The Overlooked Hotel

In which I turn up to the wrong hotel for my massage, before facing the most Doha decision of my life

As a kid growing up in rural England, ‘Five Star’ meant a terrible Jackson 5-lite pop group, who were only ever famous for being sworn at on live kids’ TV and hotels were places that were closed in winter and drove Jack Nicholson mad.

The Overlook Hotel features unique interior decor

Fast forward a generation, and my kids live in a city where 5* hotels are so omnipresent we use them to give directions, in the absence of anything more reliable.

We name our intersections after them – like ‘Ramada signal’, still stubbornly known by its former occupant, long after it’s been demolished and replaced by a Radisson Blu.

Stay Another Day

We all need a break from Doha once in a while – but who knew you didn’t have to leave the city to get one?

On a clear day, you can see forever

Happy second birthday, Little City. Yes, this blog hit the terrible twos the other week. Two years of introspection, camels and parenting failures, gone in a flash.

But in all that time and all those words, the best (ok, only) freebie I’ve been offered as a result was a copy of The Entertainer (Dubai edition) – an offer I politely declined.

But then, as if karma, fate and serendipity had joined forces with the sole purpose of not letting the occasion go unmarked, the Grand Hyatt hotel right here in Sunny D, got in touch.

They really liked my blog – flattery will get you everywhere – and would I be interested in being their guest for the weekend and writing about it?

Do bears..? Is the Pope..?