DOHA DIARIES: MY WEEK IN THE DESERT #21

WINDING DOWN
A relatively quiet week after coming back from Dubai with Matt. The football season is nearly at an end so the first part of my week was spent at work, tying up loose ends from the season and awaiting news on the Copa America tournament that we will be covering over the Summer

BOOKING FAMILY TIME

I finally booked my flights home to the UK for June! I am so excited to be heading home for two and a half weeks - can't wait to be back with my family and to hopefully catch up with all of my friends who I didn't have a chance to see last time I was home.

TENNIS WEDNESDAYS

The girls and I played probably one of our final games of tennis until later in the year. It is SO HOT to be outside now, even in the evenings. Such a shame as I really liked the idea of setting aside Wednesdays for tennis - the psychiatrist I went to see for my anxiety suggested organising my week into a routine so I always know what day to expect certain events, and this week I know that Wednesday is our day for tennis so I can look forward to it rather than subconsciously worrying about it. Routine is something I will definitely adopt into my weeks going forward.

A MINI BREAK TO THE UAE

I went to join my mum and her friend in the UAE for a couple of days. It was so lovely to see my mum even if only briefly - but that is a blog post for another time :)

As always, I hope you had a great week, wherever in the world you are reading from!

CHRISTMAS CAME EARLY!

I've been dreaming of having the 'perfect' blog for a long time.

A few months ago, I worked with the lovely Felicity over at Persuit of Felicity Designs to create my dream blog. We emailed back and forth about what I had in mind for my little home on the Internet; from headers, to backgrounds, to sidebar titles to post titles, to fonts, and whether my ideas would be possible. They were, and within a week The Blonde had undergone a beautiful facelift as Felicity brought my design ideas to the screen. A couple of months later, I tweaked things slightly with her, and now I have a layout I am entirely happy with - clean, simple, and incorporating my favourite colour scheme of the moment as I am loving all things coral!

It was only really after the transformation of the image of my blog that I felt proud to start sharing the link on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, but I still knew that in a world where the blogging standards are so high, that my pretty little page still wouldn't cut the mustard with the (lack of) quality of the pictures I was posting from my iPhone. 

Not only that, but I was writing every post on my iPad via Blogsy (a great little app if you are blogging on the move), as I didn't have a laptop of my own. I had my work laptop, but I couldn't change the Arabic settings so that every time I wrote a post from here, or went back in to edit a post I'd uploaded via Blogsy, it would move all of my text to the right hand side, and flip it around (Arabic is written from right to left). Not ideal, as I couldn't access all of the functions available through Blogger.

With that in mind, I decided to treat myself to some tools to really help me make the very best of my blog, and make my favourite hobby something I can be really proud of.

Last week, my mum took a trip round the M25 in England to meet up with one of my lovely football pundits from work, Clive Allen, who very kindly agreed to bring my presents out to Doha (along with a couple of Christmas presents my mum snuck into his hand luggage!) and this morning I met with him at the Grand Hyatt to collect my beautiful new toys.

I am now the incredibly happy owner of a beautiful MacBook Air, and a Panasonic Lumix TZ60.

I've wanted a laptop of my own for so long (my pink Dell didn't survive much beyond uni), and the MacBook Air was the obvious choice for me, as a complete Apple addict. I would always have laptop envy seeing Matt using his, and even my parents recently purchased one, so I wanted to be part of the gang too! Now I have a place to upload my pictures, and can write and edit my posts via Blogger like a normal person.

With regards to the camera, I had toyed with the idea of purchasing the Lumix GF5 as recommended by Rosie, however my brother did a bit of research and recommended the TZ60 based on my needs from a camera. My mum actually purchased this for herself first, so I got to road test this when she was over in Doha in October. It takes lovely photos, and has a hugely powerful zoom. I just wish I'd had the chance to purchase this before Sri Lanka, so i could have captured all of the beautiful sights!

So here we are. I'm currently typing from my shiny new MacBook, and slowly getting to grips with both of my new pieces of kit. I can't wait to get out and about in Doha and take some decent quality photos!

DATE NIGHT

Last night was my favourite night of the week...date night with the mister.

