A stopover in Doha

I had decided to take a Qatar Airways offer of a visa-free stopover in Doha with a cheap hotel room to break up the return trip. I knew that other aspects such as meals would be expensive but I was curious enough to book one night, giving me a morning and afternoon to sightsee.

After landing and going through immigration, I spent a bit of time looking for the pickup point for the hotel shuttle. The arrivals area was busy with others like me. With an inquiry I found the right place to wait. They were running well off schedule. Eventually we took off for the hotel. We drove along wide but deserted highways. Near the hotel some businesses were running, judging from the lights, but it was rather subdued. The night air was warm, as expected.

We went through a scanner to enter the Oryx Rotana and I checked in. They said I could keep the room until my departure in the afternoon, instead of the usual noon checkout. That was good, it meant I could take a shower after a hot day out seeing the sights. It also meant there were lots of rooms to spare.

The room was your usual standard air-conditioned comfy room you can find anywhere in the developed world. I had only a daypack and had packed just enough clothes for the stopover. I took a refreshing shower and went to bed. Fortunately Doha time was a couple of hours ahead of Budapest time so it wasn't so late by my body clock.