Ritz Carlton Doha La Mer Restaurant

La Mer Restaurant is situated on the 23rd floor of the Ritz Carlton Hotel. The hotel is situated near the entrance to the Pearl development beyond West Bay. It is well signposted.

The picture from the hotel website shows how beautiful and romantic a place it is to dine. The food is lovely, the atmosphere smart and casually relaxed. Service is attentive and the view from the windows at night is spectacular.

I would recommend it for a special occasion or a romantic meal.

Contact details are:

P.O. Box 23400 Doha Qatar   

Phone:  +974 4484-8000  

Fax:  +974 4484-8484

The Ritz Carlton Website is here

Jet Washing Your Car at the Hyatt Shopping Mall

The Hyatt shopping mall is next door to the Villaggio one and it has a huge shopping trolley outside as a landmark. Even I couldn't miss that.

At the front main road side towards the left as you look at the Mall, part of the car park is set aside for jet washing your car clean and also cleaning the inside too if you require. You basically leave your car there for an hour, do your shopping or grab a coffee then come back later and collect it.

The cost is about 30 Riyals for inside and out or 20 Riyals for just the outside jet wash cleaning.

Also, generally in the car park area elsewhere there are people there who will dry wash your car. We generally have this done every week then occassionally have the wet wash done about every two months or so. 

Car Accessories Shop

My wife wanted some parking sensors fitted to her car and we went to the car accessory shop that is in the forecourt of the petrol station at Al Waab Street and Al Bustan Street. The guys there made a good and efficient job of fitting the sensors while we waited for about an hour. There are one or two little shops around there where you can get a drink or an ice cream while you wait.

The service was good and the stock of accessories seemed to me quite good. We also bought a sun visor there and a Ken Dodd tickling stick to keep the dust off of the windows. I feel sure that it will have enough items stocked for most petrol heads.

Worth a look in if you want something for your car.

The Caravan Restaurant at Ramada Junction

This restaurant is situated on Ramada Junction opposite the Ramada Hotel. It is an Indian restaurant that does a good buffet at about 50 Riyals a head for all you can eat.

The selection of buffet food is good and seems to be regularly replenished. There is plenty of choice for meat eaters and vegeterians. It is not licenced but does some good juices (extra cost) etc. They also do a la carte dishes too.

The atmosphere is nice, the decor seems strangely to remind me of being in an American family restaurant, maybe it is just the check table cloths?

It also does takeway but generally we have eaten in.

Here are some posts from Trip Advisor

Johnny Rockets in Doha

I am not a great hamburger fan but we have been to a couple of Johnny Rockets since we have been in Doha. One branch is in the Hyatt Plaza Mall opposite Giant Supermarket, and the other is down on the Ramada Junction pretty much opposite the Jarir Bookstore.

The restaurants sell, as you probably know, burgers and fries all set in a retro 1950's sort of atmosphere. The service has always been pleasant and efficient.

If you like burgers then you will already know about Johnny Rockets, and it is somewhere where you can grab a bite to eat or get a takeway.

Talking Matters Toastmasters Club Meeting Monday 27 June 2011

The next meeting of Talking Matters Toastmasters Club will be held on:

Monday 27 June 2011 at 6.45pm at

The Oryx Rotana Hotel, Doha (ask at the reception for room details)

(Near the airport - behind the Keo building on the Toyota crossroads)

As a guest, you can come along free and watch all the fun. Listen to prepared speeches and watch people overcome their fears and get up and speak. They will also be assessed kindly. There is also the inauguration of the new Talking Matters Club Excom Committee in the second session of the meeting.

There is a break during the evening when you can have free drinks and snacks.

Come along and enjoy making some new friends and join up too!!!

Homes R Us in Hyatt Plaza Mall

If you are looking to fit out your villa or apartment and need some furniture then this is a good shop to start with. It is located on the ground floor of the Hyatt Plaza Mall at the end nearest to Villaggio.

The shop stocks all the furniture that you will need plus the accessories such as cushions, artificial flowers etc. It also stocks decorations for Christmas too.

It has a loyalty card scheme that is worth enquiring about so that you get a bit of discount in the future when you spend there.

