Decent luxury
I went to the Crowne Plaza sort of by chance. Actually, I was in Bahrain for "business" during the uprising in March 2011, and had booked the Sheraton. It turned out that the Sheraton was off-limits, in part because the entire area was littered with debris and under the control of neighbourhood groups. We tried to get in, but eventually decided on going to the Crowne Plaza. This was recommended by a contact in Manama, and it did turn out to be comfortable, but not as enjoyable as the Sheraton. The room was rather small, although the shower was well-appointed. The staff were friendly, but that might have been because occupancy was something in the single digits. There was numerous restaurants with a nice Irish pub. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see the gym or fitness facilities.
Unique Quality: Nothing at the hotel was all that memorable, except for the large breakfast with Arabic and western foods. The food at the Irish pub was ok, but not great, and the hotel had the annoying feature of a honey-comb layout that confuses the hell out of you. Also, it is not in an area with easy access to malls or restaurants after the closure of diplomatic premises.