Search: “kuwait”

Ahmadi Music Group (AMG) is one of the longest-standing arts organizations in Kuwait dating back to the 1950’s. They hold a lot of different events throughout the year and are now looking to welcome new members to their group.

If you like to sing then Ahmadi Music Group can surround you with a 50-strong choir and orchestra. The first rehearsal is tomorrow, Monday 9th of January at 7 PM. If you’d like to try out, contact Jennifer on WhatsApp 66147907 for the location and details.

Yesterday the Ministry of Interior announced they would be installing new smarter speed cameras around Kuwait. The new cameras are pretty high-tech and can detect things like illegal turns, cars blocking pedestrian walkways, people using their phones while driving, and even spotting if you have a seatbelt on or not.

One of the things I hate the most is driving behind someone going super slow on the fast lane because they’re texting or taking a selfie so I hope they install a ton of these new cameras all around Kuwait.

Yesterday I passed by Youm Al-Bahhar which officially reopened on Sunday after getting refurbished.

I’ve been visiting Youm Al-Bahhar since I was a kid in the 80s so I’m very familiar with the place and tend to visit it every few years for nostalgic purposes but also because of the bookshop there which I first visited back in 2014. The bookshop called the Kuwait Heritage Library mostly sells old books many of which are rare, so I like to pass by the guy every so often to see if he got anything new.

The Youm Al-Bahhar village has changed a lot since it first opened. Initially, it resembled an old fisherman’s village built on sand next to the sea and was filled with different old-school entertainment rides for the kids (the photo above of me and my brother is the only one I could find showing it). Over the years the village kept getting more modernized and eventually the children’s games were removed.

If you visited the village over the last few years then you’re not going to see much of a difference in terms of the main structure. It’s been cleaned up, and given a fresh new paint job but the layout is still basically the same. The village has a few shops that sell different things related to Kuwait, there is now a small museum, a rooftop cafe which was closed when I passed by, and an area filled with benches and surrounded by a few shops that sell various traditional food like tea and rugag bread.

The village opens from 11AM to 10PM but the various shops open from 4PM onwards. Entry is free and the village is located across from the National Assembly building (Google Maps).

According to the Ministry of Communications, starting February 2023, regular mail that arrives to Kuwait will be delivered straight to your home for a small fee. This means you no longer have to figure out which post office your package arrived at and then go through the hassle of picking it up yourself.

The package tracking system is also being revamped and improved since the current one is fairly basic and not that informative.

This is really good news because if the post office starts delivering mail straight to me I might just start shipping more stuff to them instead of using more expensive couriers like Shop&Ship and MyUS.

Earlier this month I posted that MEI LI was opening sometime this month, there is now an official date and its December 31st.

MEI LI is a new Pan Asian fine dining concept that is located inside the Grand Hyatt. They’re launching with a six-course special dinner for New Year’s Eve but then will start regular operations and bookings from January 1st onwards.

If you’re interested in the special NYE dinner, it’s 90KD per person and you have to call the hotel to book. @mei_likw @grandhyattkuwait

beIN Sports has announced that they will be streaming the final World Cup match tonight between Argentina and France for free. The game will be available to stream on their free-to-air channels beIN SPORTS MAX as well as their beIN SPORTS’ YouTube channel.

The game is obviously going to be streaming in various cafes and restaurants around Kuwait for free, but if you prefer watching it from the comfort of your couch, you can now do that as well.

SVN, the new wellness luxury resort opening in place of Corniche Club is officially opening on January 1st.

The resort is really really beautiful I can’t emphasize that enough, everything about it from the color palette to the material choices and furniture was well thought out with no expense spared.

The resort is split up into various sections, the top floor has the main gym which includes all the best equipment from Technogym and a 270-degree view of the sea and resort. The top floor also has a women-only gym and separate PT training areas. It’s a very chill vibe but if you’re into heavy lifting or Crossfit, there is a second gym on the lower floor which they’ve nicknamed the dungeon.

