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First of all... Bahrain Confidential’s March issue is special as we celebrate not only the International Women’s Day but also Mother’s Day. Here, you can find special features and interviews that will keep you company while we’re all social distancing.
P.S. Don’t forget to wear your masks and follow precautionary measures! Let’s all stay safe!
Stay safe!
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ArabianMagazines.com Established since 2001, Bahrain Confidential is a Bahrain-based monthly publication available both in print and online editions. It is the definitive guide to high-end Arabian luxury and lifestyle. It covers the best in lifestyle, luxury, fashion and dining, as well as local events, art, society, fashion, beauty and travel. The monthly print edition of Bahrain Confidential is distributed to Bahrain’s highest spending consumers and decision makers.
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MARCH 2021 Issue 217
14 10 #MumsofBC: In collaboration with Batelco
Where to buy flowers
Contents
Mother’s Day Guide
10
Where to buy flowers
14
Where to buy cakes
18
Handmade gifts
20
Local brand gifts
24
Where to buy plants
26
Where to adopt pets
28
#MumsofBC photo contest
Features and Interviews
34
Bahrain Airport’s New Terminal
36
Welcoming Hilton to Bahrain
40
The Future of Healthcare
46
Things to do at The Royal Golf Club
14
20
Meal Boxes Starting from BD5 net
ArAbic box indiAn biryAni box
AsiAn box indiAn box
HeAltHy box Kids’ box
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H A P P Y
Mother's Day
Feature
Mother's Day Guide
10
Flower Shops to Order From Mother's Day is only a few days away and a bouquet of fresh blooms is sure-fire and timetested gift that's sure to please any mom. Check out the list below for a list of flower shops and services that offer Mother's Day services.
Floward
Singapore Flower
Contact details: floward.com
Contact details: shop.singaporeflw.com
Floward is an online store delivering beautiful floral arrangements, curated gift packages and more! Floward also offer cakes, chocolate and perfumes curated by the most exciting local designers.
Singapore Flower is a floral design shop with a strong focus on fresh, seasonal flowers. They are famous for their interesting arrangements and have a reputation for wild and beautiful designs that feature unique blooms!
10 Bahrain Confidential March 2021
Feature
Alia Flowers
Fleur
Contact details: aliaflowers.com
Contact details: bleems.com/bh/shop/fleurbahrain
Alia Flowers is the biggest and most established florist in Bahrain. They are offering bright, bold and beautiful flowers or plants that are sourced locally and internationally.
Fleur is dedicated to making every moment special and memorable by offering a wide array of beautiful blooms and more.
La Marquise
Lalabella
Contact details: 7710 3444
Contact details: lalabellabh.com
La Marquise Chocolates and Floral art was established in 2002. The shop imports chocolates and fresh flowers which are very unique in color and quality.
Lalabella specializes in bespoke floral arrangements, seasonal gift items, giveaways and high quality chocolates.
Bahrain Confidential March 2021 11
Feature
Ivy
Maison des Fleurs
Contact details: ivybahrain.com
Contact details: maisondesfleursbh.com
Located in Riffa, Ivy offers flower as well as chocolate arrangements.
Maison Des Fleur offers a full scale of floral design services. They also have mood boards, giveaway items and custom boxes.
Vase
Kaia
Contact details: ??
Contact details: kaiabh.com
Vase is a floral and plant concept store located in Riffa.
kåia is a concept store in Bahrain comprising of a florist and home décor, as well as a mini-boutique retailing luxury linen robes, maternity and children-wear, first opening its doors in late 2018.
12 Bahrain Confidential March 2021
knowledge is power
Gulf Insider is the first and currently the only Bahrain based business magazine that has strong online presence in terms of website and social media.
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458,059 17k
13Million+ Page Views
Up to September 2020
Numbers matter. 1 million views every month, and still going strong! Your business deserves to be here.
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Feature
Mother's Day Guide
10
Shops for Mother’s Day Cakes Why should you order cake for Mother’s Day? Simple – it's sweet and it can make any meal feel like a celebration! If you're still looking for a cake to add to your spread, we've listed down shops that are accepting orders for cakes and can deliver these sweet treats while we’re social distancing.
