Raffles Al Areen Palace Bahrain
Hotel · Southern
Building 2046, Manama, Bahrain
Highlights
Villas with private pools, Arabic art & personalized butler service
Building 2046, Manama, Bahrain Get directions
Villas with private pools, Arabic art & personalized butler service
Building 2046, Manama, Bahrain Get directions
"A new high-end resort composed of 78 villas with private courtyards and pools; each villa comes with a butler who can arrange pearl dives and tours of the resort’s art collection." - Chris Schalkx Chris Schalkx Chris Schalkx is a Dutch writer and photographer based in Bangkok and Taiwan. He writes about travel, sustainability, and design — preferably all three combined. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines
"Why book? To be one of the first to experience Bahrain’s first and only all-villa property, and get a taste of Bahraini culture through the hotel’s Arabic architecture and collection of local artworks. Raffles Al Areen Palace Bahrain is part of the Kingdom’s ambitious Areen development, an up-and-coming project that is already home to landmarks like the Bahrain International Formula One Circuit, Al Areen Wildlife Park and Reserve, and Lost Paradise of Dilmun, the largest water park in the kingdom. Set the scene Raffles Al Areen Palace Bahrain is a 50-minute drive from Bahrain Airport, which, in a country this small, makes for a secluded getaway. Upon arrival, I’m greeted by a 750-year-old olive tree in front of the entrance, followed by a doorman dressed in a crisp tailored uniform with a beaming smile. A tapestry of flora waits in the conservatory-like lobby, which includes an entrance hall adorned with cascading hanging plants, water fountains and loungers in emerald green. That’s where I meet my personal butler, Margaret, a cheerful Kenyan who has called Bahrain home for seven years. With great enthusiasm, she tells me the story behind each and every artwork on the walls, including an acrylic painting that resembles pearls on Bahrain’s seabed, an ode to the kingdom’s thriving pearl diving industry. In the Writer’s Lounge – the hotel’s iteration of Raffles’ signature Writer’s Bar – an impressive library occupies a space that evokes the ambience of a private members’ club. The ceiling features lines from a famous poem by Bahrain poet Ahmed Mohammed Al Khalifa, praising Bahrain’s rich culture and legendary tales. The backstory Founded in 1887, the first Raffles was a modest 10-room hotel in a colonial-style building in Singapore. Today, Raffles operates landmark properties around the world, and Raffles Al Areen Palace Bahrain is the brand’s latest flagship in the Middle East, in partnership with GFH Financial Group. The rooms This property offers one, two or three-bedroom villas, with the aptly named Royal Villas sized from a sprawling 400 square metres and up. Each villa is cocooned by lush gardens, a spacious courtyard with a temperature-controlled private pool and jacuzzi, sun loungers, a long dining table and poolside cabana. In my one-bedroom villa, the bathroom and living room are at either end, with the master bedroom in the middle. The interior is adorned in pure white color, elevated with Arabic motifs and pale woods. The Stearns & Foster mattress on my super king bed is made exclusively for Raffles, while a pillow menu with seven options (including a pillow filled with dried lavender) covers all manner of personal preferences. Every detail has been carefully considered, including a bedside diffuser by Paris-based brand Compoz, which has composed customised scents to suit different moods and times of the day. Connected to the bedroom via a dressing room, which comes with a full-length mirror and Dyson hair dryer, the marbled bathroom comes with an oversized deep soak bathtub, and both indoor and open-air showers. Food and drink Set to become a culinary destination in its own right, Raffles Al Areen Palace Bahrain currently has two restaurants open: Palma, an all-day dining restaurant helmed by executive chef Ruchi Shueng Li, and Ycone Paris, a Parisian patisserie by celebrity chef Yasid Ichemrahen. Breakfast at Palma is curated with sustainability in mind, mostly using ingredients sourced from hydroponic farms and eggs from Saudi and Bahraini producers. The in-villa floating breakfast serves up a selection of local goats cheese, honeycomb from Bahraini bee farms and a homemade bread basket. Surrounded by exotic plants and tastefully embellished with white marbles and gold accents, Ycone Paris is home to an artful display of viennoiserie, pastries and desserts, including chef Ichemrahen’s signature Tahitian vanilla crème brûlée, homemade banana bread and chocolate fondant, and serves seriously good coffee made with the world’s first Victoria Arduino machine made in collaboration with Rolls-Royce. A Moroccan restaurant and lounge overseeing the Al Areen Wildlife Park and Reserve is set to open during the hotel’s next phase, alongside Mimi Kakushi, an award-winning restaurant and bar concept from Dubai. The spa The Raffles Spa is under construction at the moment, but when it opens, it's set to be a holistic wellness destination. In the meantime, a three-bedroom villa has been transformed into a wellness haven featuring both single and couple’s treatment rooms, decked out in a soothing palette of white and cream. Highlighting rituals inspired by the wellness philosophies of Asia, my signature massage was performed by Intira, a skilful Thai masseuse who managed to knead away the knots in my back using Thai and Balinese massage techniques. Service Is personal and attentive; every whim is anticipated and taken care of, be it a shawl to keep you warm, remembering your coffee preference or online check-in before your flight. Anything left to mention A Royal Penthouse is well underway, which will sit atop the hotel's main building with 360-degree views of Al Areen." - Pearl Yan
"Arabic script covers the ceiling of the Writers Lounge in the new Raffles Al Areen Palace Bahrain—verses by famed local poet Ahmed Mohammed Al Khalifa celebrating the tiny kingdom’s rich culture. The hotel—a collection of 78 angular villas in pristine white, with ornate mashrabiya screens, pointed archways, and private pools—is designed to celebrate the same. Artworks reference the nation’s pearl-diving and maritime history, most evocatively in a ceramic sculpture inspired by the seashells that litter Bahrain’s seabed. The adjacent Al Areen Wildlife Park and Reserve is reflected in the conservatory-like lobby, which opens into a reception hall filled with cascading plants, water fountains, and loungers in emerald green. Within the low-lying villas—available in one-, two-, and three-bedroom iterations—pale wood is offset by intricate Arabesque wall carvings, beds are covered with Stearns & Foster mattresses made exclusively for Raffles, and a bedside diffuser by Parisian brand Compoz emits scents tailored to your mood. Raffles’s dedicated team of butlers can be reached 24/7 to organize a special bath ritual or a barbecue with a private chef. If you can bear to drag yourself away from this cosseting space, all-day dining restaurant Palma specializes in Mediterranean food with a Bahraini touch, using ingredients sourced from Bahraini and Saudi producers; and Ycone Paris by celebrity chef Yazid Ichemrahen has an artful display of viennoiserie, pastries, and desserts, including the chef’s signature crème brûlée with vanilla from Madagascar and Tahiti. From $1,200. —Pearl Yan" - CNT Editors
"Arabic script covers the ceiling of the Writers Lounge in the new Raffles Al Areen Palace Bahrain—verses by famed local poet Ahmed Mohammed Al Khalifa celebrating the tiny kingdom’s rich culture. The hotel—a collection of 78 angular villas in pristine white, with ornate mashrabiya screens, pointed archways, and private pools—is designed to celebrate the same. Artworks reference the nation’s pearl-diving and maritime history, most evocatively in a ceramic sculpture inspired by the seashells that litter Bahrain’s seabed. The adjacent Al Areen Wildlife Park and Reserve is reflected in the conservatory-like lobby, which opens into a reception hall filled with cascading plants, water fountains, and loungers in emerald green. Within the low-lying villas—available in one-, two-, and three-bedroom iterations—pale wood is offset by intricate Arabesque wall carvings, beds are covered with Stearns & Foster mattresses made exclusively for Raffles, and a bedside diffuser by Parisian brand Compoz emits scents tailored to your mood. Raffles’s dedicated team of butlers can be reached 24/7 to organize a special bath ritual or a barbecue with a private chef. If you can bear to drag yourself away from this cosseting space, all-day dining restaurant Palma specializes in Mediterranean food with a Bahraini touch, using ingredients sourced from Bahraini and Saudi producers; and Ycone Paris by celebrity chef Yazid Ichemrahen has an artful display of viennoiserie, pastries, and desserts, including the chef’s signature crème brûlée with vanilla from Madagascar and Tahiti. From $1,200. —Pearl Yan" - CNT Editors
"Raffles Al Areen Palace is Bahrain’s first all-villa hotel, and a striking departure from the city’s glass-and-steel skyline. Located just beyond Manama, near the Royal Botanic Garden, its villas are enclosed by high walls and tropical gardens, each with a private pool, jacuzzi, and cabana for long, shaded afternoons. Inside, white-on-white rooms are softened by carved archways, calligraphic details, and artworks that nod to Bahrain’s pearl-diving past. The Writer’s Lounge doubles as a library and peaceful escape, while personalized butler service and in-villa spa rituals keep the outside world at arm’s length." - Tablet Hotels
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Abbas Nasser
Maha Mm
Fatima Alothman
Zuzanna A
Abdulla
turki yusuf
Mohammed Alshalati
