I spent 5 relaxing days in Zanzibar with my parents during low season and it was great
We rented a 4x4 with the company ZanCars (great deal for $25 per day plus $10 for the driving permit) and visited several spots around the island
Main places visited:
a) Stone Town - Prison Island
b) Nungwi
c) Jozani Forest
d) Paje
e) Kizimkaze
a) Stone Town - Prison Island:
Birth place of Freddie Mercury, Stone Town was considered at some point a protected Unesco city, even though the city is not properly taken care
Best of the capital is walking through its small streets and appreciating the cultural influence from Arabs, Indians and Europeans
From Stone Town there are many companies offering any kind of tour around the island
In our case, as we had a rented car, we only went for Prison Island, (we got a deal for $10 per person) where they had prisoners in the past but host giant turtles nowadays plus a beach and some snorkeling activities
b) Nungwi:
In our opinion, Nungwi has the best beach in all Zanzibar
Later during our trip we realized that beaches in the east and south of the island are affected by a huge difference in tides, meaning from 10am to 2 pm we could not really go into the sea for a swim
However in Nungwi, at the north, we could enjoy the beach at all times, with great sunset and it was a very nice area with several restaurants and life
We spent here 2 days, one of which we joined a snorkeling tour ($15 per person)
However we were a bit dissapointed with this activity as they promised seeing dolphins plus drinks on the boat, but they completely escaped the part of the dolphins and then they were charging for the drinks
c) Jozani Forest:
After 2 days we drove the east coast, stopping at a few different locations but the tide made difficult to enjoy the beach during the day, so we went to Jozani Forest where we could see the red colubus monkey, exclusive from Zanzibar, and the mangrovesxx
d) Paje:
We spent another 2 relaxing days by Paje
The area when we tide was fine (early morning and afternoon) was beautiful
e) Kizimkaze:
As we could not really enjoy a few hours in Paje during the day, we went to Kizimkaze, a popular beach where some local guys organize dolphin sightseeing tours (we got a deal for $10 per person in low season)
We did not trust much but the experience was beautiful, and I was even allowed to jump into the water and see about 10-15 dolphins under me
While living in Dubai we went for a weekend to Bahrain
I will recommend a few places that I visited and enjoyed in Bahrain
Main places visited:
a) Arad Fort
b) Muharraq
c) Bahrain National Museum
d) World Trade Center - Al Manama Souq
e) Al Seef
f) Bahrain Fort
g) Adliya
h) Al Fateh Mosque
i) Amwaj Islands - Marissa beach
j) Tree of Life
a) Arad Fort:
From the airport we directly walked towards Arad Fort, which offers a nice first view of the city
b) Muharraq:
Muharraq is one of the old towns of Bahrain with cute little streets and a few parks
c) Bahrain National Museum:
We learnt a few things about Bahrain especially its huge importance in terms of the quality of its pearls internationally recognized, and how its flag is white and red resembling a red cloth where the white pearls were temporarily storedxxx
d) World Trade Center - Al Manama Souq:
One of the buildings I liked the most was World Trade Center
Nearby we had lunch in a seafood restaurant that we really liked: Sheza Seafood restaurant
We walked after lunch around the area of Al Manana Souq and Bab Al Bahrain
e) Al Seef
Al Seef is an area with several luxury hotels with fancy restaurants and plenty of nightlife
We went to Ritz for a Mexican restaurant with friends who live in Saudi Arabia and came for the weekend
The place is beautiful and they even have a live Mexican band of mariachis, but the prices are too high for the food itself
f) Bahrain Fort:
Much better than Arad Fort, bigger and better views
g) Adliya:
Second day we enjoyed breakfast in this area, where a few local houses have transformed into restaurants and has a very bohemian vibe
h) Al Fateh Mosque:
On the way to the south we passed by one of the most popular mosques in Bahrain
i) Amwaj Islands - Marissa beach:
These artificial areas offer a lagoon with plenty of restaurants and cafes, and a private beach
Even if I dislike the concept of private beaches, the public beach I saw in the city center did not look very nice
j) Tree of Life:
One of the iconic places in Bahrain is a 400 year tree which survives in the middle of the desert
The place itself is a bit ridiculous and dissapointing, but the visit to the south is great to understand the reality of Bahrain, full of areas where oil & gas is exploited
Hope you have some useful information about places in Bahrain
