SYDSiderFlyer

Great report, QR really have a nice F Cabin. They just need to fly it on their longer routes!

Will Coe

Yes, terminal 1 is passed its prime but it has history and, thus, architectural constraints. For those of us, older FTs, it was the epitome of modern travel when you were probably not yet born...
It was never meant to dock flocks of A380 (QR, SQ, MH) and the whole ground experience is never going to be on par with more modern terminals (Just in Paris, the contrast with Terminal 2 E & F is flagrant).
Thank you for the TR anyway.

CGRA

GREAT report and photos.
Look forward to the rest.
Did you pay with cash or miles ?

stargold

Really enjoying this so far, and looking forward to the reviews of the two Dubai hotels as well. ^
If you mean his briefcase, it looks like Un Jour Venezia from the brand Berluti.

JohnRain

Thanks brewgator, it's indeed a Berluti Venezia Un Jour, stargold beat me to it.

Thank you so much flyingeph12, the Al Safwa installment will be online tomorrow.

Thanks for your comment, SYDSiderFlyer. I totally agree with you!

Actually I'm two months older than CDG T1, but thanks for your compliment, EricP...

Thanks a lot CGRA, I redeemed AA miles for the tickets.

Thank you very much for your kind (and knowledgeable) comments, stargold.
The Dubai installment will be online later this week.
As for the briefcase, you got it right indeed...

Apologies for the delay in updating this TR, I was traveling over the weekend and will post the Al Safwa installment tomorrow.

JohnRain

Upon deplaning we were greeted by two ladies who escorted us through security and towards the Al Safwa Lounge. The whole DOH F escort process is a bit of a mystery to me, as it comes with no tangible benefits. I mean, you have to walk (no buggy service), carry your own luggage and there's no dedicated F line for the security check, so frankly what's the point? Anyway, after getting off what must be the longest escalator in the world, we walked to the Al Safwa reception desk and this is where I started to realise that I was about to experience something different, something big.










Boy is this lounge massive. Actually it feels more like a cathedral than like a lounge.The hallways are so wide and long that you could almost use a ride just to grab a drink.




The casual dining part of the lounge is for cold food only (sushi, salads, etc).







To get from the casual to the formal dining area, you have to walk through the whole lounge. First, you walk by a second reception desk inside the lounge. Why a second reception desk? Well, because why not?







Then you walk by a fountain that's pretty unique...







...a private sitting area...



...and the beautiful bar...



...which is pretty well stocked.




By the time I reached the formal dining area I felt really hungry so I was happy to see those guys who looked like they needed some action.




Unfortunately, the food (especially the hot options) was the only big let-down of the lounge. The main motto of the chefs seems to be "cook everything until you're absolutely, positively sure it's dead". The scallops were completely overcooked...



...as was the beef.




At that point I was quite frustrated and ordered some sushi that a waiter brought over from the casual dining area. It tasted OK but the waiter probably experienced some turbulence on the way back, as the presentation was a bit off.




If you're reading this iluvdoco, I had a blueberry mojito to wash the unmemorable food down.



I skipped desserts altogether and decided to check out the quiet rooms which are really outstanding but have a ventilation problem, as was already mentioned in the Al Safwa thread on the QR forum. If I had traveled alone I would have taken the risk of not booking a room at the Airport Hotel and hoping that a quiet room would be available to spend the night, but since I was traveling with Mrs JohnRain I thought it would be wiser not to do so. Although there were many rooms available, they were really warm and so I gladly headed over to the Airport Hotel which is located just steps away. The hotel itself is nothing special, except for its excellent location and the unique view from the room. Although I was very tired I stood there for at least 15 minutes, because it's not every day that you get to see the inside of an airport terminal from your bedroom.







The next morning I checked out the hotel pool which is pretty impressive as you can see the terminal below while you're swimming.



At 6.30 AM I headed back to Al Safwa to meet with msm2000uk, the Qatar Airways Ambassador on FT who was already in the lounge having breakfast with another Flyertalker, Raffles. It was great fun to meet both of them, but sadly the food had not gotten better overnight as the Eggs Benedict I ordered were so forgettable I didn't even take a picture of them.

Conclusion: Al Safwa is an amazing lounge in terms of architecture, space and amenities (quiet rooms, media room, business center, spa, etc) BUT it needs to improve drastically on the food. As long as that's not the case, just stick to Krug and you'll be fine.

Basefly

Thanks for your great report, love the pictures, too bad about the food. I have found the food in the J lounge to be average as well.

QR is a great airline but fails to be consistent throughout.

BobBHX

Thanks for the report JohnRain. On my last trip I missed out on the opening of Al Safwa by 7 days but I'm on CDG/DOH/BKK next week so am looking forward to experiencing the lounge.

You do not mention my pet hate of QR at CDG - their refusal to pay out a few Euro in taxes to open a bottle of champagne on the ground. After suffering the rest of T1 and the so called Premiere Lounge I for one would like to relax on boarding with a glass of bubbles (doesn't have to be Krug or Comtes). But the cabin crew always come out with the perennial "untruth" that it is "against regulations". Strange that all other airlines can serve champagne on the ground at CDG and elsewhere in the EU.

iluvdoco

Thanks for the mention, JohnRain! Just saw this thread.

Disappointed the Al-Safwa chefs are still overcooking their proteins.

offerendum

The lounge looks really great! I guess it�s one of the best at the market!

iluvdoco

Do the Al-Safwa chefs not know that you're not supposed to cook scallops until they're rubbery or steaks until they're hockey puck hard?

I wanted to say something but also didn't want to embarrass them.

NoY

Very nice report - keep it coming please ^

Sad to see the food is as badly prepared as in the Al Mourjan Lounge - that was really dreadful. Its all very well getting the hard product right but apart from a nice place to sit whats the point really, if the soft product is so poor? Bad food, badly ventilated etc. Style over substance is so common in this region. Sigh

iluvdoco

But it's odd because the onboard food in QR J is really quite good.

NoY

I know. Its odd indeed - I had excellent F&B on board their J cabin a couple of months back.

As I say, there is a pervading sense of style over substance in these parts, sadly

SFO777

What a wonderful surprise this morning when I saw your TR.
Outstanding pics and great narrative with the usual dose of JohnRain humour.

The QR hard product looks amazing. Almost as nice as my newly beloved La Premi�re.

And the Al Safwa lounge. Wow. Too bad about the substandard food though.
Looking forward to the rest of your report.