You can also sit on the sofas and wait quietly while your wife wanders around.

Getting a haircut in Doha and living on the edge

A haircut for me is functional, I do not want to pay for a fancy salon and a cup of coffee. Not for me then the shopping malls of Doha. Plus I like a bit of adventure with my haircut too.

I go to the Turkish Barbers in the garage forecourt area of the petrol station near the junction of Al Bustan Street and Al Waab Street.

The barbers do not speak much English if at all, so it is all a bit exciting in that respect that they don't understand your instructions. However, the last time I went for a trim the barber was able to cut my hair with one hand while holiding a mobile phone conversation with the other.

I must say the end result was pretty good and it only cost me 25 Riyals so very good.

Live dangerously and get a Turkish barber haircut.

Fuji Photo Shop in Hyatt Plaza Shopping Mall

This shop is opposite Giant supermaket in the Hyatt Plaza Shopping Mall (the one next to Villaggio with the big shopping trolley in the car park). The shop stocks cameras and films as well as developing pictures.

The staff are friendly and helpful. I still have a print camera and they developed films for me quickly and efficiently at a reasonable price.

I have not had any problems with their service at all and I like to go here for my camera and film requirements.

Talking Matters Toastmasters Club Meeting Monday 27 June 2011

The next meeting of Talking Matters Toastmasters Club will be held on:

Monday 27 June 2011 at 6.45pm at

The Oryx Rotana Hotel, Doha (ask at the reception for room details)

(Near the airport - behind the Keo building on the Toyota crossroads)

As a guest, you can come along free and watch all the fun. Listen to prepared speeches and watch people overcome their fears and get up and speak. They will also be assessed kindly. There will also be the inaugoration of the new Talking Matters Toastmasters Excom Committee.

There is a break during the evening when you can have free drinks and snacks.

Come along and enjoy making some new friends and join up too!!!

The Hamlin Fistula Hospital in Ethiopia

Hamlin Fistula Hospital Website

My wife came back from a women's coffee morning and said a lady there was giving a lecture about Ethiopia and she said that we should go. We went to the golf club and there were quite a few people in attendance. I thought I was going to see a tourist guide.

A nurse got up and showed some pictures of mainly African people while another lady sang John Lennon's Imagine.

The nurse then explained who the different people were. They were either patients or nurses at the Hamlin Fistula Hospital in Ethiopia. I had never heard of fistula.

Fistula occurs in Ethiopia as it is the "tradition" for men to take very young brides, often as young as eleven or twelve. The girl then becomes pregnant and her body is not ready for childbirth. She can then often go into labour for days on end and the baby is usually stillborn. This is obviously distressing and very sad to hear.

The fistula is the hole that is created in the bowel wall by the strain caused by the childbirth. The woman then has a leak in her bowel/urine system and basically urine and faeces just leak from her. The woman is often just shunned by everyone and lives alone separated from everyone. Without treatment, the woman spends the rest of her life like this, with this distressing condition and being outside of society.

The fistula is fairly simply treated by a surgical procedure that the Hamlin Hospital carries out. The womans life becomes transformed by this.

At the end of the lecture the nurse showed the photos again and the other woman sang Imagine again too. There was not a dry eye in the house. 

The hospital relies on donations, so please give generously (see link at the top of this post).

Financial Advisors

What you do with your money is entirely up to you. If you want to put this under the bed then that is fine or in the bank earning interest well you take your choice.

However, it does pay I think to do a bit of financial planning and an advisor would be a good idea for you to know where to invest. I would suggest that you ask around at your work or among friends to see if they know someone they could recommend. It is also a good idea to consult three or more financial advisors to get a broader picture.

I would also say that since moving to the Middle East (Dubai and Doha) I usually get one unsolicited phone call from financial advisors a month. It is up to you whether you follow up on these. I always politely refuse. If I want to buy something, including financial advice, I do my research first and then make contact and not the other way round.

My bet is that you get a call on your new mobile phone within six weeks of arriving in Doha. Not sure how they get your number but...

Driving Licence in Qatar

Now this is some fun and games. If you have a UK or GCC licence (like me) then you do not have to take any lessons etc in Qatar. However, for quite a few driving licences you have to take lessons and a test I believe.

