5 mistakes of our holiday in Qatar
Prehistory:
If someone books the InterContinental Doha Hotel on their own from tour operators, then please note that the "Join Up" does not have it (the hotel), there is only a city one with the same name, and cheaper. But in fact they ("Join Up") sell it to everyone. And TSS is overpriced. Tested on our family of 3! Tour for 12 days in a superior city view room and HD meals, and on January 2, and a flight with Qatar Airways, as much as 2 thousand green dollars difference.
We chose the tour three months before the vacation and were very hesitant to take from the Joins, keeping in mind their reputation. Although, I want to add, apparently, we are lucky with them! How many times in different countries everything goes without a hitch. There are no complaints. But others are unlucky and we were witnesses - it was in Doha at the meeting - our compatriots were replaced with a hotel without their knowledge, an unpleasant fact. Tip: be careful when choosing.
Now I'm telling. . .
I am not a good writer, but maybe you will learn something important and useful for yourself so as not to repeat our mistakes.
"A small country, who will tell me? Who will tell? Where is it? " - the words from the song were spinning in my thoughts...
But the truth is, many of our compatriots who are not sick of tourism simply do not know or have not heard of such a country. Many believe that Doha is in Egypt, many generally find it difficult to answer where this wonderful country is. And we, who are completely sick with travels, love the diversity of new countries very much. Having touched their culture and nature, to be their inhabitants for at least a few days.
So, we are choosing our next vacation: for the first time in many years, they refused to celebrate New Year's Eve in another country. And it was decided at the family council to fly on January 2 to a warm (and they thought to a hot) country.
The first on the list was Oman, they made a request - uhhh, it will be a little expensive.
"How about a week in the UAE and a week in Qatar? " - our little Kolka was cheerfully interested in choosing a hotel. He loves these ultra-modern country-city-hotels! ) Request - and fir-trees-sticks! - as it turned out, Qatar is not friends with the UAE and there are no direct flights! Only through a third country. Wow povorotik-flight!
"We were in the UAE, then we'll repeat it somehow, let's go to Qatar! " - the final decision was again for the husband's wallet! )))
I have been staring at the country and the hotel for a long time, reading the reviews of tourists.
Come on! No sooner said than done. We pack our bags. Ehhh, but alcohol is not allowed, not even in luggage, but what to do? The husband, frowning, refused to participate in the transfusion into other bottles of alcohol. "It wasn't enough to be dishonored yet! " grumbled, completely refusing to become petty smugglers. Well, okay, I don’t care, I can do without alcohol... I asked myself to lead a sober lifestyle the whole vacation)))
A Qatar Airways flight, an aged aircraft, but comfortable and reliable. The flight in Boryspil was delayed for half an hour, but the pilot made up time in flight. Arrived on time. The food was hearty and tasty, they gave as many alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks as they liked. Some tourists got in a lot, as I noticed. But during the flight, everyone sobered up and disembarked very decently, some for transit, some for viewing the capital. And we went to passport control. All standard procedure. Prints, camera, bamz - a stamp, luggage and we are in Qatar.
We were met at the airport. . .
. . . oh, I was modest - in the huge, modern, most beautiful Doha airport. . .
. . . like VIP clients, seated in a brand new "Mazda" with the smell of leather in the cabin. Doha greeted me with a pleasant warm evening and twinkling multi-colored lights of skyscrapers.
We arrived 30 minutes before our deployment for the next 12 days.
We drive up to the hotel, everything is shining. Oh my god!! ! It's like "Lady Dee" opening the car door to me, a dark-skinned tall doorman offers his hand! Wow, smile right up to the ears, both for him and for my men))) Lady von Elena arrived)))) In the hall, a miracle, damn it, one more inspection, like at the airport. Checking suitcases and us through a metal detector. Fuhh, it’s good that they didn’t carry alcohol smuggling)))) And our knife was taken from the suitcase, put in a safe before departure))) What a beauty in the hotel !! !
Light, gentle music, flowers, everything sparkles! So cute!
We settled in a few minutes, also a standard procedure. They asked for a deposit. While the husband was scouring his wallet, choosing newer banknotes, the deposit at the reception was refused. Okay, so let's live.
Remember! Dollar bills older than 2009 are not accepted anywhere! And in the city, in bank branches, they also require a passport. Not a copy on the phone, but the original passport!
Away from the theme of the hotel. . . what am I talking about? Yeah. . . in the elevator, my aunt dictated "ze dor from klosing" in an electronic voice and won't take us anywhere without a map.
The room was issued on the 6th floor, this is the last one. Yes, I asked for "Very Silence Room". So they gave us, with half a view of the bay and half of the city from the window and complete "silence") Cleanliness and beauty, and comfort in the room, I think, even for the most fastidious. The hotel has a calm, positive atmosphere. Smiling, helpful and not intrusive staff. Everything is on the level, everything is for the guests. Read more in the hotel review.
