Qatar: Two Days in Doha

Monday, February 10, 2025

Upon arrival in Doha at 02:00, I made my way through passport control and reclaimed my bag, which took almost no time at all. I had opted to not book my hotel for tonight since it seemed a waste of money to pay for the entire night, when I would only be arriving in the early hours of the morning. Since I couldn’t check in until mid-afternoon, I decided to spend the next few hours at a coffee shop at the airport. By luck there was a Costa Coffee in the arrivals hall that was open 24 hours a day, so I was able to hang out there for a while. I got a coffee and a light snack, and then hunkered down.

I finally left the airport around noon and took the metro into the city. I have been to Doha before and seen all of the major sights before, so I wasn’t in a mad rush to do a lot of sightseeing during this visit. I was in Doha simply because it was the embarkation point for my upcoming cruise. I exited the metro close to the hotel and made the 15-minute walk over. I arrived slightly too early for check-in, but I was able to store my bag with reception.

I returned to the metro and went further into the city, where I went to a large mall to have lunch and do some reading at Starbucks. A few hours later, I returned to the hotel for check-in. The hotel was comfortable and I was glad to have the opportunity to stretch out on the bed once I got to my room. I debated about taking a nap, but I knew that I wouldn’t be able to sleep well later on if I napped now, so I kept myself awake.

I considered going out for dinner tonight, but I was so exhausted from the long day of travel yesterday and having to stay awake all day today, that I ended up eating at the hotel restaurant. I went to the restaurant and ordered my food for takeaway so I could eat it in my room. When the food was ready, a member of staff brought it out on a large tray – I think he was planning to take it to my room, not realizing that I was there waiting. I took the tray and returned to my room, where I enjoyed the meal. I had ordered a club sandwich, which came with fries, and a soda. It wasn’t the grandest of meals, but it hit the spot.

I fell asleep early this evening – as 22:00 hit, I was barely able to keep my eyes open. I curled up in the comfy bed and drifted off to sleep.

 
Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Sleeping in was my top priority for this morning and I managed to get caught up on my sleep, thankfully. Today was going to be a relaxed and laid back affair, with only light sightseeing to revisit some of the places that I had seen during my previous visit to Doha.

In mid-morning, I walked over to the metro and took it over to the medina area of town to have a walk. It was already quite hot out this morning, so I didn’t plan to spend too much time outside. The walk through the medina area was nevertheless pleasant. It is a winding network of smaller roads that are lined with shops, restaurants and cafes. Everything was clean and pristine, which I appreciated. In one part of the medina was a large sculpture of a golden thumb which sparkled in the sunlight. I then walked over to the “Old Well” which is a small landmark. I considered walking over to see the pearl monument, but it was a bit too far for me to reach by foot. Instead, I decided to search out a café where I could rest in air-con for a bit.

I found a café nearby on Google Maps and set off to find it. Along the way I could see the large tower of the Islamic Cultural Center, which reminded me of an old stone tower that I had visited in Iraq. The café was down a small street and was nearly empty when I arrived. The staff spoke excellent English and warmly welcomed me when I arrived. I had an iced coffee and a pastry while I cooled down for a bit.

When I left the café, I walked over to a nearby metro station and took the metro over to a mall, where I hung out at Starbucks for a little while in the afternoon. I ate dinner at the mall before returning to my hotel for the night. Overall it wasn’t the most exciting of days, but it was exactly what I wanted: a day of relaxation.