Al Manshar Rotana

My husband and I stayed at the Al Manshar Rotana hotel in Fahaheel for my first weekend in Kuwait. I was reminded what region I am in when hotel security stopped our vehicle and scanned it with explosive detection devices. I thought, whoa, they really just checked our vehicle for car bombs! Comforting, yet not so comforting thought on my first night in Kuwait. I was reminded about the imminent danger once again, when we had to walk through a metal detector in the hotel entrance. The hotel is rated a 5 star, I would give it 4 stars since I believe that 5 star hotels should be aesthetically pleasing 360 degrees around... There is a beautiful pool on the roof over looking the city.


However, on the opposite side of the hotel is construction. Actually it looks like construction was halted, so the area on that side of the hotel looks dirty, dusty and baron. I forgot to take a picture of this unsightly area.

I noticed many locals in traditional clothing that were apparently staying there, but thought it odd that the music playing on the roof was American hip hop.




The rates are relatively pricey, however I found the service to be rather good. On the second day, my husband called down to the desk and no one answered, so he hung up and said that he supposed it was busy. About 30 seconds later, the clerk from the front desk called and apologized for missing the call and proceed to answer his question. I thought that was pretty cool. We enjoyed massages and sea salt scrubs before we checked out... In separate rooms. No sharing the experience together here. Not in this country. A word of warning to the shy, you will be nude for the body treatments. Although the therapists are professional in covering you quickly after you disrobe, it would have been nice to know ahead of time that the treatment is in your birthday suit.

I notice the little things when I visit hotels and I liked the electronic room keys that work by placing your key card in front of the pad. And the "do not disturb" feature was a cool touch as well. Once inside your room, you can leave your card in the slot and a bed icon lights up for the staff to see on the outside door so as not to bother you. Those little touches may not mean much for others, but I like the techie stuff in hotels. The husband and I like unique bathrooms. We've been dreaming up ideas on how to re-do ours back home, so when checking out the bathroom digs, I really admired the marble shower stalls... Very roomy and the rain faucet fixture was heaven. I have never seen a retractable clothesline in the shower. I thought that was odd, but useful. I am not that well traveled... yet. I've only been to the Bahamas, and islands in the British West Indies... so I've never seen a bidet. Heard of them, but never "experienced" one. I giggled when I saw it in the bathroom.

We took advantage of the complimentary breakfast inside the hotel and sat outside on the balcony overlooking the attached mall. The food was remarkable and I enjoyed having my eggs made to order and brought to our table. The waitstaff was quite attentive.



All in all, I would recommend the Al Manshar Rotana hotel in Fahaheel, Kuwait.