This is the third post in the UAE and Qatar itinerary series. First up is an introduction to Qatar Airways’ Business Class lounge at Doha Airport. I arrived at Doha Airport around 4 p.m. and signed up for the 6 p.m. Discover Qatar Doha city tour. The tour lasted about 3 hours, with most of the time spent at Souq Waqif; the other sights were only 10-minute stops. I got back to the airport after 9 p.m., and there was still a long time before my 1:30 a.m. flight to New York, so I had plenty of time to wander around—and eat—at the Al Mourjan Business Class Lounge.

Check-in

There is a dedicated area at the airport for Business Class and First Class check-in, and there weren’t many people there when I arrived.

Al Safwa roughly means elite, and Al Mourjan means coral
The Instagram-famous bear

Lounge overview

The Business Class lounge is extremely, extremely large, with two dining areas. I first went to the main buffet restaurant, which is on the second floor.

The lounge is huge; this large pool feels like just the tip of the iceberg. The stairs lead up to the main restaurant

Main Restaurant

The restaurant has two buffet areas: one side serves local specialties, while the other has special Chinese dishes prepared for Chinese New Year (which honestly weren’t very tasty). Desserts and fruit are in a separate area.

Special Chinese dishes prepared for Chinese New Year

I only tried a bit of the braised beef in the Chinese section; it was tough and not tasty, and the rest seemed pretty average too.

The local dishes were definitely better, especially the lamb. Turns out I really do love lamb...

The desserts and fruit were still pretty plentiful, and I paired them with a casually ordered cocktail.

Shower rooms

After finishing my sixth meal of the day, I got ready to take a shower before boarding. The shower area is tucked away near the Quiet Area. The whole shower facility was very clean and spacious.

Dining Resort

After the shower, I originally planned to rest a bit, but on the way there I noticed a second restaurant—basically a place for snacks and sandwiches—so I decided to try that too. The desserts were self-serve, while the sandwiches were made to order. I ordered a salmon sandwich, and it was excellent.

After my seventh meal, I was so sleepy that I found a recliner and dozed off for a while. The privacy here was still really good. I heard that the Quiet Area has sofas, which should be a bit more spacious.

Image borrowed from the internet

Conclusion

As Qatar Airways’ home-base lounge, the Al Mourjan Business Class Lounge is truly excellent, with a huge space, lots of seating, two dining areas, and very friendly staff. Qatar Airways says it can stand alongside a 5-star hotel, and while the food may be slightly weaker, everything else is really very well done.

Series articles