Al Manar
Café Chantilly and Patisserie
Al Manar is a local bakery selling a wide array of sweet sand savory pastries, finger foods and more. They also customize cakes based on your preferences which makes them a great option this season.
Chantilly is a French café and patisserie located in Saar. They also make beautiful customized cakes that will suit any celebrations you may have.
14 Bahrain Confidential March 2021
Feature
Le Chocolat
Lilou Artisan Patisserie
Le Chocolat has a wide selection of cakes that come in a vast range of colors, flavors and sizes. This Mother’s Day, you can order and select from their designs or you can also opt to have it customized.
For those who just want to pick up an elegant birthday cake or a selection of coffee sweets, Lilou Artisan Patisserie is a great place to start with.
Baked by Khadija
Alosra
Baked by Khadija is a passion project turned into business by Khadija Jumawan. This shop specializes in minimalist and artsy cakes that also come in bento sizes. You can have it customized to your liking which makes it a perfect personalized gift for anyone.
Alosra has ready-made cakes and pastries that are super convenient when you’re a busy bee. From time to time, they also feature baked goodies from local shops which is a great way to explore new flavors.
Bahrain Confidential March 2021 15
Feature
Cake Boutique
Saadedin
Cake Boutique offers tailor-made cakes designed to suit any occasion, no matter how lavish or simple.
Launched in 1976, Saadeddin Pastry has been one of the go-to places for Arabic sweets, pastries and more. They have a variety of delicious cakes that prove to be a bang for the buck!
Paris Dream Cake
Tariq Pastries
Paris Dream Cake offers a variety of deliciously-made cakes that are also packed with fresh flavors.
Tariq Pastries is the first Oriental sweet maker in Bahrain, opening its doors in 1982. For almost 40 years, they have been preparing all-natural and freshly baked pastries daily. Their cakes a pretty cheap but that doesn’t mean their scrimping on quality!
16 Bahrain Confidential March 2021
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Feature
Mother's Day Guide
5
Thoughtful and Handmade Mother’s Day Gifts If you’re looking for something heartfelt to gift your mom on her special day, we’ve got you covered. Here are five shops in Bahrain offering unique handmade items!
V DESIGNS @v.designs.bh V DESIGNS is a Bahrain-based brand inspired by nature. The brand features a modern minimalist approach to traditional craftsmanship while working hand-in-hand with local artisans. Here, you can find home ware pieces that are both aesthetically pleasing and sustainable!
18 Bahrain Confidential March 2021
Feature
Basics by Nature
Natural Spells
@basicsbynature
@natural__spells
Basics by Nature is a sustainable lifestyle brand established in 2016. It was created by Russian designer, Dinara Juju, whose background in clothing design allowed her to see the potential for minimalist and natural collections in the region. The brand uses eco-friendly materials to create their handmade garments.
Natural Spells is a brand offering homemade, cruelty free and vegan bath bombs. Each bath bomb is made with skin safe oils and natural ingredients, according to its owner Tess. What are you waiting for? Give your mom the gift of relaxation with these bath treats!
Adaliah
Heaven Sent
@adaliah.bh
@heavensent.bh
Adaliah creates “minimal art style statement jewelry” that are handmade from air dry clay. According to the start up, their earrings are light as air and are comfortable to wear – perfect for the on-the-go mum!
Heaven Sent is a Bahrain-based lip gloss brand founded last year. They are offering glosses that are vegan, cruelty free and made with ethically sourced pigments. If you’re planning to gift cosmetics during Mother’s Day, why not choose something locally made?
Bahrain Confidential March 2021 19
Feature
Mother's Day Guide
5
Bahrain Brands for Mother’s Day Gifting
Affinity by Batool Affinity by Batool was born out of passion for selective fashion wear. A Bahraini entrepreneur, Batool Dadabhai has made her dream in the world of fashion into a luxury boutique for creative attire using fine fabrics. The boutique has a collection of ethnic as well as fusion outfits to suit everyone's taste and preferences. At Affinity by Batool, they customise each piece as per the personal preference for their customers.
