I visited Kuwait for 10 days in late 2025 and early 2026. This is what to expect of accommodation in Kuwait as a digital nomad + some hotel recommendations in Kuwait City

Al Salmiya: Lavan One Serviced Apartment

We chose this condo in Al Salmiya neighborhood close to the coast and one of the places where the ferry to Failaka goes. There was one other contender, but that apartment was next to Winter Wonderland Kuwait. The reviews said that place was noisy into the night. Also, this apartment didn’t say it required proof of marriage for people to stay here. So we booked this condo on Booking for 10 days in the end.

Our flight from Amsterdam would only arrive at 22:00, and then we’d still have to get the Kuwaiti visa on arrival. The check-in instructions said to make a special request when checking in this late. Normal check-in times are between 15:00–⁠20:00. We told them about our late check-in, and the day before our arrival we received a long message that also mentioned it costs 5 KWD to check-in late. Also, we needed to give a deposit of 50 KWD upon check-in, which later got lowered to 30 KWD. We would only get that back at check-out.

We got cash from an NBK ATM at the airport to pay for a taxi and the deposit. Getting a taxi from Kuwait International Airport after midnight wasn’t difficult and I just typed the address of our condo into the man’s phone and off we went. It cost 8 KWD for the taxi ride to Al Salmiya, which is the same price the airport mentions it should cost . There are no airport buses at this time.

Upon arrival, we met the friendly man doing the night shift at Lavan One. He just wanted one passport to copy the details and the deposit. Then he gave us the key to our apartment on the 9th floor. Inside, all the lights were on. Literally all of them—even the one above the stove. The first thing that caught my eye was the bowl of fruit, bottled water, coffee, tea, and cookies on the table as a welcome gift. Very sweet!

It’s a small apartment with everything you need for a medium-long stay. The living room has a dining table with two chairs that we turned into our office during the day. There’s a spacious L couch with a flat screen TV (not a smart TV!) that we used to watch Turn: Washington’s Spies and a little side table with a telephone to call reception. The kitchen has a fridge-freezer, two-hob stove, electric kettle, microwave, and a washing machine. There are two faucets at the sink. One is for hot and cold water to do dishes and the other for cold drinking water. The tap water in Kuwait is fine to drink, but from the dedicated faucet is of course even better. We did some light cooking in the apartment. There are pots, pans, plates, and cutlery. Just no provided dish soap or sponge, boo.

The bedroom was my least favorite room as it’s quite small. There’s a double bed, a night stand next to a tall lamp away from the bed, and a big wardrobe. It’s quite difficult to walk around the bed and the wardrobe is simply too big for the space. The wardrobe also hides the light and ventilation switches for the bathroom. Although the space was lacking, I slept quite well here. The drying rack for the laundry was stashed behind the bedroom door.

Lastly, there’s the bathroom. It was quite spacious. There’s a shower cabin, toilet with Islamic hose (don’t flush the toilet paper), and a sink. To get rid of kitchen and bathroom trash, there’s a central bin in the staircase next to the elevator outside the apartment. The hooks to hang towels were quite impractically high. There was provided shampoo, shower gel, conditioner, a loofah, shower cap, and slippers. This was very nice. The water temperature and pressure in the shower were amazing considering it’s nine floors up and in the desert.

The first morning, we could finally look out the window and see Kuwait’s Al Salmiya neighborhood in the daytime. The two windows face the same way across a street with more tall buildings. Beyond those you can see the see. Across Kuwait Bay  you can see two towers on a clear day. Those are from Subiya Thermal Power Plant close to Bubiyan Island. They’re also visible at night sometimes. As we were in Kuwait during New Year’s 2025–2026, we expected some fireworks, but there were none.

Down below are some food businesses, including a lovely Kuwaiti knafeh place. Around the corner is Zam Zam, which does South Indian and Indian Chinese food. There’s a small convenience store nearby and the Al Nasser Hypermarket is a bit further. For other food options, order to the condo with Talabat delivery. On both sides of the street are bus stops that take you into Al Asimah Governate (Kuwait City Center) or down south with bus 999 for 0.300 KWD. The Ras Al Salmiya walking path past the Scientific Center is a lovely seafront promenade with lots of friendly cats.

