“Talk about a pool with a view!” Visit Bahrain
A new hotel in the ongoing Bahrain Bay area development, the Wyndham Grand Manama is an iconic building with a unique twisted design that offers stunning panoramic views across the skyline from both its rooftop infinity pool and guests rooms. This five-star property opened in late 2017 yet seven months later guests are still being informed at check-in that the hotel is in a soft opening phase. Well located for both business and leisure guests, the hotel is within easy reach of nearby malls like City Centre Bahrain and The Avenues as well as the more traditional Bab el-Bahrain Souk and the downtown financial area.
The vertical hotel has two outdoor pools, an adult-only infinity pool (although there were families using it when we were there) and a large family pool positioned on the opposite side of the terrace. Both pools offers views of the Arabian Gulf and the Manama skyline that’s dominated by the sail shaped twin towers of the Bahrain World Trade Centre (BWTC) with its three distinctive central skybridges that each have a wind turbine to generate power. There’s a third indoor pool (we didn’t see it), sauna, separate male and female health club facilities and colourful children’s play area. The hotel has a upscale Six Senses Spa which is unfortunately not yet operational (due to open in the first quarter of 2019). Free and fast wifi is available throughout the property.
There are two hundred and sixty-three rooms and suites with floor-to-ceiling windows that offer spectacular views of the water and cityscape. Our spacious room benefitted from a contemporary design, the latest technology and a palette of blue and gold offset by on-trend rose gold lighting. An enormous, comfortable bed with an abundance of pillows and cushions in all shapes and sizes dominated the room flanked by huge flat-screen TV. The large modern bathroom featured dual sinks with complimentary, a separate toilet cubicle and a glass wet room with bath and large walk-in shower. In additional there’s an open-fronted wardrobe, business desk, lounge area as well as tea and coffee making facilities.
The hotel has three restaurants and cafés open to date that we, due to staying on a room basis, didn’t try on this occasion. The all-day dining restaurant, Atmosphere offers authentic Bahrani and international cuisine for breakfast, lunch and dinner with live cooking stations and dining with a view. The open plan modern Durrah Lounge, located in the lobby, offers a range of snacks, lite bites and beverages while the Pool Lounge offers snacks and drinks poolside. Twenty-four hour room service is also available. The Wyndham Grand Manama is the only 5-star alcohol free hotel in Manama
Known as the ‘Pearl of the Gulf’, the Kingdom of Bahrain offers visitors a taste of culture alongside modern shopping malls and plenty of independent dining options in nearby Adliya. As already mentioned both the City Centre Bahrain and The Avenues offer visitors a huge choice of shops, cafes and restaurants for all tastes and budgets. City Centre also has a cinema, bowling alley and Wahooo!, a indoor/outdoor waterpark. The Avenues is a new, single level indoor (but it feels outdoor) waterfront retail development offering lots of dining options and plenty of parking. Check out Moda Mall located in BWTC for designer brands and visit Bab el-Bahrain Souk (marketplace) for a more traditional experience and authentic Middle Eastern souvenirs such as lanterns, spices, rugs and even a made to measure suit.
Adliya is in my opinion is a must visit; during the day enjoy the street art, art galleries and relax with a coffee and then return at night to check out all the different restaurants and bars. My personal favourites are Calexico for a more casual but tasty Mexican meal and drinks (live music upstairs too) and The Foundry in Block 338 for high-end dining and cocktails.
The Wyndham Grand Manama is a pleasant and comfortable place to stay with a good location in Bahrain Bay, the infinity pool is it’s finest feature and I would recommend watching the sunset there. Teething problems aside, like the wrongly programmed lifts and surrounding construction, once it’s fully operational with everything open including the prestigious Six Senses Spa, it will be an even better place to visit and I would definitely return.
The Nitty Gritty
Wyndham Grand Manama, Bahrain Bay, Manama, Bahrain
Telephone: +973 17 116 116
Email: bahrain@wyndham.com
Website: www.wyndhamgrandmanama.com
Check-in: 3:00pm
Check-out: 12 noon
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The Good……..
Rooftop adult-only infinity pool
Spacious and luxury accommodation
Comfortable beds
Free and fast wifi
The Not so Good…..
Still in soft openings phase after seven months
Lifts programmed incorrectly
Late check-out is only until 1:00pm
Read more about Bahrain in previous posts HERE.
The views in this post are all my own based on my experience. Unless otherwise stated all photos © Jo Brett 2018. All rights reserved. Additional photos used with courtesy of www.wyndhamgrandmanama.com
We travelled to Bahrain from Abu Dhabi with Gulf Air and booked the hotel using Booking.com