Intercontinental Doha - would you choose City or Beach?
Sep 27, 2022, 11:13 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,368
Intercontinental Doha - would you choose City or Beach?
Evening all,
Find myself needing a few days in Doha next week. Thought I'd stayed at all the ME IC's but realised that I'd done neither in Doha. Nice feeling, nice to find somewhere new to visit and experience.
Can I get input from Doha regulars as to which IC they would choose and why please? I have the option of either and have some down time so want to use it best I can. Also how they treat and what to expect as an RA.
Also any recommendations for dining / lounge etc at each very welcome as is recommendations in general to do and places to eat in the city and area?
Thanks in advance
Find myself needing a few days in Doha next week. Thought I'd stayed at all the ME IC's but realised that I'd done neither in Doha. Nice feeling, nice to find somewhere new to visit and experience.
Can I get input from Doha regulars as to which IC they would choose and why please? I have the option of either and have some down time so want to use it best I can. Also how they treat and what to expect as an RA.
Also any recommendations for dining / lounge etc at each very welcome as is recommendations in general to do and places to eat in the city and area?
Thanks in advance
Sep 27, 2022, 12:50 pm
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: London
Programs: Hilton, IHG - BA, GA, LH, QR, SV, TK
Posts: 17,008
Evening all,
Find myself needing a few days in Doha next week. Thought I'd stayed at all the ME IC's but realised that I'd done neither in Doha. Nice feeling, nice to find somewhere new to visit and experience.
Can I get input from Doha regulars as to which IC they would choose and why please? I have the option of either and have some down time so want to use it best I can. Also how they treat and what to expect as an RA.
Also any recommendations for dining / lounge etc at each very welcome as is recommendations in general to do and places to eat in the city and area?
Thanks in advance
Find myself needing a few days in Doha next week. Thought I'd stayed at all the ME IC's but realised that I'd done neither in Doha. Nice feeling, nice to find somewhere new to visit and experience.
Can I get input from Doha regulars as to which IC they would choose and why please? I have the option of either and have some down time so want to use it best I can. Also how they treat and what to expect as an RA.
Also any recommendations for dining / lounge etc at each very welcome as is recommendations in general to do and places to eat in the city and area?
Thanks in advance
) is a tower close to malls, city centre offices, ministries and embassies: there's a shisha bar (and restaurants i was never tempted to use), but it's pool is tiny: indeed the hotel footprint is tiny. The other hotel is some way out of town with a full complement of the facilities you'd expect from a resort: it hosts a "destination" bar and restaurantsYou could split a stay across the two, then come back with your verdict ...
Sep 27, 2022, 1:08 pm
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,368
Both are delighful, but the City hotel is clearly business-oriented, while the other one has resort credentials. Both treat RAs well, both have impressive lounges. One (guess) is a tower close to malls, city centre offices, ministries and embassies: there's a shisha bar (and restaurants i was never tempted to use), but it's pool is tiny: indeed the hotel footprint is tiny. The other hotel is some way out of town with a full complement of the facilities you'd expect from a resort: it hosts a "destination" bar and restaurants
You could split a stay across the two, then come back with your verdict ...
) is a tower close to malls, city centre offices, ministries and embassies: there's a shisha bar (and restaurants i was never tempted to use), but it's pool is tiny: indeed the hotel footprint is tiny. The other hotel is some way out of town with a full complement of the facilities you'd expect from a resort: it hosts a "destination" bar and restaurantsYou could split a stay across the two, then come back with your verdict ...
Would like to have enough days there to do the two and normally I would. Like that sort of thing. But not quite enough to make a job of that ... although the cogs are whirring
OK that's good to know that neither past their sell by or one duff etc. And off topic some but you clearly know the territory well .... any must do things in Doha and recommended places to eat? Especially steakhouse and Lebanese?
Apologies, last pestering question ... how far out of town time wise in the beach based one? Thanks for your help
P.S at the risk of arm twisting, there's an open question about lounges in DOH in the other thread could use your input .... ahem
Sep 28, 2022, 3:51 am
#4
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Location: London
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Many thanks Ian. I saw your posts in The QR thread and thought you might be able to help.
Would like to have enough days there to do the two and normally I would. Like that sort of thing. But not quite enough to make a job of that ... although the cogs are whirring
OK that's good to know that neither past their sell by or one duff etc. And off topic some but you clearly know the territory well .... any must do things in Doha and recommended places to eat? Especially steakhouse and Lebanese?
