Index
Day 1 - LAX-DXB
Day 2 - DXB-KWI
Day 3 - Kuwait
Day 4 - Kuwait
Day 5 - KWI-BAH
Day 6 - Bahrain
Day 7 - Bahrain
Day 8 - BAH-DXB
Day 9 - Return
Middle East
15 hours 38 minutes in the air is still a long haul, especially in economy class. Pre-arrival meal was just as good looking as the first meal, but was a definite step down in quality. Arrival was as smooth as departure-- Emirates does a great job with 400+ people on a plane-- at least until it was time to change terminals. The buses from Terminal 3 to Terminal 2 don't run that often, and the ride takes forever. Those 3+ hour connection times recommended are not entirely off-base.
Being the low-cost carrier terminal, Terminal 2 is much more utilitarian than Terminal 3. It's still got enough style to be a step ahead of many terminals I've been in, although the selection in the food court was quite limited and McDonalds there managed to screw up my order for a spicy chicken sandwich.
The flight to Kuwait via flydubai was okay. Boarding was not so organized (why do so many airlines fail with boarding groups, despite claiming to have them?), the bus gates at Terminal 2 worked okay, but having to pay for IFE (in-flight entertainment) was a new experience even for as frequent a travel as I am (I declined). Food was tiny little sandwich, tiny dessert, and back to the old days of a tiny cup/box of pre-packaged water. So much plastic. At least the flight path went feet-dry relatively early and you got to see quite a bit of the Kuwaiti desert at night.
Arrival was smooth enough, the visa-on-arrival process was a tad confusing but not horribly so (they now take credit cards, and the ATM in the immigration office only dispenses KW 1.000 bills), and the airport seemed overall to be smaller than expected given it's the primary international airport for the country.
First exposure to Kuwait proper was interesting. Freeways clearly are based off more modern designs and layouts than most of the world-- perhaps one of the few benefits of the destruction wrought by the Gulf War more than thirty years ago-- but despite being a city of three million, the desert still felt very much present in much of the city. The St. Regis/Sheraton Kuwait City is a dual-branded property with an unusual 5*-rated Sheraton that's part of the Luxury Collection instead of being a regular Sheraton, and it has the old-era-luxury vibe to go with it. Got a complimentary upgrade to a one bedroom suite, which not only reinforced the rather dated furniture vibe but gave a second desk to do work, which was extremely useful give this was a working remotely trip and not a vacation.