When you go to the Police Station where they issue licences you will be processed pretty quickly, although you may find the procedure a bit unusual. The Police Station that issues the licences is just off the C Ring Road.

You will need to fill in a form to apply for your licence. No problem. The form has to be filled in in Arabic. A problem. Better to get one from the police station and get an Arabic person at your office to fill this in. If not, someone adjacent to the police station will do this for you.

You will need to take your ID card (as it has your blood group on it etc) on the day. When you arrive someone will usually greet you at your car. You will go with them into a hut and they will help you to fill in the form if you haven't done this already. They will also take your photo (better to have this done there then the background will be the correct colour (so many rumours about the background colour before I went). There is a charge for the photos to be paid at this stage of course.

Your escort will then take you for your eye test (so take your glasses as these will be needed for the photo shoot too).

Then over to the police office where your escort will hand over your completed Arabic form, eye test details and photo. You will then have to pay 250 Riyals for the licence. This part is usually very efficient and you get your licence within 10 minutes or so.

Then your escort will take you outside the building with your new licence. He will then hold out his hand for money. I tipped 100 Riyals when I got my licence as they got the form filled in for me. My wife had her form filled in by someone else so we only filled in 50 Riyals tip. Not sure if these are the going rates?

I think that the Qatar driving licence has a great idea to put your blood group on it, the UK could do this too in case of emergency.

A bit different to posting off forms in the UK for your licence.

Favourite TV Programmes in Doha

For TV in Doha that you can watch generally you will have to pay. We have paid extra for the Orbit package and the Premier League football too. We have the system from Qtel, and using their numbers (from what I can remember!) we like to watch:

111 to 119: UK or US based news channels including the BBC, CNN and Sky News

161 to about 175: Factual type programmes. I like the Travel Channel, the Gadget Show on channel 161. Also has the National Geographic Channel and CSI programmes. (My wife likes channel 160 Animal Planet but for me this is a trip to Dullsville)

Channels 300 to 304: This has BBC Entertainment (Come Dine With Me, One Foot in the Grave, the Home Show), Style Network (Clean House, Fashion Police) and Foot Network (I can just watch anything on this apart from some woman called Paula)

Channels 651 to about 659: Premier League football. I have to hope that Spurs are on the English speaking channels here otherwise it is just Arabic commentary. The language button on your remote control is just for decoration. Spurs lose on here as well as live or on Sky Sports at home.

Carrefour Supermarkets

Carrefour supermarkets are situated in Villaggio Mall and City Centre Malls in Doha. They are a French chain.

In Doha they are clean and serviceable and many people shop there. Best to try and avoid peak times.

Not my favourite supermarket but we go there to pick up odd things we cannot get elsewhere. I expect that you will end up doing this too, going round a few supermarkets to get all of the goods from home. Being English, I like to bring home comforts with me.

Carrefours also sell electrical goods, clothes and usuall have a small cafe area as well.

Try Carrefour and see what you think.

Also if you ever get to Calais in France, try the Carrefour Hypermarket there, that is well worth a visit.

The Ritz Carlton Doha Afternoon Tea

Tea the Ritz Doha is not quite the same as London's Ritz but it is pretty good I must say. It is held just off (or in) the reception area at the Lobby Lounge. You may need to book at busy times.

They do the traditional afternoon English tea with scones, sandwiches and cakes etc as well as a selection of teas or coffees. A lady plays soothing music on the piano too.

Only down side is that smoking is allowed, so we try and sit out in the more open area and away from smokers. Apart from that it is well worth the treat every now and then, also to remind yourself a bit of England too.

Contact details are:

P.O. Box 23400 Doha Qatar   

Phone:  +974 4484-8000  

Fax:  +974 4484-8484

The Ritz Carlton website is here

Car cleaning on jacks on the Salwa Road

This was a bit of fun one Friday morning. This garage is on the Salwa Road. From Ramada junction head down Salwa Road towards Saudi. Over the Decoration Roundabout then over the next roundabout too. Immediately turn right onto the parallel slip road and after a few hundred yards you will notice a petrol station. The car cleaning is behind this.

