Ok so I'm going to just come out with a controversial opinion right at the start. I like this satellite Qatar Airways lounge far more than their flagship Al Mourjan lounge.
Why? Read on...
I was greeted with so much warmth when I entered the lounge. The staff in the reception area were polite, immaculately presented and incredibly smiley and pleasant. My boarding pass was checked (as is customary) and the fabulous lady asked if she could take my larger piece of hand luggage for storage, which she exchanged for a tag.
She checked if this was my first time using this lounge, and when I said yes, she guided me around the lounge, showing me each area in turn, which was exceptional customer service.
She also notified me that this was a silent lounge, but that staff would walk around with small placards notifying passengers when their flights were boarding and also for final calls. Noting my flight number, she told me how far it was to the gate, and that factoring in that walk, I could spend the next two hours and twenty five minutes in the lounge, not taking into account any delays to boarding commencement.
I headed immediately for the circular, marble bar to the left, and you guessed it... I ordered a G&T. I don't think I've ever seen so many staff members working in a lounge before. I'm fairly certain there was probably one staff member for every ten passengers. With that in mind, my G&T arrived within about 30 seconds, so I found a spot to sit and take some pictures.
The decor in this lounge was on point. The colours used weren't typical of Qatar Airways, rather, there was a nice use of turquoise, brass and copper, along with traditional Muslim motifs, similar to those seen in zellij tilework which I absolutely love.
Note: Zellij is the practice of creating infinitely tessellating patterns using a series of set shapes in a multitude of colours. These works of art takes years of practice to master, and are often used to decorate mosques. I love them.
There were four main areas in this lounge:
A central area with some semi-formal seating and tables,
The bar area with casual bar stool and sofa seating, and some buffet light dining options with table area,
A formal a la carte dining area, and
A casual/comfy lounging area.
There was also a corridor that lead to the two unisex toilets.
Although this lounge isn't massive, I felt far more relaxed here than I did in Al Mourjan. It was far less crowded (which is obvious as there's only four flights a day (I think) from Bangkok to Doha), but there were more staff, who were more attentive, more proactive, and with more personality than in Doha's gargantuan, soulless lounge. Sadly, there's no view of the airfield from this lounge, but that's ok, as it was dark, and I had gin.
The bar space features a buffet area with numerous hot and cold (as well as sweet and savoury) foods which you can grab at your leisure and take to the semi-formal tables in the same space. I absolutely loved the beef biryani, as well as the vegetarian Thai red curry which I mixed together in a sacrilegious combination of spicy goodness. The desserts on offer here were absolutely divine, too, with the coconut sago pudding with physalis and a hint of pandan being especially wonderful, and there was also baklava too which I can never, ever resist - they're one of my favourite sweet treats in the world, especially if they're full of pistachio! The presentation was also beautiful.
After a couple of helpings of curry and spicy rice, as well as some sago pudding and baklava, I headed back to the bar and treated myself to a glass of the Tattinger rose champagne which I really, really like.
I poked my head into the formal dining area to snap some pictures but I didn't eat anything as I'd just stuffed my face by the bar and didn't want to be a complete pig as I would also be eating en route to Doha. However, this area was very chic and well appointed with a dark and silver colour scheme. If I'd had longer and/or been travelling with someone, this would have been an ideal space to enjoy some fine a la carte dining. It was also very quiet, with only one person eating here.
I nipped to the loo and grabbed some pictures. The tiling in the toilet was beautiful with a black and gold theme and the amenities and general presentation were absolutely top notch, as was the cleanliness.
The more comfortable lounging space was especially nice, considering there was no seating (that I could find) like this in the Al Mourjan lounge. The seating was well maintained, modern and (most importantly) comfortable, with plush pillows, and accented by soft floor lamp lighting. There were also power sockets and USB ports in the floor for a quick bit of juice. I definitely could have spent a good few hours here with a book.
Farther down the lounge was more comfortable lounging space, and some more semi-formal seating with higher side tables, perhaps for a laptop or an iPad, and this was separated off by a structural divider with the now-familiar zellij motif.
This lounge didn't have a 'business area' that I could see. I genuinely don't think lounges actually need these spaces nowadays; I can't remember the last time I saw anyone in a 'business area' doing 'business'. It's such a wanky concept.
Confession time: if I'd had a bigger bag, I'd have pinched this bad boy... I love A380s.
I wish I'd had longer to spend in this lounge as it was really, really nice.
I loved the decor, the staff were excellent, the size of the lounge was manageable, the food and drinks were fabulous, it wasn't overly crowded and had space to actually relax. Wonderful!
Note: I am also fairly sure I saw Paul from Turning Left For Less in this lounge, and again on my flight to Doha!