THE LAP OF LUXURY
It’s home to a Formula One race but there’s more to Bahrain than just fast cars and oil, as LISA HAYNES found out
THE deafening roar of F1 engines reverberates from my eardrums to the pit of my stomach. Somebody offers me a pair of earplugs to muffle the sound, but I politely decline.
We are just metres away from the starting grid at the Bahrain International Circuit and there is no adrenaline rush like it – if you like supercars, that is.
The fact that we’re stonecold sober, watching from a ‘dry’ box to respect our local hosts, means we’re even more focused on all 57 laps as Sebastian Vettel cruises into pole position. Even the podium finish vetoes the traditional champagne spray in favour of a sparkling non-alcoholic drink called Waard – although take note that drinking alcohol isn’t banned in Bahrain for non-Muslims.
Home to a Formula One race since 2004, the annual spectacle in mid-April is undoubtedly Bahrain’s biggest tourism pull.
Revving up over three days, a schedule of practice sessions, driver meet-and-greets, pit lane walks and pre-race concerts (hello, Enrique Iglesias) means that hotels, hip restaurants and flights get booked up fast during the F1 window.
But, Lewis Hamilton and Co. aside, the small island state in the gulf is gearing up to be a tourist destination in its own right; like a baby Dubai of sorts – but with way more history and cultural pull.
Bahrain is made up of 33 islands but the majority of habitants are on mainland Bahrain and the island of Muharraq, which are connected by road. Islands such as Hawar and Umm An Na’san are mainly sanctuaries for Bahraini wildlife, like spiny-tailed lizards, sand gazelles and protected Socotra Cormorant birds.
“My grandfather was a pearl diver,” our city guide Fadhal proudly announces, “but that all changed with the arrival of oil.”
Bahrain, still known as the Pearl of the Gulf, first discovered oil in 1931, which coincided with the collapse of the once flourishing world pearl market.
We visit the very unassuming site of the first ever Oil Well No.1 at the foothill of Jebel Al Dukhan and check out the drilling equipment that helped trigger Bahrain’s boom. The clunky machinery is a far cry from the high-tech hydraulics we saw in action at the Formula One.
Now, with limited reserves and oil prices plummeting, Middle East countries like Bahrain have switched their focus from trade to tourism – attracting 200,000 visitors a week in the process. New Instagram-able additions include high-gloss hotels, like the Four Seasons Bahrain Bay, which you’ll find on its own exclusive island, and chic international restaurants, like Asia de Cuba.
Bahrain Bay, on the north coast of capital Manama, is the equivalent of Dubai’s mega-luxe The Palm – an ambitious 2.5 billion-dollar project that includes the new Wyndham Grand Manama Hotel, an iconic twisted glass structure that you can see for miles.
But despite the hype of shiny new development, it’s the Bahraini culture and history that’s perhaps the biggest draw for Brit first-timers.
We visit Haji’s Café, the oldest restaurant in Manama dating back to 1950, to refuel for a day of sight-seeing. A recent visit from celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck has made the authentic cafe even more popular with locals and tourists.
There’s no set menu because it changes by the hour, so we’re warmly welcomed by the charismatic owner with red tea and saffron milk as we receive plate after plate of surprise mini breakfast dishes (all for around £4 each). It’s a banquet of egg mixed with tomato and coriander, chickpeas, cheesy beans, warm Bahraini flat breads and fresh natural yoghurts.