While we liked the location, there were some downsides to this apartment. Most of the (free) museums in Kuwait are in the Kuwait City area, which is about half an hour away by bus and 20 minutes by Careem Taxi from Al Salmiya neighborhood in Hawalli Governorate. Also, there aren’t a lot of wall sockets in the apartment. We had brought over one UK plug adapter for our Europlugs. We charged our toothbrush by ‘hacking’ one of the sockets in the kitchen. The WiFi was just okay, not too impressive. Also, in winter, it’s quite cold inside, so we used my big Mauritanian sarong as an extra blanket. And finally, the small ground floor pool was under maintenance, so we couldn’t go swimming. That was unfortunate.

Upon check out, we’d made sure the night before to mention the time we leave so we could get our deposit back. One of the building managers was there and we gave her the key. She took the elevator up to check the apartment and came back down saying it’s all good. She returned the 30 KWD deposit, but took the 5 KWD for the late check-in. Then we took a Careem to the airport to fly to Bahrain.

While I wouldn’t mind staying at this apartment again on another trip to Kuwait, I think I’d prefer a change of scenery (and restaurants).

Where to Stay Next Time in Kuwait

If I’d go here again, I’d try to take the 10 KWD ferry to Failaka Island and spend the night there. Yes, it’s expensive on this island at about 60 KWD (€165) for one night, but I found it impossible to go there on a day trip for a reasonable price. Failaka seems to be run by two companies (Ikarus Marine and Joan Al Kuwait) and this duopoly doesn’t result in easy access, competitive prices, or good service.

So while I can’t refer you to any online bookable hotels on Failaka Island (there’s nothing on Booking or Airbnb!), the only place that looks somewhat real is the Ikarus Marine-associated The Heritage Village. You can try to call them to make a reservation.

As for Kuwait City Center, there are so many hotel options that have quite steep discounts when you’re booking about two weeks ahead, with sometimes 50% off, that for that price, you don’t need a kitchen to cook your own food when you can eat 100 fils falafel sandwiches down the block. The only downside is that all of them have some variation of this notice in the fine print:

Please note that all couples must present a marriage certificate upon check-in. The hotel does not accept bookings from non-married couples as per Kuwaiti law and the hotel doesn’t accept bookings from Kuwaiti singles. Incomplete requirements will be denied for check in and may result for applicable cancellation penalty charges equivalent of 1 night stay.

What I’ve read about the enforcement varies a lot; sometimes only couples where one or both are Kuwaiti are asked, at other times, even couples from western countries are held to the same standards. The policy in Kuwait does seem that unmarried couples can’t stay in the same room, unlike neighboring Saudi Arabia that got rid of that rule in 2020 to boost tourism. Whether you have a marriage certificate or not, this isn’t a document usually take with them when traveling.

So, with this fully disclosed, these are the highly-rated hotels under €100 per night in downtown Kuwait I’d want to stay at as a digital nomad for a next visit.

• Swiss-Belinn in Sharq (swimming pool, desk to work from).
• City Tower Hotel (indoor swimming pool, breakfast included, steep discount when booking two weeks out)
• Ramada Encore by Wyndham (swimming pool, bright and central)
• Carlton Tower Hotel (central, lots of room configurations)
• Oasis Hotel (close to the souq, no mention of marriage certificate). A friend stayed in this one and she recommends it!
• City View Hotel (the cheapest room is quite spacious)
• Al Hamra Hotel (swimming pool, next to the tallest building in Kuwait, cheapest room only <€100 with discounts)

Alternatively, there are also beach resorts up and down the coastline of Kuwait all the way to Saudi Arabia. However, those are always over €100 per night and you’ll likely be dependent on the hotel restaurant or delivery food. Getting to the sights of Kuwait will also always be an expensive taxi ride away, so I don’t recommend that.

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