SHOPPING

Landmark Mall Landmark seems to be trying to for a more upmarket approach than City Centre Mall. However, they have now introduced Carrefour as the main food provider - previously it was the more expensive MegaMart. The mall has very little to offer you if you are not interested in clothes, jewellery and cosmetics. When designed it obviously had a target market in mind and this target market was not men, which can be a pain if you have a husband in tow.
The Hyatt Plaza This shopping centre is being eclipsed by the larger (and half complete) Villagio being built next door, although there seem to be enough shoppers in Doha to go around all the malls. Never-the-less, Hyatt Plaza is a pleasant enough place to shop, with some classy shops and a light airy feel to it when you stroll in. With a massive new mall coming up next door, they are trying hard too - I noticed new shops and attractions on my last trip and they even have a magazine: Hyatt Plaza Style.
City Centre Shopping Mall Doha’s largest mall, City Centre, may not be the classiest of Doha’s shopping centres, but until Villagio opened it was my favourite. You can certainly find your expensive jewellery, brand-named clothes, exquisite perfumes and deliciously fragrant bath oils, but at the same time there’s things for people on the tightest of budgets. There’s a range of electronic gadgets to keep the husbands amused while you get down to business, and a fantastic (and large!) amusement area for children with bouncy castles, computer games – it even has a go-kart racing track!
The Gold Souq If you love gold, precious stones, silver or pearls and you’re in Doha, then you’re in the right place. You can buy all this in the plastic serenity of a mall, but for a more interesting experience take a trip to the gold souq. Here little shops vie with each other to provide the best prices and hand-made designs.
Souq Waqif - The New Old Souq Souq Waqif was an old Souq, so the government decided to knock it down and build a new Souq that looked like an old Souq. So it’s a modern Souq built with the old characteristics and culture that was imbedded with the old Souq.
Villagio Mall Quite simply Villagio is the best Mall in Qatar, even though it is only half finished. Although not particularly special on the outside, when you walk inside and look up, the ceilings take your breath away. The ceilings represent the sky and if you didn’t know you were inside you could believe you were outside.
Qatar Shopping If you’re a shopping lover, Doha is the place for you. Shopping in Qatar is unbelievable and, according to the ladies, who are specialists or somewhat mistresses of shopping, it is also considerably cheaper than in Dubai.