When we arrived there about 7.30am on a Friday it was packed! However we were given numbers so could go back home for a couple of hours then came back and "jumped" the queue.

The guys there put your car on jacks and and clean underneath with jet washers as well as the bodywork. Then you can take it to a covered area adjacent and the inside will be cleaned for you.

The price depends on what you want done and the size of your car. I have a Saab 93 and I think that this was 40 Riyals and my wife has a Kia Sportage and I think we paid 50 Riyals for that. We also tipped a bit too as who wants to stand out in the baking heat all day?

Car Accidents Procedures

I have had the misfortune to have had four accidents in Doha in just over a year. However, in my defence I will say that for three of the accidents I was parked and not even in the car! The other one I was shunted from behind while I was stopped at a junction, however that is all part of the Doha experience!

In an accident you should generally wait for the police who will come and issue red or green tickets to you. If it is red it is your fault and if it is green it is not your fault. However for minor accidents you can go to the police station nearest to the accident and do the paperwork there. The police will want to see your driving licence, insurance policy and maybe your ID/passport.

From my experience when someone hit my car in a car park then drove off without my catching them, I just reported this at the local police station. I was given a from in Arabic to give to the lease company. As the car is leased I had to have a statement from the leasing company to say that they had seen the accident form. I then took this back to the police station and had to wait for one week in case someone owned up to hitting my car. After one week of waiting I then got the red form (as there was no one else to pin the blame on). I then gave the paperwork to the lease company, the damage was repaired but unfortunately I had to pay the insurance excess.

Going to the police station should be the one nearest to the accident. Speaking Arabic is a big advantage too. For two of my accidents I was "lucky" to have had Arabic speakers hitting my car. This made it much easier! Also you need to pay a small fee (I believe it was 20 Riyals or it may have been 15 Riyals) to process the red or green forms. If you are female, then I would suggest you will feel more comfortable with a man with you at the police station.

Talking Matters Toastmasters Club Meeting on 13 June 2011

The next meeting of Talking Matters Toastmasters Club will be held on:

Monday 13 June 2011 at 6.45pm at

The Oryx Rotana Hotel, Doha (ask at the reception for room details)

(Near the airport - behind the Keo building on the Toyota crossroads)

As a guest, you can come along free and watch all the fun. Listen to prepared speeches and watch people overcome their fears and get up and speak. They will also be assessed kindly. There is also the lively Table Topics session too.

There is a break during the evening when you can have free drinks and snacks.

Come along and enjoy making some new friends and join up too!!!

The British Embassy in Doha

You never know when you might need their services, so best to make a note of the British Embassy in Doha contact details.

Website link is here

The phone number is: 4496 2000

The British Embassy deals with passports, visas to the UK, help and travel advice generally. If you are in any sort of trouble you will need their help.

The British Embassy is situated at:

British Embassy, PO Box 3, Doha, West Bay, off Wahda St near Rainbow roundabout

A location map is provided on the website and a link is here

Boots the Chemist in Villaggio Mall

The traditional British chemist is in Doha and the branch in Villaggio is a few doors up from Carrefour the supermarket and opposite Paul the cafe. All of this not too far from the main entrance.

The shop is decorated just like the UK versions so you feel pretty much at home. It stocks most of the items from the UK with a few exceptions. There is no sandwich bar and some of the more usual drugs etc from home do not seem to be there. Also, sometimes items are in stock and other times they are not.

Worth going to for your usual Boots purchases however there is no loyalty card points here though.

The Body Shop in Villaggio Mall

The Body Shop is obviously down the girly end of the scale but my wife and I often go (she goes, I follow) into the branch in the dome area by the cinema/Virgin in Villaggio Mall. Ladies can get all their eco friendly creams there.

I like to try out the free samples and smell the different fragrancies while she looks around and buys!

There is also a Body Shop branch in Landmark Mall too.

Body Shop UK Website

Bentleys Grill Restaurant in the Doha Marriott Hotel

This is a cosy restaurant on the ground floor of the old part (on the left as you look at the buildings) of the Marriott Hotel. Just go through the front doors and head to your right side and go straight, it is opposite the superby Pier 12 seafood restaurant.