Last week he treated me to a lovely meal at Hakkasan, and this week I took him for steak at the Anvil Rooms at Tornado Tower in the city.

A beautiful tornado shaped building, home mainly to businesses and corporate offices, but also home to two beautiful restaurants; Anvil Rooms - probably the best steak in Doha and multiple Time Out Doha winner in its category, and La Varenne, a French restaurant that I'm yet to try. Matt and I poked our heads in there on the way out to pick up a menu and it looks gorgeous, so I'm excited for an upcoming visit.

Outfit wise, I erred on the side of caution with a high necked LBD, for when the occasion requires something a little more covered up.

As Tornado Tower is, primarily, an office building and not a hotel, I'm never quite sure if wearing a dress will be appropriate (once you're in its fine, but it's walking in, as it is also situated right by a main road), but everyone else seems to do the same so I guess it's okay!

I teamed this monochrome look with a black and white Aztec print cropped jacket, black clutch and nude shoes. Elevator selfie to demonstrate!

The weather has dropped in Doha to a Baltic 20 degrees in the evening, so I was glad for the jacket. I don't know how my body will function when I return to the UK!

We were met outside the restaurant by a festive cow.

Once inside, I was pleasantly surprised that they were playing Christmas music, given that we are in a Muslim country, but it was lovely and I bobbed along to Mariah Carey and the like throughout the meal.

Now, hopefully this will be my final blog post where the picture quality is crap and grainy from my iPhone camera, as I may have treated myself to a shiny proper camera which may currently be in business class transit from the UK with one of my lovely studio pundits, and will be arriving in the desert tomorrow morning! Exciting stuff.

Even if I did have a proper camera, however, the Anvil Rooms is so dark that I think anybody would struggle.

We had a table by the window, overlooking the building that nobody knows the name of, but is shaped like..well..you know.

Drinks ordered (red wine for Matt, mixed berry virgin mojito for me), we waited (im)patiently for the main event....the bread basket.

I don't have a photo of this but it is what you go to Anvil Rooms for (other than the steak). A huge basket piled high with freshly baked bread of many varieties - pumpernickel, cheese bread, cheese and beef bacon bread, pretzel bread... Needless to say we were full before our epic feast of dinner arrived.

10oz steak with fries and buttered spinach for Matt, sirloin and oxtail burger with compte cheese and garlic mayo on an onion bun for me, with maple glazed carrots and truffle mac n cheese. Mmmm.

Needless to say, I over ordered and the truffle mac n cheese has come home with me for tonight's dinner.

If you are visiting Doha, or live here and have never been to the Anvil Rooms, then go. Go, go, go.

Skip the starter, devour the bread basket, but don't be surprised when you can't finish your main course.

If you can, and still miraculously have room for dessert (well done you), I recommend the cheesecake (which I discovered on one particularly piggy indulgent night)

Love a good date night :)

Posted with Blogsy

THE THINGS I MISS ABOUT LIVING IN THE UK

Yesterday, Jemma and I put our Christmas tree up.

In an attempt to bring the festive period to the desert, we cranked up a Christmas playlist and put the tree up in our Doha apartment, decorating it to the sound of Michael Buble crooning in the background.

Unfortunately, as we put the star on the top of the tree and prepared to put the lights on, we realised we didn't actually have any lights. Somewhere between last Christmas and now, our tree lights seemed to do a vanishing act.

Feeling a little frustrated at the thought of having to get a taxi all the way to the mall specifically for lights, it got me thinking about the things I miss about home - the ease of getting things done being one of them!

FAMILY

This one goes without saying really. Especially with the Christmas period looming, and the knowledge that I won't be spending Christmas Day with my loved ones (or most of my loved ones, luckily I get to share the day with the mister), it hits home more than ever how much I miss them all. Not that I dont already miss them every single day. I honestly don't know what I'd do without FaceTime!

My brother and sister in law recently had a beautiful baby boy, Ryan, who I am yet to meet, so it's also gutting to not be spending his first Christmas with him. He seems to have got the knack of this tree decorating lark already though at less than a month old...

FRIENDS

Another one that goes without saying. Living in the desert has, more than ever, made me appreciate those girls (and Sean!) who I am so lucky to call my best friends. They are the ones who are there for me unconditionally, who I trust implicitly, and who I know will be my friends for life.

