Prohibition at the The Pearl

alumnar.. i completely disagree with you... I saw locals drinking alcohol with their national dress in some restaurant in ramada hotel. It's really "HARAM"

RIP now it's the turn of Maze I have been told.

IanW green yes I agree but this place is turning into a ghost town because of the new alcohol policy like it or not.

No cycling or dogs on the Marina frontage.

Oh and you can buy a Ferrari but you can't yet buy a Financial Times. :-)

Anything else prohibited at The Pearl ?

Curious about the comments above liking Isola Dana? Only one plot is currently being developed and that is a palace style complex. Security will not allow you onto the Isola Dana peninsula - they say it is private and for the Emir only. So what's to like?

Not all the Pearl is high rise - the Qanat Quartier - aka 'Little Venice' - looks very pleasant although I've yet to find any sign of swimming pools or a gym in there? And it's a very confusing place in which to navigate around - maybe a gondola might be easier ! It was supposed to start releasing properties on Valentine's Day. Dunno if that happened...

There are also large areas of beach front villas but very few of the completed villas appear to be occupied.

Regardless of whatever problems UDC have, there is still a lot of effort being expended on more landscaping and planting greenery outside the crescents of tower blocks. It's becoming a less dusty and more pleasant place to stay. I like it there - with or without booze.

My mistake

Two...Megu and Tse Yiang

One down

Megu and Tse Yiang restaurant at the pearl are close victim of some immature bureaucrat :(

I only have one thing to say to you - Zuider Zee :O)

Its one of the reasons you won't find me at the Pearl... and when you do, its because I have some work there and have no other option...

I firmly believe... when you take from the sea... it takes what you stole, back with a vengance.... I stay as far away as possible....

Don't make jokes about The Pearl sinking Genesis :p

That might be the next surprise!

corruption?

who would want to manage this sinking ship? ;)

I'll vote for you as the next CEO and MD of UDC :O)

I'll vote for you as the next CEO and MD of UDC :O)

Ezdan has a limo service that is very reasonable. You will not even have to book one, just pop down to reception and grab one. They will come and pick you up again as well.

Thanks very much jjj75. "Normal" shops would be nice!

Am still in discussions but the first month or two will definitely be in a serviced apartment/hotel. I think someone mentioned to me that Ezdan is close to the offices (in Tornado Tower), although I'll probably still need to grab a cab.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/01/12/idUKL6E8CC3BV20120112

Qatar's United Development Co said on Thursday its President and Managing Director Khalil Sholy has resigned.

The resignation was effective immediately, although Sholy will retain his powers for another three months to assist the board of directors in hiring a replacement, according to a company statement to the Qatar bourse.

Pearl.. It a nice place to Moor your Boat..:)

Britexpat, there is one - he pretends he is living there but I just discovered that he is my cousin's chauffeur.

It must be sad, the guy is bannde from the Filipino community (I've heard he got booted out from the site) and he is now on the road to the special olympics.

What an ongas.

announced, you have to talk to him now!

And don't go near Isola Dana, the guards there are allergic to arrogant people specifically Venezuelan!

and you really thought that I am talking or would want to talk to you, JUST WISH. Do you even know my work? Lucky for you if you can even enter the gate and a 10-second time to talk with me. Learn to say please first and maybe, I can have a word with you!

So again, BACK-OFF, I am busy!

Have met many an expat who like to announce loudly that they live on The Pearl :0)

londontodoha - don't go to the pearl overpriced white elephant with little soul - plenty of places in westbay, which are much closer to 'normal' shops like supermarkets etc.

Would recommend staying in the Ezdan for about a month whilst you find your feet and make a considered informed decision about the best place for you and your family to live - no need to rush into anything.

Flor, my signature was meant for humans. You're a bug.

I am not telling you again, superior Venezuelans like me can only speak to midgets like you through an appointment. Please get your ticket and wait on the line.

Yikes...am in the process of looking for a place in Doha - is The Pearl, somewhere to avoid? I was looking at it in preference to West Bay!

Regarding the shops, is it any surprise that they aren't very busy. This is a mall country, not a strolling around inside/outside culture. People here don't even leave their cars to buy a cup of tea, can anyone expect shoppers to park and then walk more than 100m to buy whatever it is they sell at The Pearl?

And is it my imagination or is every shop at The Pearl claiming to be on sale day in, day out? Everyone knows that even when the shops on The Pearl are n sale, you can buy the same designer labels cheaper in stores abroad.

The whole concept just doesn't seem to make sense to me, but then I have simpler tastes than the people that someone was expecting to flock to the Pearl.

may I know why? BACK-OFF! Learn from your signature!

Precisely PP loves you! You are meant for each other!

...

flor1212, shut up! I only talk to the "good people" - not subhumans like you.

