It’s almost worth flying to Doha simply to experience the breathtaking futurescape that is Hamad International Airport – a hub that’s like an AI interpretation of the perfect airport brought to life.
It’s a world of gleaming floors; soaring, curved roofs; indoor tropical forests; and dazzling designer retail outlets.
There’s even a Dior spa and an outrageously eye-catching Louis Vuitton lounge with food by three-Michelin-star French chef Yannick Alleno (about which more later).
In 2024, Hamad International was deservedly named the ‘Best Airport in the World‘ at the ‘Oscars of aviation’, the Skytrax awards, for the third time.
Plane delays here are almost welcome.
Hamad International was named the ‘Best Airport in the World’ at the ‘Oscars of aviation’, the Skytrax awards, for the third time in 2024. MailOnline Travel Editor Ted Thornhill checks in. Above is the airport’s amazing Orchard tropical garden zone
The ‘Orchard’ covers 6,000 sq m and is home to over 25,000 plants
Hamad International is home to over 200 top-tier shopping and dining outlets
The Louis Vuitton Lounge features food by three-Michelin-star French chef Yannick Alleno
The first thing that strikes you about the airport is its size – the passenger terminal is the biggest building in Qatar – and the sheer room for manoeuvre within.
This is a jostle-free zone you could probably meditate in.
I arrive at the terminal building for a return Qatar Airways flight to London Heathrow and just stand in the check-in area, wide-eyed with wonder at it all.
Above me is the beautiful, undulating roof, and below, passengers mill around in a space that could handle a handful of A380s.
Is this an airport or a spaceport?
The passenger terminal is the biggest building in Qatar – and a ‘jostle-free zone’
Ted enjoys ‘an hour of bliss at the Dior Luxury Beauty Retreat, the world’s first Dior spa at an airport’
Ted writes: ‘The spa is utter heaven – luxurious and tranquil, and guests are given the most thickly padded complimentary slippers in the hospitality industry’
Above is the world’s first Fifa store, one of several ‘world firsts’ that the airport boasts
Pictured above is a slice of London’s Knightsbridge at the airport – a Harrods store
After passing through security, the question becomes, is it an airport or the world’s best shopping centre?
For inside, it’s like a cross between New York’s Fifth Avenue, Milan’s Via Montenapoleone and London’s Bond Street and Knightsbridge district.
As in Knightsbridge, there’s a Harrods (albeit on a smaller scale), which nestles amid over 200 top-tier shopping and dining outlets.
Brands represented here also include Dolce & Gabbana, Burberry, Tiffany, Fendi, Jimmy Choo, Pucci, Valentino, and Armani, with visitors able to enjoy the world’s first Armani Ristorante and Caffe at an airport.
There’s also the world’s first Fifa store and the world’s first Oreo Café at an airport.
Other options for whiling away the time before a flight include taking a calming walk through the ‘Orchard’, a 6,000 sq m/64,583 sq ft indoor tropical garden with over 25,000 plants and a water feature, or tee off in the golf simulator, or play squash, at the Oryx Airport Hotel. Or have a swim in its 25m pool.
I opt instead for an hour of bliss at the Dior Luxury Beauty Retreat, the world’s first Dior spa at an airport (spotted the pattern?), followed by lunch at the Louis Vuitton lounge.
Water great idea: The 25m pool at the eye-catching Oryx Airport Hotel
Is this your cup of tee? The golf simulator at the Oryx Airport Hotel
The Oryx Airport Hotel’s list of amenities for guests includes a squash court (pictured above)
Yum’s the word: Pictured above is the world’s first Oreo Café at an airport
Ted describes Hamad International as ‘a hub that’s like an AI interpretation of the perfect airport brought to life’
The spa is utter heaven (see video) – luxurious and tranquil, and guests are given the most thickly padded complimentary slippers in the hospitality industry to pad around in.
I have a one-hour Swedish massage that leaves me in a trance-like state of relaxation. And after enjoying a brew served in a fine bone china tea set and a chocolate in the lobby, I practically float into the Louis Vuitton lounge, which is a feast for all the senses, with mesmerising floral decor and indulgently gourmet food.
Fresh sushi arrives first, followed by a Caesar salad cheerfully prepared tableside and a cylinder-shaped helping of melt-in-the-mouth wagyu beef.
Best airport in the world? I could move in.
‘I arrive at the terminal building for a return Qatar Airways flight to London Heathrow,’ writes Ted, ‘and just stand in the check-in area, wide-eyed with wonder at it all’
At Hamad International, writes Ted, plane delays are ‘almost welcome’
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .