My Cat, My Crafts, My Life: Second Weekend in Bahrain

Since we had such a great time the previous weekend, and we skipped our usual monthly Bahrain trip last month, we decided to go back again. We’ve kind of made it a thing to have one Bahrain getaway per month since we started going, so this felt like making up for it too. Plus, the promo at Fraser Suites Diplomatic Area is ending this month (though I’m hoping they extend it).

This weekend was a bit different. It was Ton’s first time joining our friends for their weekend badminton session, and since I am not a sporty girl, I happily booked myself a salon appointment instead. My hair definitely needed saving after all my DIY boxed dye experiments - I tried different colors over the past year and… yeah, it showed.

Good thing I found Friends Salon (Thank you, Happy Sandscapes!), a Filipina-owned salon with an all-Filipina team! Prices are just slightly higher than Manila but still very reasonable. But honestly? It's totally worth it. I love how my hair turned out, it feels like my old self again back when I maintained it regularly in the Philippines. Definitely planning to come back next month for roots and a touch-up before our June trip.

After my appointment, Ton picked me up and we headed straight to Bahrain where we will meet up with our friends he had badminton with. Lunch was at Itsumo Bahrain for unlimited samgyup - yes, again because it's always a good idea.

We checked in again at Fraser Suites Seef Bahrain and rested for a bit before walking to Starbucks for drinks. The baristas were Filipino, so of course, instant connection! When they asked if I had the Starbucks app, I scanned my QR code and that’s when they realized we were from Saudi. The app only works in the country it’s registered in, but they were still a bit surprised that we weren’t Bahrain-based. Like I mentioned in my last Bahrain blog, it still feels like a “thing” that people from Saudi are visiting Bahrain again. As we were leaving, I noticed they wrote “Stay safe” on our cups. I joked to Ton that I wasn’t sure if it was sweet… or slightly taunting haha.

Back at the room, I video-called my mom while trying out a new hobby - air dry clay! Tbh, it was harder than I expected. I think the AC didn’t help either because it slowed down the drying time. Depending on how it turns out once I paint it this week, I might redo it… or at least give it another shot.

After our call, we headed to the pool and once again, we had it all to ourselves. We stayed for a bit before heading back up since we had a massage scheduled.

Before leaving for the spa, we ordered our complimentary dinner and asked for it to be delivered and brought inside our room, around 11:30 PM, just in case we were still at the spa. And yes, the massage was just as amazing as the first time. We were even tempted to book another one the next day… but decided to behave. Too much of a good thing, right?

By the time we finished, the restaurant had already delivered our food to the room. This time, I came prepared for the mixed grill, even if it had lamb (which I’m still not fully sold on). I brought my own DIY garlic sauce, the same one I make for shawarma at home, which is now a fridge staple because it goes with everything. It paired perfectly with the mixed grill! I even brought cheese powder for the fries. Extra? Maybe. Worth it? Super!

The rest of the night was just pure chill - Ton playing on the Switch while I did some watercoloring.

The next morning, we had another hearty complimentary breakfast while on a video call with my cousin, another nice and easy catch-up.

Before heading back, we stopped by a craft store (of course), did a bit of shopping, then returned to the hotel to rest again. I also made sure to squeeze in another bubble bath, this time using peel-off masks I got last Christmas. I realized I actually prefer these over sheet masks. There’s something better about peeling them off and seeing that instant glow, compared to the sticky residue sheet masks leave behind.

We really maximized our late checkout this time, heading down just about 10 minutes before 7 PM. This time, na sulit! hehe!

Before heading back to Saudi, we made our mandatory stop at Bahay Kubo Restaurant - because no Bahrain trip is complete without it. Since we can’t bring pork back home, we made sure to finish everything! Hehe! I did grab some leche flan to go though, one for us and one for our cat sitter!