Qatar Airways’ Al Safwa First Lounge
An exclusive haven in the middle of the bustling Doha Hamad International Airport.
This isn’t a hotel in a traditional sense, but we did sleep here overnight so I thought I’d give my thoughts on the place.
Table of Contents
Introduction & Departure Drama
After 16 hours that went by far too fast onboard Qatar Airways’ Qsuite, I had landed in Doha, Qatar. I had 8 hours of solid sleep and enjoyed multiple multi-course meals, but was ready to do it all over again in the opulence of the legendary Al Safwa First Class Lounge. Even though Qatar doesn’t offer First Class flights on their widebody aircraft, they continue to operate a First Class on their A320s flying to their neighboring Middle Eastern countries. We had one of these tickets booked, so we were entitled to use the Al Safwa First Lounge for the 8 hour layover before our next flight.
In terms of capacity, the Al Safwa First Lounge was designed to accommodate Qatar’s fleet. Their fleet previously included numerous A380s with First Class seats, on top of the A320s flying around the Middle East. With the A380s retired, the already exclusive lounge was even more quiet with probably 1/3 of the capacity it is designed to accommodate.
As mentioned in my Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah review, I was incredibly frustrated dealing with the ground staff in LAX who refused to let me on the plane. I’ll post the relevant pre-arrival section I originally wrote for that review here:
The process of getting to Dubai was the most stressful, headache-inducing experience for me. My dad was in Seattle right before our trip was scheduled, so he departed from there with no problem. I was in Los Angeles and we planned to meet up at Qatar Airways’ absolutely sublime Al Safwa First Lounge in Doha. We were also flying into Abu Dhabi and not Dubai, who are more strict than Dubai when it comes to COVID entry procedures. Their website states that travelers must have a RT-PCR test taken 72 hours before departure. The website does not specify which flight they are talking about- if you are connecting somewhere, is it 72 hours from then, or 72 hours from your very first flight? I had taken my PCR test 36 hours before my first flight, LAX to DOH. The monkeys who are the Qatar ground staff at LAX interpreted this as 72 hours before the flight from Doha to Abu Dhabi. Because of time differences, the 16 hour flight, plus a 10 hour layover in Doha, this meant my test was somehow invalid. To me, this makes zero sense. Even assuming they interpreted the instructions correctly, why factor in the time difference? What was even more frustrating was their attitude. They basically said “we can’t issue your boarding pass, sorry.” When I asked what I can do, they literally shrugged and said “I don’t know.”
I called my dad, who did not have any issue whatsoever in Seattle, and he tried going back to the Qatar ground staff in Seattle. The Seattle ground staff were fantastic. They even called the monkeys working at LAX to try and clarify the policy for them. The LAX ground staff would not budge. Thankfully, after resisting the temptation to just smack the smug face in front of me, I went off to search for rapid testing nearby. I found one in LAX, so I went outside and walked from one side of the airport to the other (the Tom Bradley International Terminal to Terminal 6) in the 85 degree LA heat with approximately 30 pounds of luggage on me, a thick sweater, and two KN95 masks restricting my breathing. Frustratingly, the testing facility ended up not taking walk-ups. After a quick Google search (which should’ve been my first instinct, dammit) I found one off-site, which promised results in under 45 minutes and quickly booked an appointment for $250. I took an Uber to the testing site approximately 20 minutes away and found a massive line spilling into the main road. At this point, I was pissed off, sweating profusely, dehydrated, and had a massive headache.
I stepped out of the Uber and basically cut the line to where a mob of angry people were yelling at two college-aged students about how they had an appointment for hours ago and have been waiting for so long and they had a flight to catch blah blah blah… In a desperate attempt, I approached the two people working the clinic and calmly talked to the overwhelmed girls frustratedly dealing with the mob before them. Maybe they saw me and thought, “oh a friendly familiar face,” or maybe they just wanted to spite all the people yelling at them. Either way, they served me five minutes later and I was on an Uber back to TBIT 10 minutes after I got there. (The people yelling at the girls switched their attention to me and cussed me out. I was just too tired with the events of the day so far so I ignored them and left.)
