The Hyatt plaza

This shopping centre will probably soon be eclipsed by the larger Villagio being built next door, although there seem to be enough shoppers in Doha to go around all the malls. Never-the-less, Hyatt Plaza is a pleasant enough place to shop, with some classy shops and a light airy feel to it when you stroll in. With Villagio coming up next door, they try hard too - I noticed new shops and attractions on my last trip and they even have a magazine: Hyatt Plaza Style.

Location

This is one place you really can’t miss. Just go past the huge Khalifa stadium, and the Villagio development, and you’ll see a giant shopping trolley outside the complex, just to make sure you don’t get the wrong idea.

Parking

There’s parking for a 1000 cars. We also saw a few taxis drive in and out.

Shops

There’s the shops that appear everywhere in Doha such as the Body shop, but there’s also some less common ones. The Japanese Daiso is the nearest thing Qatar has to a pound shop, and what most of my friends seem to find most interesting. This is a shop with tonnes and tonnes of cheap stuff, and everything unmarked (and most of it is unmarked) costs 6 riyals. Some of it is junk, of course, but there’s also some very interesting things such as traditional Japanese toys. This shop is located opposite Mr Price and above a Homes R Us. Hyatt Plaza also a big focus on clothes, make-up and jewellery: there are many small stalls in the middle of the complex selling jewellery and there’s a large Paris Gallery selling perfume and make-up.

Supermarket

The supermarket here is Giant Stores. I’ve seen one or two scrubby looking Giant stores in town but this place is really quite good. It has a wide range of goods including computers and other electronics, the food counters are good and there’s a café to relax in the middle.

Food

There’s the normal food court where you can have your fill of American and Arabic junk food. There’s also an Italian restaurant, Il Foro Romana, which is set in the middle of the hall surrounded by mock broken columns, several cafes including, of course, the inescapable Starbucks’. (Are they on the moon yet?).

Kids

This is quite a good place for kids. In addition to Mothercare, there is a toy store, an Early Learning centre, a Cute Cuts hairdresser and a "Jungle Zone", which resembles a miniature theme park with rides such as "jungle train" and “mountain coaster". You can also rent out rooms for children's parties, with Hyatt Plaza providing all the food and entertainment. In addition, on our most recent visit Hyatt Plaza had added inflatable slides, a bouncy castle and other amusements to an area of the parking lot outside.

Website: www.hyattplaza.com

Also see:

Gondolas in Villagio

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Qatar Doha Middle East Hyatt Plaza shopping