Sophisticated futuristic elegance yet respectful to tradition.
Qatar has emerged as one of the most influential countries, not just in the middle east but on a worldwide stage.
Visitors to the country are pleasantly surprised by the range of activities including beaches, deserts, mangroves and museums, as well as equally luxurious shopping and dining.
It has all of the high quality associated with the area, in a rather well organised manner.
The recent football World Cup really focused attention on the country and this has lead to a further upsurge in popularity.
Quick Facts
The population is around 3 million, of which over 2m will be long term expats mainly drawn from around the region, South Asia, North & East Africa and Europe.
The capital and principal city is Doha.
Despite rapid modernization, Qatar has a rich cultural heritage. Visitors can explore traditional Qatari markets, known as souqs, experience local cuisine, and enjoy traditional music and dances.
Qatar is known for its stunning modern architecture, with iconic structures like the futuristic Doha Tower and the internationally renowned Museum of Islamic Art, designed by architect I.M. Pei.
About Qatar
There are now several areas that can be considered within Qatar, usually with a choice between Doha city centre or on the more leisure focused Pearl Island, which is known for upscale St Tropez meets Arabian style elegance. All of the major hotel names are here but we particularly like the Ritz Carlton for its beach, gardens and top level style.
There are comparisons between regional neighbours Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Qatar has been late to the tourism scene – almost deliberately. They have seen what works and what doesn’t. The result is rather pleasingly well planned and organised. Cultural Qatar also shows museums can be bright and light rather than musty and dusty.
Take time to travel into the desert and maybe visit Al Qudra Lakes in the UAE, where you can see flamingos instead of cranes.!
Getting there
Flying time for the UK is about 7 hours. Transfer time from Doha airport to the city is about 30 minutes, 45 minutes to the Pearl resort island.
It is popular both as a single centre holiday for 7 nights, or with us at Chic Locations, a rather pleasant 2/3 night stopover en route to the Island Ocean islands or South East Asia.
The national airline Qatar Airways is a frequent award winner on the worldwide stage, constantly innovative. As such, Qatar is a convenient gateway both to the region and on to the Indian Ocean and Asia. Connections are good but we think a stop-over of 3/4 days is worth considering. It is a destination when expectations are frequently exceeded.
For longer stays and a more retreat style, we particularly suggest Banana Island resort by Anantara, usually reached by catamaran, 15 minutes from downtown.
Weather
One of the most consistent climates – it is usually just hot or hotter. The mid-summer months tend to see more humidity. In recent years there has been increased rain showers in the winter months but that is still seen as a rarity. The luxurious shopping malls like to turn air conditioning up to high so a wrap might be useful.
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CHIC Locations Terms and Booking Conditions PDF
All price guides are Per Person Sharing Double Room (Entry level), based on travel between May and/or June when prices are generally at their lowest and include promotional offers. Supplements will probably apply at other times, particularly mid-summer in the Med, and for rooms and/or transfers arranged for single travellers.
For example, the Caribbean and Indian Ocean prices for winter can be approximately double the May - June level and about 50% more in Asia. For the Mediterranean & Canary Islands, Caribbean, Arabia and the Indian Ocean (except Sri Lanka) price guides generally include airfare and transfers.
*For Sri Lanka and Far East we show a per-person, per-night hotel guide, excluding air fare, as arrangements tend to be individually tailored multi-centre itineraries.
Please refer to Travel Advice on our home page or look at www.fco.gov.uk as the Foreign Office may have issued specific destination information on safety and terrorism.
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Please see our booking conditions for further information or for more information about financial protection and the ATOL Certificate go to: www.caa.co.uk.
Some of the flights and flight-inclusive holidays on this website are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. But ATOL protection does not apply to all holiday and travel services listed on this website. This website will provide you with information on the protection that applies in the case of each holiday and travel service offered before you make your booking. If you do not receive an ATOL Certificate then the booking will not be ATOL protected. If you do receive an ATOL Certificate but all the parts of your trip are not listed on it, those parts will not be ATOL protected.
