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
The taxi to the airport had artifical grass for a floormat, which seemed decidedly odd for a country that's a desert. However, the trip to the airport was efficient, the new terminal is quite nice, and the Al Mubarakiya Lounge wasn't bad. Having just eaten, both Sam and I skipped the food in the (modest) buffet. The Kuwait Airways flight to Bahrain was quick enough, and their Airbus A320 fleet felt pretty standard. The in-flight meal (eating while traveling is permitted during Ramadan) was a bit more substantial than on flydubai, with rather bready chicken (?) salad sandwich, some other stuff Sam couldn't eat, and a ton of plastic. Overall it did the job for such a short flight.
Arrival in Bahrain felt very western and urban compared to the more worn, in-the-desert feel of Kuwait. Like Kuwait the heart of the city isn't too far from the airport, and as soon as you get off the plane things immediately feel more modern-- not quite sure why the feel was so dramatically different given that KWI is also a pretty new airport. The highways out of BAH immediately felt urban, much more like Dubai than Kuwait, like humanity had beaten the desert into submission as opposed to the desert still reminding you of its presence.
Given the length of the stay in Bahrain, downgraded from a 5* hotel in Kuwait to a much more practical and spacious two bedroom apartment at the Marriott Executive Apartments in Manama. Not the most fashionable or the nicest place to stay, with this being a remote work trip, the extra space in a proper apartment (1377 square feet/128 square meters) was definitely nice to have for a few days. In-unit laundry, 2.5 bathrooms, and two different balconies to view the sunset were further nice touches, even if the rest of the decor was a little sparse.
Room service/delivery from the hotel restaurant, Crossroads, wasn't bad, although Sam's beef rib was kind of meh. Noticed while ordering that the shades weren't drawn and people were eating downstairs, so things definitely aren't as strict in Bahrain for Ramadan.
Dinner was a bit of a fail, went to the nearby 5* Gulf Hotel, where Sam and I found our planned restaurant (China Garden) closed. Sato, a Japanese restaurant, was open, so it being rather late and everyone being hungry, we went there. Food was a welcome break from constant Arabic and Indian food, although as far as Japanese food went, it was pretty undistinguished. Some sort of meatball starter was okay, it's hard to screw up miso soup, the salmon ponzu was pretty good, and the seafood salad was not only a generous portion but quite tasty. Popcorn shrimp was unfortunately a bit of a miss, and the assorted sushi, while ordinary/average enough, was let down by rice of unexpectedly poor quality (too heavy/dense).
The real surprise of the night was that they served pork (!), which Sam of course had to order. The pork yakitori and some sliced pork bits were both properly cooked but rather bland and under-seasoned, while the pork gyoza were overly deep-fried. Not quite sure how pork ended up on the menu, but for the price they charged it was hard to justify vs. the taste.