Previously on the blog…
We showed you our amazing overnight stay at AL MIRQAB BOUTIQUE HOTEL, the Souq Waqif tour, and our breakfast at Al Bidda Boutique Hotel plus the exciting DAY PASS (beach and pool access) in Banana Island Resort. The featured staycation package also includes the ferry transfer from corniche to Banana Island and a voucher for 20% discount on any F&B purchases in the resort where we stayed from 10am to 6pm.
Here’s the link to our previous blog post for some of our tips to enjoy this offer: Overnight at the Souq and a Day Pass in Banana Island!
In this episode, we will be showing you the behind the scenes of our earlier posts – TWO VACATIONS IN ONE. We intentionally did not show these photos earlier so that you won’t be confused on the actual experience and inclusions when you avail the STAYCATION PACKAGE offered by Souq Waqif Boutique Hotels. So everything you will see here are all the other compliments of the hotel.
SOUQ WAQIF’s BIRTHDAY SURPRISE FOR JASMINE
Upon check-in, we were welcomed by a personalized setup by the staff of Al Mirqab Boutique Hotel. They surprised us with a cake, a macaroon birthday platter, a personalized greeting card for the celebrant and a welcome note for our stay since it coincided with the birthday of Jasmine.
As we were busy with events and since we personally wanted to keep a low key celebration, we haven’t planned anything grand for her this year except for a simple dinner. But our plans changed when we got invited to stay at Souq Waqif Boutique Hotel… and we were surprised by the personalized efforts and everything else they have prepared for us.
We had our dinner at Al Terrace, the in-house restaurant of Mirqab Hotel. They allowed us to order anything we want from the ala carte menu. In no time, we were lavishly served with sumptuous Lebanese food while enjoying the outdoor entertainment.
As the Souq Waqif comes alive in the evening, we were also thrilled to discover more hidden features of the souq that you won’t be able to see on your own. For tourist with limited time of stay in the city, this guided tour is definitely a must! (more photos on the previous blog post)
BREAKFAST AT THE SOUQ
Breakfast is also available at Mirqab Hotel where we stayed at. I chanced at some of their breakfast offering and they were pretty decent. But in order to feature the other hotels in the Souq, we were scheduled to have our breakfast at Al Bidda Boutique Hotel. It is located on the other side of the Souq close to park and corniche area. Surprisingly, Al Bidda is also open for breakfast even for walk-ins. So if you are within the Souq Waqif area on a Friday morning, might as well grab a buffet breakfast there for only QR59 per person!
IT’S TIME TO GO TO THE BEACH!
We were right on time for the departure of the next ferry. Boat leaves every hour at Al Shyoukh Terminal going to Banana Island Resort Doha by Anantara. On our previous blog post, we outlined everything that you need to know in order to maximize your DAY PASS stay at the resort.
As we alight from the ferry, we were welcomed by the staff and were directed towards the beach area. But since we have a different agenda, we tried to request for a golf cart to give us a quick tour of the island and survey what we have to cover before dropping off to the kids pool area.
Since there were a lot of guests during that day, it took a while before our cart arrived. But the views were worth the wait. The driver was explaining to us each sections of the resort… from the different restaurants, the different types of accommodation, the variety of sports and water facilities available in the island, and some of the beautiful spots including the over-the-water villas.
If you are heading straight to the beach from the ferry, you can immediately see the picnic huts lined up along the beach front. If you are with kids, better head straight to the kids pool area where cabanas are also available for free. One thing that’s very cool about being a guest of the island is that they will be providing you fresh towels delivered straight to your cabana. That’s a lot less space in your back packs which we really advise to keep very light and handy for this staycation.
“I LOVE QATAR” BRUNCH AT AZRAQ RESTAURANT
As another compliment during our stay, we were invited to try the Qatar National Day inspired lunch buffet at Azraq Restaurant. This brunch concept pays tribute to the local farmers where their finest indigenous produce are used for most of the dishes.
There was also a widen array of international cuisines too, as you will be welcomed by beautifully decorated carts for Italian pasta, Indian cuisines, Turkish Shawerna, Japanese sushi and Thai Soup.
The main restaurant houses the all-time favorite appetizers, mains, and desserts. The outer dining setup overlooking the vast Arabian sea also has a grill area for fish, chicken and beef varieties.
For a price of QR300 for outside guests and QR250 for in-house guests, this QND themed brunch is really worth the visit!
BANANA ISLAND’s BIRTHDAY SURPRISE FOR JASMINE
Did I mention that we were ushered to a table with rose petals on it? Not only that, a personalized cake was also ushered right after our meal complete with a Birthday Song by some of their waiting staff.
SUNSET SHOOT AT Q-LOUNGE
Since Jasmine had her moment at the kids pool area during the morning, I went around for some shots needed for my blog. I intentionally reserved the afternoon to visit the adult pool located at the Q-Lounge, close to the over-the-water villas.
The place is perfect for afternoon lounging and the pool was so stunning you’ll feel you’re in a different country. The pool sits right opposite where you have a good view of the Westbay towers which definitely is very elegant at night. Of course, what’s perfect to do in this area is walk barefoot a the fine sand beach, take a photo, and watch the sun go down.
YOU CAN DO IT TOO!
That’s the very idea that we want to convey to our readers. That there are a lot of ways to enjoy our stay here in Qatar… and that what we are presenting you are viable offers that you too can avail of. Take off the mindset of #travelingforthegram… and start planning on how to #LiveYourBestLife.
This is our APPRECIATION POST for our very successful collaboration with Souq Waqif Boutique Hotels and partly with Banana Island Resort. If you also want to experience this staycation, please don’t forget to review our last blog post and contact Tivoli Souq Waqif (Trisha): 4433 6661.
