Qatar’s never-ending quest to be the best
Just when you thought that Qatar had enough lounges at Doha airport, they opened one more. The Qatar Garden Lounge welcomed its first passengers in April 2023, six months after the Northern expansion of Doha airport opened. The lounge wasn’t created to make up the numbers and boost capacity; this is a flagship lounge that, in some aspects, beats their world-class First lounge. When you consider what’s inside this space, how it looks and ultimately how it will make you feel, it’s world-class.
The foreword for the Qatar Garden Lounge
Most lounge reviews don’t require a foreword. A typical airport lounge is a squareish space, sometimes with views, often with bathrooms, and maybe with showers. There’s food, sometimes passable food, and perhaps a space for kids. That’s usually it. Spend more than two hours in a typical lounge, and you’ll lose the will to live.
The Qatar Garden Lounge is a resort. Two hours here isn’t enough. After you enter, you’ll be praying for a flight delay. When was the last time you went to a lounge with a gym and two spas? A giant (albeit strangely run-down) games room. A Louis Vuitton cafe? A high-end buffet? Endless Sushi in the sit-down restaurant? The list of what you can do in here goes on and on. We arrived three hours before our flight, which gave us around two hours in this space, and it just wasn’t enough.
Then there’s the views across the runway and taxiways: there aren’t any. Lounges are often judged by their views, which offer a few lucky seats a glimpse of planes. The Garden Lounge instead faces inwards, at beautiful greenery inside the airport.
Forget about windows, this lounge is open, with no windows or walls across most of one side. Somehow acoustically, you hear very little from the terminal. It turns out that looking at trees and greenery is more relaxing than looking at metal tubes.
If you think that I’m getting a bit hot and heavy over an airport lounge, then you are right. After an incredible massage and some delicious food, we floated down to our gate and boarded our plane feeling zen. Isn’t that what a great airport lounge should do?
Who can access the Qatar Garden Lounge?
If you’re flying in Business Class (but not Business Lite) or First Class, then you’ll be able to access this lounge, whether that’s a flight on Qatar or another oneworld airline.
Tickets booked using Avios points will place you in a fare bucket that allows entry.
For everyone else, there’s the option to pay to get into this lounge. Qatar’s website states that you can purchase access, and if you’re logged in, it takes you to your “manage my booking” page, which may (but not always) offer the option to pay for an upgrade.
Sometimes the online upgrade only features some of the more basic lounges, which you’d want to avoid. However, it may still be possible to pay at the entrance to the lounge. I wrote a long article on how to pay for lounge access with Qatar, which may be useful.
Doesn’t Qatar already have a business-class lounge in Doha?
Yes, and more than one. If you’re flying in Business Class or First Class, you’ll be able to access:
- The original Al Mourjan Business Lounge, which is located in the main terminal. This is a huge, beautiful space that is packed full of facilities (including a restaurant and sleep rooms), and it is absolutely worth a visit. Sometimes referred to as the Al Mourjan Business Class South lounge, it is a stunning lounge but it is not as good as the Garden lounge.
- The Platinum and Gold lounge (North) – created for status holders, but accessible if you’re flying business class. These are less glamorous but functional lounges.
- Gold Lounge (South) – another lounge created for status holders, but if you’re flying in Business, you can access this.
- Platinum Lounge (South) – a further status-based lounge that Business Class passengers can use
- Silver Lounge (South) – the final status-based lounge, which you can access if you’re flying in Business Class
If you’re flying in Business, then you can access every Qatar lounge except two. The world-class Qatar First Class Lounge and the Martiners Lounge (a dedicated lounge for seafarers, and one of the few lounges globally that’s accessible to passengers on economy tickets for free).
Given all the choices, which lounge should you use? That’s easy: avoid every lounge except the Garden Lounge and the original Al Mourjan lounge.
Where is the Garden Lounge located?
The lounge is next to the C (And D) gates, which means a ten-minute walk from check-in and security. If you’re connecting in Doha, then you may end up departing the plane much closer to this lounge.
Follow the signs for C/D, and then you’ll start to see additional signage for this lounge. It’s easy to miss the entrance, as the signs point you directly ahead, but it’s actually off to your right-hand side if you’re coming from check-in. It’s also easy to miss because the lounge is on the floor above the main terminal. On the departure level, there’s a discrete reception area and a bank of lifts that take you up.
Once you’ve had your boarding pass checked by a staff member, they will call the lift for you, and you’ll head up one floor. There’s a second, larger reception as you exit the lifts, but you do not need to check in again.
The entrance to the Louis Vuitton cafe is within the reception area, and that venue splits the lounge into two sides. On the right-hand side, you have a more food-focused space, with the buffet and sit-down restaurant, whilst the left-hand side has just as many seats but no significant food options.
