During our three-week trip to Qatar and Africa last summer, my family and I flew Qatar Airways to Doha for three days before continuing to Lusaka, Zambia. We had the option of having a short layover in Doha before continuing to Lusaka, Zambia, or stopping for a few days in Doha. We chose the latter since that is a city we had never visited, but had heard great things about. Having a stopover also allowed the kids to rest and recover from the 13-hour non-stop flight. Dubai gets most of the attention in the Gulf region, but Doha proved to be a fantastic city for the kids to experience. We booked our stay at the Intercontinental Doha & Spa. My wife and I each had our annual anniversary free night certificate via the IHG credit card, so we redeemed it on this property. For the third night, we used IHG points that I had accumulated via the sign-up bonus. The property was terrific, and the beachfront location was a hit with the boys.
Day 1
For this trip, we departed Seattle in the evening and had a 13-hour flight, which arrived in Doha in the evening. At this point, this was the longest non-stop flight the kids had ever been on, and they were excellent on the flight. The flight attendants gave them a goodie bag, crayons, and a coloring book. We bought some coloring books with invisible ink, and the in-flight entertainment had plenty of movies and games for kids, which kept them occupied. After arriving in Doha, we got through immigration and passport control in about 15 minutes. After retrieving our luggage, we took an Uber to our hotel, the Intercontinental Doha Beach & Spa. At the check-in counter, the front desk agent was very attentive and acknowledged my loyalty status with IHG. After checking in, we headed to Souq Waqif for dinner. Souq Waqif is a marketplace in Doha with restaurants, cafes, and shops that sell traditional clothing and gifts. The Souq is often bustling in the evening since people want to avoid the sweltering heat during the daytime. We had no dinner plans and walked around before coming across a restaurant called Damasca One Restaurant. It was busy, and most of the tables were occupied. The interior was beautiful, and the ambiance was perfect. We chose to have dinner here, and everything we ordered was delicious. I ordered the Jidi Bil Zeit lamb shank slow-cooked with potatoes, olive oil, garlic, and lemon and served with white rice. The lamb was tender, and the meat fell right off the bone. Once we concluded with dinner, we finished browsing through the Souq and took an Uber back to our hotel. It had been a long 24 hours, but the kids showed no signs of fatigue.
Day 2
On our second day in Doha, we allowed the kids to have beach and pool time in the late morning after breakfast. The temperature was so hot that walking barefoot on the sand put you at risk for minor burns and heat blisters. The waters of the Persian Gulf right off the hotel beach were warm and perfect for swimming. The Intercontinental Doha Beach & Spa also had a shallow pool area for toddlers, and my two elder boys had a blast.
Later in the afternoon, we visited the National Museum of Qatar, a beautiful museum about a six-minute drive south of the Souq and about 12 minutes by car from Hammad International Airport. This stunning museum was constructed in 2019 and has exhibits for everyone. If you’re traveling with kids and looking for something to do, I would put this museum on your must-visit list. There are several interactive experiences for kids to learn about animals native to Qatar, how Bedouins used to cook, and about Qatari history. During our visit, there was a fantastic exhibit by Swiss visual artist Pipilotti Rist. We entered a dark room with 12,000 resin-encased LED lights hanging vertically, and the lights would slowly change colors synchronously. These lights represented neurons firing and communicating with each other at different speeds. The LED light exhibit is similar to TeamLab Planets in Tokyo. We all had a fun time, and if you’re planning on visiting, I would budget between two and three hours.
After we visited the museum, we allowed the kids to rest and nap at the hotel before heading to the nearby Katara Village. Katara Village hosts diverse arts and cultural institutions, including galleries, a theatre, gardens, two mosques, a beach area, and a magnificent amphitheater that beautifully integrates Greek and Islamic architectural styles. The beach is open to the public and has several watersports activities that you can book or equipment that you can rent. The beach has a small entrance fee (10 QAR or about USD 2.75). Katara Village is also home to 21 High Street, an outdoor shopping destination with high-end shopping, restaurants, and cafes. The most unique aspect of 21 High Street is that even though it’s outdoors, it is air-conditioned. This made our visit to 21 High Street very comfortable, and the kids were fascinated by the cold air blowing through vents within the cobblestone path. Katara Village also has a stunning water fountain show that integrates fire and music into the display. I highly recommend visiting after sunset to truly appreciate the aesthetics. After grabbing some ice cream and enjoying the fountain show, we returned to the Intercontinental and called it a day.
Day 3
On our third day, we let the kids enjoy the pool in the morning, followed by a trip to Villaggio Mall. Staff at the hotel had recommended this mall due to its abundance of shops (over 200), an indoor theme park, an IMAX theater, and an indoor canal with gondola rides that emulate the gondola rides in Venice. The mall is impressive and has a mix of high-end shopping, global casual, and local brands. This is another place I would recommend if you’re traveling with kids while visiting Doha. It’s also an excellent way to escape the sweltering daytime temperatures. Villaggio Mall was our last stop in Doha before returning to the hotel to pack our bags and prepare for our late-night flight to Lusaka. This itinerary did not include a comprehensive list of the activities and places you can visit in Doha. There is much more to do, and you would likely need at least 5 to 7 days to cover most of the sites worth seeing. It’s an excellent destination to visit by itself and a perfect location to break up a longer journey.
Award Redemptions
If you choose to have a stopover in Doha via Qatar Airways, here are a few things to note: If you book with cash, you can stop in Doha on the same itinerary for up to four days. This will also unlock huge discounts on four and five-star hotels in Doha. Booking a stopover with cash allows you to get from the origin of departure to Doha and then from Doha to your final destination, all under one confirmation number. You can’t book a stopover using Qatar Airways miles (Avios) to unlock hotel discounts and travel to your final destination under one confirmation number. Instead, you would have to book two separate one-way tickets. This is the route I chose since I used Avios for our flights and also wanted to use free night certificates for our hotel stay. Our mileage redemption on Qatar Airways was 35k Avios per person from Seattle to Doha and 22.5k Avios per person from Doha to Lusaka. The combined cost for taxes was about $700 for five people for both legs of the trip. Avios is an easy award currency to accumulate since Chase, Capital One, American Express, Citi, Bilt, and Wells Fargo allow point transfers into one or more airlines that utilize Avios. Transfer bonuses are offered multiple times a year, which can net you up to a 40% bonus. You can also transfer Avios between airline programs, such as moving them from British Airways to Qatar Airways. Had I not used Avios and paid only cash, the total for 5 people for both legs of the trip was over $10,000.
Miles for places 