Luxury Two Day Guide to Bahrain

As I exited through airport arrivals and spotted my driver holding a card for the Ritz-Carlton Bahrain, I felt a wave of relief. I wasn’t sure what to expect from my short trip to Bahrain. Waiting in the immigration queue surrounded by men – of all races and ethnicity – my juxtaposition as a lone woman with blonde hair had been clear. I’d felt twinges of nerves, and when the immigration officer interrogated me with questions about why I was visiting Bahrain, they increased tenfold.

I internally questioned myself – why was I here? And then I looked behind me and saw two Omani men wearing their traditional Masar’s, and my nerves subsided. I had experienced the same thing when I first landed in Oman; the feeling of not belonging, the feeling that I was misplaced and somewhere where I shouldn’t be. And then I left the airport in Muscat and was welcomed with open arms and fell in love with the country and its people. The nerves turned to anticipation at the thought that maybe my experience of Bahrain would be the same.

Day 1

Check-in: Ritz-Carlton Bahrain

A Maserati Quattroporte whisked me to the Ritz-Carlton Bahrain, located in the main city of Manama, where I checked into my stunning Club Room. I dropped my bags and freshened up in the luxurious marble bathroom, and then headed back downstairs to the lobby where Visit Bahrain were to collect me for my half-day desert tour.

The country’s tourist board offer both full-day and half-day tours, and I was lucky to discover when I hopped aboard the little red minibus, that there were just two other people on my tour. I had booked the tour online a month in advance as I was in Bahrain for such a short amount of time, and didn’t want to miss out on seeing the things I was most interested to see.

Camel Farm

Our first stop was the Camel Farm, after all – despite camels not being native to Bahrain due to it being an island – you can’t visit the Middle East and not see a camel. We were able to get up close to the camels and give them a stroke. They were very friendly and it was magical being able to be so close to them – their eyes were like deep inky saucers shielded by the most unbelievably long lashes. Most of them were laying lazily in the sunshine with the most comical looks on their faces, whilst a baby one stood up and gently nuzzled his nose against my face.

Bahrain International Circuit

I was sad to leave the camels behind, but the next stop on our little tour was the International Circuit, where the Bahrain Grand Prix is held. Our tour guide was informative and she provided us with a plethora of fascinating titbits and facts. For example, the first corner of the circuit is notorious for being incredibly difficult and it’s where the majority of crashes happen!

The circuit also posed a very unique problem – due to the circuit being positioned in the middle of a desert, there were initially issues with the sand blowing onto the circuit. Thankfully however, the organizers were able to spray a special coating over the track and surrounding sand to prevent the issue.

Bahrain Oil Fields and First Oil Well

After a quick stop at the International Circuit shop, we then climbed back into the luxury air-conditioned vehicle and travelled deeper into the desert to the oil fields. I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect as I had never seen an oil field before, but it was exactly what they look like in the movies: a dystopian-esque desert landscape with gigantic steel structures emerging from the sand, bright orange flares of fire billowing from the top of metal poles I do not know the names of, and huge robotic arms drilling and extracting the oil from the ground. I stared in awe as we passed through the fields, unable to comprehend the true magnitude and scale of oil beneath us.

We arrived at the First Oil Well, which first started spurting oil in 1932. Bahrain was the first place on the Arabian side of the Persian Gulf to discover oil, and now approximately 80% of the island of Bahrain is used for oil drilling. Sat beside the First Oil Well is the small BAPCO Dar Al Naft Oil Museum which is sadly only open to the public on Fridays, but I’ve been told is well worth a visit if you’re able to visit.

Tree of Life

Onward we traveled to the Tree of Life, a magnificent Prosopis juliflora tree that is estimated to be over 400 years old that sits alone in the middle of the barren Arabian desert, awaiting its daily visitors who pour water over its trunk and give it a pat, in the hope it will allow them to return to Bahrain someday. Although a native tree of North America, many believe that a traveler from the local village traveled to America in the 1500s and brought back a seedling or cutting, planted it in the centre of his village, and it grew into the tree it is today while the village itself no longer exists (pottery dating back 500 years has been found in the ground around the tree).

It’s a magical sight to see; this lone tree standing proud defying all odds and thriving with no known water source. There are multiple theories as to how it has stayed alive all these centuries: firstly its roots are around 50 metres deep, which may be deep enough to reach some sort of water source; secondly there is a theory that it is located in what was once the Garden of Eden, and that it has some sort of mystical water source; thirdly, many locals believe it is protected by Enki, the God of water. However it gets its water, it’s an unmissable site and a must-do while you’re in Bahrain.

A’ali Pottery Village

Our final stop on the Visit Bahrain Desert Tour was the A’ali village, a place just as famous for burial mounds as it is pottery. Here you can watch them make the pottery by hand, and choose a piece to take home with you for a very reasonable price.

Dine at Cantina Kahlo

When I arrived back from my adventure I was ravenous, so freshened up and head down to Cantina Kahlo – Ritz-Carlton Bahrain’s Mexican restaurant – and I recommend you do the same. Divine guacamole and the most moreish ceviches will encourage you to work your way through the extensive menu until you’re full to bursting.

Day 2

Relax by the Pool and Beach

After the whirlwind tour of Bahrain the previous day, spend the morning relaxing by the Ritz-Carlton’s multiple swimming pools and their private beach, floating in the shallows of the balmy ocean. The staff at Ritz-Carlton even bring you a little bucket with bottled water, and there are also multiple sunscreens for you to choose from to keep your skin protected from the harsh Arabian sunshine.

Visit the Spa at Ritz-Carlton

A visit to the Ritz-Carlton Bahrain’s spa is a must. Soaking in the hydrotherapy and thalassotherapy pools are the perfect way to unwind before a relaxing massage – I chose the hot stone massage and it was pure bliss.

Late lunch at La Plage

La Plage is the hotel’s stunning restaurant overlooking the Gulf, offering Arabian and Mediterranean light meals. The views over the Ritz-Carlton’s beach and the ocean combined with the blue and whites of the restaurant make for a tranquil and enjoyable pre-flight meal.

Visit Bahrain Fort at Sunset

A visit to Manama is not complete without seeing the Bahrain Fort – preferably at sunset. The majestic fort stands stark against the backdrop of the modern city; the high-rise skyline sitting in it’s rightful place behind the awe-inspiring UNESCO World Heritage Site believed to have been the capital of the ancient Dilmun Empire thousands of years before Christ was even born. The fort itself was built on the site by the Portugese in the 16th Century, and it truly is an incredibly humbling experience to wander the ruins and towers of the fort and think about how humans have continually inhabited this exact location for over five thousand years. Visiting Bahrain Fort at sunset is the perfect end to a culturally rich and relaxing short-break!