I am so lucky to have found a friend for life in Jemma, from having moved to the desert- a fiercly loyal, trustworthy and honest friend, but I think girls like her in Doha are few and far between. The amount of gossip iv heard amongst even the thickest of thieves friendship groups in Doha is scary.

It makes me value my best friends from home even more, and I miss them very much!

LEAVING THE COUNTRY

Even after almost a year and a half of living in Doha, I still cannot get my head around the frustration of trying to leave the country. You require an exit permit to be issued by your company before you can go anywhere.

Sometimes, even if you are told that you have had one issued, I have known people arrive at the airport to be told that their exit permit hasn't actually been issued. It makes travelling all the more stressful, as you don't fully relax, safe in the knowledge that you are definitely leaving, until you are through passport control and physically sitting on the plane.

Not being able to leave in a hurry or in an emergency is a real issue. You can feel really trapped, and it's a horrible feeling.

Back home, you can just get up and go.

WALKING

Doha is not built to cater for pedestrians. There are virtually no pavements, and the few pavements there are can barely be classed as pavements because they are so obstructed.

Every Tuesday I get up early and walk to my morning Pilates class. It's so lovely to be outside in the fresh air, especially now that the mornings are so much cooler, like a crisp spring day in the UK.

Sadly, my ten minute walk consists of me nearly getting run over by traffic for at least 5 minutes of the way, where I'm having to walk in the road due to the lack of pavements!

I miss the fact that back home in the UK I live down the road from a lovely park, as well as miles upon miles of beautiful canals, lakes, and green fields.

THE DOCTORS

I never thought I'd say this, as going to the doctors in the UK has never been a particularly fun experience (except for a visit to handsome Dr B, isn't that right, mum!) but here I pine for a good old GP.

Given the fact I am always ill, it would be nice to just be able to go to the doctor and get told what's wrong and what prescription I need to pick up, but no. Here, if I get sick I have to go to the hospital which just seems so extreme, and unless it's a specific problem, it's near impossible to track down the right department to visit.

NORMAL SHOPS

Tesco, I am talking about you, you wonderful supermarket of joy. Yes we have Carrefour, but it just isn't the same.

The other day I bought a loaf of bread, and the very next day it was mouldy. My vegetables (when I remember to buy them), are good for nothing after a day or two. Salad wilts to nothing after a couple of days in the fridge. Cadburys Dairy Milk tastes horrendous out here. If I want to go to Boots I have to pay a tenner to get a cab and drive half an hour out to the Villagio mall. Same with River Island, Topshop, and any other decent high street shop. Not that they ever have any good stock. Do you see my point?! Shopping in Doha is crap.

Which leads me back to my original point, last night I would have loved to nip to the shop to buy lights for the tree, but the nearest mall is a ten minute cab ride away, as there is nothing in walking distance from my apartment. And even if there were, there would be no pavement to walk there.

Back in the UK, I could walk in either direction and be at a multitude of shops within ten mins, and if I can't find something in my local Topshop, there is always another Topshop/Boots/Tesco within a ten, twenty, or 30 minute drive!

THINGS TO DO

On the plane home from Sri Lanka, Qatar Airways had an in-flight guide to Qatar. It listed the top 3 attractions: the Souq, Katara, and the Museum of Islamic Art. Now, that is not to say these three places aren't lovely, because they are really nice to visit. But they are pretty much it.

Yes there is the cinema, but it's always full of people chatting on their mobile phones or to each other the whole way through.

This is why the main things to do in Doha are eating, drinking and fitness. There are restaurants in abundance, enough bars to keep the expat population happy enough, and the opportunity is there to keep fit in more ways than would be available in the UK (stand up paddling, anyone?!), but it's so easy to get bored here. You really have to work at keeping yourselves entertained.

The city always looks so amazing lit up at night, like it should be full of amazing nightclubs, bars, shops etc, so it's just such a shame that it contains barely anything other than office buildings, and the occasional rogue cactus sprouting from the road.

1st world problems!! Don't get me wrong, I know how lucky I am. I'm just having a good old whinge about the things I miss about life in the UK.

