An absolutely stunning architectural marvel, Al-Safwa Lounge in Doha is truly one of the great airport lounges of the world. I made my way to the lounge following my first class flight from Dubai. Not only was the hospitality and service world-class but the overall experience is one of total relaxation. You feel like you are in another world being here — whether it is their iconic water feature that centers the structure, their spa, their quiet rooms or their top-notch dining — this lounge quite simply has it all. I think that this experience absolutely rivals the Emirates First Lounge in Dubai. I was reminded of how much United States lounges can learn from the tremendous hospitality exhibited at Doha’s Hamad International Airport.
ACCESS
Very exclusive, you can only access this illustrious lounge if you are flying First Class, Privilege Club Platinum members travelling Business Class with Qatar Airways and oneworld First Class passengers. The lounge is on the south part of Terminal 1 right by the B gates. The experience is like staying at a 5-star hotel or dining at a Michelin 1 star restaurant.
Here I am with my delightful NV Philipponat Rose Champagne.
Traveling with my daughter and wife, we made our way to the formal dining area and I immediately ordered a glass of the NV Philipponat Rose Champagne which is a blend of 73% Pinot Noir, with the reminder Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. Astringent and light, with tart red fruits, this was a delightful start to my dining experience.
The menu is just incredible with some amazing options.
In the dining room and throughout my stay at Al-Safwa, the staff were so inviting to my family and treated my two year old daughter so well. We were the only family dining with little kids and each staff member deftly managed this as she was tired from her travels. They were always asking to refill our drink or clearing our food quickly. Food was served with an impeccable cadence.
I ordered a range of appetizers immediately so we could taste a range of options. I think that for me, this was the finest airport lounge dining experience that I have ever had, ahead of the Emirates First lounge or the Qantas First lounge. The highlight was absolutely the poached lobster with coconut and lemongrass sauce which was cooked to perfection. It was so fresh you thought it was caught that day. The seared Wagyu beef carpaccio was melt-in your mouth delicious. But the big surprise was the spicy Hong Kong beef soup, which was so wonderfully tangy, with a myriad of flavors. Hats off to the chefs for creating some incredible dishes. Outside of the restaurant there was a full-sized bar that was also very beautiful. It was the centerpiece of the room. While I didn’t order any cocktails, the list looked very enticing.
For my main course I opted for the healthier choice, the seared salmon with a spicy sauce. The sauce was incredible and the salmon was wonderfully fresh and soft. It is never easy to get airport salmon correct but this was absolutely nailed. I had a few more bites of my Arabic mezze plate which was also fabulous. You also left this meal feeling invigorated rather than bloated.
I headed out to check out the bathrooms. They were expansive, very clean and nobody was using them. I really enjoyed that they use the Diptyque Paris products which are the same that you find in the Ritz-Carlton hotels in the United States. You are pampered going to the bathroom here.
It is hard not to marvel in the architectural beauty of Doha’s Museum of Islamic Art. They have ancient pottery and relics — pieces of history that you won’t find at any airport lounge in the world. The lounge is extremely large, cavernous and open with beautiful sandstone features everywhere. The lounge also has their exclusive Duty-Free in the lounge as well as a cinematic media room. I visited the spa area which you can book massages, mani/pedi or use their hot tub. Prices are reasonable for the services at $50.000 USD for a facial and $110 USD for a 50-minute full body massage. These spa experiences are what you see in a world-class airport lounge. There are also rooms that you can stay for several hours in with beds and televisions.
Our child was extremely tired so we retreated as a family to the family rooms where people can go to rest and our two year-old could cry and wail for 30 minutes. Despite the thundering noise coming from our daughter, the staff were brilliant and did not complain at all. I give them full credit for knowing exactly how to handle this situation. We all rested for about an hour before making our way to our plane.
BOTTOM LINE:
This is a WOW-factor lounge. I won’t forget my first visit to the First Class Al-Safwa lounge in Doha. It is truly one of the best lounges in the world. It is spacious, opulent and exudes class. Some frequent flyers have been complaining about the sterile nature of the lounge. I don’t see that at all. The staff were incredibly inviting and there are so many activities for you to indulge in when visiting Al-Safwa.
This is a work of art — an architectural marvel. If you don’t marvel in this space, I don’t think you will be impressed with any airport lounge in the world. Service was amazing here and the food and beverage quality was top-notch. They could have had a finer champagne selection but the ones they served were very good. Decor was stunning, food quality was Michelin One Star worthy. I simply can’t wait to be back at Al-Safwa.