Back at the terminal, the flight was literally boarding already. I anxiously waited right next to the Qatar check-in counters for the results to come in my email. Ten minutes later, they came… and I was COVID negative. Thank God. The smug monkey who was helping me was gone, so I was helped by a younger man who was much better. He was so close to printing my boarding pass… then he asked for my health insurance. It doesn’t say anywhere on the COVID website about requiring proof of insurance. What’s more frustrating was that I had taken out my insurance card, which I usually keep in my wallet, that morning thinking I didn’t need it. Thankfully, the man helping me was so much more helpful and allowed me to email him a scanned copy of it. He printed out my boarding pass and I sprinted to security. At the gate, the last of Economy class was boarding.
Right at the entrance to the aircraft, I saw the smug monkey who had refused to print my boarding pass earlier. I waved my boarding pass at him and said “hey look I made it!” He did not say anything.
The rest of the Qatar experience was top-notch. I am admittedly biased towards my childhood airline Singapore Airlines, but I concede- Qatar is definitely the best airline in the world right now.
Like mentioned before, my dad and I planned to meet inside the lounge. After the initial headache of getting on the plane, Qatar delivered flawless service and I all of our plans executed perfectly. It’s also worth noting I don’t attribute the shortfalls of the LAX ground staff to Qatar Airways at all. They’re not responsible for how LAX operates. Also, I am thinking of writing a review of my Qsuite experience, so I’ll link that here if I eventually get around to it.
Arrival
Unfortunately, Doha Airport is suffering from success. What do I mean by that? Qatar Airways (QR) has seemingly come out of nowhere as the world’s greatest airline. Their popularity has caused Doha Airport to be inadequately equipped to handle the volume of flights QR is flying nowadays. Thankfully, this won’t be an issue in the near future as Qatar is building a new terminal (and more importantly, a new Al Mourjan business class lounge which I am very excited to check out).
This meant the beautiful A350-1000 I flew in on parked at a remote gate, and buses came out to take us to the main terminal. Business class passengers had their own slightly more luxurious buses, while the economy class passengers had a normal coach. The buses weren’t as nice as the buses we had on the way to Abu Dhabi. I’ll show those in a separate review.
After taking the bus to the main terminal, we had to go through security before being let into the terminal. The security agents working at Doha International were incredibly friendly, helpful, and efficient. Three adjectives you absolutely wouldn’t think of using for TSA agents in the US or even airport security in Singapore.
After passing security, I made my way onto an escalator to the main terminal and looked for the Al Safwa lounge, which my dad had already been enjoying for around 20 minutes (he landed before I did).
My first sight of the main terminal area at Doha Hamad International Airport.
Doha Hamad International Airport is home to two of Qatar’s flagship lounges, the Al Safwa First Lounge and Al Mourjan business class lounge. I visited the Al Mourjan lounge on the way back, and while definitely not as exclusive or intimate as Al Safwa, I’d say it’s the best business class lounge in the world. Anyways, they are both absolutely massive, and are located on the upper floors of the main terminal.
An employee was standing guard by the escalator leading up to the Al Safwa check-in desk when I first arrived. On subsequent visits, however, I found that there isn’t someone always standing there. After checking my First Class boarding pass and confirming my entry eligibility, he welcomed me to the lounge and let me on the escalator.
At the top, they do a repeat of the process, but in a more official manner. The boarding pass is scanned and an passport check is performed. Finally, entry is permitted. As soon as you step in the automatic doors leading to the lounge, you will literally feel like you’ve been transported to a completely different place. The action-packed, always busy terminal 30 feet below cannot be heard at all. Instead, you could probably hear a needle dropping on the floor. I texted my dad to inform him of my arrival and he was sitting literally just around the corner from where I was standing, in front of the impressive water feature serving as the centerpiece of the lounge.
This clip was taken right when I got there. I found my dad sitting like this waiting for me :)
I was stunned at how grand the lounge was. Ceilings were at least 25 feet tall. It was a world away from the grey and almost industrial theme of the main terminal just steps away.
