24 Hours at Sharq Village, a Ritz-Carlton Resort - Doha, Qatar
30 minutes delay, 10 minutes of walking through a vast and cold terminal (the new super-airport of Doha), 20 minutes spending with the immigration work (15 minutes waiting plus 5 for finally doing it) - well not the easiest way to start a relaxing break at a Ritz Carlton Resort. Fortunately the airport cluster manager of Sharq Village and the driver did not give us up (Thank you so much!) and so we could leave all the trouble of Doha's airport jungle behind us and head to our accommodation for tonight: the traditional and down-to-earth Sharq Village (what I want to say is that this hotel is especially not into getting a tower or high-scale building - and that's what makes it super interesting and unique in Doha).
Our driver stopped in front of the main entrance and unfortunately it was already dark outside (after spending so much time in the airport). I would say the temperature difference between outside (45 degrees celsius) and inside (20 degrees celsius) are really unusual for European standards but after a while you get used to it. We entered the doors and everyone was taking care of us. Especially one person did stay in our memories: The kind front desk employee Saurav already worked for the famous Adlon Kempinski in Berlin and therefore you might guess what to expect. One of the best check-in we ever had - not necessary to say that we felt like arriving at home. A lady took us to our room which was situated in building number 5.
We got a Twin bedded Deluxe Room with partial sea view. All houses are designed to look like typical Qatari townhouses with courtyards and therefore had vast terraces on the first floor. Our Deluxe room was quite nice, with spacious entree, balcony and bright bedroom. The bathroom was styled in the typical style of Qatar with tub, seperate shower, single vanity as well as toilet and bidet. Toiletries were by Asprey, as usual for Ritz Carlton and there were plenty of towels. Before we tested the heavenly beds, we were getting ready for dinner.
Due to the fact that the Sharq Village does not offer any Club Lounge, we had dinner at their main restaurant: Al Liwan. In general I would say that the Sharq Village has plenty of dining options, according to every taste. There was a huge arabian buffet at Al Liwan and it was our first experience with the local cuisine. If we would have stayed more then just one night, we definitely would have enjoyed their Al Dana restaurant - I love sushi and seafood. However the service was excellent and the food of good quality.
I did not know that the Six Senses Spa at Sharq Village is one of the biggest in the whole Middle East. As the weather was so hot outside we did not manage to use all the facilities but we had a look inside and the complete area is designed like a truly old and rural Qatari town - Amazing! Afterwards we jumped into the family pool which was quite nice, but unfortunately I have been disturbed by some rude arabian teenagers. There is also an adult pool next to the main building which would have been the better choice ;-)!
On the next morning we were enjoying a huge breakfast buffet with live cooking and pastry station. There we got the best pancakes and crepes throughout our trip (beside the Therasia Resort). All egg dishes were excellent as well and the service was attentive as usual for such a luxury resort. Before we checked-out, we walked around the resort to gather some last pictures and to visit the sandy beachs in front of the resort. I really liked the private cabanas on the seafront. At 1.30 our private bus to the airport was waiting and we had to leave the Sharq Village and Doha - but it won't have been our last time!
We were guests of The Ritz Carlton and Sharq Village Doha and our complete layover has been sponsored by the hotel. All above written expresses our own opinion and has not been influenced.
