Qatar's festive season..
We all tend to whinge a bit about Qatar, but today i went to Royal Plaza and the spirit of Christmas was evident. Santa clause, trees, santas helper, pressies etc etc. the whole plaza had a christmas feel to it. Considering this is an Islamic country i thought it was great that there was some spirit of christmans for non muslims who are far away from home and their loved ones. Good on qatar, gotta give credit to the country..
The decor is lovely at Royal Plaza. An effort has really been made.
Santa is there until 22/12/2008. Can't recall the timings though.
They have free activities for the kids too. Xmas ornament making with cookies and juice all for free and another activity too. tried to book in but all full.
Not all the shops are expensive. They have some unique boutique concepts that offer something a bit different as opposed to the same old highstreet brands that you come across on every main street around the world.
I admit some shops are pricey but great when you are up for a treat!
Veleno is fantastic for the ladies. Love the unique jewellery pieces in there and it does not break the bank, but something very different to hold on to for life.
Caribu is a fab shop for kids. excellent quality at typical UK highstreet prices.... much better can adams, zara etc..
Sounds like the market is a bit of a non-starter then, and not worth visiting.
Brit - anyone can visit the Pearl at the moment. And ignore the guy asking to see your VIP pass as you drive in - he's just on a power trip.
i've been there today. They were just starting decorating for Christmas, with few stalls selling Christmas accessories. There was no real spirit in the place yet.
Alexa..don't keep your expectation high ;)
For me after experiencing Christmas markets in Mannheim & Frankfurt. Anything similar looks tacky
Is anyone allowed in the Pearl, or just home owners ??
Well stuff has been going on since Nov 1 - entertainment, car show, etc, etc, but according to that book the Christmas Market should have started already.
What are they waiting for???? Christmas???
I was handed a beautifully decorated booklet with pictures and program dates. The heading is: Experience a World of Wonders. The festivities, according to the booklet are from November 1, 2008 through January 31, 2009.
Hopefully, if someone indeed experiences "a World of Wonders" they will post it. I, too, would like to experience that. :P
The guy at the information stand said the Christmas Market was supposed to start on Friday. Guess we shouldn't be too surprised that things aren't happening according to plan.
We went to the Pearl yesterday afternoon around 4:00 pm. We did not see a Christmas Market. It was a pleasant walk over the bridge to get to the board walk surrounding the shopping center. There are golf carts available, if you do not wish to walk. Costa and Second Cup kiosks are open for business. The other stores in the shopping center are not yet open.
Around 5:00 pm (an hour later than scheduled), there were 2 members of Les Excentruiques walking around on stilts wearing beautifully lit costumes. Families were taking pictures with the performers.
If there were additional performers, we missed it. We left to dine at the Marriott and stayed to hear the choir perform numerous Christmas carols, which was delightful.
Not yet. I went down Thursday night as it was advertised to start that day, but it turns out they'd changed the start day to Friday.
There was very little, if anything, set up on Thursday night, but I guess they could have brought it all in on Friday.
I'll post here when I get round to going, but let me know what it's like if you go first.
Have you been to the Christmas market?is it worth taking kids there?
Agreed, the shops make it the sort of place you only visit once and a while. It's worth going every now and then for Tavola and Articles. The Japanese restaurant next to the cinema is ok too. And the cinema's supposed to be pretty good.
your right Alexa,plus they can be very expensive, but i love taking my boys to reef, they love it there...
Christmas market is now starting tomorrow, so that was a nice wasted journey I had. Good of them to inform us all.
Heading down there in an hour or so. Will let you know what it's like.
I'm hoping for a German style Christmas market. Expect I'll be disappointed!
Any one been to the Christmas market at the pearl?It should start today
yep royal plaza is one of the nicest in doha, and although its nice all year around tallg, it was very nice this time of year, and as a bonus its not always busy..
I would have to AGREE with you on that. I was there last weekend to view a movie with my son and 2 of his friends and the mall was so beautifully decorated and just looked very much in the spirit of both Qatar National Day and also the Christmas Holiday Season. I think it's wonderful that some things are changing- because things can NEVER remain the same, no matter how much we want them to.
Qatar is on a path for growth and with that comes change. It is evident with the celebration that will take place today.
I feel much more comfortable when shopping in Royal Plaza, but I must say that Villiaggio is very beautiful also with the way the shops are built there. The newer end of that mall is like an entrance for the rich and famous!
You're only as happy as you set your mind to be!
Royal Plaza is definitely the 'nicest' mall in Qatar, all year round.