Facilities in the Garden Lounge
My favourite lounges are those that represent an adult playground, with lots of zones and things to do. Sitting in the same seat for two hours can get boring, even if you’re eating and drinking. The Qatar Garden Lounge does not disappoint.
The Games Room
There’s a weird trend in Qatar lounges: the game rooms are poorly maintained. When we visited their First lounge at Doha, barely anything was turned on or working.
It’s the same in this lounge. There are screens dotted around the rooms, all switched off and not connected to anything.
This area feels unloved, and that’s strange considering how perfect the rest of the lounge is and the high standards that Qatar. There are two things you can do in here, other than just sit in a chair. There’s a fussball table and a snooker table.
The Spa(s)
Not content to have just one spa, the Garden Lounge has two. The first has is run by Qatar, and it sits in the middle of the lounge next to the gym. It’s the cheaper of the two spas, and offers 15, 30 or 60 minute treatments.
- A 30-minute back massage costs 360 QAR (Approx £75)
- A 60-minute deep tissue massage is 630 QAR (Approx £130).
As well as massages, you can also get facials, manicures, and pedicures. It’s a smaller menu of treatments than you would get at a regular spa, but it offers 10 options that cover enough treatment types to make it valuable. You can see a full list of treatments here.
We visited this spa to seek out a treatment but were told that they wouldn’t start for another hour (we arrived about 12noon). There is no way to book a timeslot.
Even though you are paying for a massage, we were told it’s first-come, first-served. If we returned at 1pm, and someone was ahead of us, then they would be seen first. I can’t get my head around this – why not ask customers to pay all up front, or pay a deposit for a timeslot?
The Dior Spa
Instead, we walked to the far right of the lounge (so past the reception area on your left-hand side, and then beyond the seating area), where there’s a small entranceway tucked in the corner that says Dior Spa.
When we first walked in, we thought it was closed; there’s a tiny reception desk in the doorway, which was unmanned.
We turned right and found a bigger, beautiful reception, decked out with Dior cushions. It is a highly attractive space, as you would expect. Even more on brand was the French-speaking receptionist, who gave us an iPad to browse the treatments.
The pricing here is a little bit more than the other spa. Scarily, the treatment menu doesn’t even include the cost, and I had to ask how much it cost. You can see the spa menu here, minus pricing. As it turns out, it’s not wildly expensive.
We opted for a 30-minute back massage each, and it came to £100 per person. I also added on the Eye Brightener treatment, which was £38.
This experience was worth every penny. The treatment rooms were beautiful, with a private changing room and shower. The Dior slippers were the most comfortable I have ever put my feet into at a Spa and you get to keep them. They even give you a small Dior bag to carry them away in.
After I got undressed and into a Dior robe (you don’t get to keep this, unfortunately), I went into the treatment room. It’s a well-sized space, although they only have single rooms and no couples spaces.
I had a pre-massage foot wash in a comfy chair in the corner, then a really good 30-minute massage on a heated bed. The experience was high-end, and the massage itself was perfect. I’d asked for medium (it was) and the masseuse asked a number of times for feedback to customise it.
The eye-brightening treatment involved a cold press placed over both my eyes, and it was so calming that I nearly fell asleep.
At the end of the treatment, my therapist asked me if I wanted coffee or tea (I went for the latter) and then what type.
I was then left alone to get a shower. There were four Dior amenities, including a male-friendly Sauvage shower gel. It was a beautiful space that looked exactly like you’d expect a Dior shower to look. The water pressure was great, and I found it hard to leave.
I dried myself on the plush, warm, Dior towels, and made my way back to reception.
Waiting for me was a teapot, a beautiful cup and a lovely-looking biscuit. I was also invited to use any of the Dior aftershaves/perfumes in the centre of the reception. These were not the type you buy at Boots; they were Dior-branded scents that seemed to cover every possible combination of things that smell wonderful.
The massage was 30 minutes, but when you add on the pre-massage foot wash, the shower afterwards, and the tea/chocolate at the end, we were in there for around an hour. And we loved every minute.
We packed up our plush Dior slippers and headed back into the lounge.
The Louis Vuitton Lounge
This is a controversial space. It’s a luxury brand running a cafe inside a lounge that you have to pay for. That’s a few reasons why travellers are not huge fans of it.
Those who do use it rate it highly. We have not yet used it, but we plan to on our next trip just to see what the experience is like.
The food on offer ranges from simple, cheaper options (a fruit tart costs £13) to a seven-course tasting menu (£330). It’s not an extensive menu but it’s elevated, and beautifully plated.
The Louis Vuitton Lounge follows the same opening hours as the main lounge: it’s open 24/7.