Mistake #1. Summer in Qatar, and in the countries of the East, is sooo hot! The desert makes itself felt, heating the air to the impossible. Unless someone likes to be in hell above 40 degrees or relax under air conditioners. Then "welcome", but cheap. But the end of December, January and February are definitely not worth choosing for a comfortable beach holiday. On the beach, the sun mercilessly burns the skin.
Moving into the shade, you feel a piercing, nasty breeze, from Ukraine, apparently, it is blowing frost)))) Although we were convinced that this year it was abnormally cold, the air was +22-25. I generally keep quiet about the sea, less than +20 (for me, generally +16). Even for me, it's very cold water. It's the best for winter swimming! Watching how our tourists easily swam, and even a 2-year-old child was easily dipped into the sea, I also decided on a heroic deed! I swam... ALREADY 1 time... but I was able to enter very slowly, groaning, groaning, swim a bit, and exit very abruptly! The medal is urgent for me! ))) I didn’t have enough for more, even for the money I wouldn’t climb into the ice water anymore. Why a warm shower in the room? )
Of the pluses, only a half-empty beach. . .
. . . a lot of sun loungers and complete relaxation for solitude with a book (read already 2 and a half).
There are very few customers in restaurants. So that they don’t freeze - and this was surprising to us (we had never seen such things anywhere before)...
. . . they warm with such bonfires.
Even walking past them, you can feel the warmth of the air.
Mistake #2. If, nevertheless, they made mistake No. 1, like us, and the weather is not beach-bathing - what to do? It is most of all to seek adventure, to explore the unknown. I'm talking about excursions. We read a modest A4 price list from our tour operator. Already from 6 points, with inflated prices and excursions that are absolutely unacceptable for us. Even at home, she outlined that I urgently need to see in Doha. We will seek adventure ourselves. That's easy! The country is absolutely safe, with zero crime. Recently opened its borders for us curious tourists. Let's touch, so to speak, their luxury. After all, Qatar leads the ranking of the richest countries in the world.
To start our adventures at the reception, we took the "tourist maps Doha", the schedule "free wanted bass" - and go! The first time to explore "what? where? how much? " Let's go to City Center. Travel by hotel brand new, comfortable, air-conditioned minibus. And what is strange, in the following days we were taken alone. Super! Apparently, hotel guests do not know about such a "ball".
Citycenter is not a very big shopping mall.
Everything is there. And boutiques with branded items from the world's leading brands, and shops for us mere mortals))) After wandering around, looking through all the windows, we found an exchanger. We found an acceptable department with all sorts of things like our "Silpo", bought juice, fruits and sweets and go back to the hotel, on our "individual" transport)))
Yes, and what's more interesting: from the morning until about 2.3 in the afternoon, there are practically no people in Doha.
Everything around is gray and dull. Doha comes to life only when the evening comes. Begins to breathe the power of the flow of cars. Everything glows, everything blinks, everything comes to life.
They don't walk the streets. Yes, and the buildings were built in such a way that it seems that there is a "metro station" nearby, but you have to walk a certain number of meters to get around, reach the goal.
We took a taxi (very convenient and inexpensive) and went for a walk and a look at the artificially reclaimed island-palm "Pearl of Qatar" - it is also positioned as the most elite and expensive area of Doha.
Hmm. . . nobody's anywhere.
Only one works, apparently for local rich people, a cafe.
Expensive, brand new cars scurry back and forth. Amazing yachts are moored in the bay. . .
. . . I think with no less amazing prices for them.
And the embankment is wonderful, everything is clean, a good walking area. The wind is cold. Uuuhhh. We went into some residential courtyard with a bay, there were no people, but the "security guard" with a wry smile growled "know the photo! ".
Understood. . . understood. . . let's leave. . . It's not at all clear what is elite about him.
The next trip was to the huge "Villaggio Shopping Mall". Again by taxi, there are sooo many construction projects in the city, with the blocking of one or even two lanes of the road. The trip becomes difficult, 1.5 hours in a traffic jam, I wanted to walk.
When entering the mall, we hear an echo!
An echo of our voices. Purity and beauty. Inside the building is a semblance of Italian Venice.
Water channel with moorings and gondolas. For entertainment, guests ride these gondolas along the entire center.
Walked, walked, looked. . . what are we doing here?
Everything is elite-beautiful.
Yes, but not with our wallets!
Looking at the prices of their glamorous, branded items, we feel like the last beggars!
There is a whole entertainment complex for children. And why should we?
We went back by metro. Yeah, that's where the work of building art! We liked the metro station with its service more than the shopping center.
We were helped to buy a ticket, they gave us a metro map, they told us where to go next and where to change trains. And what (sorry) toilets! Public, where people of different nations of the world go. Everything smells and shines from cleanliness. Everything functions with the latest technology.
And what trains! And no drivers. Car salon. . .
. . . as in an airplane, everything is for the convenience of passengers.
