The journey to Bahrain was short and sweet. In the wee hours of the morning, we drove to Sharjah Airport, parked up the car in the long stay car park and proceeded to check in. After a relaxing cappuccino at Costa’s, we boarded the plane. As the flight is so short, I barely had time to read my book and listen to my i-pod, before we touched down on the runway in Bahrain.
 




 

It was relatively easy to find a taxi outside and we were soon on our way to our hotel in Manama. It was very apparent that the streets of Bahrain were much calmer than the crazy lanes of our Sheikh Zayed Road! What a contrast! Our confident driver navigated us through the warren of streets to eventually find our hotel, nestled in the busy down-town area of Manama.  
 

Admittedly, it was like stepping into a time warp of the 70’s as we walked through the hotel door, complete with beige velvet couches, aged wood paneling and glass globed lighting. But the staff were very friendly and courteous and really made us feel welcome. We retired to our room, to consult our map and create an itinerary for the day. The amenities in our bedroom were basic with original retro adornments.



 

We soon set off with a map of Bahrain in hand, a bottle of water and good spirits. As we left the hotel at 10am in order to make the most of our day, the temperature seemed much cooler than the hotter streets of Dubai. But as the time crept closer to midday, the temperature soon soared and we were soon seeking refuge in the many shopping centres and stores of Manama. We took advantage of the refreshing AC as we “ummed” and “ahhed” over numerous potential purchases. 
 




 

Sites that we managed to see on our walk (or short cab rides) included Harbour Mall, Bahrain Mall, City Centre Mall, as well as local icons such as the Bahrain Pearl, Trade Centre and Bab al Bahrain (the Gateway of Bahrain). Luckily we love shopping! 

On our final day, we embarked on an organised tour with the only company that offer this at the moment. We saw a variety of historical sites in and around the area of Manama and Muharraq. Our tour guide was informative and friendly and it was a pleasure to see a cross-section of Bahrani architecture....both old and new. A highlight for me was roaming around Sheikh Isa Bin Ali Al Khalifa’s house. It was used as a home but also for meetings with ambassadors and guests from other countries and we got to walk around the corridors and bedrooms where these important people had once roamed. Very inciteful! 




We were also driven across the 28 kilometre long King Fahad Causeway, a manmade link between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. I simply had to text my Mum in the UK to tell her that I had reached the Saudi border and done a u-turn! Another random site that we also saw here, was a Mcdonald’s behind a mosque at the border…
 


 

Upon reflection it would have been better to have our tour at the beginning of our weekend, so that we could have maximised on our short time there. There are many modern sites that will be worth visiting in the future, when they are completed. We enjoyed our short time in Bahrain and are looking forward to returning to visiting the Lost Paradise water park!