Sleeping and Eating in Doha, Qatar

I spent some time in Doha earlier this month. I’ll be honest. I didn’t see much. But then again, I wasn’t there to SEE things. I was there to work. But I did go to the gorgeous I.M. Pei Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar. (I mean, it’s not really I.M. Pei’s museum. He “just” designed it.)

Inside the Museum of Islamic Arts.

One of the most comfortable hotel beds I’ve ever slept in, at the Grand Hyatt Doha. Beware the blackout curtains though. Big time. I went to bed at 2:30 am local time my first night in and woke up at 2:30 pm. Whoops. This was a really lovely hotel and I’d stay here again if I am ever back in the area. Great gym and pool.

Garden outside my hotel room at the Grand Hyatt Doha. At first, I was mad at them for giving me a ground floor room. As a single woman traveling alone, I try to avoid setups like that. But really, once I opened the doors onto my patio, I was charmed.

These were amazingly well-done. Made the lounge look magical. Like diamonds falling from the sky and all that poetic stuff.

Room service at the Grand Hyatt also magical. Hummus, babaganoush, and stuffed grape leaves. Good times. No diamonds though.

I do love a man in dishdasha. There’s something so regal about it. But the dry cleaning bills! I can only imagine.

Where we ate…

Spice Market, W Hotel: A surprisingly tasty Thai meal at Spice Market in the W Hotel. Not cheap though! Beware. Good people watching as clientele is very international. Pricey. Alcohol served.

Liza at The Pearl: We tried to have dinner here but their electricity was on the fritz so we could only have cold starters. Liza is a Lebanese restaurant and as I’m learning more and more in my travels, you can really never go wrong with Lebanese. Somewhat pricey, but not as pricey as Spice Market. Alcohol served.

Mamig, Katara Cultural Village: This meal started off really strong, but gradually disintegrated due to poor service. The restaurant bills itself as Armenian/Lebanese. We loved the chopped salad that we started with. The mixed grill was also quite good, but we had more or less lost interest by the time it arrived. (i.e., very late.) I wish I could find the menu online, because we ordered this one dish that was a big hot meat and cheese pie and it was pretty damn delicious. Our server recommended it. That was about the only thing he did right. No alcohol served.

I didn’t get to see much of Doha. I was there for work, after all. But what I saw, I liked. It’s the richest country in the world right now. Yup. They own Harrods. They’re financing Hollywood movies like crazy. And they’re hosting the 2022 World Cup. So I’m sure you’ll be hearing a lot from Qatar in the future. A lot.