The nightlife scene in Bahrain

If you are an expat living in Bahrain, generally, to be able to survive in this small island, you would need a good small circle of friends to hang out with. Usually, when expats arrive on the island, the first thing to do in the night time would be lounging at bars and clubbings. The bars and clubs here can be categorized according to the type of crowd that usually goes there. Most of the upscale and middle range bars can be found in 5-star hotels, which by the way, you will be amazed by how many hotels there are in Bahrain considering how small the country is. When you ask any expats about where to go to for a nightlife, they would probably direct you towards Juffair which is very popular for clubs and bars, mainly because it is close to the American base. Juffair is always packed on weekends, so the area gets congested during the night time. Juffair is populated with 4-star hotels and most of them have their own clubs. I would say, the topmost commonly visited clubs or bars are (in random order of course) Apollo, The One, Cavallo, Dublin, Buffalo, and Coda which is a jazz bar; However, this can change at any given time as Bahrain expats can easily get bored and would want to change, one spot can be so popular today and tomorrow would be a history.  Another popular area to go to at night, even on weekdays is Adliya where you find middle and upscale restaurants, lounges and resto-bars. Some of the places that are well visited are (in random order) Lanterns, Meisei, Hazel, Torino, Upstairs and Downstairs, Camelot and so many more, believe me so many more, just heads up about the traffic though. If you plan to go to Adliya on weekends especially, I would suggest going at an earlier time like before 08:00 PM. Seef district is also a good area to visit if you want to get away from all the weekenders and familiar faces. Bushido is a very popular spot for a weekend nightlife, however, like anywhere else, it's either a hit or miss kind of night. They also organize events from time to time, one of the known events that they hold is the Fashion TV. You might want to check out the Ritz Carlton where you can find chic land upscale lounges and bars. Next to the Ritz Carlton is another luxury hotel, The Jumeirah Royal Saray where you can relax and have a drink at The Palm Lounge for a chill kind of night. There are other areas in Bahrain that you can explore like the Amwaj Island where you will also find good spots to spend your weekend. Bahrain is a very small country as I have mentioned earlier, so expect that in most places that you go to, you would at least find one familiar face, it's a good thing or it can be a bad thing also, but definitely, Bahrain is a great place for expats.

In addition, Bahrain is a very safe country, however, like anywhere you go, one should always have that safety precaution and mind your sobriety. In terms of clothing, some women here are covered and some wear their clothes with liberation but it is always important to consider the area that your planning to go to and dress accordingly. Bahrain has a very low crime rate and the locals are very friendly too but they only comprised a small percentage of the population. During weekends, you would find people visiting from Saudi (both expats and locals) and even Kuwait.  The accident rate is higher on weekends than weekdays I must say, so extra care and defensive driving is very much needed when you are out and about on weekends.

When you want to connect with expats upon your arrival, I would recommend InterNations as a social networking tool for you to get started with. They do hold events and has a good number of members with very diverse nationalities.