Bahrain: The Avenues Mall and Sunset at Bahrain Bay

Date: February 6, 2025

I began the day walking from Manama to Bahrain Harbour, and now I was walking to The Avenues mall.

Road to Avenues mall Bahrain — It wasn’t much of a walk to The Avenues.

One of the benefits of Bahrain is that it is a small island, and you can easily drive from north to south in less than half a day.

Bahrain World Trade Center twin towers — The Avenues is across the road from Bahrain World Trade Center. At 240 meters in height, this is the 3rd tallest building on the island.

Mithun selfie sunset Bahrain — And this is me, all of 5 foot 6″

Avenues mall roundabout — The Avenues mall opened in 2017

The Avenues mall Bahrain Sephora — The Avenues Bahrain is the second mall under that name. The first is The Avenues Kuwait, the largest mall in Kuwait.

PF Changs inside Avenues mall Bahrain — Avenues has a lot of well known global brands, be it PF Changs or H&M

But when I walked into the H&M, the prices were so much higher than what the equivalent costs back in India. I’m so glad clothes are way cheaper in India, even from chains like H&M, Uniqlo, and ZARA.

Victorias Secret Avenues Mall Bahrain — By now, every mall looks the same to me. Also, India has bigger malls than this now

There was a time in the late 1990s and early 2000s when I was blown away by the scale of the malls in Bahrain’s Seef district. Now having travelled across Asia and seeing the malls back in India now, The Avenues mall is nothing special.

Avenues mall glass dome Bahrain — This dome looked nice though

Avenues Mall waterfront Bahrain — Instead, I went out to the waterfront which spans the entire length of the mall

Avenues mall Bahrain Bay panorama — The Avenues offers a grand view of Bahrain Bay

Sunset cruise Bahrain Bay — This is a popular spot to watch sunsets and even embark on sunset cruises

Mind you, Bahrain Bay is all artificial. All the buildings you see sit on reclaimed land.

Seagulls Bahrain Bay — Except for the seagulls, they’re real

Four Seasons hotel Bahrain Bay — This H-looking building is the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay — also the tallest building in the Bahrain

Four Seasons Bahrain Bay sky bridge — Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay was designed by Chicago-based SOM and features a sky bridge that connects the two towers

Four Seasons Bahrain Bay sailboats — But seems like a lot of wasted space in the middle

Avenues Mall Bahrain Bay sunset — If you want to stay in the tallest building in Bahrain with great sunset views, Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay is the place for you

Hilton Garden Inn Bahrain Bay hotel — If you can’t afford to stay at the Four Seasons, Hilton Garden Inn Bahrain Bay is a cheaper option

Arcapita headquarters Bahrain Bay — That is the headquarters of Arcapita, a major asset management firm

Avenues Mall parking lot Bahrain — As the sun set over Bahrain Bay, I decided it was time to leave

Evening traffic Manama Bahrain — Traffic was piling up as office goers headed home

Bahrain Financial Harbour towers sunset — The sunset sky behind Bahrain Financial Harbour

King Faisal Avenue intersection Manama — I had to cross King Faisal Avenue to get to Moda Mall

GIB office Manama buildings Bahrain — I remember these office buildings from the 1990s

Sheraton Moda mall parking Manama Bahrain — I had to see an uncle who manages a leading pearl jewellery shop in Bahrain

Moda Mall dome Sheraton Manama — Moda Mall is mostly full of high-end luxury brands… and yes, it’s near the oldest Sheraton in Bahrain

Blancpain DeBeers Moda Mall Bahrain — But much of the mall was empty!

Roberto Cavalli Moda Mall Bahrain — Not that these brands need hundreds of customers walking in daily…. but still, very empty

I met my uncle — one of my last two relatives — who are still in Bahrain. We left his shop and he took me to Gudaibiya because I told him I wanted to see the road that led to Awal Cinema (now shut). At the corner near Indian Club was our favourite shawarma shop.

That shop was all gone now and replaced by a Kerala cuisine eatery (see the vlog at the end of this post).

Tariq Pastries Gudaibiya Bahrain — Tariq Pastries in one of Bahrain’s most successful sweet shops, known for their baklava

Gudaibiya night road Bahrain — Every time after getting our shawarmas, my father would drive back to Manama on this stretch

Sizzling Plate Filipino restaurant Bahrain — Now this stretch of Gudabiya has a lot of Filipino restaurants

Once at my uncle’s house, we sat down for dinner together with my aunt, spoke for a while before it was time for me to head back to my hotel.

Me with Kishore uncle — Me with my uncle and aunt

My uncle’s driver dropped me back and he too reiterated how bad Bahrain’s economy has gotten post-COVID. Made me realize my uncle and aunt may not stay much longer in Bahrain.

I have one more post from Manama before I shifted to Juffair.

Previous posts in this series:

Bahrain Harbour: The island’s answer to Dubai Marina

Bahrain: Walking around Manama – Al Zeinah Plaza, Yateem Centre, and Post Museum

Bahrain: Visiting my old apartment, and Manama Central Market

Bahrain: Returning to the country I grew up in… after 23 years

Bahrain: Seeing BLR Terminal 2 and new Abu Dhabi airport for the first time