In Dinner by the Canal we enjoy a romantic candle-lit meal for two at the Grand Hyatt's latest restaurant, Rocca. A superb ambience by the water and the swimming pools, with a view of the Pearl development in front, makes this a great place to relax after the hustle and bustle of the city. Read Dinner by the Canal for our full review.
Also see: Qatar Restaurants
Souq Waqif is one of my favourite places in Qatar. It makes me wince to use such a cliché but a trip to Qatar really would not be complete without a visit to the Souq.
So it was a pleasant surprise during a recent meander round to find that there are now three hotels serving the needs of guests.
All the hotels also have the added advantage that they are in easy walking distance of the Islamic Arts Museum, the Corniche and the harbour with its traditional wooden dhows.
Tel: +974 4433030/ 4432288
Fax: +974 441 9292
Website: www.HotelSouqWaqif.com
This is the plushest - and the most expensive - hotel we looked at. Standard rooms started from QAR900/night.
Located closest to the Corniche, in front of the main car park, a large and airy restaurant is located to the front. First impressions were good and the staff polite and helpful, although unfortunately when we visited every room was occupied. We will return for further inspection!
Al Khariss Hotel
Address: PO Box 23618, Souq Waqif, Doha, Qatar
Tel: +974 4310786/4354323
Fax: +974 4324345
I think this hotel has a fabulous location. Standing on the central street of the souq, interesting shops crowd to either side and just opposite is one of my favourite shops: Al Ghalaffa. The hotel itself is situated above the Khariss cafe, which I am also fond of, despite (or perhaps because of) the weird items that you find on their menus.
Yet be warned that the hotel has the slowest lift in the world. (Fortunately it only has to go up one floor.)
The rooms are also decorated in the traditional style - which was a bit bare for my liking. And at QAR800, they were only slightly cheaper than Hotel Souq Waqif.
Bismillah Hotel
Tel: +974 4374417
Fax: +974 4374417
Address: PO Box 16919
This hotel is the oldest of the bunch, with photos going back to the 1960's. (You can see an old photo of the hotel here and a nightime image here.
Although slightly more expensive than when we first blogged about the hotel, Bismillah still makes it into our list of Budget Hotels in Qatar with a single room starting at QAR400 and a double room at QAR500.
A faint musty smell, which reminded me of my backpacking days in Asia, put me off the rooms a bit. The smell seemed to come from the ceiling, which looked a bit too traditional for the more discerning of guests.
On the plus point it is actually affordable, boasts another great location and has great view of the souq (see below).
It is some time since we wrote our review of the Ritz Carlton Sharq Village and Spa, and when they contacted us to request an update we jumped at the chance to view the hotel again.
My reasons were partly selfish - I already know by reputation and experience that the hotel is excellent. However, the chance to be shown round the hotel in person was too good an experience to miss.
We visited on one of Doha's few dull and grey days. I was warned that the day would not do the hotel justice, but the courtyards still looked superb.
Origins
According to the public relations manager, legend says that the Sharq village and Spa lies on the remains of an ancient village.
In a story she said they had got from the Emir himself, an ancient souq was founded by a noble Sheikh.
According to the story, the village first prospered as traders settled, building ornate homes around courtyards and furnishing them with treasures brought back from their travels.
Then, after some centuries, the village was abandoned - until recent time, when it was rebuilt as the Sharq Village and Spa.
Style
The Sharq Village maintains the village-like athmosphere, with ornate villas or 'beits' built around courtyards each functioning as a separate hotel.
Each villa is attended to by its own personal butler.
In the center of the complex lies one feature the original hotel did not have - a large and intricate swimming pool, floodlit at night.
Dining
On our trip we ate at the Al Liwan, a restaurant that is also a favourite of the Emir.
A Lebanese starter of delicious cold salads and olives was followed by sushi, prawns straight from the open grill in front of us, sea bass and lamb cooked in the Qatari style - all topped off with the traditional Om Ali*.
The buffet is varied from day to day, so there is no guarantee you will have the same selection! The chef is currently planning to have both Indian and Greek style buffets.
Negative points?
For the sake of balance we always try to look for negative points as well as positive points, although it is harder than most with the Sharq Village and Spa.
There are two small points.
Planes flying directly overhead could get annoying, although the sound is muffled in the main area of the hotel.
And having to walk outside between the buildings is fine now, but would be unpleasant during the hottest summer months. Partly because of that, there are golf carts ready to whisk guests between the buildings.
And finally...
The verdict remains the same as our first visit - absolutely fantastic!
Agree or disagree? Remember, on our Doha hotel page you can rate Doha hotels, or even leave your own review.
Also see our full review of the Sharq Village and Spa
Om Ali: an Arab dish which can best be described as a sort of cross between rice pudding and bread pudding (and tastier than both!)
The last remains of the Oasis Hotel stands against a murky sky before the bulldozers move in for the final time.
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