The Gym
The “fitness centre” in the lounge has been negatively reviewed by others. It isn’t a large space, and it doesn’t have much equipment. However, the machines are new and free to use. You also get free water and complimentary towels. There are also changing rooms and showers.
Whilst small, it is a useful facility for those who need to work out before a flight or between connections. Gym options inside airports are rare, and getting access to them for free (and showers) is a positive.
Food and drink in the Garden Lounge
There’s a wealth of food options here. The self-service food area, which is at the far right of the lounge, is the largest I have seen in any lounge, anywhere. It goes on and on, with a ton of savoury and sweet options.
There are delicious cookies and cakes, some healthy salad options, hot soup, and five hearty hot dishes. There’s a heated glass display case with a variety of bread rolls.
You can also order food directly from a menu. The range of choice isn’t huge, but it has some great options. My wife had the Sushi which she rated as being decent. There’s also a steak option.
Dotted around the lounge are self-service counters with more light food options, as well as self-service drinks fridges.
I also really liked the flexibility around dining, which is that you can eat anywhere that you want. That means you can dine on the balcony overlooking the garden, or in a quieter pod, or in the sit-down restaurant, or at one of the bars.
Some lounges are there to keep you going between meals. This one should be your food destination. Qatar does food very well without being over-the-top; there are some mid-end options, but also some dishes that are homely and comforting.
The bathrooms in the lounge
If you’ve flown into Qatar from Heathrow or Manchester, then you might have experienced some low-quality bathrooms. Prepare yourself, as Qatar don’t scrimp when it comes to toilets.
They are five-star: spacious, attractive and clean. Even during peak times, you won’t find anything untoward in a cubicle or end up at a sink without soap.
The toiletries are by Dipthique, a brand with which Qatar has a deep involvement. They also provide the toiletries for the in-flight amenity kits.
The Quiet Rooms
There are 24 day rooms available on a first-come, first-served basis. If you’re travelling in Business Class, then these are the best options for resting, but they are not perfect.
The other Al Mourjan lounge (located much closer to check-in) has a warehouse-sized sleeping area, where everyone gets a pod with 2 metre high walls. There are no ceilings, so if someone happens to be snoring in there, you’ll hear them. We lasted about twenty minutes in there on a ten-hour layover before we had to exit.
Neither lounge features beds. Instead, you get a fixed-position lounge chair, which is comfortable to sit in, but not particularly good for sleeping. Each room features two of them, alongside a desk, a wardrobe and a small fridge.
The best lounge to sleep in at the airport remains the First Class lounge, which offers rooms with standard beds.
Which business class lounge should you use at Doha?
There are two lounges that are head and shoulders above the others, and that’s this one and the original Al Mourjan Lounge. Given the choice, I would go to the Garden lounge every time. I’ve been to the Al Mourjan twice, and it is an exceptional lounge, but the Garden is simply better.
When we had a very long layover in Doha (12 hours), we ended up going to some of the other lounges our business-class ticket gave us access to. They were fine and comparable to a good European or US lounge. I don’t see any reason why you’d want to end up in these if you could get into the Garden lounge.
Connectivity and working in the Garden Lounge
There are countless places to work in this lounge, from the sit-down dining space to the seats with views across the Garden. On the left-hand side of the lounge are some long desks, surrounded by low walls, that would be great if you’re working with colleagues.
There are some semi-enclosed pods dotted around the lounge, which would be great for working at or taking a call. The tables next to these have wireless charging surfaces.
There are also tables with wireless charging around the lounge. You’re not guaranteed one, depending on the type of seating you choose. There’s free wifi through the lounge, and the airport.
The verdict on the Qatar Garden Lounge
I’ve been to this lounge twice, and both times were during the off-peak afternoon period. There were, at most, twenty people in the lounge, which is nothing when you consider that it can hold over seven hundred. It is a deeply peaceful and beautiful lounge that does exactly what a lounge should do (and many lounges do not): it takes you away from the airport and puts you into a calmer mindset.
I’m conscious that in the evening and early hours of the morning, peak times in this lounge may be different. Their other Business lounge, the original Al Mourjan Lounge, is an incredible space, but at noon it’s an oasis of calm, whilst at midnight it’s like a silent rave inside a boutique hotel. I can only write about the experience that I had in the Garden lounge; you may find it different late at night.
No matter how busy it is, the facilities and the sheer beauty of this space will be evident no matter what time of day. It is arguably one of the best in the World.
It’s easy to forget that this lounge has no views across the airport. Instead, it looks inwards at a garden (and shops), with wide openings instead of windows. Despite how open it is to the main terminal, there’s little to no noise.
When you add in all the things you can do in here: the games room, the family space, the work pods, the sit-down restaurant, gym, and the two spas, this is not a space where you will be bored.
Rating the Qatar Garden Lounge at Doha Airport
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