Advice on odds & ends

Hi.

All your questions are covered in the forum. Most people rent or lease cars. HSBC is fine. I use Rapid telecom for internet as they fit a satellite dish to improve speed. As for doing things, there isn't much to do but lots of people in Riffa to make friends with

1. Cars: I chose to buy a brand new car instead of renting one. If you are thinking of staying in Bahrain for at least 2-3 years or staying in the Middle East for the foreseeable future, then buying is a better option. Of course buying a second hand car is financially better as the value will not decrease as much as a brand new car but then you are getting an old car. X5 is a great car!
2. If you have your CPR sorted, American Express Platinum Card gives you great advantages. And if you really are a spender, then they will invite you to a better card depending on your spending limits. Visit www.americanexpress.com.bh
3. For TV, get OSN, for Internet, get VIVA 4G or Zain 4G, for landline, I don't think you have any option other than Batelco but I may be wrong with that one. I don't think you need a landline anyway.
4. Shopping malls are a common attraction for families. Adliya has some great family friendly restaurants. Inside Bahrain City Centre Mall, you can visit Wahoo which is a massive indoor pool. It will be a good fun for the kids. Al Dar Island is also a great place to rent a chalet for the weekend and stay by the sea.

Let me know if you need any further information.

Thanks

Hi XTang. Welcome to Bahrain and to Riffa Views (RV).

I live in RV. I get my internet from Batelco. They have optical fibre connections in RV and speed is fairly good. The land line comes with the internet connection from Batelco. (Actually its the other way around, but my attitude towards it is mainly from disuse - my wife and I hardly ever use the landline) We got a separate satellite TV connection. Batelco does offer TV also as part of a package, but I find the flexibility of going with a separate provider better for me.

Loads of things to do - all depends on your likes and preferences. Plenty of restaurants everywhere. There are a few at the Riffa Palms just outside Riffa views, near the school.  Also a couple of restaurants at the golf club. A short drive away and you could get a range of dining options in Sanad and in Sofitel in Zallaq.

Cars - if you are planning to be in Bahrain for an extended period, I would recommend buying a vehicle. Otherwise, lease one. Most major dealerships have a used car section as well and you may be able to get a fairly good vehicle at a good discount.

Good luck with settling down. Give us a shout if you have any questions.

Thanks Farhaz, Jo & Brighton Guy; I found out about the fibre optic in RV too.  Apparently, it's much faster and less hassle than the 4G offered by other providers in this area and comes with a land line.

Few more generic questions followed by specific RV questions.

Generic:

1) What's the best mobile plan / provider you would recommend for someone who travels frequently (and needs to be on international roaming / sometimes data roaming)?
2) Which cinemas are less crowded re: parking on the weekend?  I tried Saar Cineplex which was fine in that aspect but seemed a bit shabby compared to cinemas I have experienced in Dubai.  Seef and BCC better?  Is Seef parking better than BCC on Friday?   what about Saturday for both?  assume that these would be more in line with Dubai cinemas considering decor / atmosphere?

RV (For Farhaz):

1) I assume gardeners can easily be hired from within the community?
2) Any good references (cheap) for locksmiths (need to change locks when I move in) and carpenters (hang paintings, shelf, install safe etc)?
3) What's the best and closest grocery shopping destination?  Alosra I assume?
4) Does the club house serve alcohol?  would be good, as I am within walking distance being in Lagoons
5) Do you guys face disturbances with the protests on the weekend?  I notice the name of Sitra come up quite frequently on the SSFC site.  What route do you take on the weekends to go into town in that situation?

Thanks

1) If you are going to do a lot of roaming (ie expect to spend at least 60 BD - more like 100 BD per month), then you should try Zain's signature package which is only given to their top customers and comes with 2 phones a year, special numbers and a number of free roaming minutes as well (no free roaming data).
2) Both malls (BCC and Seef) will be terribly busy over the weekend, however I find the parking easier on Bahrain City Center - if you go to the top floor (Floor 6) for parking or the basement floor - it will be almost impossible to park on all other floors over the weekend. Seef Mall also has it's own car park building but I have never parked in the building (have always been lucky enough to park around the mall - check the other side of the mall as well - not the front side only - there are parking areas there.

Thanks

Hi XTang - fellow RVian!

Glad to see that you are settling in well.

