Where to Stay and Play on a Family Vacation to Qatar

With a bevy of outdoor adventures, thrilling theme parks and enriching museums and activity centres, Qatar’s making its mark as one of the Middle East’s most family-friendly destinations. In a nation famed for luxurious accommodations, bespoke services, myriad activities and consideration of safety, there are ample unique experiences sure to dazzle kids of all ages.

Immerse the Family in Local Culture

Qatar is full of family-friendly culture fixes (Photo: Getty Images)

Doha offers a wealth of cultural sites for curious parents and kids. At the Museum of Islamic Art, take an educational and creative tour to see Islamic art and exhibitions showcasing more than 1,400 years of history.

Families can join calligraphy, weaving or drawing workshops and even participate in a treasure hunt around the museum.

Are your kids animal lovers? Let them learn about the important Qatari cultural tradition of falconry at the Falcon Souq, adjacent to the famed Souq Waqif.

Here you will find both novice and expert falconers, rows of hooded birds and shops where you can buy birds and their supplies. You can even take a picture with a hunting bird perched on your arm — a unique souvenir.

See the fabulous falcons which have a special meaning for Qataris (Photo: Getty Images)

Test Your Brain Power

Delight your kids’ visual senses and test their scientific minds at Doha’s Museum of Illusions, which is filled with optical illusions and amusing tricks.

Fun for the entire family, there are unforgettable experiences, like feeling the loss of gravity inside the spinning Vortex Tunnel, being hypnotised by the patterns on a turntable or taking photos at seemingly impossible angles in the Rotated Room.

Stay at a Family-Friendly Resort

Sheraton Grand Doha Resort & Convention Hotel offers a dedicated children’s play area, where little ones can climb a jungle gym, or soar on swings. Young travellers can run around the resort’s gardens and splash in water at the private beach and pool areas.

The luxurious oasis, Al Messila, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, Doha, is the perfect escape for all ages. Adults can lounge by the private pool at their villa while kids play at the extensive Little Explorers’ Kids Club.

Play in the Little Explorers Club (Photo: Marriott International)

At the club, kids can get active on mini-gym equipment and in an interactive play zone, or watch a film at a cinema reserved for younger guests. Children can also run off excess energy at the outdoor playground and shaded kids pool.

The Ritz-Carlton Sharq Village, Doha introduces young guests to the environment and culture through sports, storytelling and interactive activities. Kids go through their own check-in counter where they receive a personalised registration card, plush toys and gifts. Younger guests can also sample sandwiches and pastas at an expansive kids buffet and choose from plenty of recreational activities, including chess, badminton and baby football.

At The Ritz-Carlton, Doha, the Ritz-Kids programme offers several activities to keep families entertained around the clock. Keep little ones occupied as they build a sand castle on the beach, find Nemo in a sea life educational program, and grab a bucket of popcorn while watching a movie under the stars.

Check in to a pool villa or family suite at The Westin Doha Hotel & Spa — both equipped with spacious bedrooms, living and dining rooms. The littles can splash in a kid-friendly wave pool and outdoor infinity pool, while grown-ups might want alone time at the adults-only indoor pool.

The hotel is a good place to introduce young ones to the nutritious Westin Eat Well Menu, created by experts at SuperChefs to educate kids on the importance of eating smart. Kids can play juice scrabble, build their own fresh fruit crepes and play with dough to make pasta from scratch to make dinnertime fun and interactive.

Unleash Your Free Spirit

Situated on sprawling lakefront grounds and dotted with fountains and trees, Aspire Park is Doha’s largest outdoor park — a popular spot filled with walking trails, large green spaces and children’s playgrounds.

Cool down in the Aspire Zone (Photo: Getty Images)

On a warm day, enjoy the roller-coaster rides, trampolines, carnival games and a video arcade at Jungle Zone Theme Park, an indoor jungle-themed amusement park located at Hyatt Plaza shopping mall. Make sure to check out their multi-sensory 7D Dark Ride and the Splash Falls.

Multigenerational travellers will enjoy the energising and immersive activities at BOUNCE Doha, the freestyle playground located in Tawar Mall. Interconnected trampolines, challenge courses and running walls will surely help your family master some tricks and get a good workout at the same time.

Doha Festival City is the largest shopping mall in Qatar and home to the world’s first Angry Birds World, where you can play more than 70 arcade games, have epic laser tag battles, ride dizzying roller coasters, and bounce and ride like little birds. You’ll also find IMAX movies, a snow park, a gaming hub and an outdoor trail for running and biking — all located within the mall’s premises.

Published: February 15, 2023

Article Tags:  Doha , Qatar