Bahrain Hotels

[bossfearless]

I know that the Arab world isn't exactly the prime destination for...well...anyone, ever.  But if you're like me, a poor dumb bastard stuck working in the sandy butthole of the world, you'll need a trip to Bahrain now and then to blow off steam and, if you've been there a few times, you're probably wondering why all the hotels are total garbage.  So, here's my recommendations for Bahrain.  Don't just look at the number of stars and the price and the official pictures, most of the super nice hotels are total shit.

 

Al-Safir:  This is a moderately nice hotel in terms of comfort and service.  They don't bother you if you bring girls back, so you're free to monger to your heart's content.  The location, however, is very convenient because it's right next to the Pars International hotel which, while not a great place to stay, houses tons and tons of sluts, mostly Thai and Chinese.  So you can run out to the hooker-mart briefly and get your takeout and return to a comfortable setting instead of hanging out at a terrible Arab disco.  Lastly, Al-Safir shares a building with multiple good restaurants, including the only Bennigans I've seen in years, and that place has real pork ribs and Guinness on tap.  I cannot stress enough that good food is just as important as a piece of pussy after being in this dusty hell hole for too long.

 

 

Ramee International:  This is more of a moderately budget-friendly hotel.  It looks a bit run-down in the common areas, and sure, it could use a facelift.  Big deal.  The beds are comfortable, the water is hot, the AC is cold, the room service is good and the location is perfect.  There are several Ramee brand hotels (California, International, Palace, Suites, Baisan, etc), but this is my pick for a few reasons.  The fancier Ramee hotels (all the fancier places in Bahrain) try to look as fancy as possible without actually being comfortable.  And this follows the Arab style of fanciness, which tends towards "my grandma had this furniture" and not in a good way.  Yes, that rickety uncomfortable ugly shit from your grandparents' house is considered the highest standard of decor in the Arab world, and the Ramee International manages to avoid it and furnish a quite comfortable room.  After that, there's good food to be had from the room service, espeically the Indian cuisine.  There are multiple bars and clubs located inside the hotel itself, all of which have girls available for hire, but you're just as well served by going out to neighboring venues to get your entertainment.  Live band playing at Rocky's in the rear of the building, also full of girls.  Hookah lounge and pool hall on the second floor with decent drinks and food service, also full of girls.  sports bar on the 1st floor, bring your own girl.  24 hour coffee shop, good for after hours chilling or if you've been on night shift for three years and can't fucking sleep.  There's this idiotic Russian club on the 9th floor, with these really hot girls dancing on a stage to bad music, but you can't have the girls.  You'll be pestered to pay shitloads of money for "gifts" for the girls like flowers and bottles of perfume, and they turn those in at the end of the night for cash, but no, you don't get to touch them so who gives a crap and why would anyone bother (other than really, really dumb Arab guys who don't get it)?  No clue how that bar stays open. 

 

Despite all the good stuff about the hotel itself, the main attraction is its location.  It's right on the corner of American Avenue, where you can find good food of whatever type you want, any time of day or night.  It's also directly across from the Navy base entrance, so those lucky dogs with access can go to the PX for bottles of good liquor and American grocery items (bacon, real Mountain Dew, the works).  Finally, there's a taxi stand across the street, and that's a big selling point.  You'll pay ridiculous amounts of tariffs over the course of your Bahrain stay if you get taxis to pick you up at your hotel.  But walk across the street and the taxis will take you anywhere without the extra tariff, saving you probably $50-100 over the course of the weekend (it adds up SO quickly!).

 

 

Basically, Bahrain is a lot like Thailand in that the whole system is designed to squeeze money out of tourists and desperate expat workers seeking relief from oppressive working conditions.  The taxi drivers will fuck you in the bad way if they can, so insist on the meter and know the tariffs for various services.

[Navychief(SS)]

I always stayed at the Radisson Diplomat hotel. Girl friendly and good service. For night time entertainment of the P4P variety. The place to go is Diggers bar located in the hotel Delmon.

[chinisloco]

I have stayed at the Ramee International before. It is a relatively nice hotel. I found the women in the pool hall on the second floor to be better looking than the ones found at Rocky's. I also been to Diggers, I can honestly say the girls at Rocky's and the pool hall to be a step above what I encountered in Diggers.