I lived in Riyadh for 9 years, as the son of a member of the RAF. So I have quite a developed opinion of the place! The first thing that hits you if you visit anytime other than winter, is the temperature. 50+ degrees Celsius in the shade. Luckily every house and shop has air conditioning meaning ... Read review
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Advantages: Shopping, low prices. Disadvantages: Lack of night life!
I lived in Riyadh for 9 years, as the son of a member of the RAF. So I have quite a developed opinion of the place! The first thing that hits you if you visit anytime other than winter, is the temperature. 50+ degrees Celsius in the shade. Luckily every house and shop has air conditioning meaning you won’t spend too much time in the searing sun.
I am not sure if in the year I’ve been away from Riyadh rules have become more ... ...have blood relatives living in Riyadh to pull the relevant strings.
When you land at the international airport (the largest in the world, believe it or not) don’t hang about! Get to customs as quickly as you can, because it is possible to be waiting in the queue for upwards of two hours.
The best way to get around is to hire a car. Hiring is cheap, but petrol prices are even cheaper. We could fill up our Discovery ... more
I lived in Riyadh for 9 years, as the son of a member of the RAF. So I have quite a developed opinion of the place! The first thing that hits you if you visit anytime other than winter, is the temperature. 50+ degrees Celsius in the shade. Luckily every house and shop has air conditioning meaning you won’t spend too much time in the searing sun.
I am not sure if in the year I’ve been away from Riyadh rules have become more slack, but it was impossible to simply go and visit Riyadh. You needed to have blood relatives living in Riyadh to pull the relevant strings.
When you land at the international airport (the largest in the world, believe it or not) don’t hang about! Get to customs as quickly as you can, because it is possible to be waiting in the queue for upwards of two hours.
The best way to get around is to hire a car. Hiring is cheap, but petrol prices are even cheaper. We could fill up our Discovery for about £20. A word of warning, Saudi road laws are less than impressive. Saudi nationals are able to drive when their father says they are old enough, so don’t be shocked if you see someone who looks like a 10 year old, they probably are 10…
Shopping in Saudi is as good as anywhere in the world. Harvey Nichols has a store, as do countless other internationally known shops. But you can’t visit Riyadh without seeing the souks where you can pick up cheap jewellery! Cheap doesn’t mean low quality though. My mum brought a £1000 diamond ring in Saudi, which was valued at £15000 back in the UK, enough said really!
Rates of crime are low, as you’d expect in a country with capitol punishment. If you so wish, every Friday at the homely-named ‘chop chop square,’ (no, really) you can watch public executions. Don’t ask me what it’s like, I never went…
Females can’t drive, alcohol is illegal everywhere except in the western embassies. Clubs are non-existent although there are some pretty good parties on some of the western compounds.
Sport wise, the Saudi International football stadium is world class and you can get a ticket for about £2 at the gates. The camel-racing stadium is huge, and good entertainment! Some of the American compounds have golf courses, stables, ice rinks and such like. All compounds have squash courts, tennis courts, swimming pools etc.
Advantages: Cheap no frill airline covering the Middle East, N Africa and Sub-Continent Disadvantages: Taxes often more expensive than the flight
, such as Bahrain, has 2 flights daily from the UAE.
Destinations: Ahmedarbad (India), Aleppo (Syria), Alexandria (Egypt), Almaty (Kazakhstan), Amman (Jordan), Assuit (Egypt), Astana (Khazakhstan), Bahrain, Beirut (Lebanon), Chennai (India), Chittagong (Bangladesh), Colombo (Sri Lanka), Damascus (Syria), Damman (SaudiArabia), Doha (Qatar), Istanbul (Turkey), Jaipur (India), Jeddah (SaudiArabia), Karachi (Pakistan), Kathmandu (Nepal), Khartoum (Sudan), Kochi (India), Kuwait, Latakia (Syria), Luxor (Egypt), Mumbai (India), Nagpur (India), Peshawar (Pakistan), Muscat (Oman), Riyadh (SaudiArabia), Sana'a (Yemen), Tehran (Iran), Thiruvananthapuram (India) & Yerevan (Armenia)
Price: Like many of the no-frill airlines they advertise a flight for as little as 20 pounds, but of course that is a single and frequently the taxes are more then ...
lillygirl 18.07.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Air Arabia
Advantages: A unique and cultural experience. Beautiful weather. Disadvantages: Heat can be restrictive in summer. Occasional sand storms. Terrible driving.
the Internet, it is useful to know that content viewed is restricted in Kuwait. Find a good proxy server to view all content.
If you wish to make contacts before you arrive, it is worth checking out social networking sites. The expat community is large and very friendly here, and there will be someone who'll spare the time to show you around.
Before planning a trip to Kuwait, find out the dates for Ramadan, during which time you will be unable to eat or smoke in public at certain times of the day.
Both pork and alcohol are not permitted in Kuwait, and you should not attempt to bring either into the country.
***Useful Contacts***
British Embassy, Safat: +965 259 4320
Irish Embassy, Riyadh, SaudiArabia (also responsible for Kuwait): +966 (0)1 488 2300
American Embassy, Safat: +965 259 1001
Canadian Embassy, Kuwait City: +965 256 ...
Jobanjos 18.02.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: exceptional Review of General: Kuwait