Apologies, last pestering question ... how far out of town time wise in the beach based one? Thanks for your help
P.S at the risk of arm twisting, there's an open question about lounges in DOH in the other thread could use your input .... ahem
Would like to have enough days there to do the two and normally I would. Like that sort of thing. But not quite enough to make a job of that ... although the cogs are whirring
OK that's good to know that neither past their sell by or one duff etc. And off topic some but you clearly know the territory well .... any must do things in Doha and recommended places to eat? Especially steakhouse and Lebanese?
Apologies, last pestering question ... how far out of town time wise in the beach based one? Thanks for your help
P.S at the risk of arm twisting, there's an open question about lounges in DOH in the other thread could use your input .... ahem
Going out for dinner invariably means Souq Waqif: you can find places there that suit pocket and palate. Bandar Aden (Yemini and inexpensive), Layali al Qahira (ditto but up a level in ambience, and Egyptian) to Parisi (stunning, distracting, decor) and Damascus, both towards the other end of the $-scale. If you want to escape dryness, you really need the sanctuary of hotels. Both IC lounges are generously furnished with drinks.
The IC resort isn'r far out. I reckon 5 km, 10 minutes and a few euro in an Uber should cover it. At a pinch you could do it as a one-stop on the metro
.
Sep 28, 2022, 4:16 am
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,368
I'm usually on my own there, and happy to use the lounge for dinner. The offer is substantial and varied. At least it was, I shifted to Hilton and Marriott when they kicked me out of RA status. To be fair, the local GM kept me on the list for upgrades, but it wasn't an arrangement i felt comfortable with.
Going out for dinner invariably means Souq Waqif: you can find places there that suit pocket and palate. Bandar Aden (Yemini and inexpensive), Layali al Qahira (ditto but up a level in ambience, and Egyptian) to Parisi (stunning, distracting, decor) and Damascus, both towards the other end of the $-scale. If you want to escape dryness, you really need the sanctuary of hotels. Both IC lounges are generously furnished with drinks.
The IC resort isn'r far out. I reckon 5 km, 10 minutes and a few euro in an Uber should cover it. At a pinch you could do it as a one-stop on the metro.
Going out for dinner invariably means Souq Waqif: you can find places there that suit pocket and palate. Bandar Aden (Yemini and inexpensive), Layali al Qahira (ditto but up a level in ambience, and Egyptian) to Parisi (stunning, distracting, decor) and Damascus, both towards the other end of the $-scale. If you want to escape dryness, you really need the sanctuary of hotels. Both IC lounges are generously furnished with drinks.
The IC resort isn'r far out. I reckon 5 km, 10 minutes and a few euro in an Uber should cover it. At a pinch you could do it as a one-stop on the metro
.Echo your sentiments on using a good club lounge in the same manner. That said, I'm going to read up on the suggestions you kindly made and integrate one or two of those as well.
What was a slightly dry business stop over now has a lot more interest in it for sure. Thanks again
Apr 17, 2023, 5:36 am
#8
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That said, it's very much a business-oriented hotel. Nice enough gym but a tiny pool, so if resort facilities are your thing, this isn't for you.
On stays via third-parties I always received benefits, though not points. I'm not sure what benefits Platinum members should expect at Intercontinentals, but if you ask them to add your membership details at check-in I'm pretty sure you'll get what's due in terms of bennies, though nothings guaranteed in these things.
Apr 17, 2023, 12:15 pm
#9
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: NYC
Programs: Marriott Plat, Hilton Gold, UA Silver
Posts: 2,272
It's a fine hotel. Not entirely sure what you mean by "worth it", but in regional terms it's not expensive and attracts none of the service charges and sales taxes you find at those other hotels. In the Discover Qatar programme it's even more of a bargain.
That said, it's very much a business-oriented hotel. Nice enough gym but a tiny pool, so if resort facilities are your thing, this isn't for you.
On stays via third-parties I always received benefits, though not points. I'm not sure what benefits Platinum members should expect at Intercontinentals, but if you ask them to add your membership details at check-in I'm pretty sure you'll get what's due in terms of bennies, though nothings guaranteed in these things.
That said, it's very much a business-oriented hotel. Nice enough gym but a tiny pool, so if resort facilities are your thing, this isn't for you.
On stays via third-parties I always received benefits, though not points. I'm not sure what benefits Platinum members should expect at Intercontinentals, but if you ask them to add your membership details at check-in I'm pretty sure you'll get what's due in terms of bennies, though nothings guaranteed in these things.