Business contacts

Mobile phone Rentals are a rarity (a few of the hotels provide that service), but getting hold of a pre-paid telephone card is easy as they are available at all grocery stores, shopping malls, and at Q-Tel offices. Q-Tel (short for Qatar Telecom) has a complete monopoly of the telecoms sector in the country. The cards will cost about £30 for international calls with roaming facility. Calls within Doha are free on landlines, but calls made to mobile phones are charged.

Car hire Al Sulaiman Rent-a-Car (Tel: 435 5477, 444 0702; Fax: 435 5466), Mannai Auto Rent (Tel: 455 8636, 455 8640; Fax: 455 8638), and Budget Car and Truck Rental (Tel: 468 515, Fax: 468 5051) are open every day of the week except Friday, which is a local holiday.
Property hire Homes-2-Rent can be contacted on Tel: 438 3807.

Local press

There are only two English news dailies, The Peninsula and The Gulf Times. Both newspapers can be viewed online at www. thepeninsulaqatar.com and www.gulf-times.com. Other regional newspapers like Khaleej Times and Gulf News and publications from the US and UK are also easily available. Arabic newspapers are Al Sharq, Al Rayya and Al Watan.

Visa/vaccination

All visitors to Qatar require a visa and it’s advisable to check with your Qatari embassy what applies to you. A one-month tourist visa is issued on arrival at Doha International Airport, for a fee of £18, to nationals of 33 countries (Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, USA and Vatican City). The visa can be extended for a further month at a cost of £17. Tourist visas obtained through hotels and tour operators are issued for only two weeks and cost £12. They can be extended for a further two weeks at a cost of £9. Anyone wanting to stay for a longer period in Doha should apply for a visa through a Qatari embassy. Vaccinations aren’t needed if your stay is for two weeks or less.

Internet

Internet cafés have mushroomed in the city recently. One hour online will cost no more than £1 and there are usually plenty of free terminals—except on Thursday nights (start of the weekend). To find an internet café near your hotel, ask a taxi driver to take you to one. Internet cafés can be found in Al Sadd, Al Hilal, Najma, Mugalina and Al Jaidah Flyover.

Money

The local currency, the Qatari Riyal, is divided into a 100 dirhams. Currency circulates in notes of one, five, 10, 50, 100 and 500. Coins come in 25 and 50 dirhams. £1 = 6 Riyals at the time of going to press. Most transactions at major shopping malls are done with credit cards.

Banks are closed on Fridays but stay open on the remaining days of the week, opening at 8am and closing to the public at 1pm. International names like HSBC and Standard Chartered have scores of branches around the country. Bargaining isn’t unheard of, especially if you’re picking out gifts in the souks.

Tipping etiquette

Tipping is appreciated (if you’re in a bar or a restaurant, any sum above £1 will be gleefully pocketed by the recipient) though not expected. Cab drivers won’t ask for any more than is shown on their meters. However, a tip, along with the word shukran (Arabic for ‘thank you’), would be accepted.

Public holidays

Like all Muslim countries throughout the world, Qatar closes down at Eid, which happens twice a year. The two occasions are Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha, the first falling soon after the Holy month of Ramadan, and the second coming after the Haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.

Weather and climate

Think of Qatar and think of warm weather—and then think of air conditioning. The heat can be overwhelming if you’re visiting between April and October. However, between November and March, it becomes pleasant as the temperature drops. The mild winters makes outdoor activities great fun in Qatar. Rainfall is scarce, but when it happens (usually between December and April), it comes down big time and causes flooding in the streets.

Suggested reading

Get hold of a copy of Marhaba magazine, which comes out every three months. Qatar Happening, Qatar Experience and other small brochures published by the Qatar Tourism Authority will also inform you about the country’s background.