The lower floor gym has a completely different look and feel from the rest of the resort with an all-black color scheme and flashing LED lights. This is where you’ll find all the free weights as well as a separate spinning room and a Les Mills studio. On the opposite end of the resort also on the lower floor are the yoga and pilates studios which once inside feels very calming with green grass outside and the tall LA-like palm trees lined up outside the windows.

You also have indoor and outdoor racket courts, a one-hoop basketball court, an indoor pool, two outdoor swimming pools, and various other facilities. The main pool is the one near the main building and allows children but the second pool is an adults-only infinity pool located at the far end of the resort and surrounded by cabanas.

So what are the prices?

Single Male: KD3,000 per year
Single Female: KD2,600 per year
Married Couple: KD4,000 per year
Family (Couple + 2 kids): KD4,900 per year

There really isn’t any place like this in Kuwait. The price puts it out of the reach of a lot of people, but for those who can afford it, they’re going to love the fact a place this nice exists now. If you’re interested in signing up or getting a tour of the resort you can apply through their website svnkw.com

Winter Wonderland just announced the ticket prices on their Instagram account @winterland_kw:

Children 4 and below: Free entry
All other ages from 5 and above: 5KD per person

Nannies and helpers are considered adults.

This is just the entry fee. Once inside you still have to pay for rides which are rumored to be either 1KD or 2KD depending on the ride.

Basil Alsalem (@pepperlab), the same person behind our favorite places like Cocoa Room, White Robata and Milk Bun is officially launching his revamped OFK restaurant next week.

OFK located in Al Hamra Tower will officially open on December 15th and reservations will be available through their website ofkkuwait.com

Jahez, the Saudi equivalent of Talabat launched silently in Kuwait this week.

I know what you’re thinking, why do we need any more food delivery apps? We don’t, but, the more apps there are to compete against one another, the better it is for us because we’ll get better prices, deals, and services. @jahezapp

Today’s Google homepage in the Middle East showcases an illustration created by the talented Kuwaiti illustrator, Ahmed Al-Refaie (owaikeo).

Google is celebrating the Kuwaiti comedian and national icon Abdulhussain Abdulredha on his 83rd birthday. Abdulhussain Abdulredha is widely considered to be one of the Arab community’s most significant actors and playwrights.

Ahmed has uploaded the process behind the illustration as well as some more information which you can check out on his Instagram account @owaikeo

MEI LI is a new Pan Asian fine dining restaurant that is opening at the end of this month at the Grand Hyatt.

I briefly posted about MEI LI in my Grand Hyatt sneak peek post. Back then I wasn’t able to show too many photos of the space but now that they’re getting ready I wanted to share the photos I had taken because it really is a beautiful-looking restaurant.

The restaurant is located near the main lobby of the hotel and their Instagram account is @mei_likw although as of this post there isn’t anything there.

OVO, the vegan, vegetarian, and flexitarian restaurant located in Bnaid Al Gar is opening their new location next month. The new location is located in Shuwaikh, inside the Design District, the same complex where the restaurant Cure and the gallery CAP are located.

The new location looks really great and will have both indoor and outdoor seating. It’s also located in the back of the complex overlooking a courtyard so once you’re inside it doesn’t feel like you’re in Kuwait.

If you’re a fan of Pret you’re probably aware that in the UK, any unsold food is always donated through the Pret Foundation.

So this got me thinking, what about Kuwait? Last week I reached out to Pret to find out and it turns out that in Kuwait it’s no different.

Locally, Pret A Manger has partnered up with the local non-profit organization re:food to try and make a difference. Every day any unsold food is donated by Pret to re:food who then take it and pass it along to the people who need it the most.

It’s a win-win for everybody and so I hope more places start doing this.

Urban Outfitters, the lifestyle retailer opened its first store in Kuwait at The Avenue this past weekend. I passed by to check out my favorite section which is the lifestyle area that usually has vinyl records, film cameras, and various books but they didn’t have any of that here instead they had just homeware items. My guess is that wasn’t really in their control.

Pricewise we are pretty similar to the Dubai store prices if not exactly the same, but we’re around 7-10% more expensive than the stores in Europe (the tags all have the Euro prices on them to compare).

Urban Outfitters is located in Avenues Phase II, between Dean & Deluca and Baroue.