20 Bahrain Confidential March 2021
Feature
Amal Al Mulla Amal Al Mulla is a women’s Ready-to-Wear label that focuses on modern femininity. Designed with a timeless and versatile approach in mind, the collections portray the designer’s aesthetic of consistency in contrast leading the pieces to definitive silhouettes that evolve within opposing elements that attract. Deeply inspired by the earth, nature and art, the pieces embody a foundation of beauty, ease and functionality forming subtle and refined creations that suit the modern women of today.
Annada Annada is a local brand offering a range of designer items including scarves, accessories, stationary as well as home and lifestyle pieces. The brand brings art to life through each of their creative collections.
Bahrain Confidential March 2021 21
Feature
Trü Active Tru Active is one of Bahrain’s leading activewear brands featuring must-have essentials for your workout wardrobe. It was founded by two Bahraini sisters, Dana and Hala Zubari. The brand was inspired by combining Dana’s passion for sport, Hala’s background in fashion and their father Khalid's hand in Arabic calligraphy – to create the beautiful unique pieces you see today.
TinyOm TinyOm is a jewellery and lifestyle brand by Virginie Dreyer. Named after the ‘Om mantra’, the brand aims to create pieces with symbolic value and meaning. TinyOm creations, available in 18-carat rose or white gold, are handcrafted in the workshops of the Al Zain jewellery house of Bahrain. Founded in 1930, Al Zain is one of the oldest and most respected jewellers in the Middle East. tinyOm is based in Bahrain.
22 Bahrain Confidential March 2021
live quiz contest march 21, 8pm Gulf insider’s Facebook page
win an apple watch from batelco
Feature
Mother's Day Guide
Green Thumb Mum Remember when orange became the new black? How’s this: plant is the new bake. Same – but Covid. These days, it seems that a lot of us (mums included) are migrating from baking delicious banana breads in the kitchen to growing colorful plants in the living room or backyard. Here are 5 places to buy plants for all you mums who have been ‘growing and cultivating’ this new skill.
AlArayedh Garden AlArayedh Garden is a great place to pick out your first miniature garden items! Miniature gardening and Fairy Gardens are the perfect way for mums and little ones to bond over imagination. Let all those creative juices flow! They are enchanting and pretty darn cute!
24 Bahrain Confidential March 2021
Feature Hejair Garden & Landscaping Hejair Garden & Landscaping specializes in stone seedling to coordinate gardens and terrariums. They provide both indoor and outdoor plants. They also specialize in waterfalls and fountains as well as garden maintenance. You can contact them through their Instagram accounts @hejairgarden and @hejairgarden2.
Hanging Garden Hanging Garden is a fun place to take the kids plant shopping! Not only does it offer a variety of beautiful flowers and plants, but you can also pick your own strawberries that are ‘hanging around’ the garden while you’re at it. You can find their location on their Instagram account. n
Yoni Agricultural Nursery
Future Gardens
Yoni Agricultural Nursery have a variety of colorful plants and flowers from petunias to marigold for as low as 100 fils a piece! They are located in Diraz and Dumistan and can be contacted through Instagram.
Future Gardens provide indoor and outdoor plants of different sizes, as well as garden maintenance materials. They are located outside Ramli Mall in A’ali and can be contacted through their Instagram account.
(Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/ Bt0K051ADC1/)
Bahrain Confidential March 2021 25
Feature
Mother's Day Guide
Adopt, don’t shop (for mums who are animal lovers)
W
e all love our furry friends. However, a lot of sweet furries are left on the streets, with no place to call home and no one to call family. We’re sure that with mums, it just comes naturally to want to nurture and provide care. That’s why we’re glad that there are other loving souls out there who feel the exact same way towards animals!
26 Bahrain Confidential March 2021
Feature
Here are 5 pet adoption and rescue pages you can get in contact with to help our furry friends by donating or adopting and making them a part of your lovely family!
Bahrain Pets Adoption Page Bahrain Pets Adoption Page has one goal – to help pets find their furever loving homes. They also aid in animal rescue. You can contact them through direct message on their Instagram page.
Bahrain Animal Rescue Center (BARC) Bahrain Animal Rescue Center (BARC) – genius, right? BARC is continuing the legacy of Tony ‘Dogfather’ Waters, the founder, whose passion was caring for animals and finding them a foster or forever home. They still accept donations on their website www.tonydofgather.com/ donate. You can get in touch with them through their Instagram account.
