Today I will tell you about one of my favorite Arabic destinations. The Arab world is an interesting thing. But I don’t really like to go on vacation to Arab countries. The reason is well known: some restrictions associated with the cultural and religious traditions of these countries sometimes do not allow you to relax properly. However, there are places where you can relax and truly relax, no matter what. One of them is undoubtedly the Kingdom of Bahrain – a small, cozy country, one of the oldest in the Arab world (according to legend, Noah’s ark arrived to one of the Bahraini islands after the Flood).
It is best to fly here in winter, as in spring and summer there is unbearable heat. The main advantage of Bahrain is the spa. The hydrothermal garden is a huge spa complex with healing underground springs. He works at the Al Areen Palace & Spa hotel. A couple of years ago, this hotel was run by one of the best luxury hotel chains in the world, Banyan Tree, but then the contract between the hotel and the chain was unexpectedly terminated at the initiative of Banyan. The official reason was the discrepancy between the quality of the services provided by the hotel and the level of the network. However, I think that the reasons were more of an internal financial nature. In any case, having recently visited here, I did not notice any super-negative moments. Some complaints can, of course, be attributed to the behavior of the staff (not too helpful and efficient), but, unfortunately, we must admit that many other Arab hotels deserve the same complaints. Arrogance is just a national character trait, and there is nothing personal about it. Otherwise, the Al Areen Palace hotel deserves the highest praise: the level of privacy provided by the 22 royal villas with pools and jacuzzi pools (Royal Pool Villa) is something truly rare. From the bathroom of my villa you could go straight to the tropical garden (each villa has its own, separate), where orchids and bananas grew, and there, in the garden, take a shower. Each villa has its own living room and a huge dining room. Around the clock, each villa has its own butler, its own driver and its own chef, ready, it seems, to cook anything.
The hotel restaurants (there are three of them) can compete with the best restaurants in Europe (I especially liked the Saffron restaurant, which specializes in Thai cuisine). A small drawback, perhaps, is that the hotel does not have its own access to the sea, but Al-Jazayer beach is very close. In addition, after all, most likely you will enjoy first of all spa treatments here, which are so relaxing that it’s easy to forget about the sea.
However, if you really want the sea from Bahrain, then you have a direct road to the Ritz Carlton. Of the beach hotels in Bahrain, this is by far the best. I recommend renting one of the Beachfront Villas here, each of which also has its own butler and each of which, one might say, is a masterpiece in terms of interior solutions (furniture by Philippe Starck).
But let’s get back to Al Areen Palace & Spa, as I consider this hotel to be a more interesting phenomenon. The hotel’s spa is the largest in the entire Middle East. You come and you are immediately provided with a personal therapist, under whose guidance you will go through all the circles of this paradise. First – a series of special showers (from warm and even hot to icy and rainy, as if an imitation of all possible tropical states of nature). Then you can go to the “salt cave”, a kind of salt bath, which cleanses the respiratory tract and removes toxins. There are also special ice procedures here – you are placed in a particularly cold room and quickly rubbed with ice (very good for the skin). Then – steam procedures with fragrant herbs. And between hydrothermal treatments, you relax among tropical plants, enjoying the scents of flowers and the soothing sounds of fountains with your eyes closed. There are also branded scrub sessions and oil therapy, and a variety of flower baths. And all this, let’s not forget, in the most luxurious oriental scenery, such that any richest sheikh would envy …
Finally, a few words about the restaurants of Bahrain, which I can safely recommend. Firstly, this is a chain of authentic eateries Al Abraaj. Incredibly mouth-watering kebabs, fresh salads, shawarma and other oriental dishes are served here. And, secondly, the French restaurant Le Versailles, operating at the Regency Intercontinental hotel, here the main advantages can be called views and live music – however, the cuisine is not very bad either.
These are the main luxury attractions of the main city of the Kingdom of Bahrain – Manama. And about more popular ones – such as the Manama Gold Souk, the Lost Paradise of Dilmun water amusement park and the Al Arin National Park – my colleagues from other sites will tell you. Fortunately, information about the wonderful Bahrain on the network is now becoming more and more. And not in vain: after all, this is a really noteworthy place.
