Gulf Hotel - Manama, Bahrain 

I recently stayed at the Gulf Hotel. It was perhaps my 10th stay at the hotel in the past several years. For my needs the hotel has virtually everything I want, and I rarely leave except to work during the day. On my recent trip I requested and was given a room in the renovated tower portion, rather than the new wing where they placed me the last time around. In my opinion the tower rooms have a sort of charm that the newer wing rooms lack. Plus the new wing rooms are above the Sherlock Holmes Pub and can get noisy at times. The room was beautiful and the bed was very comfortable. I ordered room service a few times and the prices were very reasonable, and the service prompt and efficient. My favorite restaurants are Sato and La Pergola, the latter being perhaps one of the finest Italian restaurants I've ever eaten in. I actually ate so much I couldn't even turn over that night in bed. I also ate in the Chinese restaurant and it was also okay. On recent trips I've also eaten in the Thai restaurant, but I feel that that restaurant isn't quite as good as the others. I spent quite a bit of time by the wonderful pool, which seems to be designed such that the umbrellas cover you all day long if you wish to stay under them, as I do. The pool staff are very fast at bringing drinks also. The only bad thing I can say about my stay is that the parking situation is currently terrible. They are doing construction next to the hotel and the Gulf Convention parking lot (where I normally park) is now separated from the main hotel parking lot by a large construction area. I had to drag my bags all the way through the swimming pool area, up the back stairs, and enter the hotel through the rear to get to reception. If I hadn't been familiar with the hotel and in very good shape it would have been a nightmare.

Its a nice hotel, but thats really all it was, nice. I wasnt in a new wing so maybe that has changed a lot. In the old wing where I was staying, rooms were pretty basic and the service wasnt great and I was annoyed that despite a pretty expensive room rate, breakfast was not included. The one great point of this hotel is the Sherlock Holmes pub, which is part of the complex - what a great pub! Pretty authentic (I am British!), with a snooker table and a good variety of pub drinks that you would get in the UK. An uninhibiting disco is also there most nights with dancing sheikhs often coming over the bridge from Dammam to enjoy the nightlife making it quite an attraction!