Double Room
The Al Safwa First Lounge has what they call “sleeping rooms.” I think QR is being a little too humble here, because they are really just hotel rooms complete with bathrooms stocked with Diptyque (my absolute favorite brand) toiletries. It is important to note that you are only entitled to use these complimentary facilities if your layover is longer than a certain duration. I believe when I went it was 6 hours, but this may have changed since then. Also, you can’t make reservations beforehand. They are first-come, first-served. If you are eligible, simply head to the sleeping room area’s check-in desk. There, a friendly staff member will take your passport in exchange for a room key. (When checking out, you’ll do the opposite trade.)
Although not the most opulent hotel room I’ve ever been to, the fact that this is in an airport lounge and more importantly 100% free makes this incredibly impressive.
Everything was clean and definitely comfortable enough to get some hours of sleep in, or to just lounge around in total privacy like we did (where else can you do that in an airport?)
After a fantastic shower (my favorite thing to do after a flight), we hung around a bit and decided we should head outside to take advantage of the other facilities. The first thing we decided to do was grab a bite to eat at the Al Safwa Restaurant.
Dinner? at Al Safwa
Do yourself a favor and take a look at this impressive menu. Remember, all of this is complimentary and unlimited. Alcohol retailing at $500+ a bottle are regularly seen here.
As we sat down, we were offered a bread basket and a trio of amuse bouches. The service here is spectacular, and in hindsight was representative of what I’d experience in the coming week. They are incredibly attentive, but have a sixth sense to know when to completely disappear to let you eat or talk with whoever you’re dining with in privacy.
While my dad ordered a beer, I opted for my go-to So Jennie non-alcoholic Champagne. I then ordered a delicious chicken biryani dish for my main, and followed it up with the above dessert dish (sorry, forgot the name and it’s not on the menu anymore) which was even more delicious. We rounded it off with a black coffee. This dining experience would be fantastic in any big city. For it to be in an airport lounge while completely unlimited and complimentary is mind-blowing.
By the way, I titled this section “Dinner?” at the top because in local Qatari time, it was already like 10 pm. For us Californians, it was like 11am.
Bar at Al Safwa
I don’t really enjoy drinking. I prefer my sugary drinks, but I’m slowly learning to appreciate wine. Maybe next time I visit, I can make use of the splendid bar. It’s fully stocked, with everything you could ever want from a bar. It also has even more in the form of top-shelf bottles of wine, spirits, whiskey, vodka, and champagne that retails for hundreds of dollars and yet is completely complimentary here.
We still visited the bar. My dad is an avid wine drinker, but he (sadly) took his medications after “dinner” a couple hours earlier so he couldn’t drink alcohol. We did enjoy some coffee and tea here, though
TWG Teapot at the Bar
Other Attractions
On top of the main restaurant, bar, and hotel rooms in this lounge, the Al Safwa First lounge is also home to:
A spa (the only thing which isn’t complimentary)
An art museum
A business center
A game room
A sushi bar
A sandwich bar
A prayer room
Sleeping pods (not rooms)
Insane. We didn’t use any of the above, but you could probably spend a whole day here and not get bored. Remember, we’re talking about an airport lounge.
Conclusion
The Qatar Airways Al Safwa First Lounge is one of the nicest lounges I’ve ever been to. In terms of public space design, it is unquestionably number one. I’ve also never been to a lounge that essentially has a hotel complimentary for all eligible guests. My only complaint of the space is the lack of windows for planespotting. I was there at night, so I couldn’t see out of the windows at the restaurant but more windows placed throughout the lounge would be nice. This is a minor complaint though, and I could easily see an argument for natural lighting ruining the ambiance of the place.
The food, service, and facilities at the lounge is world-class. I would venture to say that the lounge experience in Doha alone is worth choosing Qatar over any other carrier, without even considering the stellar service and seat you get on the actual flight.
An 8 hour layover felt more like 8 minutes. Since this isn’t really a hotel, I won’t give a rating. If I start reviewing lounges, it would be Glenn Tedja Approved.
360 degree video of us leaving the lounge. You can see the main area of the lounge, the entrance, the escalator, and the main terminal. The contrast between the peaceful elegance of the lounge vs the energetic, darker terminal is quite cool to see.
Drag the video around, or if viewing on an iPhone/iPad you can move your device around to see in 360!