A building's success can be recognized by satisfied users for years...

is when your project is there. It's nice to place it as one of your accomplishment. Specially the Isola Dana area! The best place in The Pearl!.

People can get pass the concrete sceneries when they're drunk... Nah, kidding... I just got to say it... Hahaha, seriously if they're targeting the locals, no alcohol policy is appealing but on the international level, less is bore...

Genesis, it's just too much concrete, no life, no soul to it....it's not fun to be there.

Don't know why people do not buy in the shops...maybe they are not that much into designer stuff after all...I don't know.

I second that, so is the majority. or else why is shops often empty, Even on weekends & during sale period!

well said TB you summed it well there....

ah, is that what it is...doesn't do it for me.

I likkkkkkeeeee GRRRRRRREEEEEEEEENERY

Ah, sounds so much better :)

Porrrrrrrrrto - Arrrrrrrrabia

It's in the name :o)

I have been there 3 times. It's a concrete jungle...highrise after highrise...boring shops(for me), and DEAD! It is so DEAd there....

I am sorry, I for one can't see any attraction there. I would not want to live there if you gave it to me for free.

Quite frankly, my compound is 10 times nicer. :)

Well jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj when I first went to the Pearl I was blown away. I thought it was amazing! Now I am glad I never became a resident there. And if I had bought there like a number of people I know have, I would be very worried that the fine balance between success and failure was tilting the wrong way. Where are the 99 year resident permits that were promised? Where are all the executives that can afford to rent these apartments that have been bought to rent. Why are the roads supplying the Pearl so bad, with terrible traffic jams all the time. The list goes on and on. This is a prime example of the belief; "If you build it, they will come".

Someone is going to have to get their thinking cap on quick to think of ways of making the balance tip the other way. Or you could be right jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj, it could turn into a ghost town, or maybe it could just decline into labourers accommodation.

TB- I suspect there were some rather unscupulous sales people promising the earth to gullible investors.

Wait for it to become a ghost town and for the tenants to slowly tricke away...

There is plenty of good food in Qatar. I have only dined at the Pearl a couple of times, and because I was driving didn't have a drink anyway. Opening regular food chains like TGI there wouldn't entice me to eat there more often either, as there are better options for those with better parking for me. However if I was a resident in the Pearl I would welcome such a move. There is only so much 5 star food you can eat before you get board with it.

Let the restaurants in the Pearl figure this one out. They need to create promotions to drive business their way and not just open their doors and expect people to walk in. I find it hard to believe that they relied entirely on alcohol being served with meals to gain customers.

However regarding the OP, if investment was made with the understanding that you could live the cosmopolitan lifestyle there, and it was sold to you as such, I can understand how annoying it would be if that balloon was popped.

What's the credo? If you don't like it then leave... I guess most investors would be happy to oblige especially if their business is concern.

Thanks for the insight.

So at the end of the day, are UDC to blame or were the investors expecting too much ?

As predicted, revenue has decreased in the Pearl because of this and no getting around that fact. If I had investments in any of those business or real estate on the Pearl I would be exceedingly unhappy as of now.

blah blah blah (but they still want to stay). Wonder why?

Mike, can you clarify, who BS walks, those pro- or against alcohol? Either you admit you are or you are implying the government of QAtar is........! Which is which?

Let them close, we'll see what the local authorities will do about it.

In the end "money talks, BS walks"

Perhaps they should bite the bullet and accept that the project was a little ambitious in its 5 star, high end, all luxury approach.

Open an Applebee's, TGI Friday's, Chillis etc on The Pearl and perhaps people might actually start going there.

It's not as if Noodle House is anything more than glorified fast food, so opening more along those lines might help?

Part of me wants to go to the Pearl this Thursday night if only to count how many people are in the restaurants :p

i think Gordan Ramsey would be the first. After all, he'll have two restaurants opening this year at the St Regis

if the restaurants bring down their prices by a notch, business will be back to normal...

For those that said that the alcohol ban would not affect restaurant takings:

"Al Arabiya reports that restaurant sales have declined by 50 percent since the ban on alcohol went into effect"

Which will be the first to close one wonders!

How interesting Genesis. I'd never considered that as a likely reason.

Where would we be without your local insight?!

And so with that in mind, you would be of the opinion that alcohol will never be back?

The bottom line, the pearl is a ghost town & almost half of the project is incompleted.

Obviously UDC wanted a government push. Everything comes with a price, maybe they should have thought it through from the start. That a project like this is never feasible in Qatar

And of course after 2013 election, there is a great chance of local lawyers filing lawsuits against establishments that sells alcohol as per the constitution

Madinat souk is part of Jumeriah & souk al bahar is part of old town , both are considered part of hotels project

Not that I know Dubai all that well but last year I went to a few resturants and bars that were not in hotels that served alcohol - one was a bit like the souq but on the water - it was a mexican place that did nice cocktails, so that is not really true.

