Manama - Post Report Question and Answers
What is your housing like? What are typical housing sizes, locations, and commute times for expatriates?
Housing is generally good - U.S. embassy personnel were assigned to villas (if they had families), or apartments. The embassy had recently acquired apartments in a tower near the chancery, making for a very short commute to work.
I lived on the other side of the island, on an artificial island in a very nice three bedroom apartment/condo. I liked my housing very much, and I think people were generally happy with it - having said that, there were always complainers. Traffic from that particular location can be bad (you have to pass two large shopping malls which are the center of activity on weekends, creating for bad traffic on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays). Due to the events of the Arab spring, the most express routes to the Embassy were closed off by the government - so, while it wasn't far in terms of distance, it could take up to 30 minutes to get to work depending on traffic.
Employees who lived in villas commuted from an area near the causeway to Saudi Arabia. This was mostly highway driving, however due to the flow of traffic in the mornings and evenings, and several choke-points in the infrastructure - their commutes could be as bad one hour or more if they didn't time their departures correctly.
Some of the private sector expats had extremely nice housing, and personnel from the U.S. Navy base who were authorized off-base housing had very nice apartments in an area called "Amwaj" (also a series of artificial islands). However, commute times could vary depending on where you had to work. - Apr 2017
Fantastic. Huge, on a compound with shared gym/pool/tennis. Also includes maids room if you want live-in help. - Sep 2016
Housing is nice and spacious. It is about 15 minutes to the Embassy with good traffic, up to an hour with bad. Traffic is bad during rush hour and the drivers are crazy, but during other hours it is okay. - Nov 2015
Very large homes. Singles and couples without kids live in waterfront luxury, brand new apartments next to City Centre Mall. Families live in spacious duplex or single family homes on gated communities in the suburbs. Commute time is 20-30 minutes, or up to 2 hours if there is a demonstration and police checkpoints. - Aug 2014
Housing is excellent and much better than you will find in other parts of the world. Commute time is 15-20 minutes from all locations. The U.S. Embassy houses people is in one of two areas: most singles and couples without kids are in modern 3BR flats in Reef Island, close to shopping and restaurants. Families are in 3-5 BR villas on housing compounds on the sleepier west side of the island. The compounds are lovely neighborhoods with community gyms, pools, and playgrounds. All villas come with either exterior or 3rd-floor maid quarters. Kitchens and yards vary in size. Most villas are quite new and much bigger than what we are used to back home. Families are clustered in these compounds (where other mostly expat families also live) and all are within a 5-minute drive of each other. It’s easy to have playdates and get togethers with friends. There are lots of kids to play with in the compounds so it’s great for their social life. Some folks do keep to themselves so you can have your privacy if that’s what you’re looking for, too. - Sep 2012
Embassy employees enjoy quite decent housing. Most families (and singletons) normally occupy stand alone three bedroom villas in guarded compounds. These compounds often include pools, gyms, playgrounds and yards. Of course, it's too hot to venture outside for most of the year, but when those few months come around it's very, very nice to have the amenities. The only drawback is the commute from the Embassy and the Navy Base. Most Embassy personnel live in Budaiya or Saar area on the western half of the island and the morning and evening commutes can be deadly. The distance is only about 10km, but I've spent an hour in traffic due to congestion and construction. Beware of road rage. - Apr 2010
Houses on compounds, all are a little different. Compounds usually have a pool and a playground. - Jun 2009
Everything from 1 bedroom apartments to mansions - made out of brick not wood. Traffic is getting insanely heavy especially during commute hours. Could take you 2 hours to go 5 km. But they have an amazing system of highways, so can span the country very quickly, just near the city center the traffic bottlenecks occur. - Dec 2008
There can be 4 to 30 villas in a compound (neighborhood). Manama is about 30 miles wide - you can be at work (anywhere in Manama) in 15 to 20 minutes. - Aug 2008
