When we arrived at the hotel last night, we asked them to give us a wake-up call at 9:30am. The temperature outside was already 39C.
Breakfast was included as usual but what was unusual was that they took us to breakfast in a golf buggy. Our hotel is one of nine hotels in this complex and the breakfast was in one of the other nearby hotels.
There was a large variety of food options - some of which I'd never heard of before. I asked the chef to cook me some eggs. The coffee was probably the best we've had on our entire trip. The service was exceptional.
After breakfast, we went for a short walk around the souq. This is a very traditional market place which is housed in the hotel complex area. The locals certainly shop here. They buy things by the barrow load. Almost every man is pushing a wheelbarrow - either delivering things or taking away things he's bought.
Next, we caught a taxi to the Villagio shopping mall. Although it is only about 10km away, it took more than 40 minutes to get there because of the heavy traffic.
The concierge at the hotel made a point of telling the taxi driver to turn on his meter but when we got there, we found out he hadn't done so. He wanted us to pay 60 Riyad whereas the concierge had told us it should be 30 at the most. After haggling, we paid him 50.
On the journey, we chatted with the taxi driver. He said he is Indian and that most of the workers in Qatar are ex-pats like him. He implied that the local residents are so rich that they don't need to work. He said all the expensive cars belong to locals.
Everywhere you look in Doha, there is construction work such as buildings and roads. The taxi driver told us that this is mainly in preparation for the soccer world cup. Apart from widening the roads, they are building a brand new underground metro system.
Next to the shopping mall, they are building a new football stadium. Thankfully it will be fully air-conditioned. One structure that is complete is the Doha Torch which is stylised curved tower. Apparently it has a restaurant and a viewing platform at the top.
The Villagio Mall is fascinating. It is a large building with multiple wide corridors that are decorated as a European street scene. It has a curved ceiling that is painted with blue sky and clouds.
A canal winds its way through the centre of the building. It is about 300m long. You can go for a gondolier ride just like a Venetian canal.
I went to the Vodafone shop to get a Qatar SIM for my WiFi device, Suzy went to the money exchange to convert Euros to Riyad and then we walked around looking at the shops. For lunch we stopped at TGI Fridays for a hamburger.
Then Suzy went off to do more shopping while I sat in the food court and read the paper. The food court is next to the indoor ice skating rink.
On leaving the shopping complex, a man approached us offering to drive us to our hotel in his "limousine" service for 50 Riyad. We took him up on his offer.
It turned out he was a freelance driver. He used to drive for Uber but doesn't anymore because Uber takes too much commission. We were back at the hotel at abut 4:15pm.
The hotel offers a free guided tour of the souq markets nearby. We'd made a booking for 5:30pm today when we arrived last night. It turned out to be much better than I had expected.
Our guide took us first to an area devoted to falconry. They have live falcons on display with their legs tied to a post. Next we saw horses and then camels. After that he took us through various laneways where the traders were displaying their goods.
At one stall, the owner had a large colourful bird (macaw) on his arm and was quite happy to pass the bird over to stand on Suzy's arm.
For dinner we decided to go to the hotel restaurant on the top level (level 3). One reason for going here was the view - it overlooks the souq and beyond. The service was very attentive and the presentation of the food was amazing.
I've had chicken tandoori before but never before anything like this. It arrived at the table on a metal kettle and grill. It was still hot and smoking. There would have been enough meat for both of us.
The meal would have been even better with a bottle of wine or a beer or a whisky . . . Unfortunately, no alcohol is allowed in this restaurant or in this hotel or anywhere else in the souq.
Just as we were leaving the restaurant, a light show started in the city on the other side of the river. Various buildings were illuminated with coloured lights and flashing lights.
The service in this hotel is almost overpowering. It's not uncommon for someone to open the door when you enter a hotel. In this hotel, when you walk towards the lift, someone will rush over and press the button for you.
There are plenty of staff everywhere and they are all keen to help. They are all smiling and friendly. Nothing is too much trouble. Sometimes I feel like asking them to relax.
After breakfast, we went for a short walk around the souq. This is a very traditional market place which is housed in the hotel complex area. The locals certainly shop here. They buy things by the barrow load. Almost every man is pushing a wheelbarrow - either delivering things or taking away things he's bought.
The concierge at the hotel made a point of telling the taxi driver to turn on his meter but when we got there, we found out he hadn't done so. He wanted us to pay 60 Riyad whereas the concierge had told us it should be 30 at the most. After haggling, we paid him 50.
On the journey, we chatted with the taxi driver. He said he is Indian and that most of the workers in Qatar are ex-pats like him. He implied that the local residents are so rich that they don't need to work. He said all the expensive cars belong to locals.
Everywhere you look in Doha, there is construction work such as buildings and roads. The taxi driver told us that this is mainly in preparation for the soccer world cup. Apart from widening the roads, they are building a brand new underground metro system.
The Villagio Mall is fascinating. It is a large building with multiple wide corridors that are decorated as a European street scene. It has a curved ceiling that is painted with blue sky and clouds.
A canal winds its way through the centre of the building. It is about 300m long. You can go for a gondolier ride just like a Venetian canal.
Then Suzy went off to do more shopping while I sat in the food court and read the paper. The food court is next to the indoor ice skating rink.
On leaving the shopping complex, a man approached us offering to drive us to our hotel in his "limousine" service for 50 Riyad. We took him up on his offer.
It turned out he was a freelance driver. He used to drive for Uber but doesn't anymore because Uber takes too much commission. We were back at the hotel at abut 4:15pm.
Our guide took us first to an area devoted to falconry. They have live falcons on display with their legs tied to a post. Next we saw horses and then camels. After that he took us through various laneways where the traders were displaying their goods.
At one stall, the owner had a large colourful bird (macaw) on his arm and was quite happy to pass the bird over to stand on Suzy's arm.
I've had chicken tandoori before but never before anything like this. It arrived at the table on a metal kettle and grill. It was still hot and smoking. There would have been enough meat for both of us.
The meal would have been even better with a bottle of wine or a beer or a whisky . . . Unfortunately, no alcohol is allowed in this restaurant or in this hotel or anywhere else in the souq.
The service in this hotel is almost overpowering. It's not uncommon for someone to open the door when you enter a hotel. In this hotel, when you walk towards the lift, someone will rush over and press the button for you.
There are plenty of staff everywhere and they are all keen to help. They are all smiling and friendly. Nothing is too much trouble. Sometimes I feel like asking them to relax.
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