Flying business class with KLM roundtrip from Kuwait, I had the opportunity to spend a few days exploring Bahrain's capital, Manama last month. On the tail end of this trip, I flew out of Bahrain International Airport and had the chance to visit the airport's Dilmun Lounge. This will be a review of that experience.

Getting to the lounge is no problem at all with the small airport that is Bahrain International. On this trip, I was a business class passenger with KLM, which offers me access to this lounge. I would also have had access as an elite status member or through the use of my Priority Pass.

The lounge itself is located at an upper level just above a cafe and some gates.

Space and seating

For such a relatively small airport, I was impressed with the size of this lounge! There are multiple sections divided by walls that make it feel like the lounge space extends quite far - rounding each corner reveals a new and unexplored area.

The vibe - especially around midnight - is calm, despite the large number of passengers flowing through. This relaxed vibe can be attributed to the lounge's soft lighting and dark tones and decor.

Nearly all seats are relaxed lounge chairs with very few tables and chairs that would be better suited for upright dining.

Photo: Chris Loh/Simple Flying

The food

The food here was fantastic! Hot dishes included:

  • Beef strips in gravy
  • Ratatouille
  • Vegetarian Chow Mein
  • Roasted potatoes

But that's just where things begin. In fact, moving further down the line you'll find that there is also french onion soup, while further along, you'll see fingerfoods being kept warm. These include samosas, chicken nuggets, and the Levant snack known as kibbeh.

Dilmun Lounge's ratatouille. Photo: Chris Loh/Simple Flying
Finger foods. Photo: Chris Loh/Simple Flying

It gets even better. Turn around and you'll see the salad bar area. Here, in addition to cut up fruits and veggies, there's a great selection of salads and sandwiches as well as deli meats and a number of cheeses:

Dips, salads, meats and cheeses are all available here. Photo: Chris Loh/Simple Flying
A closer shot of the salad bar area. Photo: Chris Loh/Simple Flying
Photo: Chris Loh/Simple Flying
The food was fantastic here. Both the beef and ratatouille were tasty. I also quiet enjoyed the tabouleh. Photo: Chris Loh/Simple Flying

Finally for food, guests have a small selection of sweets available to them. This is mostly biscuits and cakes, as shown below.

Time for dessert. Photo: Chris Loh/Simple Flying

Drinks

The beverage selection is fairly standard as far as lounges go. Dilmun lounge has a number of coffee machines throughout the lounge as well as beers, spirits, wines, and sodas. Like other lounges I've experienced in the middle east, I was disappointed that the only water available came in single-use plastic bottles.

Dilmun Lounge. Photo: Chris Loh/Simple Flying

Unlike its middle eastern neighbors, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, Bahrain is not a dry country. Therefore, alcohol is available at its lounges. The selection of alcoholic beverages can be seen below:

The alcohol selection. Photo: Chris Loh/Simple Flying
This lounge seems to have the Coca-Cola company as its beverage supplier with Coke, Sprite, and Fanta available. Fosters and Budweiser are some of the beer brands available. Photo: Chris Loh/Simple Flying

Conclusion

With good WiFi, food, and comfortable seating, this lounge has everything needed to pass the time. In my opinion, the Dilmun Lounge really punches above its weight and offers a high-quality lounge experience even at a relatively smaller airport. As the home of Gulf Air, I can imagine the airline's Falcon Gold Lounge would be just as nice, or better!

Passengers transiting through the country looking for a lounge to spend their time won't be disappointed.

Have you been to Bahrain's airport yet? Let us know how your experience was by leaving a comment.