Qatar

Qatar has a real season and a real off-season. November to March is warm and dry, with the desert usable and the sea swimmable. From May to September daytime temperatures sit above forty degrees with high humidity and the country becomes an indoor destination.

Hamad International is one of the better-run hubs in the region, and Doha works best as a two or three night stop on the way to Asia or the Indian Ocean. That is how most OUIJETS members use it, and it is a stronger use of the city than treating it as a fortnight.

Doha is the most concentrated market for our preferred hotel partners anywhere on this list. Mandarin Oriental is in Msheireb Downtown, Four Seasons and the St. Regis are on the West Bay corniche, the Ritz-Carlton has its own marina, Shangri-La is in the city centre and Anantara holds a resort on Banana Island offshore. Availability is rarely the issue here; matching the property to the reason for the trip is.

Ask your advisor about desert camps at Khor Al Adaid, the Museum of Islamic Art and the National Museum of Qatar, and how to build a Doha stop so it adds a day rather than costing one.