As Hilton had that “Stay once to keep Diamond” promotion, I’ve chosen to the Hilton Bahrain hotel to start my trip. It is a very new hotel, charging just over £120 per night, and somehow is even cheaper than the Hilton Garden Inn. I spent 82,000 points on two award nights as I have nowhere to spend my Hilton points.
I received a welcome email one day before my arrival that offered me an airport transfer for 10 dinars. It isn’t much more expensive than Uber (~6 dinars) and I took it.
The friendly chauffeur was already waiting for me at the arrival hall when I landed, and it was smooth 10-minute drive to the hotel. The occupancy seems low – the receptionist lady addressed me with my name immediately when she saw me.
The hotel has 45 floors and features an executive lounge. However it is still under constructions and not many facilities are available yet. In fact when I did the online check-in the highest floor presented to me was like 33. This might explain when the hotel’s rate is so low.
Daily drinks vouchers are offered in lieu of the executive lounge.
Hilton Bahrain is more of a residence than a hotel, as all guest rooms are actually (at least studio) apartments that feature a proper kitchen and washing machine etc. I received an upgrade to a one-bedroom apartment on the 27th floor.
Living room:
The apartment is indeed very well furnished, with refrigerator, dishwasher, hobs, washing machine, plus cutlery and plates. There’s even a water dispenser, which I haven’t seen since my childhood in China!
Bedroom and bathroom:
The TV set doesn’t support Chromecast. I managed to connect to Smart View with my phone but it’s not as convenient.
It is not the average hotel room you see elsewhere. In fact it doesn’t feel like a hotel at all, but rather an apartment you rent on Airbnb.
Both the living room and bedroom have access to the balcony:
The view isn’t particularly scenery here. There are multiple construction sites next to the hotel which is an eyesore.
That says something about the hotel’s location. The zone is under heavy construction and not much is happening around here. I crossed a few construction sites to finally reach the park by the sea but it’s very underwhelming. The Grand Mosque is not too far away though.
My welcome gift: a fruit plate and baklava.
Breakfast is served in the restaurant on the third floor. It’s the classic English breakfast buffet and some local delicacy such as foul medames and egg shakshuka.
There’s Asian cuisine as well, but hmm very fused. I was reaching out to the spring rolls, but then was put off by its cheese stuffing.
Menu for eggs:
The swimming pool is just outside the restaurant.
It’s February and just over 20 degrees in Bahrain. The pool isn’t heated and a bit too cold.
The jacuzzi is broken and can’t be turned on for safety reasons. There is an indoor spa though that offer more facilities.
The sauna room is terribly flawed. I think they chose the wrong material for floor and bench, and you don’t want to stay in unless you are not afraid of being burnt!
Gym:
I had no problem getting 3pm late check-out before I moved to the Westin. The service at Hilton Bahrain is good, and the room / facilities are okay too, especially if plan to stay for more than just a few days. However, for a five-star hotel in the Middle East it doesn’t quite meet the standard, but hopefully thing will pick up once the construction has completed.
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