On the flip side, it's December and it's 20 degrees outside. The sun shines every day. It rains about 4 days a year. My neighbour is a Sheihks palace and two 5* hotels, my back garden is two swimming pools and a beach, and my apartment is the nicest property I will ever have the fortune of living in.

So things could be a heck of a lot worse!

But I really, really do miss Tesco...

Posted with Blogsy

DOHA DIARIES: MY WEEK IN PICTURES #8

This week started out much like any other - a day in the office followed by an evening at home in my pyjamas, painting my nails and having a good old bit of 'Me Time'. 

Sunday evenings generally tend to be my pamper night, and it's a night of the week I very much look forward to!

After work on Monday, Matt and I went for a mooch around Landmark mall. He was after football boots, and I was after whatever I could get my hands on in a city where decent shops are few and far between. 

Needless to say, we both came away empty handed, but with very full tummies.

Matt and I are a bit obsessed with Elevation Burger at the Pearl. If you aren't into fast food, then it probably isn't for you, but if you love a good burger then Elevation Burger is the One. 

We had heard good things about Shake Shack burgers and decided to pop in for a bite to see how it compared to our favourite burger joint. 

I went for cheese on everything...

Filthy, right?

I had the double cheeseburger and cheese fries (piggy). The burger was almost as good as Elevation burger but there was something missing, and the menu lacked variety. At Elevation burger, you can pick your base and then pick your toppings, as many as you want, but Shake Shack doesn't have this option to customise. The fries were okay, but not as good as EB, even with the cheese sauce. Plus, Shake Shack is about double the price.

All in all, a fairly disappointing mall run!

I had the day off on Tuesday. I got up early for my Pilates class, and met Jem in the afternoon to go to the Gate Mall for lunch at Jones the Grocers. This was my first time, but I'd heard such good things so I was excited to see what it was all about.

Unfortunately I think I ordered the wrong choice, the Harissa spiced chicken with cous cous, in a bid to be healthy after my dirty Shake Shack burger. I thought the chicken tasted a bit rubbery, but maybe that was just me, as Jem ordered the same and enjoyed hers.

We looked up and spotted our friend Ade in the queue, and he came and joined us. I eyed up his Wagyu beef burger with envy!

We wandered over to Angelina after lunch as I had a craving for hot chocolate, and I'd read that their hot chocolate is to die for.

I'd heard right. It was like drinking molten chocolate bars - thick creamy chocolate melted down into a delicious cup of heaven. About £8 worth of heaven, so not a habit I particularly want to get into! Jemma ordered a £10 cake (!) and Ade spent about a months salary on chocolates to serve at an upcoming dinner party. An expensive trip for hot chocolate!

On Wednesday after work, Jemma and I hopped in a cab to Beverley Hills tower, to attend their Movember spa event at the b/attitude Spa.

We were greeted by friendly staff wearing moustaches, and were invited to have our pictures taken with fun props. Jemma and I got wiggy with it.

The spa had gone all out, laying on a buffet, canapés, drinks, and treating all guests to complimentary mini back/neck/head/shoulder and hand massages throughout the evening, whilst relaxing on loungers by the pool. I don't know how much the night raised for Movember but I hope a lot as this was a fabulous night.

I think if I lived in the city, I'd want to live in Beverley Hills tower. The spa is great, and so much cheaper than any of the spas at the 5* hotels.

On Thursday I had the day off, so I donned my Little Bo Peep sun hat and met Matt for an afternoon of relaxation at the St Regis pool.

In the afternoon I caught up with home on FaceTime. My mum was preparing for a fete where she was making over 150 cupcakes to sell so she was very busy (her cupcakes are amazing), but I got to catch up with my favourite furry friend instead. I think I bored Molly to sleep with my tales of Doha. 

I miss this cat so much!

That night, Matt took me for dinner at Hakkasan.

We got dressed up, and wandered over to the world famous Asian fusion restaurant on our doorstep.

We ordered everything to share - salt and pepper squid and crispy duck rolls to start, beef in black pepper sauce and sweet and sour chicken for mains, with edamame egg fried rice.