Bahrain Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BSPCA) We’re sure you know this one. The Bahrain Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BSPCA) is run by a group of volunteers and animal lovers who are dedicated to the welfare of animals. You can reach them through their Instagram account or their website www. bspca.org for volunteering at the shelter, missing pets, donations, and adoptions.
Bahrain Pets
We’re sure that with mums, it just comes naturally to want to nurture and provide care.
Think of Bahrain Pets as a Pet-Human matchmaker through pet adoption counselor, Nala Alkhamiri, who you could contact through their Instagram page. They will help you find your purrfect match!
Bahrain Rescues Bahrain Rescues take in animals in need, clean them, and provide them with the veterinary attention and care they need. They have a separate adoption account, @bahrain_rescues_adoption, where you can inquire about adopting one of these rescued babies. n
Bahrain Confidential March 2021 27
Feature
#MumsofBC In collaboration with Batelco, we launched a special competition for Mother’s Day.
J
ust recently, Bahrain Confidential launched a Mother’s Day contest in collaboration with Batelco. The contest aims to celebrate the #MumsofBC – interested participants posted a photo with their mother and shared why she is the best. Here are some of our favorite entries…
28 Bahrain Confidential March 2021
Feature
yes
Chloe Re
Angela
Angelo
Vinita
nta
Jas Dimala John Recto
Liz Sinfueg
o Endaya
ya
Paul Enda
Xena Khan
al
dro
rgas Tala
Erica Va
Steff Any Bahrain Confidential March 2021 29
Feature
@_ayna
mocca
nee
@_.just_re
@aia_noor
@batul._
er
etraf
@ant
demy
akeupaca
@britishm 30 Bahrain Confidential March 2021
Feature
4
quinto102
@carmelo
@crazy_
pal02
.p
@charubij
lani
rainmua
@cmbbah
@disha.d
@erica_chefartist Bahrain Confidential March 2021 31
Feature
@karen
nnnina
a
@filiparoch
@foodiee.bh
@namiro_natur
elover
war
tiesh
@jyo
el
@leonsalin 32 Bahrain Confidential March 2021
Feature
.nose
@popcorn
@trubn
i
@ravening
_stories
@thirskov
echarm
@spillth
@vibin.hari Bahrain Confidential March 2021 33
Feature
Elevating Aviation Bahrain Confidential gets a first look into Bahrain’s new airport terminal!
J
ust recently, Gulf Air and Bahrain Airport Company (BAC) invited us for a tour around Bahrain International Airport’s brand new terminal. The new terminal began its operations on the 28th of January, a date that marked a new era for Bahrain’s aviation sector.
Four times larger than the old airport terminal, the new building has capacity to handle up to 14 million passengers per year. It is the largest green building in Bahrain and is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold-certified. It has also been designed with the latest technology to offer travellers an efficient journey through the airport.
34 Bahrain Confidential March 2021
Feature It has 104 check-in counters, 36 passport control offices, e-gates for departures and arrivals. The Duty-Free Area at the new terminal is three times larger than that of the current airport, offering 30 leading brands in Bahrain for the first time. The new terminal also features the Bahrain Airport Hotel & Spa, which will offer transit passengers a variety of accommodation types and facilities. Other passenger services include an airport clinic, and two lounges –the Gulf Air Falcon Gold Lounge and the Pearl Lounge. There are also interactive toys, gaming consoles and climbing domes!
It has 104 check-in counters, 36 passport control offices, e-gates for departures and arrivals.
With its much larger space, the terminal offers an elevated shopping experience as well as improved amenities for passengers. An example of this is the Souq Al Qaisariya that highlights a broad selection of local products, food and beverage outlets, Bahraini jewelry, an art gallery, and a theatre. The terminal has dedicated spaces that represent the culture of Bahrain. Art installations, local artworks and cultural items depict the country’s heritage and closely knit societal fabric. n
Bahrain Confidential March 2021 35
Feature
Bahrain Confidential interviews Jochem-Jan Sleiffer, the President of Middle East, Africa & Turkey for Hilton.