The restaurant is a steak house that does nice steaks and the service is good too. My wife and I both enjoyed our steaks that were well cooked and tender. Worth a visit for that special occassion as it is a bit towards the pricey end of the market.

The Marriott website is here for Bentleys

Talking Matters Toastmasters Club Meeting Monday 13 June 2011

The next meeting of Talking Matters Toastmasters Club will be held on:

Monday 13 June 2011 at 6.45pm at

The Oryx Rotana Hotel, Doha (ask at the reception for room details)

(Near the airport - behind the Keo building on the Toyota crossroads)

As a guest, you can come along free and watch all the fun. Listen to prepared speeches and watch people overcome their fears and get up and speak. They will also be assessed kindly. There is also the lively Table Topics session too.

There is a break during the evening when you can have free drinks and snacks.

Come along and enjoy making some new friends and join up too!!!

Baskin Robbins Ice Cream in the Hyatt Plaza

A too big temptation for me is the Baskin Robbins ice cream stall opposite the Giant Supermarket at the Hyatt Plaza Shopping Centre. It is also right next to the doors so avoiding it is not usually an option.

They do all sorts of ice cream flavours, more than I can think of. They do different cones and cups and I am sure that you will be tempted to stop there during your shopping trip.

They also do yoghurt as well, but well, I am more of an ice cream fan.

Here is a link to information on Baskin Robbins in Doha at the Gulfdine.com website

DHL Easyshop

This is a service offered by DHL who have branches around Doha including Villaggio Mall (in the entrance at the rear of the Mall) and along the Salwa Road.

Sometimes it is difficult to get books, goods etc that are available in the USA or UK for example. What this system does with DHL is to give you a mailing address in the USA/UK and you can have the goods you want delivered there after you have bought them, then DHL will ship them to you in Qatar for collection from one of their outlets. You can monitor your goods on line through the DHL website.

It gets over the hurdle of the websites/shops in the USA/UK not being able to deliver directly to you in Qatar.

House Rentals through Al Emadi Enterprises

We rent our villa in Doha through Al Emadi Enterprises, and the office that we deal with is near the Airport on the Main Airport Road. The staff there are friendly and helpful.

Our villa is nice and we have the use of a communal pool and gym too. The Compound Manager is always on hand if we have any difficulties or require information. Also, any issues with the villa regarding maintenance can also be dealt with through the Al Emadi Office.

If you are considering renting a property then give Al Emadi a try.

Their phone number is: 4466 6625

Their website is here

Registering with the British Embassy

With all of the troubles around the region, it is a good idea to register yourself with the British Embassy. Their "Locate" system will keep you updated by email of all the latest news for you.

Follow this link:
Locate Link

On the right hand side of the page that opens there is a Register with Locate link called "Online Registration Form"


Click on this and fill in a user name, password etc. Click the button at the bottom of the page.

When the second page opens you have to go down to the bottom of the page and click "accept" and then you will be registered.

The system will send you a confirmation email.

Shoe Repairs in Doha: Mr Quality at City Centre Mall

Mr Quality is a shop in City Centre Mall on the ground floor (car park level). It is at the end of City Centre Mall nearest to Salam.

They do shoe repairs, duplicate keys, watch repairs and leather repairs. We have taken a few things there for repair and had good service at a reasonable price. I do not know anywhere else in Doha to get such things repaired!

Parking is a bit of a pain at City Centre Mall so go early or find somewhere in the streets around to park, near offices at weekends is less crowded and easier to get away.

Mr Quality is not open until 4pm on a Friday but seems to be open most normal hours. You get a price quoted and leave your goods until they say it is ready.

For more details phone: 4493-4893

PO Box 11614, Doha Qatar

Email: mr.quality@yahoo.com 

Fox Transport

Fox Transport is for us a fantastic car service in Doha. We order the car and a very clean car turns up with a well presented driver, these are always very curteous and helpful.

We ordered one car for 4am and the car was outside our door a few minutes before.

We have always had fantastic service from Fox Transport whenever we have needed to use them.

Telephone: 4462 2777

Fox Transport Website