I’ve had my eye on the Bahrain Airport Hotel for ages, mostly because I like the idea of sleeping without leaving the terminal and also because I love judging airport hotels. So, on a recent two-day layover in Bahrain en route to India (yes, I take the scenic route), I finally gave it a proper test nap. Here’s the lowdown.
In This Post
Location: Airside Oasis
Finding the place is a piece of kunafa. After landing, just head back up to Departures. Don’t even look at immigration. Tell the airport police you’re booked at the Bahrain Airport Hotel, and they’ll wave you through like you’re some sort of transit VIP (minus the champagne).
The hotel is opposite gates 15A and 15B, right next to the Transfer Information desk. Depending on where your flight parks, you might have to trek a bit, but it’s impossible to miss once you spot it. Bonus: it’s slap-bang in the middle of where you’ll need to be anyway.
The Great Bag Mystery
So here’s the deal with your checked luggage: don’t worry about it. Seriously. Since you’re not technically “entering” Bahrain, your bags will go live their best life on the conveyor belt, then get rescued by Lost & Found. When you’re ready to collect them (i.e., when you emerge from your post-nap daze), head through immigration and pick them up downstairs. I didn’t even need my receipt, but take yours just in case Bahrain suddenly tightens the vibes.
Hotel Vibes: Tiny But Functional
If you’ve got a Priority Pass, you can snag a free room for three hours. Yes, three. Hours. You’ll barely have time to sleep off your plane face, but it’s better than trying to nap on a plastic chair with armrests of doom.
Rooms come in two varieties: pods and little cubicles. I had a cubicle, which was compact but had everything I needed for a quick kip. The major downside? The shower is literally in the toilet. Not next to it. Not near it. In it. A full-on shower-loo combo. Bold choice, Bahrain.
As for pod-dwellers I have no idea where they go to the loo. I assume there’s a communal bathroom somewhere, but I didn’t spot it. Maybe they just hold it in and dream of porcelain.
Spa Dreams Dashed
There is a spa in the lobby, or at least a door with “spa” written on it. Sadly, it was closed when I visited. I’m gutted because nothing says “airport luxury” like a lukewarm massage under fluorescent lighting. Perhaps next time.
Final Boarding Thoughts
Is what you get a bit pricey? Probably. But for an airport hotel, the Bahrain Airport Hotel is shockingly convenient, perfectly functional, and more comfortable than bench-hopping for six hours. It’s not the Ritz, but it doesn’t pretend to be. It’s there to keep you sane between flights, and it does the job.
Would I stay again? If I’ve got a layover in Bahrain and some extra air miles to burn, absolutely. But next time, I’m hunting down that spa.
