09 June, Saturday - Arrival at Banana Island Resort Doha by Anantara
Wow. I don't think we have ever been to a place as hot as this. Once we stepped out of the airport, the blast of hot air hit us. It was a sweltering 41 degrees celsius! It hardly even hits 35 degrees back in Singapore.
Thankfully, the hotel car was already waiting for us when we arrived. We quickly hopped into the car to escape the heat. The driver welcomed us and handed us bottles of juice & a box of dates.
It was a 20-minute drive to the Al Shyoukh terminal which has got to be the fanciest ferry terminal I've ever been to. We waited in air-con comfort for the luxury catamaran ferry to take us to the Banana Island Resort Doha by Anantara.
The elegant arc structure was the first thing we noticed as the catamaran pulled into the pier. Banana Island Resort Doha by Anantara is situated in the Arabian Gulf and is an exclusive 13-hectare island with its own marina and reefs.
After the long journey from Singapore, we were looking forward to a local hearty meal!
We called for a buggy to take us to the hotel's main restaurant Azraq which serves an enticing buffet offering worldly tastes and Middle Eastern highlights with live cooking and show kitchens. the walkway leading up to the restaurant was made to look like what you would see at a souq. There was a stand which had a whole bunch of aromatic spices which made it smell like an authentic souq too.
After lunch, we were shown to our two bedroom sea view pool villa which was 100sqm in size! That's bigger than my apartment back home. Complete with a private pool facing the Arabian Gulf, outdoor cabana, indoor and outdoor dining areas, and a villa host. I could already picture myself having a mocktail while lazing in the cabana.
Even at 5pm, the temperature did not drop and it was a sweltering 41 degrees celsius. To cool off, I jumped into the pool which it was quite pleasant because of the strong (but warm) breeze and gorgeous view.
As it was the month of Ramadan, we planned to have the iftar (evening meal at the end of daily Ramadan fast) buffet at Azraq. I thought that the evening stroll to the restaurant would mean that we could enjoy the cool night air but all i felt was a blast of warm air all the way to the restaurant. I still needed time to get used to the dry heat.
Upon arrival, we heard a live band playing Arabian music and there was a sprawling buffet spread! The atmosphere was really something and we enjoyed our dinner.
10 June, Sunday - Enjoying the room
In the morning, we enjoyed a heavy breakfast at the Suhoor buffet at Azraq. It felt like a lazy day and I still was not used to the heat so I decided to just laze around in the room while the rest went to the main island to explore.
11 June, monday - Checking into Frasers Suites West Bay Doha
We left the beautiful Banana Island Resort Doha by Anantara in the morning to go back to the main island.
A car picked us up from the ferry terminal to take us to Frasers suites West Bay Doha. After checking in, i did not feel like going out so i showered and climbed into bed.
In the evening, we visited Souq waqif which dates back at least a hundred years but it was renovated in 2006 to preserve its traditional Qatari architectural style. traditional garments, spices, handicrafts, and souvenirs could be found at the historical souq.
We first made our way to the camel pen where there were dozens of them just hanging out!
Walking through the lanes, we came across the horse stables with Arabian horses. They were very friendly and wanted us to stroke their faces.
We were excited to explore the Falcon Souq which had many showrooms dedicated to the birds of prey. The majestic birds are deeply revered and respected by Qataris and they even had a Falcon hospital in the area. In the showroom that we visited, the falcons were perched on their own little stands and the more agressive ones, had hoods placed over their eyes.
We heard lots of squawking coming from one lane and decided to follow it which led us to the pet area which sold all sorts of domestic pets such as birds, cats, dogs, and rabbits!
We had dinner at Shujaa which is an outdoor cafe serving an assortment of kebabs, dips and bread. It was a simple satisfying dinner but the outdoor heat really bothered me.
For dessert, we ventured into the pigeon square which had a couple of stalls. I kept my eyes peeled for a cold dessert stall. My brother zoomed in on a little cart selling hot Turkish coffee. I, on the other hand, zeroed in on the ice cream store which had a wide array of interesting flavours. I ordered a single-scoop of rose water flavoured ice cream in a cone. YUM.
12 June, tues - Dune-bashing
We had a simple buffet breakfast at The Social. I especially loved the grilled eggplant salad and bacon-wrapped haloumi.
Later in the afternoon, we were picked up in a Toyota Land Cruiser to go dune-bashing! It was an hour's drive to the sand dunes located in South of Doha. Before the fun began, the driver deflated the tyres for traction during dune-bashing. We saw a couple of camels as we entered the area.
It was pretty fun when our driver drove us up & down the dunes!
The driver then drove us to Khor Al adaid which is the inland sea at the border with Saudi Arabia. I got down to take a couple of photos of the remarkable landscape. It was quite a sight but I had to run back into the car to escape the heat.
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