The Best Lounge In the World? - Al Safwa First Lounge Review
- Sam
- Aug 13
- 4 min read
Updated: Sep 4
Imperious.
Unique.
Colossus.
This is the Al Safwa First lounge, the crown jewel in Qatar Airways operation. Supposedly this a lounge, but this feels more like a cathedral then any lounge I've been to before. Exclusively for travellers in First Class, or Platinum Qatar Airways members, the Al Safwa is a sprawling lounge complex which may just make you want to miss that flight. So here it goes, my review of the Al Safwa lounge, at Doha Hamad International Airport, possibly the best lounge (cue Jeremy Clarkson), in the world.
I was travelling from Athens to Riyadh via Doha on my six flights in 72 hours, all using points adventure. Originally booked as an all Economy trip, I planned from the outset to upgrade the leg from Doha to Riyadh into First Class, so I could see Qatar Airways offering in its regional First Class cabin, but also have access to the renowned Al Safwa.
The Al Safwa lounge can be found in the original part of the terminal, the same end that the creepy bear lives. Clearly signposted, your ticket is scanned at the base of the escalator that takes you to the lounge. I arrived to the lounge at roughly 4pm on my flight from Athens (you can read that review here), which is one of the quieter times at Doha airport. You see, Qatar Airways tends to operate their flights in banks, so passengers can connect from one flight to the next with no more than a two hour wait. This results in peak periods between 10pm-2am, 6am-9am, and a smaller peak between 6pm-7pm. There were so few passengers in fact, that according to my rough estimation, there were around 10 staff per passenger.
As mentioned above, access to the Al Safwa is very exclusive and the only way you will be able to get in is if you are:
First Class passengers travelling Qatar Airways
Privilege Club Platinum members travelling Business Class with Qatar Airways
oneworld First Class passengers
British Airways Gold members looking to enter on status alone will instead be able to use the Al Mourjan Business Lounges, which are a darn sight better than any lounge BA will offer Business Class passengers, and you can read our review of the Al Mourjan Garden Lounge here.
After ascending the escalator to the Al Safwa, you are greeted with this stunning atrium. This lounge has a museum like quietness, yet somehow feels warm and inviting, which I appreciate may be hard to garner from the images.
The design for this space was inspired from Doha's Museum of Islamic Art. But it's not just about the architecture, this lounge takes exhibits from the Museum of Islamic Art to display within the corridors of the lounge.
Upon entry I was immediately greeted by a member of staff who offered to explain the layout of the lounge to me. Taking hand luggage only on this trip, I asked to use the bag storage facility behind the reception desk. To assist in this, the staff asked for my onward First Class boarding pass, and to her horror she noticed that it was printed on an Economy ticket, so immediately insisted that she print me out a new ticket on the proper First Class ticket paper.
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Towards the airfield apron, you will find the main dining area. This area will seat up to 250 diners at any one time, and features an enormous bar dissecting the space as you enter. As I was here at one of the quieter times of day, I had free rein to choose where I would like to sit. Naturally, I chose to sit by the window, never missing an opportunity for a bit of plane spotting. The table I had chosen had a curtain pulled to shade the dining area, but as I was essentially in a dining privately, they immediately threw back the curtain for my entertainment.
If this sounds like I'm fan-girling, I'm sorry. But this experience may only be beaten if flying private.
Dining in the Al Safwa is, as you may presume, al-a-carte. Armed with a menu (you can find the most up to date menu you here, if you wish to imagine yourself here) and an appetite, I asked the waitress if I could order two starters (for science, obviously). I ordered myself the Arabic mezze, and the poached lobster. After devouring both of these, I was asked if I would like a desert to finish off the meal. If you know me, you'll know that I don't have the biggest sweet tooth, so I asked if they had any small deserts on offer. After reeling off a few, I stopped her when she said tiramisu. The bitterness of the coffee in a tiramisu help to cut through the sweetness for me.
If you don't feel that the excellent food and drink is enough to occupy yourself, then the Al Safwa naturally has other options for your enjoyment. There are quiet areas, a spa (the price list can be found here), a smoking room where you may buy cigars, family rooms (including a racing simulator), bedrooms for layovers over four hours, and a luxury duty free just in case you don't wish to leave the confines of the lounge and mingle with everyone else.
Two hours was not enough. You could easily spend an entire day here just indulging, as you would at a five star resort.
Unfortunately, I don't feel it's fair to compare the Al Safwa to the majority of airport lounges, because this is just in a different league. It'd be like trying to compare a Ferrari with a donkey , its just not a fair fight.
This is the lounge.
Sam
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