Welcoming Hilton to Bahrain 36 Bahrain Confidential March 2021
Feature
T
ell us about your career journey to become Hilton’s President in the Middle East, Africa & Turkey region? When I was about seven, we stayed in a hotel and I remember writing an essay about what I wanted to become. In the essay, I said I will go to a Swiss hotel school, buy a hotel, chefs, maids and ask my friends to spend the weekend. I was very young but I knew that I wanted to work in hotels. At 15, I was washing dishes at a local restaurant. I didn’t get accepted in a hotel school so I went to study facility management and did my internship at Hilton in 1989.
When I started in 2020, we had a difficult start with the handover and the Covid-19 pandemic. The rest was history. When I started at Hilton, I only worked eight months where I’m from and moved to Brussels where I had different operational jobs. I moved as a general manager in Athens for four years and soon in London for three different properties. After a while, I became the regional manager for France. I then got my first vice-president operations job for Central Europe which was 21 hotels at the time. In four years, I was running
Conrad Residences Bahrain Financial Harbour
Eastern and Western Europe which was around 120 hotels. I moved to Dubai in the 1st of January last year and started running 167 hotels in the Middle East, Africa and Turkey. When I started in 2020, we had a difficult start with the handover and the Covid-19 pandemic. The rest was history. Why are you bringing the Conrad brand to Bahrain and not Hilton Hotels & Resorts? We needed to have hotels here because we had none. It was sort of an empty spot in our map. Typically, when we develop hotels we're a bit dependent on the owners. When the owners build a hotel and we see which brand best fits it. Ideally, I think the city would like at least one of all of our brands here. We’re bringing three brands to Bahrain. The first one that’s going to open is the Hilton Garden Inn Bahrain Bay in Q2 this year. It is situated next to the Avenues Mall, making it the ideal location for a business trip or weekend shopping break and each of its 192 rooms will enjoy unspoiled views over the bay. Hilton Garden Inn is a midscale brand which has helped open up that segment of the market in other parts of the region (such as Dubai and Saudi Arabia) and we are confident it will be a success here too. The next one is the Hilton Bahrain Juffair with 350 rooms – from studios to three-bedroom apartments. Meanwhile, the Conrad in Bahrain will be the first Conrad Residence in the Middle East. It will have 98 luxury apartments.
Bahrain Confidential March 2021 37
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38 Bahrain Confidential March 2021
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How big is the Conrad Residences Bahrain Financial Harbour going to be? What are its USPs? The size of the rooms will be significantly larger than any other residence and the materials used are topnotch. It will have a fully-fitted kitchen and other quality facilities. Furthermore, the Conrad Residences will have an all-day dining restaurant as well as a fantastic rooftop pool lounge and grill. It will offer a fully equipped gym, outdoor pool and a boardroom. You can go for a walk and think: this property ticks a lot of boxes.
Everybody always looks at Dubai, Dubai, Dubai. Dubai has a lot of good things but Bahrain has a lot of things to offer as well. There is an increased supply of hotels but a lack of demand for them, especially in Bahrain. Share your insights on this. I think Bahrain doesn't have enough quality rooms today. It’s good to bring in some of the big brands. It feels a bit empty now but as soon as the borders will open, I think people will travel to Bahrain again. What I’ve been impressed about with the three owners of the three different hotels, is that everybody has the same vision of creating something special here. They want to build enough attractions in Bahrain for people to actually come here.
Everybody always looks at Dubai, Dubai, Dubai. Dubai has a lot of good things but Bahrain has a lot of things to offer as well. It’s no secret that the travel and hospitality industry have been struggling for the past months. What have been the silver linings to come from this time? This crisis brought my team and the people we’re working with together – the team members, owners, and the community in which we operate. The culture has been really holding us together as a team because it has been very tough. Everywhere you read now, people are having a tough time and burnouts and mental health problems. We, as a company, are really looking it into detail. If people say, they're fine, we ask them if they're really fine. I think the culture has really brought us even stronger together than we actually were. Second thing is the owners. We've seen owners really going through a very difficult time. However, we really stuck together with our owners and we worked together with them; how we can make sure that we preserve cash and how we can make sure they get through this in a good way. The third one is the communities in which we operate. This was also our time to show the communities that we're not just the international operator. We always advise our general managers to be locally relevant. We have a global month of service every year in October and November where we promote educational development of young people. People that don't have the same the same life as we have. I think all indicators show that we have a good business model. n
Bahrain Confidential March 2021 39
Feature
The Future of Healthcare Just recently, we interviewed Dr. George Cheriyan, the CEO/Chief Medical Officer of the American Mission Hospital to talk about COVID-19 and the future of healthcare in Bahrain.
