Swimming pool at the St. Regis Doha
within are 138 serviced apartments, over 14 floors, from comfortable studios to three-bedroom suites. There is also a rooftop swimming pool, sauna, gym, restaurant, penthouse meeting room, executive club lounge, free shuttle bus and a kids’ club. But there are still some great hotels away from the coastline. One of the city’s old favourites, the Ramada Plaza Doha, recently rebranded itself as the Radisson Blu Hotel, Doha (radissonblu.com). With a range of rooms and suites, an outdoor pool, workout room, squash and tennis courts, it’s the restaurants and lounges this venue is known for, with the singing waiters at The Italian Job and the monthly quiz at Shehrazad pulling in the crowds. Another hotel rebranded a few years’ back was the Wyndham Grand Regency (wyndhamgrandregency.com). It feels noticeably older than some of the other hotels in town, but that is all part of its charm, and it still has an impressive range of suites. The swimming pool and fitness centre form part of the leisure facilities, but the real highlight is the Angsana Spa, with its sensory treatments and hydrotherapy room. Walking from here to the Centre Point shopping centre will also take you past the Millennium Hotel Doha (millenniumhotels.com). This features 226 rooms over seven floors, with a number of suites. An indoor rooftop pool, gym, spa and Turkish bath are included, plus a plethora of all-day dining restaurants and a great Lebanese eatery. 10
Doha 101
For a livelier stay, head to La Cigale Hotel (lacigalehotel.com), well known for its nightlife venues. Some fantastic artists play nightly at Madison Piano Bar, from sultry blues to jazz, or opt for the mellow DJ tunes at Sky View Bar, overlooking the city. You will find a number of different room offerings too, with food ranging from Italian to sushi. A newer option inland, and nearer to the souks and museums, is the Swiss-Belhotel Doha (swiss-belhotel. com). With 165 guestrooms and 78 serviced apartments, this caters well to the business traveller, but also has a health club, outdoor pool and a good Japanese restaurant. Similarly, the Oryx Rotana Doha (rotana.com) is another recent opening referring to itself as a business hotel, but it may still suit the casual tourist. Located just five minutes from Souk Waqif, it is perfect for exploring the city, while the Bodylines Leisure & Fitness Club, the tapas at The Cellar and the excellent live music at the Jazz Club is enough to keep you indoors. And it looks like Doha’s new hotels won’t be stopping there. Set to open in 2013 is a five-star Shangri-La Hotel, next to the City Centre mall in West Bay, with a four-star Traders Hotel just 300 metres away, both operated by Shangri-La (shangri-la.com). Each will have rooms, suites and serviced apartments, and all of the facilities you would expect, but the Shangri-La goes a stage further, introducing the brand’s signature CHI, The Spa.