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