It was lovely, and made a nice change to go to Hakkasan after not having been for a while. I still find it over priced for what it is, but it's a real special occasion restaurant and I love the ambience and the atmosphere. 

Next week it's my turn to pick a restaurant and take Matt out, so I have to have a think about where is best to go. Any Doha dwellers who can recommend a lovely restaurant - suggestions welcome!

By Thursday I had manifested a cold, so by Friday I was feeling particularly unwell. Come the evening, I hadn't eaten anything all day as I had felt so sick, so I cooked spaghetti bolognese for Matt, and he made garlic bread with cheese. We had our Italian feast before heading to his for a few episodes of 24. I'm so addicted to that show!

Which brings us to today, Saturday, the end of the week.

I spent today at work, and then came home and had dinner before sitting in the lounge catching up with Jemma, Marion and her friend Michael, who was dropping her to the airport. She is very lucky to be flying home to Germany tonight and then spending the month in America for Christmas! Not envious at all, whilst we are stuck here in the Doha bubble. Due to clashing schedules and busy work weeks, we've barely all had a chance to sit down together since Harriet's birthday brunch last week so it was lovely to have a catch up before her flight.

Now iv crawled into bed and will probably cap off my week by speaking to home, as I'm really missing my family at the moment, before a Lemsip and bed to sleep off this cold.

How was your week?

Posted with Blogsy

REVIEW: THE FORTRESS HOTEL

As you can tell from my posts since coming back from Sri Lanka, I had an amazing holiday.

This was in part due to being away with the loved one, but was also largely due to our choice of hotel.

We had originally toyed with travelling down the coast and staying in a couple of hotels, however in the end we took a punt on The Fortress hotel, as it not only looked gorgeous from the website but also because it came with rave reviews on Trip Advisor.

ARRIVAL

We arrived at the Fortress at around midday, after a long drive from Colombo. 

We pulled up at the huge gates, and the valet immediately came over to help us into the hotel with our bags, before parking the car for us. We were led to a seating area in reception by warm, smiling staff, and yet more smiling staff brought us cups of deliciously refreshing mocktails with a hint of ginger, called the 'Fortress Secret' cocktail. We were also brought beautifully fragrant cold flannels, which were so welcome after the flight and the drive. 

Freshened up, our documents were processed for check in, and we sat and read our books until our room was ready.

One thing I liked about the hotel was that everything was open. As you can see from the below picture, once you are through the front gates of The Fortress, everything is open plan. The reception area can be seen in the centre of the photo, and the seating areas look out over the infinity pool and ocean. It certainly makes for a beautiful view upon arrival.

THE ROOM

We were led up to our room by a lovely member of the reception team. 

When she opened the door, we were met with the most amazing warm, spiced fruit scent. I later discovered that after the rooms have been cleaned, a candle is lit in the bathroom under an oil burner, hidden below the sink, creating the most wonderful aroma. Iv never been in a hotel room that smells as good as ours did.

The room was beautiful, and kitted out with a DVD player and Bose sound system, which we were shown how to use (Matt was on DVD duty, I just nodded along politely!)

The bed was enormous and decorated simply with a flower. Everyday after breakfast, we would come back to an array of beautiful petals laid out on the bed artistically in hearts, or flower patterns.

I have to add, this was the comfiest bed I have ever slept in, in my entire life.

Through a doorless archway, the bedroom opens out into an enormous bathroom. The biggest shower I have ever seen dominated the right hand wall, and the left wall was lined with his and hers sinks, and a huge free standing bath tub.

Every day, we were given fresh towels (and I'm talking proper, full size bath towels. Iv stayed at hotels with pathetic tiny towels before, but these were the real deal!), and stocked up with Pecksniff's products.

What I will say about the bathroom, was that you have absolutely no privacy whatsoever. If you and you're bed neighbour aren't entirely comfortable with each other, I'm not sure this is the hotel for you. 

Everything is open plan, there is no door separating the bedroom from the bathroom, and the toilet is only cornered off by a glass door. Not one for the shy folk!

The only real negative to the room was the view. We stayed in a Fortress Room, which the website states has a 'garden view'. Don't be fooled into thinking from the website photos that your garden view might be this:

No, no, no. In actual fact, it is this:

A wall. With a tree.

