New to Bahrain

Hi Claire,

Welcome to Expat.com and thank you for your introduction

Concerning your accommodation request, the Flats for rent in Bahrain section is at your disposal, you may have a look at it and drop your request there as well.

Thank you,

Priscilla
Expat.com team

Hi

You haven't said which part of Bahrain you live in. Saar is good and so is Adliya and Juffair if you can handle the weekend Saudi rush which can be noisy to say the least.

Car hire - there are lots, flat rental the same - PM me for more details as people I know in the business don't want their numbers posted on web pages (makes no sense to me)

We have been looking at apartments all day and I think we have found one we like although I can't remember the area. Al something.

Our next hurdle is a car rental. Please message me if you can be of assistance. We can rent or buy. Whatever proves easiest and cost effective.

Hi there Claire and welcome to Bahrain and to the Forum.
Glad to note you have already selected an apartment. Trust you selected a convenient area to live in.

Regarding cars - the big question is whether to rent or buy. We had a recent discussion about this. Perhaps you may wish to read that discussion: https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=336633

You will be able to watch the football in some expat clubs, such as the British Club, Rugby Club and the like. You could also watch them at sports bars that operate in some hotels. If you let us know where you are living we may be able to suggest venues. Have a great time!

Hello there and welcome to the forum.

Although it may sound easy to go with an estate agent to find a flat - in many cases I wouldn't recommend that - especially you are looking to live in a flat. The reasons are:
- You can enter into almost any building in Bahrain and ask at the reception to see if they have any free flats. The watchman will happily show you the available flats.
- If you go with an estate agent, they get a commission. Even though they don't get this commission from you, your chances of negotiating are much less compared to doing it on your own.
- You can visit www.bahrainpropertyworld.com to get some rough understanding of flat rental prices in different areas in Bahrain.
- I wouldn't recommend Saar if you are not commuting to Saudi. However, if your husband is going to do a daily commute, then Saar is recommended. Just make sure you don't live in certain parts of Saar where regular protests occur.
- Going to Saudi Causeway is much easier via Seef compared to Juffair or Adliya. Seef is practically on the highway leading to the causeway.

Let us know if you need any further help using the forum so others can benefit from your learnings.

Good luck.

Thank you for your replies.

We moved into a new apartment yesterday which is close to Adliya but I believe its actually in Mahooz.
We did use an agent for ease and convenience. She picked us up from our hotel and drove us around all day and still bargained to get us a cheaper rent so we were quite happy with this service.

Our next hurdle will be getting a driving license and renting a car which we will tackle after getting a bit more advice from you kind people

If you have a British driving license, you should be able to get a Bahrain license fairly quickly - in a few hours in fact. Its a simple conversion process.

And since you are in Mahooz, the British Club in Adliya will be a good place to catch up with fellow expats and watch some football.

Thanks for your reply Farhaz.
Where do we actually go to get driving license converted?

You need to go to Traffic Directorate in Isa Town to convert your license.

Smooch303 wrote:

Thanks for your reply Farhaz.
Where do we actually go to get driving license converted?

brightonguy wrote:

You need to go to Traffic Directorate in Isa Town to convert your license.

You will need to have your CPR card (the local identity card) and photographs. Ensure your employers have sorted out your CPR card before you go to the Traffic Directorate to get your driving license.

If you have a British license and willing to rent a car, 9/10 it's fine to drive with it without having to convert it to a Bahraini one. So don't rush for it.