I had the opportunity to join The Husband on a port call a few months ago!! They pulled into Doha, Qatar. Neither of us had been there before but we had a wonderful time.
I booked a room at the Intercontinental. There are two in Doha. We stayed at the beach resort, not The City. I became an IHG rewards member so I could book a club level room. It’s free and totally worth it. I paid about $100 extra for us to have breakfast each morning. Also included in the club level room is snacks from 12-2, tea with tea sandwiches and desserts from 3-5, and drinks and hors d’oeuvres from 6-8. The room was just slightly more expensive but we drank and ate plenty to make up for the difference.
The hotel was right on the water. We stepped into the gulf but was was about 95*F so we hung out on the beach and in the pool. The pool was large and rarely had anyone swimming. I loved that the pool, while not deep, was not super shallow. The deepest part was around 5.5 ft.
The room itself was nice with a comfortable bed. We had a view of some other hotels and a water recreation area. There was a well stocked mini-fridge. The shower, once we learned how to use it, was nice. The only thing we didn’t love was the toilet which was rectangular. Apparently I don’t have a rectangular behind because it was uncomfortable.
We weren’t able to do much sightseeing but I did go to the Museum of Islamic Art. I was fortunate to be able to travel with a friend to Doha. Since we landed around 2am we had a long time to wait before our husbands arrived. After a nap, we got up and headed to the museum. The art ranges from in time period, origin, and medium. It was pretty fascinating. I know very little about art but I really enjoyed the few hours we spent touring the museum. It is certainly worth a look if you happen to find yourself in Doha.
The Souk was another place we checked out. There were multiple sections, including an animal souk. We saw so many different types of animals! There is a falcon souk which we made it to but were late and most of the shops were closed. Bummer!
I was only in town a three nights but we made our dinners count. We ate at a restaurant in the souk one night. It was fabulous with shimmering decor covering the walls and ceiling. The pictures do not do this place justice.
Another night we headed to Nobu Doha. MMmmm! I have no idea what we ordered. We asked the waiter to choose the courses for us. We liked everything we ate and loved 3 of the dishes. It was expensive but I’ll only ever be in Doha once!
Overall, we had a great time. I don’t intend to go back but I’m so happy I made the trip. And – I’m closer to fulfilling my 40 before 40 list!
Have you ever been to Doha? What were your favorite things to do do there?
Teacher Life, Military Wife 