But it really didn't matter at all. It gave me and my mum a bit of a laugh when I Facetimed her to show her my 'magnificent view', and it had absolutely no negative impact on our holiday whatsoever.

If your budget allows it, I would recommend the Ocean View rooms, or the Beach rooms, both of which face out to sea.

DINING

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served at Pepper. This is a lovely open sided restaurant that looks out over the pool and the ocean.

So many hotels have a canteen feel about them, but here you are always dining outside, although you are under shelter if it does rain.

The breakfast buffet has plenty on offer: fresh fruits, fresh yogurts, home made jams, pastries, fresh scones, eggs, cooked breakfast, curry (for those who can manage it for breakfast!), pancakes, etc etc.

Lunch and dinner follow the same A La Carte menu, which is quite extensive with meals to suit a variety of tastes. The menu changes slightly every single day, and on most evenings there is a themed buffet to choose from. We experienced the Sri Lankan buffet, Indian buffet, seafood buffet and BBQ buffet all whilst we were there for one week.

All of the food is beautifully presented, and the portions are huge.

We didn't have one disappointing meal.

There is very little around the hotel by way of alternative restauraunts to eat at, so I think this hotel cater to this fact incredibly well, by offering a delicious variety of meals, in such a beautiful setting.

THE FACILITIES

Everywhere is spotless, and the grounds are kept looking lovely. The pool area is vast, and there are plenty of sunloungers. A pool attendant pops over as soon as you've picked your bed, to tuck fresh towels in around the cushion to make you comfortable.

The hotel also has direct access to the beach. Directly outside the hotel there isn't much by way of beach but it quickly opens up into an endless expanse of golden sand. The waves are pretty rough so this is a great area for surfing.

If you feel like you are in need of a little pampering, the Fortress have a lovely spa and it is SO reasonable. We indulged in the Couples Massage, which was nearly two hours long, and was amazing. I would highly recommend a treatment at the spa. The spa staff also come around the pool area to tell you about their daily spa offers, so some days you can wangle yourself a spur of the moment discounted treatment.

THE STAFF

The staff at The Fortress are always smiling. Literally, always. From the reception team, to the restauraunt staff, to housekeeping, to the pool attendants, I have never stayed at a hotel before where you are constantly met with smiles by whoever you see throughout the day. 

It really helps to create a good holiday mood, and we certainly felt very welcome.

LOCATION

Whilst the hotel has direct acces to the beach, I must admit I didn't think there was too much around in terms of things to see and do. Ours was mostly a relaxing holiday so we were happy to spend our days by the pool, and walking along the beach, but it would have been nice if there had been a couple more options. 

A drive half an hour in either direction didn't reveal too much, however I would recommend a trip to Galle Fort, and a visit to Mamas Rooftop cafe for some delicious home cooked food. 

The hotel also have a notice board informing guests about the trips that they run. We booked our elephant safari trip through the hotel and it was fantastic.

ENTERTAINMENT

This hotel isn't a beach club/kids club kind of hotel by any means. It isn't really a hotel for children at all, I didn't see one whilst we were there.

There is a small (but very well stocked!) bar in the restaurant, who knock up delicious cocktails, and every day between 6pm and 7pm they have a happy hour.

The hotel instead showcase the culture of the country by inviting artists to set up their paintings, or their lace creations, so that guests can view and purchase if they so wish.

One evening, we were invited to a management cocktail hour, where we could meet some of the staff properly over a cocktail, and then we were treated to some cultural dancing with drummers and fire eaters. My camera didn't capture this well at all, but it was very impressive!

THE VERDICT?

The Fortress is beautiful. It was expensive, but well worth it in my humble opinion! We drove past several other hotels in the area and none looked nearly as lovely as ours. If I was visiting Sri Lanka in the future, I would definitely stay at The Fortress again. It is no wonder they were awarded Best Luxury Hotel awards two years running, in 2011 and 2012, as it really is very luxurious.

It is rated as a 4* hotel but I feel it has elements, in particular the rooms, that outshine many of the 5* hotels I have visited before.

This is very much a relaxing getaway for couples, so if this is what you are after, then The Fortress is for you.

You can visit their website for more info.

Posted with Blogsy