I recently traveled to that city beginning with D in the Middle East … Doha of course! Now you were probably thinking of Dubai and I agree that’s the first city people think about as a Middle East holiday destination but Doha, the capital City of Qatar, will soon be on everyone’s radar. With the IAAF World Athletic Championships held in September 2019, the FIFA Club World Cup in Dec 2019 and FIFA World Cup in 2022 Doha is definitely making waves in the international scene.
I have to admit Doha was never an intended holiday destination. I hadn’t heard of any recommendations from friends, never saw it come up on any travel shows and didn’t even know what I’d do there once I got there. My decision was swayed due to 2 reasons: 1) I’ve been to Dubai 5 times and promised myself I would give it a break and 2) I’m a keen traveler and would love to experience the Q-Suites on Qatar Airways.
For those unfamiliar, Q-Suites is the Business Class product of Qatar Airways. It’s regularly voted the best business class product in the world and is comparable to some First Class products on other airlines. As Doha is their base, finding available seats was a lot easier due to the large number of flights going there. My flight time would be approx. 7hrs – the right amount of time to enjoy it all.
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The journey before getting on the plane, however, did not start so well – due to traffic I only arrived at boarding time so I could not experience the Qatar Airlines lounge at Heathrow ☹. Not to worry, because as soon as I stepped onto the plane all was forgotten!
I was greeted by the flight attendant who informed me that she would be my attendant for the flight (it looked like they were each assigned 4-6 passengers) and explained immediately what the flight would consist of. We were assigned adjoining seats (which was great as I didn’t have time to do online check in) with one of the benefits of Q-Suites being they can become fully flat double beds – or you can simply pull up a divider to create your own mini room.
About 10 mins after settling in the captain came an introduced himself to everyone in the cabin he also started to explain how the meals work and his recommendations. The food served is a dine on demand service so any dish can be requested in any order – which is great if you love dessert!
The pink stitching and pink ribbon on the zip was due to a collaboration with Breast Cancer Awareness month.
I changed into the pyjamas provided and enjoyed the spacious surroundings around me, I even felt a little snooty and closed the privacy doors to make it feel like a mini apartment! Soon after take-off we were given So Jennine non-alcoholic champagne with some warm nuts. The drink really was something different to the usual non-alcoholic drinks, it had a real kick to it!
Your open cabin becomes a private suite – not too shabby!
Inflight Meals
After settling down and getting into the latest episode of The Big Bang Theory our food started to arrive, hopefully the videos and photos show how great it was!
For main course we had the biryani and veal pasta. For dessert it was the apple strudel …every time I see the video of cutting into it the dessert I want to have it again!
There were plenty of onboard films to watch on the 21.5-inch touch screen display, but I took the opportunity to catch up on a few HBO TV series I watch – also, at this time I cheekily ordered another helping of dessert. All that food did make me quite sleepy and so I had a quick nap. It was a little fiddly to work all the buttons to get the seat fully flat so the flight attendant happily made the bed and brought along an extra duvet for me.
45 mins before landing we were each given a small box of Godiva chocolates and were asked if we wanted to try any Arabic coffee. I used the 1hr complimentary wi-fi to check up on any emails and just like that the trip was over, but I was feeling fresh to explore Doha as soon as I landed!
My overall verdict was a solid WOW. This isn’t my normal mode of travel but I do wish it was! The service was superior, the food was superior and the comfort was superior. Different people travel business class for different reasons each looking for what they want. Whether that’s for relaxation, for work or for better washroom facilities (why is my most viewed YouTube video about this?), this is a great experience for everyone.
If you have any questions pop them down in the comments and I’ll be happy to answer them!
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