It's not a conspiracy theory

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL6E7NS0W320111228

an "Islamic bank" would not have invested in a place that sells alcohol

I agree with your sentiment , similar projects in Dubai (JBR, etc.) alcohol is sold only in establishments within hotels

How does 'someone important saw his son getting blotto on The Pearl and decided to ban booze' sound?

Even in relatively liberal Dubai, restaurants are NOT licenced - only hotels and private clubs (+ a couple of exceptions like Planet Hollywood and the now defunct Hard Rock Cafe). There is nothing like the open air consumption of alcohol which was permitted for a while on the Pearl.

One outlet spoiled it for everyone by offering both booze and noisy music outdoors with minimal security and checking of IDs. Naturally some folks abused this.

No wonder the privilege was withdrawn.

If you want to bend rules, rule no 1 is do it in private and rule no 2 is 'don't get caught'

There is another theory that the prohibition was brought in simply to devalue shares in The Pearl prior to a Govt buy-out....

Conspiracy theory anyone ???

DP!

The sale of alcohol requires a delicate balance with cultural mores and the suspension could be seen as a reminder of these “red lines”, said Chiheb Ben Mahmoud, head of Hotel Advisory, for MENA at Jones Lang LaSalle.

“There was perhaps a perception that grew and spread that the Pearl represents some form of ‘extra territoriality’ when it comes to alcohol and lifestyle. Some sort of ‘free zone’,” he said. “The suspension came to set the record straight.”

home delivery service! Lol!

Restaurants and bars on Qatar’s flagship Pearl development have seen revenues slump by more than 50 percent in the wake of a new ruling banning the sale of alcohol to customers.

“Obviously the business has dropped; by half… for some restaurants, probably even more,”

Staff at Maze, the restaurant owned by British celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay that opened on the island in 2010, said business has tumbled in the wake of the alcohol ban.

“I would say [the decline] is even more than 50 percent,” a spokesperson told Arabian Business. “It is not only Maze… all the restaurants have stopped serving

Jhingan said Foodmark has suspended plans to open two restaurants and a club on the Pearl-Qatar, home to an estimated 41,000 residents, until the ban on alcohol is clarified.

“Pearl is a destination; it is not a mall. It must be populated so everyone is suffering as without alcohol people do not frequent it as much,” he said. “This not only affects us but also other big names that were coming to the region.”

http://www.arabianbusiness.com/qatar-restaurants-see-trade-slump-after-alcohol-ban-439431.html?tab=Article

So what'd be their next move?

I1- want to see movies monitored and filtered out before they are brought on the big sliver screens

.

Or if they are going to allow kissy kissy films then kids and teens should be kept out of it.

Better Yet if they bold up and just close down all the movie houses!

I also‘d like to see the dress code implemented. Nothing to me is more despicable and outrageous than the scene of a skimpily clothed woman!

3- All Cinemas’ and movie houses must have the gender-separation policy deployed.

As this will encourage more locals to bring their families to watch good “Censored Movies”

4-All hotels must stop serving poison and arranging what seems to be iniquitous and wicked social gatherings where unrighteous rinks are served and ungodly women working ‘em party floors ‘n shaking what their Mama’s gave ‘em! O_O ! Screams! Abomination!

5- I want to see women banned from Driving because this is sinful.

And behind every road accident in Doha 99% of the time (It’s a woman behind the wheels)!

6- I want all electricity Gas, Water pipes, Telephone lines both (landline and Cell-Phones) all removed

From the country. Because they are the handiwork of Satan!

7-Bob Is your Uncle ^^

lets respect Qatari culture and religion; enjoy life with lots of benefits and a few limitations.

One could use their home balcony with exotic Sea view; have fun within our own jurisdiction without limits :)

Victory, same could be said about religions in other countries. Take the UK for example - is it so important to people that they cannot do without their non christian religion? However, other non christian religions are tolerated and allowed to flourish, as long as it is not taken to extremes (and the same goes for the drinking of alcohol) then I see no problem, it is all a matter of cultural perspectives and tastes.

Let their be alcohol and then we can all sit around singing Una Jamal Blanco :o)

Victory I do enjoy my big pay cheque very much, but it is nice to enjoy a lovely meal with a glass or 2 of vino...Now if there are muppets who can't handle their booze (and locals included here) then maybe security should do their job properly and kick them out.

Yeah V is right. Enjoy the other benefits and the many positive things Qatar offers you. Like your generous pay check :D

Is Alcohol of so much important in Life, which makes one feel ALIEN in Qatar?

Enjoy the other benefits and look at the positive side of Qatar.

One use their home balcony with Pearl view.

One mighty Bedouin rules 'em all!

