IN A TRUE ASIAN GRACE MEETS ARABIAN HOSPITALITY FASHION, SHANGRI-LA HOTEL DOHA HAS REALLY SURPASSED MANY EXPECTATIONS WHEN IT COMES TO BEING A DESTINATION HOTEL FOR BUSINESS AND LEISURE TRAVELLERS ALIKE. FACT’S CRAIG FERRIMAN JOINED IN THE CITY CENTRE FUN WITH A WEEKEND JAUNT AT THIS STUNNING 5-STAR PROPERTY.

Few hotels carry the same cachet and brand quality as the Shangri-La Hotel Doha, located in City Centre. Now three years old, the hotel is fully in its stride and I spent a couple of nights there recently to find out just how.

The warmest of welcomes greeted my arrival with bell boys and lobby staff attentive and alert. My friendly receptionist reminded me I was in a five-star hotel and I swiftly proceeded to my Premier King corner room with a priceless view of the surrounding neighbourhood.

From the freshly scented smells that radiate the air of the corridors to the spacious bathrooms, luxury fittings and supremely comfortable bed, this is both a business hotel as well that caters to the staycation-er wanting some five-star sparkle for a weekend less ordinary.

My first evening took me to the heights of the Shanghai Club on the 43rd floor. One side of the floor is a bar offering the most refreshing thirst quencher and was a perfect meeting point to start an evening. We progressed through to the main restaurant which felt very Chinese by virtue of the décor; especially the dragons on the walls and the art work of a by-gone era too. The views of a bustling West Bay below are stunning especially from our table by the window. Food is exceptional here and rightly worthy of the 2018 FACT Dining Award that it collected. Be it the duck handbags, kung-pao chicken, the Peking duck and pancakes that were wheeled over on the trolley or the fortune chicken cooked for hours and hours, there isn’t a dish that fails to hit the mark.

It’s true that it’s a colossal tower with seemingly no outdoor space but appearances can be deceptive. The seventh floor exits out onto a vast garden area with the largest outdoor pool space in the city centre. Foliage and grass beneath your feet is quite a contrast from the fast moving traffic and frenetic activity only a few feet away and a few feet below on the mean streets of the city. The pool is large and meanders around a corner guaranteeing there is always an area for shade and an area for exposure to the sun. I was also excited to see just how enormous the Jacuzzi seemed to be! Refreshments and a finger food menu of burgers, wraps and salads are available for a bar that you can even saddle up to from the pool and sit up on a stool to in the water to place your order! The area around the pool now cleverly doubles up in the evening as a serene, pretty and peaceful shisha spot. Fairy lights and the bright lights from surrounding skyscrapers offer a contrasting oasis to reflect and relax in the evening.

Its prime real estate location has adjoining access via a side entrance on the second floor to the City Centre Mall which is ideal for using its shops to purchase essential items. When the sun started to fall, the tanning was over and it was time to head in. Hidden in a corner of the seventh floor just as I walked in from the pool is the Chi, The Spa. It’s an absolutely gorgeous space; cool, calming and discrete with superb staff. I opted for the Aroma Vitality Massage. It’s a 60-minute treatment that combines light-to-medium pressure using Swedish massage techniques to reduce tension, sooth sore muscles and increase circulation. The facilities are brand new and thoroughly luxurious.

Each treatment room has its own en-suite changing room and its own en-suite steam room. This is not something that I have seen before in Doha. A detailed and thorough consultation was offered commencing with a foot rub and then a very professional massage.

My breakfast and lunch was catered for in Sridan which is the hotel’s international all-day dining facility. Breakfast had everything you could want with live stations to cook eggs to your liking. Lunch has food from the all corners of the globe so there should be something for all tastes.

For dinner on my last night, I visited the Argentinian restaurant, Fuego. It’s a superb steakhouse but it is also so much more. Chef Mariano is an energetic and creative personality who has done great things with their menu. Aside from the expansive a-la-carte menu, there is a chef’s menu of the day plus a chef’s sharing menu ideal for dates this Valentine’s Day.

My stay at the Shangri-La Hotel, Doha revealed a deeply professional hotel with superb staff, elegant and modern facilities and a calming contrast to spend precious time away from the chaos of the city, while being right in the centre of it. ✤

GO: CALL 4429 5000 FOR RESERVATIONS AND MORE INFORMATION.