40 Bahrain Confidential March 2021
Feature
H
ow serious is the pandemic in Bahrain and how has it affected your operations? The pandemic is certainly very serious but compared to global statistics, Bahrain has done well so far. We’ve seen a downward trend of about 10% in footfall to outpatient departments? What role is the American Mission Hospital playing during the pandemic? We are involved in the testing, tracing and tracking of patients that come to our doors. The good thing
The Covid pandemic certainly has highlighted gaps in healthcare services. about Bahrain being a small country is that the treatment centers are centralized to just two or three places. We screen patients and refer them to treatment centers when they exhibit signs and symptoms of COVID-19. Has the Covid pandemic revealed ways in which healthcare providers can improve their services? The Covid pandemic certainly has highlighted gaps in healthcare services. Even though history has taught us
a lot of lesson on how to deal with pandemics around the region, public health still wasn’t prepared for what happened last year. The biggest thing that we have learned is that infection control practices will have to be in the forefront of every healthcare provider and as part of public policy. The availability of PPEs, isolation facilities, respirators to deal with sick patients – are all adequate needs that will have to be provisioned at all times. When these are not available, the strategy fails. Most countries have learned that to deal with any kind of pandemic, and there’s going to be more pandemics around, we will have to be prepared at all times. It is like the firefighting service – you can’t rectify a firefighting service whether how big or small it is – you have to be prepared in advance. Are precautionary measures going to be in place forever? I think that social distancing, sanitization and face masks are going to be around for quite some time. We’ve learned that the virus is a type of an RNA virus which mutates very fast. Now, we have the British, South African and Latin American variant. So what we thought was the initial COVID-19 of last year is no longer the virus that is producing the surge in most countries including Bahrain. Bahrain for the first time has seen numbers exceed 800 per day and that is not from the original strain, but the mutant strain that is 50 to 60 times more infectious. So even though we are one year into the
Bahrain Confidential March 2021 41
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42 Bahrain Confidential March 2021
Feature
COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing and face masks are absolute musts; even if people are vaccinated. A part of the great myths of vaccinations is when people say, “I’ve got two doses of vaccine, my antibody levels are high and I’m fine” – that is not true at all. Even though you’re vaccinated, you can still carry the virus and transmit it. You might not become unwell with the Covid infection but you certainly can transmit the virus, especially with the mutant strains around.
I think that social distancing, sanitization and face masks are going to be around for quite some time.
How are mutant strains affecting the vaccines? The initial doses of vaccines have been formed against the original strain of COVID-19 and nobody knows exactly how effective these vaccines are for the multiple new strains. I think what’s going to happen over the next few years is exactly like the influence of vaccines that we have to take every year. The COVID-19 vaccine contents will likely change depending on which strain produces the most illness. We are completely in unchartered territory and the world as we have known it last year, is never going to return back to normal – at least for the next three to four years. We will learn to live with the virus. The virus is not going to disappear.
According to the WHO, unless there is a vaccine rollout globally, there could be pockets of infection in countries that are not vaccinated. The mutant strain will begin there and again, affect the countries where vaccines have been rolled out. So there are real dangers in how the world deals with the vaccination debate – it has to be on a global scale rather than on a piecemeal patch. Is the American Mission Hospital working on any new plans for the future? What coming up that you can tell us about? AMH over the last 10 years has certainly expanded quite a bit. Now, we have three ambulatory care facilities in Amwaj, Riffa and Sar. We are in the process of building a state-of-the-art hundred-plus bed hospital in Aali. What’s different with this hospital is that it is completely futuristically designed. The hospital is lean, green and fully digitized. It is fully IT enable and 60-70% of its power is going to come from solar panels. It’s going to be a teaching hospital and we will have outside collaborations that will help us upscale and provide world-class facilities for the people of Bahrain. Is there much you’ve learned from Covid that’s affected the designing and planning of the new hospital? The hospital was designed pre-Covid. As the pandemic swept through, we had to make design changes in terms of procedures for isolation especially with our air conditioning systems. We have changed quite a bit to ensure that if a future pandemic is happening, people would have all the infrastructure in place to deal with such a problem. n
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A Box of Goodness With meal boxes, you get to enjoy different types of food from mains up to dessert in one serving. It is also a fun way to explore cuisines during meal time!
