16 Hours in Qatar | What I Did on my Layover

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I recently flew from Nairobi (NBO) to JFK on Qatar Airways and had a 16-hour layover in Qatar at Doha’s Hamad International Airport (DOH) so come spend 16 hours in Qatar with me!

11:30 PM – Arrive

My flight from Nairobi landed in Qatar around 11:30 PM. Since I was flying business class (thank you, American Express Membership Rewards!) I was one of the first to deplane and since we were not parked at a gate, we were quickly bussed to the terminal. I was amazed at how busy – and loud – Doha Airport was at this time of night. You’d have thought it was mid-day with the number of people passing through the central hall.

Since I was staying at Oryx Airport Hotel, which is within the airport’s secured area, I didn’t have to clear customs or immigration and headed straight to the hotel.

Midnight – Check In

The Oryx Airport Hotel is located just off the airport’s central hall. Once you find the giant yellow lamp bear, look for the Hermes store, and the hotel entrance is right behind that. Check in was fast and easy and I was advised that 24-hour room service was available if I was hungry and that there was a pool and fitness center if I wanted to take advantage of those. However, I was just there to catch a few hours of sleep before heading out for a Qatar transit tour.

12:30 – AM Sleep

And speaking of sleep, it wasn’t great because my room overlooked the airport’s central hall, where a DJ was playing loudly until 1 AM. Apparently the airport is celebrating its 10-year anniversary and that was part of the celebration. It’s something that was out of the hotel’s control, but I wish there had been information about that on their website when I booked because had I known, I probably would have just found someplace in the terminal to catch a little sleep.

4 AM – Wake Up

Rise and shine and shower! Because I was on a stopover, my luggage was checked through to JFK, so I only had my carry on, which in my case is my camera bag. Which meant no change of clothes and no toiletries (packing fail on my part!) I grabbed a quick shower and was happy to find a toothbrush and toothpaste among the hotel’s amenities and got ready for the day.

5 AM – Tour Check In

I had to check in at the Qatar Transit Tour desk in the central hall at 5 AM for my 7 AM tour. Once I was checked in, I had to head down to the baggage area and go through immigration to exit the airport’s secured area. As an American citizen, I was allowed visa-free entry into Qatar and the process was quick and easy. (Note that your passport must be valid for at least three months from the date of arrival in Qatar and you must hold a confirmed hotel booking on arrival.)

Once I was in the arrivals area, probably around 5:30 AM, I had to locate the second Qatar Transit Tour desk and check in there. Because I cleared immigration and got to the second desk quickly, it meant that I had almost 90 minutes until my driver was scheduled to pick me up. I understand why they have you check in and go through the immigration process so early as sometimes the lines at airport immigration can be huge, but I was definitely wishing I could have had that extra 90 minutes of sleep!

While I waited for my driver, I had breakfast at a little cafe and took advantage of the airport’s free WiFi to catch up on some emails.

7 AM – 11 AM – Inland Sea Tour

A few minutes before 7 am, my driver was ready for me and we were off for an Inland Sea Tour. I’ve got a whole separate post about the tour, so I’ll direct you there instead of recapping it here.

11:30 AM – Lounge

We returned to the airport around 11 AM. Qatar Airways has a separate entrance and check in at Doha Airport for business class passengers, as well as a separate security checkpoint. The whole process took under five minutes and some of that was walking between the check in counter and the security screening area.

That left me plenty of time to explore Qatar Airways’ two business class lounges! I started in the more central and older of the two lounges, Al Mourjan Business Lounge South, located near the central hall (and yellow lamp bear). It was nice and the sushi I had was quite good (for airport food), but one of the staff told me that the other lounge I had access to, the Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Garden Business Lounge, was nicer. I had plenty of time, so I took the ten-ish minute stroll over there and boy were they right!

The Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Garden Business Lounge was located above The Orchard, so it offered views of water features and tropical gardens and had plenty of natural light! Best of all, even in the mid-day heat (my phone said the feels like temperature was 126 F outside) it was cool and didn’t suffer at all from being in the glass-enclosed structure. The service at both lounges was incredible and, if I’m being honest, a bit over the top for me. When I walked into the Garden, there were ample available tables, but one of the hosts asked if they could help me find a table. Um, sure? As a hyper-independent woman, that level of assistance is so foreign to me, but I just rolled with it

2:50 PM – Boarding

I ate and drank my fill at the lounge and basked in the sunlight and suddenly it was time to board. There are no announcements in the Qatar lounges, but the staff finds out what flight you’re on and they come and find you when it’s time to head out. My gate was precisely an eight-minute walk from the lounge (so I was told), so I made my way there. After a second security screening (not uncommon on international flights like this), we were held in a secure gate area before boarding. Since flying in business class is not my norm and I wanted to soak up every second of it, I was one of the first people in line to board.

3:20 PM – Departure

After 16 hours and a complimentary glass of champagne while the flight boarded, it was time to say farewell to Qatar! 15 and a half short hours later (almost as long as my layover), I landed in JFK en route to Orlando.

If you ever have a long layover at Doha Airport, I highly suggest getting out of the airport with a transit tour!