13hr wait in Doha airport - Help Me.....!

[51mon]

I've got a 13hr transfer through Doha airport en route to Thailand coming up, and I'm just after some advice on the best plan of action to stop me going mad!

I'm guessing that there are no bars etc in the terminal due to Quatar being a dry state (I think....?), and I've heard that it's by no means the comfiest of airports to try to get some rest in.....

I've seen a lounge called the Oryx Lounge advertised on the Quatar Airways website for $39 but I can't seem to find many details about it, has anybody on here used it before? Is there a bar there, and is it any good for getting a reasonable bit of sleep (we arrive at midnight, and fly out again at lunch time)?

Cheers,

Si

[Nobby Diesel]

Have a go at Googling something along the lines of "lounges at Doha airport".
Think you may find what you're after ;0)

[6th Gear]

Qatar is not a dry state.

[crmcatee]

13 hours - long enough to head into town, find little India, get a shirt made and then get back to the airport.

Head into town for the day.

[Ynox]

I'd try and get a hotel for a few hours. Bit more of a pain but it sure beats Doha airport (although is the new airport open yet? Was a year since I was last in Doha). Have used the Oryx lounge. It's ok, but the proper lounges are in the premium terminal. Last used the Oryx one in 2009 coming back from BKK, there was some snacks, some beer (although you had to ask for it) and a few sofas / lounge chairs in. Toilets and showers too if I remember right.

I'd really recommend trying to get a transit visa and hotel though. Think it's not too difficult from what I remember. There's not much to do in Doha airport!

[anonymous-user]

You can get beer etc at Doha airport, both the buisness and first class lounge have them. And all the hotels in town. I used to do a 13 hour stop over on the way to Khartoum, but those trips were frist class and overnight at the Doha Hilton was included in the flight, I know that you can add a hotel and limo service to a business class ticket, and there is a special lane through passport for this.
Any one know if the new terminal is open yet, wasn't when I last went in January?

[S1MMA]

New terminal is not open yet, it's still a mess down there. I'm insuring a fair few of the contracts and they have various completion times within the next few years.

Oryx lounge has some nibbles and is clean. But I wouldn't spend 13hrs there.

If the trip is in the next few months, it's going to be HOT outside, you could get a taxi to a mall or just jump in a hotel for 8hrs sleep. What time do you arrive in the airport?

[TobyLaRohne]

Heyup! I am in Doha on a 3 years and counting stop over You can pay to go in the oryx lounge and they do indeed serve beer. The old airport is a hole and 13 hours will drive you mad unless you either get out and about or pay for oryx lounge. If you plan to leave the airport you have to pay for a visa on arrival (about 20 quid from memory). When are you flying?

[Pints]

I empathise with you, OP. Mrs Pints and I were forced to make a similar stopover there a few years ago... and we had a 10 month old HalfPints with us too!
Leaving the airport wasn't an option for us. It was easily one of the worst days of my life.

My only advice is this: take your own roll of toilet paper with you.

[TobyLaRohne]

Pints said:

I empathise with you, OP. Mrs Pints and I were forced to make a similar stopover there a few years ago... and we had a 10 month old HalfPints with us too!
Leaving the airport wasn't an option for us. It was easily one of the worst days of my life.

My only advice is this: take your own roll of toilet paper with you.

Why? Isn't that what the bum guns are for?

[Pints]

TobyLaRohne said:

Why? Isn't that what the bum guns are for?

If that's what pleases you.

Honestly though, the filth in those restrooms turned my stomach. Finding a quiet, semi-clean place to change a baby's nappy was more difficult than it should have been.

[carreauchompeur]

Doha airport looks like it will be amazing when finished but I've transited through there many times and boring doesn't even cover it...

[TobyLaRohne]

Pints said:

If that's what pleases you.

Honestly though, the filth in those restrooms turned my stomach. Finding a quiet, semi-clean place to change a baby's nappy was more difficult than it should have been.

Ugh, I truely feel sorry for anyone needing baby changing facilities in that airport.

[AdeTuono]

Ynox said:

There's not much to do in Doha!

EFA.

[TobyLaRohne]

AdeTuono said:

Ynox said:

There's not much to do in Doha!

EFA.

A poorly informed comment. There's lots to do, if you like drinking, eating world class food, scuba diving, drifting, drag racing, car racing on a motogp circuit, camel tipping and visiting traditional arabian markets

[Puggit]

Offer to do a fact finding mission for FIFA to find out what the summer weather is like and if it's suitable to host a football tournament .

Oh no, too late!

[TobyLaRohne]

Puggit said:

Offer to do a fact finding mission for FIFA to find out what the summer weather is like and if it's suitable to host a football tournament .

Oh no, too late!

I was told by a family friend of the Qatari guy who got ousted from fifa that he told them it was "in the bag" and this was before fifa even came to visit. I thought it was a joke until they actually went and won it.

[AdeTuono]

TobyLaRohne said:

AdeTuono said:

Ynox said:

There's not much to do in Doha!

EFA.

A poorly informed comment. There's lots to do, if you like drinking, eating world class food, scuba diving, drifting, drag racing, car racing on a motogp circuit, camel tipping and visiting traditional arabian markets

Purely informed by my personal experience. When I was last there, the Qatar 'tourist' industry was celebrating the fact that they had increased tourist footfall by 1000%. Excellent result, until you look at the figures. 1988: incoming vistors = 5, 1989: incoming visitors = 50.

Doha at the time reflected the facilities offered to support these numbers. I'd bet a good deal of money that the 50 who visited in 1989 were disappointed, nonetheless. I'm sure it's been much-improved in the intervening years

Fortunately (or not, TBH), Doha was a transit stop before being sent to Halul Island for a month at a time, which I hated with equal vehemence.

[S1MMA]

Pints said:

I empathise with you, OP. Mrs Pints and I were forced to make a similar stopover there a few years ago... and we had a 10 month old HalfPints with us too!
Leaving the airport wasn't an option for us. It was easily one of the worst days of my life.

My only advice is this: take your own roll of toilet paper with you.

I have never used the public toilets there, I always have lounge access in any airport that I go to, but I can imagine it's not great. If you need to spend a significant amount of time in any airport (say 3hrs+) then you need to get decent (business) lounge access, leave the airport (if say 5-6hrs+), or make some other arrangements, sitting for 10hrs+ with a baby in any public airport lounge is going to be hell IMO, let alone in the middle east. Dubai airport is the exception in the middle east, you can kill plenty of time there and there are plenty of options including by the hour rooms with bed to sleep etc. I would connect through Dubai if I had the choice, appreciate Qatar Air are cheap at the moment - but if you are going to slum it in the public lounge it's going to grate more than spending a bit more money to make life more comfortable.

[TobyLaRohne]

AdeTuono said:

Purely informed by my personal experience. When I was last there, the Qatar 'tourist' industry was celebrating the fact that they had increased tourist footfall by 1000%. Excellent result, until you look at the figures. 1988: incoming vistors = 5, 1989: incoming visitors = 50.

No disrespect but if you last visited Qatar in the 80's you're in no place to comment on what there is to do there now...to be honest if you've not been in the last 5 years you're in no place to comment as even in that small time Doha has changed almost beyond recognition....but we are going off topic so I shall leave it there.

OP if you are travelling solo and are visiting at a reasonable time I might be able to pop over and take you around town in the Z06 to keep you from getting too bored.