.

Also in Shabab Avenue they have a lot of small restaurants (eateries) of wide variety of foods, from Arabic to American coffee shops ate present on this road too. This is a common place and gets very busy on Thursday nights.

Other than that, if you just want to chill out in a park (although it's slightly chilly this time of the year at nights) Sh. Khalifa park is a large park that you can visit. It has a few small eateries available too.

Hope this helps and enjoy your time in Bahrain

Tnx jazzy. Completely forgot about these great places.

Who in their right mind will forget "American Alley"!?

Thanks for your useful info too Farhaz

I forgot to mention, the Souk may be of interest to some visitors in Bahrain. I know there are two, one behind Bab al Bahrain and the other one in Muharraq (near the airport).

Bab Al Bahrain is a nice building to admire too, as I see a lot of foreigners who visit Bahrain, take picture of this historical landmark.. If you go inside Bab Al Bahrain (near the taxi stand ) there is are a few souvenir shops as well. There is an indoor part too of the manana Souk. The ground floor consists of a few shops, like Arabic sweets and souvenirs as well as a small open plan refreshments shop. Then upstairs, they have one or two souvenir shops and some old large pictures on display of how Bahrain looked in the olden days.

There's also a camel farm in Janabiya if this kind of things interests you. If you are visiting the middle east, I'd say it's worth a visit

There is an arts and crafts place near Hamala, (sorry i cant remember the exact name) again if such things interests you, you may find the skillful handwork of art, something you can admire from the locals who have the talent to produce amazing things.

Lastly, Ive heard of a restaurant (sorry I haven't been there yet) on the way to Saudi Arabia causeway. I heard the restaurant is high up and has good views. I haven't visited this place, so hopefully others who have been there can comment

Hope this helps,
Jaz

Hope this helps,

Thanks a lot man. I definitely want to go to a camel farm. My vacation wouldn't be complete without a camel ride. Also looking forward to the souk. Thanks a lot

I may be wrong, but don't think you can ride the camels at the camel farm, just look at them and pet them.

oh jeez that's a bummer, I don't want to pet them or just look at them! I want to ride them. where  can I go for camel rides then?

To be honest I have not heard of camel rides in Bahrain.     Maybe there is an untapped business opportunity for budding entrepreneurs.    The camel farm is indeed a nice place to visit.

The restaurant jazzy is referring to is probably the one at the border crossing island on the Causeway to Saudi Arabia. It has an observation deck at the top and the restaurant half way down. I have not eaten there so not sure of how good the place is.


Trust you will have a great time in Bahrain, Lelasly. Give us a shout if you need anything.