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uckily for you, Gulf Suites Hotel Amwaj offers hot, fast and fresh dishes that are boxed and ready to go! Why pick just one when you can have 3 courses in one convenient box? The meal boxes come in different options: Arabic, Asian, Healthy, Indian, Italian and European. There is also a box made specifically for your kids to enjoy. Moreover, the boxes are only priced starting from BD5 net which makes it super affordable given the quantity of the food! You can check the menu on their Instagram page and call 3560468 to place your order. Just recently, we spoke to the hotel’s chef, Manoj Krishnan Vasundharan to know more about their new promotion.
Chef Manoj has over a decade of experience cooking for various five star and luxury hotels in the Middle East and Bahrain.
Chef Manoj has over a decade of experience cooking for various five star and luxury hotels in the Middle East and Bahrain. According to him, they wanted to offer guests something different so they developed three-course menus for various cuisines in one box that is both delicious and affordable. Each box is made with quality and fresh local ingredients. Since there is a pandemic going on, the takeaway boxes are also a brilliant way to go on a culinary adventure without having to leave the comforts of one’s home. n
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5
Exciting Things to do at
The Royal Golf Club! Bahrain is a small country and you may run out of ideas on what to do every once in a while. If you’re looking to try something new, you might want to consider these fun and exciting activities at The Royal Golf Club!
Here are five of our suggestions… 1. Explore the golf courses The Royal Golf Club is home to Bahrain’s only 18-hole championship golf course and also boasts a 9-hole par 3 course. Both were designed by international golfing legend Colin Montgomerie who is also a highly acclaimed golf course designer. The 18-hole Montgomerie championship course offers a unique blend of links and desert golf, something no other golf course in the region currently offers. The course design takes advantage of Bahrain’s natural rough desert terrain and combines it with vast manmade lakes. It delivers a challenging and exciting experience to golfers. The 9-hole “Wee Monty” course is a scaled down version of its big brother. Holes range in length from 60 to 140 yards and provide a test for golfers of all abilities while offering fun and entertaining
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driving range bays and practice putting greens and bunkers. The facility is staffed by a team of friendly PGA professionals who provide instruction, support and inspiration to anyone wishing to learn the basics of golf from scratch or seeking to improve a specific aspect of their game whether in a group class or an individual lesson. Club fitting and club repair services are also available from the Academy.
4. Go golfing with your family
playing experiences. Many challenging shots that golfers encounter on the championship course have been cleverly recreated on the smaller executive course, making this perfect for those wanting to try something new.
2. Try golfing at night Golfing at night changes the very timbre of the game. Watching your ball streak up into the starlit night sky is a fabulous experience and the wavering shadows cast by the rolling fairways add a whole new dimension to the course. With state-of-the-art floodlights installed on the back 9 holes of the Montgomerie course and across the whole of the Wee Monty Par 3 course, savour playing a relaxing round of golf in the cool of the evening.
3. Check out The Royal Golf Academy Members and visitors alike can make use of the indoor tuition suites, the latest golf tuition aides, shaded
Troon is leading the way with introducing juniors to the world's greatest game 365 days per year. At the Royal Golf Club, the offer is simple and affordable! Junior golfers play for free when playing with a member or paying adult 7 days a week after 3pm on the Wee Monty or the Championship course, juniors enjoy complimentary Rental Clubs and complimentary instruction when taking a lesson with a paying adult.
5. Enjoy FootGolf If golf isn’t for you or you simply want to try something different then dig out your plus fours and socks and enjoy a round of FootGolf - two hours of a fun workout with family & friends offering great value for money! Try it every Sunday evening from 6:30pm – 8:30pm. We have a 9 Hole Footgolf layout which takes place under the floodlights of the Royal Golf Club back 9 holes. n For further information about the Royal Golf Club, visit www.theroyalgolfclub.com
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