Here are responses to your RV specific questions:


1) Gardeners:
I use the services of a company that comes in once a week. They do the "heavy duty" stuff like weeding, pruning, lawn mowing, fertilizers, pesticides, irrigation system maintenance and plant up-keep and replacement. I also have a gardener who comes in daily for general up-keep, cleaning and watering. This guy takes care of the day-to-day chores leaving very little for me to do in the garden. I will be happy to introduce you to either/both of them.

2) Locksmith/Carpenter/General Help:
I can introduce you to a good locksmith who did some work at my place of work. His rates are reasonable. For all other services you have mentioned, I use Dalkia (one of the facilities management companies serving Riffa Views). I have a villa maintenance contract with them, and hence am able to call on their services when required.

3) Grocery/Shopping:
For our weekly groceries, supplies, toiletries, etc., we usually go to "LuLu" hypermarket in Riffa. There is also a "Geant" hypermarket in the same area. Both of these places are huge and between them serve almost all of our weekly supplies. Al Osra is indeed the closest. But their product range is not wide and rates are little on the high side. Al Osra is alright for picking up "those few things one forgets".

4) Club and Booze:
Yes the club does indeed serve alcohol. So if you are looking for some "spiritual upliftment" then you could head that way.

5) Disturbances:
There are a few disturbances in an around Sitra, Eker, Ma'ameer and Nuwaidrat. Whilst all of these areas are on the way, if you take the Sitra Causeway towards Riffa, these "disturbances" very rarely are any cause for concern. More often than not, you may just drive past them without even realizing something is going on.

I use the Sitra Causeway regularly to get home in the evenings and nights. Once (in the past 3 years) I had a mildly tearful drive - passed a stretch of road which had some tear gas in the air. There have been a couple of occasions when the police set-up checkpoints and were inspecting car by car - usually wave expats through.

I also use the Sh. Khalifa Highway daily, especially in the mornings on my way to work. Its the one from HM The King's Palace in Safriya all the way to Manama via Seef. Usually smooth drive other than if there is an accident or a tyre-burning ceremony.

The short answer is, there is nothing much to worry about. all routes are fairly safe.

Let me know if you have any more RV-related questions.

PS: there is also a nice little saloon at the Riffa Golf Club that I use.

Thanks Farhaz. Please send me the contacts of the gardener and locksmith.  Much appreciated.

XTang wrote:

Thanks Farhaz. Please send me the contacts of the gardener and locksmith.  Much appreciated.

Will send it by PM.

You can sign up to IFix for a small annual fee. They give you handyman services, locksmith services etc all included in the price. We use them all the time, they are great

IFix Website

Josnuggles wrote:

You can sign up to IFix for a small annual fee. They give you handyman services, locksmith services etc all included in the price. We use them all the time, they are great

IFix Website

An addendum to what Josnuggles recommended, I have seen iFix teams at Riffa Views as well. You could sign them up instead of Dalkia. Best wishes.

X5 is a great choice. Al Osra, Geant and Jawad at Sanad are good for expats. Batelco Broadband is the best, try to install it near your main TV If you want to subscribe with OSn. To make full benefit of their service you need to connect their receiver to the internet via ethernet cable.

Expert Bahraini wrote:

X5 is a great choice. Al Osra, Geant and Jawad at Sanad are good for expats. Batelco Broadband is the best, try to install it near your main TV If you want to subscribe with OSN. To make full benefit of their service you need to connect their receiver to the internet via ethernet cable.

I live in Riffa Views as well, and went through Batelco and the deal was very nice, and the speeds have been better than I expected.  I use a pre-pay Zain for my mobile and it is cheap and I've had no issue with decent service most places.

As for a car, I just bought one.  It is not anything great, 4 wheel drive and air conditioning were two things I wanted.  All in all rather cheap, when I ran the numbers it is much more cost effective for me to buy cheap than lease or rent.  However, I don't have a child to worry about.

For the big grocery trips I use the Lulu Hypermarket at Ramli Mall.  It is a bit farther, but I think it is worth it.

The only thing I need is a way to trim my grass in the back yard.  I don't need a gardener and I can't seem to find anything out and about, mower or trimmer. 

And you're right Farhaz, the club is a nice place to unwind for a bit after a long week! 

Hi relwell.
Glad to hear you are settling down well.

There is a Lulu hypermarket closer to Riffa Views than the one in Ramli Mall. Check out this Map: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Lu+Lu … 4133d52c5f

You should be able to pick up a nice trimmer/mower at "Manazel". Not too far away from where we live. They have a range of household stuff there. Map:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Manaz … 87b6d74c15

Good luck!