Danajj

I'm thinking of coming to Bahrain for the first time at the end of this month. Firstly for the BE community who live in Bahrain - be good to meet up for a wee dram or two if you're about; secondly - any advice on hotels that are good but reasonably priced and ideally located centrally.

lionheart

I used to stay at the Bahrain International Hotel near the Gold Souq during my Saudi days. It only cost BD20 a night with plenty of nocturnal entertainment nearby...or the Gulf Gate Hotel, similarly priced.

The Dean

I believe the BE community here is me and... er... that's it.

Happy to meet up though............ will you be coming here to Newcastle on your own or with some coals.............?

Danajj

I'm surprise there's not many in Bahrain - let's try arrange something nearer the time - will be coming with another of the BE community just to clear the sand from the throats like.

Welivehere

Nope me as well.....

Having said that I am not really an active meber of society ...... We have a small shouty thing (more often referred to a child) just coming up 2yrs old and another one on the way.

Based on this after completing a day at work my night life currently revolves around tidying up after one and preparing for the next one !!!

Danajj - Hotel wise it may also be an idea to look at some of the furnished apartments, both the Seef group and Elite have a number of them dotted around Manama..... Google the Group names suffixed with residence, hotel, apartments and you should get some links.....

Danajj

Thanks for the replies boys - looks like I might be coming this weekend instead - will keep you posted regarding a catch up.

Tockalosh

Never stayed in Seef but did live in Elite 2 and 5

The Elite apartments are full of Weekend Saudi families wrecking the place, screaming about the coridoors and generally being a total pain in the arse while the blokes go off getting sh*tfaced and whoring it up

Splash the cash and stay in the Gulf hotel. Civilised, good restaurants, walking distance to Adliya and short taxi into the city centre though God only knows what you would want to venture there for. The old city centre (behind the Bab) hotels are sh*t holes beyond all belief however Diggers for a quick b
beer is amusing if you want to view sh*gged out 3rd class hookers in a 3rd class venue trying to ply their trade

If you mend planes for a living in Saudi then their guys generally used to frequent a hotel on the edge of the diplomatic area that had a sports bar down stairs that was very popular but cant for the life in me remember its name (not much use I am afraid)

By the way, taxis in Bahrain were and still probably are sh*te, none of them used a meter and all of them tried to fleece you so keep your wits about you

Bonny Boy

You'll want to be in either Adliya, Exhibition Avenue or Bab Al Bahrain (city centre).

For Bab, as LH has said, the Gulf Gate is good, and as I recall had some interesting bars.

The Gulf hotel is perhaps on the high side of reasonably priced for Adliya, Mansouri Mansions springs to mind as an alternate.

Hotel on the edge of the Diplo Area? Sheraton, Crowne Plaza (formerly the Holiday Inn), or, appropriately, the Diplomat.

benzonar

The Baron's boys used to mainly stay in either The Gulf Hotel or the Ramada, and occasionally the Crowne Plaza if we were on a jolly from the UK.

Ramada is near PJs, but another favourite hand out was Warblers (and I know some folks went to Formula 1 (now called Club F1 cause Bernie complained). That had the more exotic clientele.

Tockalosh

Thanks Benzonar for refreshing my failing memory

We always used to meet up with the aircraft chaps in Warblers: for some reason they were always waiting for 10 o'clock.
I often wondered whether it was that at ten there was an influx of very friendly oriental ladies or whether that was just a coincidence.

Being old and preferring beer to Thais; I generally preferred the Brit club