It's what it's. Some folks can't just get it around their heads this is still a one-man's show country.

It only takes one call from a well-connected camel rider to ruin it all.

@azilana7037 how is it trespassing when you are eating/drinking at a public restarant/bar, I'm sure those businesses didn't set up on the proviso that it was going to be residents only.

of westerners, Alumnar, that I saw, dressed up in thobe at Bombay Balti last week, with more alcohol on their table than I buy in 5 years....:-p

hehehehehehehe ur right!

Locals don't drink of course! Islam strictly prohibits it! You would NEVER see a local drinking, it's Haram! *rolleyes*

Oh yeah, it's only the expats those who keep getting drunk... LOL!

dd- its not the locals. must be those westerners then...

i could not afford one let alone ANOTHER..... how much are they paying kids today for odd jobs...how can you teach drinking skill to people that went from Camles to toyotas overnight,,,, it takes time to be an adult,,,

@s_isale...it was part of the promotion that the residents of the Pearl will enjoy these kind of perks...within the Pearl only.

Unfortunately, its not the locals who comes in...its the other expats who live outside the pearl, or has friends living at the pearl are causing the problems...think they have the right to trespass, enjoy these perks and be rowdy....

Some people may have missed the fact...this is still Qatar...not Dubai,:)

did they promise that alcohol would be served when the projects were announced?

I don't think that is anyone fault but the government, if that decision is overturn it will be because it will go high up in the food chain, like the visa scandal

Get ready some more idiocrasy like that after the elections come and that more inexperience small man experiment there power.

Maybe if many local people would have behaved like they should according to their religious preaching and had stopped themselves from getting drunk at The Pearl all the time, this ban would not have happened! This is the ONLY reason why the alcohol sale was stopped and not because of expats who enjoy a couple of drinks with their meals. Shame that, once again, the local people are responsible for yet more restrictions imposed on everybody due to the fact that they cannot behave themselves and follow the rules!!!

as this privilege was abused by those who dont live/reside at The Pearl.

I agree that it might be overturned if QDC will be opened there.

Keeping fingers crossed.

There are hotels opening on The Pearl. I assume they will be able to serve alcohol, right?

under 18 person? Lol!

I can empathise with you. This was discussed earlier and the opinion was that the ban would be overturned soon. Let us hope that comes true..

In the meanwhile, enjoy it as best you can ..

They welcomed you here,promised you something and now expecting you to live the way they want u to.Bravo! It's a total crap especially that you paid for the flats there including their promises. If they want people here to expect amazing esp. that they're hosting an event on 2022 then they have to do a helluva lot more work to make it happen.

Britexpat our money, our expertise, our talent are welcome not us. And it was said over and over again, by them or on the internet, on the magazine. Even on UDC brochure they brag a cosmopolitan livestyle. This is why we have bought there instead of leaving and go somewhere else. We were plan naive I guess but I believe it

KKforever I don't live in Dubai I live here in Qatar mate, we just though that if I live in a place that when I walk my dog or have a jog I won't be look like a astronaut, a place that when you walk there is something to see not just concrete wall. I place you call home where they let me BE.

I never force anyone to drink, did I?? If you can't see people have a glass of wine and live there life, go at Katara or the rest of Doha.

Ear me right I bought a flat at the pearl on Fake PROMISE that this Island will be a free zone and that we will be able to have a sunset beer or sangria on the boardwalk like in Europe or anywhere else in the world except here or KSA.

Google it there is plenty of reference to that

Oh, brit, most welcome.

As always, I bow to your higher logic ...

By the way, when the flats were sold, were buyers given to understand that alcohol would be available in restaurants ?

That is very sad story to hear. The last thing an investor needs is surprises. The Pearl could be nice but I wonder how they will fill that place. Possible, a reason why locals buy property in riff-raff countries anyway so they can delve in the local culture, right ?

Alternatively, wait another 6-12 months and buy something in Dubai Marina area at bottom prices. Abu Dhabi could be an option as 11,000 flats (!) were put on the market during Q4 2011 alone. So as an investor and you want stay in the area, you are in a comfortable position.

"You are obviously welcome since you were allowed the opportunity to purchase a flat there."

This is obviously your most stupid comment in all the years, brit. If you allow someone to leave his money with you it doesn't mean that you welcome him. It means, you want to "suck" him, or "screw" him.

You could be right Brit. The riff-raff will have to keep going to the 5 star hotels instead.

It could also be to keep the riff-raff from coming in and getting tipsy, thus keeping up the status image of the place :o)

Could it be, that this has been put in place to protect the 5 star hotels who used to enjoy a monopoly on serving alcohol with meals (and indeed enjoy the monopoly again now)?

You are obviously welcome since you were allowed the opportunity to purchase a flat there :o)