Even for children, footrests. Everything is new and shiny. Do not confuse only the wagons. If you are traveling as a couple, family or only women - only "family", if only men, then "standard". The price is the same - 2 QAR, but the "gold" car is already 10 QAR one way, no matter the distance. They always check, but I won’t say about punishment, I don’t know.
And then we realized that the metro is our transport - cheap, fast and reliable to almost anywhere in Doha. Works until 23.00. The plan is to build 3 more branches, because in 2022 they will host the World Cup.
So we rode after lunch to all the sights. Let's go to the Museum of Islamic Art.
So-so attraction without a guide.
The building is very beautiful, but the entrance is paid.
The halls are twilight and complete silence.
The museum contains a lot of ancient, expensive exhibits from different countries.
We looked at everyone, took pictures of some.
And that's it, no one told us about their value and origin, which is a pity. It is interesting not only to see, but also to hear.
Very close to the museum is the famous Corniche promenade with its huge shell with a pearl inside.
Everything is so gray, nondescript, like sleeping. Many annoying, but not insolent Asians, lure them into their decrepit boats to ride around the bay.
Photo from the Internet
"Mr, madam. . . ten dolarz, ten minets" is repeated, for tourists who rarely pass by. Well, how can you ride for 10 minutes? Sailed a little and back, you can’t fool us, we know that at least 30 minutes are needed. No, we shout, "senkyu, sorry, believe in trouble. " Everything is clear! )
So, the famous "Corniche", during the day is not at all what we dreamed of seeing, looking at pictures from the Internet. We have to go in the evening, maybe the view will be more beautiful! ) Let's go in the evening. . . so what? Pleasure boats in the sea sparkled with lights, skyscrapers glowed in the sky with a glow of different colors.
Photo from the Internet
There are no people, only occasionally a single runner in headphones runs through. We didn’t see anything that made it “wow”. Here's the Cornish. Or maybe we are "Galya baluvana", we have already seen all sorts of embankments in the megacities of the world.
Next on the plan, a trip to the Souq Waqif market.
Here, we think, we will buy all sorts of souvenirs, gifts for relatives! Yes, no luck, or maybe lucky... we chose (without noticing) the day of Friday. For us, this is a normal day, but in Qatar it is a day off. Banks and exchange offices are closed.
A strange, old Arab market.
With narrow streets and in some places open shops. On the one hand, these are majestic skyscrapers, and this market does not fit into our concept in any way.
Photo from the Internet
Sellers on wheelbarrows, tied with rugs, drag their goods between the rows. They sell everything that can be sold. And it's a weekend, what's going on here on a normal day.
There are a lot of shops with rolls of white and black fabrics. Cages with birds, chirping, the smell is not so hot, everything is mixed up. There are souvenirs, households. goods and products. Lots of cafes and simple street food.
Incomprehensible cakes are fried from an incomprehensible substance. I ask: "Watch out? How match money? ". “Veri nice, seti real, ” the woman replies. How much? 30 real? And I won’t give you a Van Dolar, it’s good that we are not hungry. And people eat it.
We were looking for a trading shop with falcons for hunting and a square with camels. Just for curiosity and photos. Popetlyav between narrow rows, found. And so I felt sorry for those poor birds, they sit in hats, hear everything and see nothing.
Photo from the Internet
Waiting for their fate. . . And camels, confused and. . .
. . . tied to one foot in a pen, well, at least full. . . what is the attitude towards animals?
Having not figured out what to buy here for gifts, we bought magnets (and how without them? ), went back to the metro.
Having passed our station, we decided to get off at the next one. Why? We were very interested in the view from the window of our room. . .
. . . view of the bay and some buildings.
Metro station "Katara", but it turns out that there is a large square and a park.
A walking area with a fountain, a cafe and a beach.
Because the weather is not bathing, many local pompous sirs and madams were just walking around.
We also took a walk.
And we walked to our hotel. . . I wouldn't wish it on my enemy. We see the hotel, right next to it.
Let's go on foot, why go? ! And in the end... as in the labyrinth of Ariadne, they were winding in circles. They dodged... my poor legs, suffered from sandals and "cried" with rubbed dropsies in different places (((
Another country has been added to my travel map, in general I really liked it! The country is luxurious, BUT without any pathos, simple and very conveniently understandable.
Now I'm worried about them, the Qataris, when tourists trample down the stream, what will happen to them?
So far everything is perfect! Qatar, I'll be back! )
Here, now I have added why there are errors. But they are purely our family!
Mistake #1. You need to take a combined tour, 3-5 days in Qatar and continue your vacation in another country.
Mistake #2. The season for holidays in Qatar - we choose not summer or winter, but spring and autumn.
Mistake #3. An excursion, at least one (and it is enough), must be taken with a guide, for a story-show of everything interesting.
Mistake #4. At the hotel, upon check-in, you can buy a package menu with drinks for lunch or dinner, so as not to overpay almost twice.
Mistake #5. Buy more dates in chocolate (very tasty! ) And don't repeat the first 4 mistakes)))
