PH hardware is nice but the pool is abysmal. I'd second Fairmont for the F&B and pool.

Any thoughts on Fairmont vs Mandarin Oriental? I'll probably be booking through Discover Qatar and am landing at ~6:30 AM on a Saturday and flying out 19 hours later. Planning on doing tourist things early morning - noon, then lunch and lounge around hotel pool/facilities before "napping" around 5-6PM for timezone reasons.

The MO is more centrally located, but I don't think that matter as much considering the long stopover and ease of Ubers. The Fairmont's pool looks more exciting, but will I have to compete with locals on day passes for space? And lastly, reviews for Fairmont's individual f&b spaces are more alarming than MO's on Google, but I'm not sure how much of that is due to the Fairmont's newness..

I am in Doha right now on a tour visiting 15 lux hotels, just done the Fairmont and MO last week.

fairmont has a nice pool, although service was not as attentive as at MO and sometimes random people would just come up to take videos (i think outside guests who came for a coffee). This is due to the pool being next to the garden of the coffee lounge.

MO has an inferior pool, but better service, and you wont be disturbed by outside visitors.

F&B - Fairmont has an amazing Indian fine dining restaurant (Masala Library), MO has Mosaic which is excellent and Izu. Also plenty of options around Mshreib

MO has a better spa - the Fairmont’s Spa just recently opened and is not fully operational yet

I have a feeling that based on your description, you would enjoy MO more, especially since you plan on doing some sightseeing. Mshreib is a very nice neighbourhood, Luseil (where Fairmont is) is just dead at the moment.

If you do opt for the MO, make sure to visit the Gelato shop just outside of the hotel (amazing ice cream) and do try the coffee and macarons at the Mandarin’s cake shop just across the road of the main entrance

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Sounds like you have quite some experience with Doha hotels. How about the Raffles there? I have a 2 night/3 day stopover in Doha before heading to the Maldives and was thinking about either the MO, Raffles or the new FS Pearl. Any thoughts on that?

What are your top Doha properties in your opinion, regardless of price?

Yes, I have tried over 40 hotels in Doha.

Raffles is for me far the best in Doha - I just checked out from there today (my 3rd stay). The service is outstanding (proper Butler service, not just a gimmick) and the hotel is so quiet you feel you booked the whole hotel not just a suite. If you book the SPA, you get an entire SPA suite with steam, sauna and jacuzzi for private use. They have two outdoor pools, both big in size, and never crowded. The one on the lower ground is for chilling and enjoying the quiet (only hotel guests can access it). Aqua on second floor is more lively and you may encounter outside guest on weekends.

if you stay in the Raffles - try the afternoon tea in Malaki lounge and have a cocktail in the Blue Cigar Lounge.

i will stay in FS Pearl this coming weekend, I can update you on Monday. Note that there is no rooms, it is only apartments. They are still in the soft opening phase.

To sum it up, If you dont mind the location and just want the best hotel experience overall, go for Raffles.

my top 3 are:

1. Raffles
2. MO
3. Four Seasons (the older one)

Thank you! Yes, would love to hear your thoughts on the FS Pearl. Their apartments look a little bland but are nice in size and the idea of having the ability to do laundry without having to pay an exorbitant price to the hotel before we head to the Maldives sounds nice.

Completely agree with cornwall4000 . I would even say that Raffles Doha is among the finest hotels in the Middle East, if not the finest. I am glad that it's in Doha, and not Dubai; since otherwise, they would be charging 2000+ USD for an entry-level suite.

I can confirm the FS Pearl is an excellent hotel - despite being open for only two months, service was excellent and efficient as you would expect at a FS. Dinner at Robuchon was by far the best dining experience I had in Doha, and I loved that the breakfast was a la carte instead of buffet, you could really feel the focus on quality of products. They have two pools (a kids one and adult one) and the cabanas were fantastic, you have a huge bed and a sofa with plenty of shade. Beach is not huge, but again, this hotel still has a limited number of apartments released for booking, so it will never be crowded.

The downside for me was that the SPA is not properly functioning yet (masssages are available, but no facilities). The lobby is very small, as is the tea lounge. The apartment is nice, but little bit bland.

I would still recommend the Raffles over the FS as the FS Pearl is lacking that “wow” factor that Raffles has, and the Raffles is really close to perfection!

Thank you so much. Your thoughts are about what I expected. I will likely do the Raffles for a night, since I do want to do some sightseeing and do also a short version of the desert safari on one of the days. For the 2 days that I'll be sightseeing, I assume that the MO is the best balance of location (proximity to Corniche & Souq Waqif) and luxury? I'll probably take a stroll around the Pearl area when I'm at the Raffles. I have a total of 3 days.

That sounds like a good plan. I can confirm MO is the best hotel in that particular part of town, so you won’t be disappointed. If you will be dining in the hotel - try Mosaic (instead of IZU) - and don’t forget the Mandarin Cake Shop across the road.

i would suggest to do first two nights at MO with the activities and then Raffles for the third night. They are not busy and super flexible with the check-in and check-out times - unless there happens to be some kind of event, you should easily get 12/1 PM check-in and up to 5/6 PM check-out even without any Acor ALL status.

Any opinion how WA Lusail compares to both FS?

Service is nowhere near FS.

Also the hotel is pretty crowded with families most of the time - so if you are staying solo or as a couple, you might not enjoy the pool/beach as much.

Out of curiosity, have you tried the new WA West Bay?

I did, last week. I was satisfied with my stay, but the hotel is in a soft opening phase, so things are still very quiet. One restaurant, a shisha lounge and a bar are operational. The SPA is still not open. Really nice gym though with amazing views.

Would I stay again? Yes, but at a later stage probably, once the hotel is properly up and running.