Conky,
Ahem, yes you may ask. I spent 2 and a half years based in RUH, (positivley NOT the best place to live) flying 2 different private VIP A/C on 2 separate contracts. As such, I was fortunate to be out of the Kingdom the majority of the time. (just checked my logbook, 32 days total in the Kingdom in 1997)
I agree that Jeddah is miles better than RUH, and the nights I've stayed there (Red Sea Palace) were very nice. I'm sure if you have a good compound and maybe a job that allows you in and out on a regular basis it's totally liveable.
But you'll notice that I didn't state that Dahran was the best place, only probably. And in the case of the ARAMCO contract, I think it would, as the 737 drivers will be home every night, never straying far from home.
So, in my opinion, if I was stuck in Saudi on a 5 days on/2 days off schedule, I'd want to be next to the bridge to Bahrain for my off days. That's all I meant.
Once again, if I had a job like my old ones, I'd rather be in Jeddah.
By the way, have you heard of anyone needing a 727 Captain over there?
Cheers.