Antarius

I'm partial to the Al Bustan Palace (Ritz). A little out of the way, but a gorgeous property. The Chedi is wonderful as well.

laguy35

thank you everyone for all the posts

the first night of the 6 nights we dont get in till 10pm from the maldives. so its really only 5 nights, and the last morning we fly out early morning on the nonstop to los angeles. All the hotels look nice originally we were suppose to stay at the Hilton Salwa https://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/qa...BHI/index.html, but this hotel is now not opening up till oct 2021.

All the hotels look nice, one person said the westin was a great hotel, but it looks like its situated in the middle of nothing, i can be wrong I have never been to Doha before. Has anyone stayed at the JW? wouldnt that be a better place to stay over the marriot or the sheraton? I dont mind staying at the st regis, i just wish they had a loung like the other hotels.

laguy35

i can also more then likely change my return flight with etihad and fly through abu dahbi. but i didnt choose that route since we have already been to dubai.

also its the holidays, if we fly back to los angeles there isnt much to do as we have done whatever there is to do in los angeles,

LondonElite

Just don’t spend five days in Doha. Believe me.

laguy35

so if i stay 3 or 4 days in doha, please remember i have a 6 and 8 year old with me and my wife, would you recommend the sheraton? the st regis? or the JW? I dont see much about the JW anywhere. someone had mentioned the westin, but the westin seems far from everything

LondonElite

It is roasting hot in Doha, and location really doesn't matter because you won't want to do anything with young children. If you must stay in Doha for more than two nights, stay in whatever hotel has the nicest pool area, the rest doesn't matter. But leaving Doha for Oman is the much better idea, and the Chedi in Muscat is more pleasant than anything Doha has to offer.

laguy35

covid permitting, this will be dec 2020, from what i understand it wont be boiling hot in december

LondonElite

Nevertheless, it is a very dull place. It will be a real downer spending so much time in Doha after a trip to the Maldives. By the end of your second full day there, I bet your wife will say 'any chance we can just go home?' There isn't really anything to do with young children there, so you'll just hang out by the pool, which is fine, but you've probably just had enough watersports...

Flying for Fun

I did an overnight stay in Doha enroute to Kigali. I wish I had more time. I will definitely stay longer next time. As for the Maldives, 2 to 3 days is about as much as I could handle.

James

LondonElite

Did you have 6 and 8 year old children with you at the time?

Flying for Fun

How many 6 and 8 year old children? Or did you mean a 6 and an 8 year old child? Either way, it is irrelevant. The OP asked a question and has been barraged with "you are crazy" & "if you are staying six nights, it doesn't really matter comments." It is fine to offer comments in a respectful way but that isn't what I am reading here. Postulating your experience will be the same experience for all others isn't constructive nor respectful.

I haven't been to the Maldives (no desire to go) but I have been to Bora Bora & The Seychelles. Beyond two days, it becomes very boring, extremely boring. Resorts are so far removed from experiencing the true culture & cuisine of the destination. Kids or no kids, I am not postulating that my experiences suggest that anyone going to the Maldives is crazy if they spend more than a day or two. If I had an opportunity to go for 6 days to the Maldives or 6 days to Doha, I wouldn't choose the Maldives.

Travel is the best education you can get. It can be an opportunity and an adventure for parents, if so inclined, to show their children, first hand, history, different cultures, different customs, different cuisines, different architecture, different..... or it can be McDonalds and attractions.

James

laguy35

thank you James
it would be one 8 year old and one 6 year old. Some people might find it hard to travel with kids, we do not and enjoy having are kids with us.

khabah

Oh, FlyerTalk...

laguy35 As a frequent traveler to Doha and having pretty much lived there for more than half of 2019, I'll try to answer your questions through the following bullets:

• Doha does indeed run its course in a few days, but it's a very laid-back city with the glitz of Dubai without the ostentatiousness of it. It's very child- and family-friendly, with lots of museums, cultural institutions and malls that you can fill your days with, even if it is lacking in outright personality.
• With regards to places to stay, especially with kids and your desire for a lounge, I'd narrow your search down to The Westin, the JW Marriott Marquis or the Sheraton. My below feedback is based off of travel experiences before March 2020, so I'm not sure how COVID-19 has affected things.
  • The Westin's location is indeed a bit out of the way in a neighborhood that's part residential and part commercial but it's a car ride to just about anywhere, and Uber is available. I've always had great upgrades to all sorts of suites including two-bedroom family suites so you'll most likely be well taken care of given your status. The lounge has gone downhill compared to what it used to be - there are less food options than there used to be but enough to build a dinner out of with salads and two or three hot dishes on a buffet-style setup. Alcohol is available but fiercely guarded by staff who tell you off if you self-serve. Service in general is quite good. Leisure facilities are excellent, with a large outdoor pool, kid's pool, wave pool, indoor pool, squash courts and men's and women's gyms, Jacuzzis, steam rooms and spa facilities.
  • The JW Marriott Marquis is in the West Bay neighborhood so in the middle of everything, and directly connected to the City Center mall. The Marriott Marquis mentioned above is on the opposite end of this mall but I really didn't like that property due my experience including sloppy service, lackluster upgrades and a dingy lounge experience. The JW is a nicer property [it used to be a Shangri-La until May 2019] as far as hard product goes, staff are lovely and their forty-second floor lounge is very good, with plenty of space and rotating high-quality food options. The pool is a good size, but the spa is a little lackluster - I believe there's only a sauna in the changing area.
  • The Sheraton is my favorite option in the city - it's a Doha landmark with its pyramid architecture, but the 80s-style decor isn't popular with everybody. It's a five-minute walk from the JW Marriott right on the seaside, sits on extensive grounds with a large garden, outdoor pool, outdoor Jacuzzi and beach so your kids should have plenty of outdoor options in the good weather that time of year. Their lounge is also top-notch, with a huge buffet that changes every night and includes sushi, cheese, cold appetizers, at least five hot dishes and free-flow alcohol over two hours in the evening with some really great staff. The only caveat with the Sheraton is that it is very popular with locals who frequently book it up for events like exhibitions and weddings, so it's almost always far more expensive than its other Marriott-branded siblings.

I see you're considering flying to Abu Dhabi instead; AD is quite a lot like Doha in that it's nice but utterly charmless, and there isn't much else to do there other than, say, the Louvre, a few malls and perhaps some outdoor activities like exploring the desert or mangroves. Don't forget that AD and the UAE have value-added taxes and all sorts of surcharges slapped on everything whereas that hasn't been implemented in Qatar yet, so Qatar doesn't get as expensive as the UAE does.

I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.

khabah

laguy35

thank you for that detailed response. I booked the sheraton last night. I might make a reservation at the st regis and see what i decide. The rooms at the st regis didnt look impressive, and look small. Is the St. regis that nice? Thats why i was asking about the JW, they usually tend to be nice hotels, but i think in this case the sheraton might have more for the kids.

Antarius

I'd chalk up Doha and the Maldives (and Abu Dhabi) in the same boat.Spent a lot of time in Doha and Abu Dhabi, and like Las Vegas, it gets old after a couple of days.

I guess, when Oman and a cultural marvel like Petra are nearby, sitting in Doha seems like opportunity lost.