A weekend at Intercontinental Doha The City

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I just came back from a wonderful weekend break in Doha. I went with Hanna and her two girls, and we stayed at Intercontinental Doha The City, which is a luxury hotel in the business area West Bay. The area is like a skyscraper zoo and the impressive buildings tell an ongoing story about few constraints in terms of both creativity and budget.

We checked in at a huge, 4-bedroom suite with an amazing view of the city. The suite was equipped with a full kitchen just in case you would feel like cooking. We didn’t. There was no need for that either, as the hotel had a really nice selection of on-site dining opportunities.

I still haven’t decided whether I liked the Asian brunch at Hwang the best, or whether it was the steak at Prime which takes the prize, but I’m planning to do a write-up on both, so I’ll try to figure it out while working on the posts.

The hotel has an awesome outdoor pool on the 46^th floor, so can you imagine how much I wanted to kick myself, when I realized I had forgotten my swimsuit? Hanna and the kids really enjoyed it, and I wish I could have joined them for a swim with a view.

Just like in Dubai, the serving of alcohol is restricted to inside the hotels, and since many of the international hotels are located in West Bay, it makes that area a natural nightlife center. If you’re like me and prefer your cocktails with a view, then Strata on the 55^th & 56^th floor is an obvious choice for a night out. Friday night I had the pleasure of meeting with another travel blogger, Tiffany from AGirlAndHerPassport, for cocktails at Strata, but more on that later.

Why stay at Intercontinental Doha The City?

The location

I think Intercontinental Doha The City would work for most travelers, but it’s especially suitable for business people (because of the location) and people like Hanna and I on a girls’ weekend away (also because of the location). If you’re in Doha for a longer period, you’d probably want to be closer to the beach, but for a short city break like ours, Intercontinental Doha The City was perfect.

In West Bay, you’re pretty much in the middle of everything and you have most of the city’s sights and attractions within a short taxi ride. Taxis are btw relatively cheap in Doha (at least they’re cheaper than in Dubai), and you can also use Uber.

The staff

The staff at the hotel was amazing! Of course the fact that we were invited might have affected the way we were treated, but I have eyes and ears everywhere, and I noticed that they weren’t just being super nice to us, but to all the guests at the hotel and in the restaurants. When I met them in the lobby (or even outside the hotel, on their day off!) they were always happy to stop for a chit-chat and share all their Doha insider tips with me.

The wi-fi

The internet worked seamlessly throughout our stay. It was fast and I didn’t experience any downtime.

The amenities

The amenities were basic but nice, and I liked the citrus-ish smell of the shampoo and lotion. The mini-shampoos were also less mini, than they usually are at hotels, which is a big plus for someone like me, who always forget to pack hair shampoo, and who has a lot of hair to wash.

Right now, there’s some construction going on nearby, so even though the hotel seems very well-isolated (we didn’t hear the slightest sound from our suite on the 19^th floor) I think I would ask for a room which is away from the construction site. However, if they are building just as fast in Doha, as they are in Dubai, it will probably only be an issue for the next month or two.