If you fly out with a green envelope and you have to spend several (or even quite a lot) hours in Doha, then immediately upon arrival, it is better to take a queue at the counter with the inscription “Transfer”. This is not a prepaid taxi stand, as one might think at first, but even the registration of transit passengers. All passengers with a connection for more than three hours are given a coupon for a free lunch here.
Doha Airport: Where to Eat
You can cash the coupon at a unique food court, where you will be given food in exchange for it. The meal consists of rice, rolls, a choice of meat and a bottle of water. Not so tasty, but you can live.
There are several cafes and restaurants in Doha where food and drink are available for quite reasonable money if there was not enough on-duty food.
Doha Airport: Where to Sleep
After eating and surfing the Internet for a while, we faced the third pressing problem: where to lay our heads. Doha’s waiting rooms at night are not so crowded with people, there are even rows of armchairs without armrests, but it isn’t easy to sleep because of the bright light and constant croaking of aunts announcing boarding. There are thousands of gates; the landing is a conveyor belt; the aunts try without stopping.
But, as it turned out, Doha took care of this too: especially for the victims of extended docking, “quiet rooms” were equipped here.
There are sun loungers in the room, the lights are dim, and you can’t hear the nasty aunts. There is a board with flights. The atmosphere is chilly, so it is better to stock up on a sweater or some blanket (don’t pull it out of the plane, this is the airline’s property. The pillow, in my opinion, can be rubbed, it is disposable).
Thanks to this room, our docking went quite easily and quickly – I thought it would worsen. The sun loungers are designed precisely so that you can pass out on them for several hours but not oversleep the plane sleep to the bitter end. Thus, a constant rotation of the suffering is ensured, and there is always room in a quiet room.
In addition to the rather unassuming “quiet rooms”, Doha Airport has lounge areas: paid Oryx for everyone and free for privileged Qatar customers. In these areas, you can eat, shower and relax in a pleasant environment. The Oryx Lounge is either $ 30 or $ 40 per person, plus premium cardholders from some banks can get in there for free (check your cards).
Doha Airport: Hotel
If a quiet room is not enough for you, there is a hotel at Doha airport that you can reach without a visa (Foreigners may need a visa to visit the rest of the Emirate of Qatar). The hotel is called The Airport Hotel.
The reviews are good: “Excellent comfortable room, the price includes access to the pool and fitness centre, the hotel is located in the very centre of the airport – no more than 10 minutes to any gate.”
Doha Airport: Duty-Free
The range of duty-free in Doha is very sad. The alcohol prices are higher than in other countries (however, it is strange that you can buy it here because the fine for drinking alcohol at the Doha airport is $ 2,000). On the other hand, they sell a variety of equipment, including Apple, duty-free.
Getting around is not a problem in Qatar. It’s relatively easy when you have so many options available at hand for transportation services:
- City buses.
- Taxis.
- Car hire, Doha
- Van hire, Doha
Summing up, we can say that an eight-hour connection is not the worst thing that can happen during a trip. Well, why are the Qatari’s being given the award as the best airline in the world for the second year? We did not understand.
Their food is below average compared to other Arabs, but I guess the distance between the economy seats makes up for the average food.
