We recently came back from our South African Safari trip. I previously already published my review of our flight on Qatar Airways A350-1000, featuring their Qsuite Business Class. This was a very impressive experience, with the highlight being how our center ‘honeymoon’ seats turned into a double suite with a double bed. Add in the great food and fantastic service, and it’s easy to see why Qatar Airways is heralded as having the best business class product currently available.

At the end this great flight we arrived in Doha, where we quickly got through transit security. From there we went to the Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Lounge, of which there are two:

• The Al Mourjan Business Lounge – South is the original one and is located at the base of the concourse leading to the A gates, closer to the Duty Free section of the airport.
• The Al Mourjan Business Lounge – The Garden (sometimes referred to as the North Lounge), is the newest of the two lounges, and is so named because it overlooks the Orchard, a beautiful indoor park that’s part of the C Departures area.

In this post I will review the Al Mourjan Business lounge – The Garden first, since our flight arrived at Gate C25, which was located close the the Garden lounge. Then in the next review I’ll discuss the Al Mourjan Business Lounge – South.

Briefly, this is a gorgeous lounge with a luxurious, all-marble aesthetic and high ceiling and interesting water features, ample amenities including a spa, gym, showers and baggage storage, a restaurant with a la carte dining and a buffet. This is certainly the nicer one of the two Al Mourjan lounges and a fantastic ‘hub’ lounge for an airline such as Qatar Airways that prides itself on its high standard of service.

Location and Hours

The ‘Garden’ Al Mourjan Business Lounge is open 24/7. Since Qatar Airways flies round the clock, with a late night bank of flights and another one in the mid-morning, the lounge never closes but is typically a lot quieter during the hours in-between those banks.

The Garden Lounge is located almost at the end of the C concourse, right at the entrance to the triangle where the Orchard is also located. Our prior flight arrived at gate C25, so we passed through transit security checkpoint right by Gate C25, and then took an escalator down into the Orchard.

This was our first time at Doha Hamad Intl Airport, and while I’d heard a lot about it, the beauty of the Orchard is hard to capture in photographs. It’s an indoor park with tall trees and countless smaller plants that’s fun and relaxing to walk through, doubly so because the airport was very quiet. That’s in pat because our flight arrived before the late night bank of flights started arriving, but also because of the situation in the Middle East at the time.

We passed through the Orchard to get to the southern corner of the ‘triangle’ that holds the Orchard, following the signgage. If you don’t see the signs for the Al Mourjan Lounge specifically, you can follow signs to the A and B gates as well. The lounge entrance is right there.

On the departures level of the concourse the entrance to the Al Mourjan lounge appears as a large area separating it from the rest of the area with planters, with welcome desks and glass elevators on either side. During peak hours you can expect both desks to be staffed, but when we got here only one desk was occupied. Somewhat confusingly, there’s also a big Louis Vuitton logo, which confused us at first and caused us to pass by the entrance.

If you’re coming from the main security checkpoint that sits at the confluence of the A, B and C concourses, you’d simply walk along the long hallway that is the main part of the C concourse, until you get to the orchard. You’d find the entrance to the lounge right before you get to the Orchard.

To gain access, we approached the staffed desk, showed our boarding passes, and were then invited to take the elevator up to the next level. You can also leave and re-enter as many times as you wish.

Entrance Requirements

Access to the Al Mourjan Business Lounge (this one and the South one) don’t quite follow oneworld entrance rules. Notably, oneworld elites who’re not flying in business or first class can’t enter the lounge, and are instead directed to different lounges meant for those specific elite tiers.

First Class and Business Class passengers traveling in all fare classes besides the cheapest ‘Lite’ fare (for clarity, that’s Elite, Comfort and Classic fares) and First Class and Business Class passengers traveling on other oneworld airlines, can access this lounge at no additional cost. Unfortunately, passengers traveling on Business Class Lite fares and Economy Class passengers throughout the network can purchase lounge access. This can be done in the app or at the counter of the lounge, among other places.

Seating and Design

Taking the elevator up and exiting into the magnificent lobby is a moment of awe. You step into this big space with monumental, tall ceilings, and an interesting light fixture in the ceiling. This is an impressive entrance that carries over the luxurious feeling from the fantastic onboard experience we had on our flight to Doha. We stepped out of the elevator on the right, so as we stepped out, a long reception desk was on the right, hewn out of. gorgeous dark stone and friendly attendants welcomed us into the lounge.

The lounge has a V-shape with the entrance being at the confluence and bottom part of the two ‘arms’ of the V. From there you can go left, where you will find the gym, spa, showers, plenty seating and a Dior spa. Go route and you’ll get the the pre-eminent dining area of the lounge, including the main buffet and a la carte restaurant, as well as two bars. However, there is an Louis Vuitton-branded cafe of sorts opposite of the reception desk as well. However, this is not part of the general Lounge experience, and everything here is at a charge.

I first turned left as I desperately wanted a shower. After all, we departed JFK around 1:20AM, and then flew for something like 12 hours. You’ll pass by some signgage explaining what to expect in this part of the lounge. The first things you’ll come across are a luggage room and signgage directing you to the spa and the gym, but you cna already see the long space ahead which has a lot of seating and a bar. The tall ceiling cause the various seats and sofas to look funnily small, but I find it an impressive sight that is frankly unrivaled by lounges I’ve seen around the world.

Following the corridor, you’ll be walking a little while, passing by through mystery doors, and then you’ll round the corner to keep walking a little more. At the end of the corridor, on the right, you’ll find the entrance to the spa. I did not go in to take pictures, but it seems as though the treatments are at a charge, as explained by the attendant at the spa/gym reception desk.

The corridor finally leads to a reception with a desk on the left and some seating in the corridors. To the right is a set of larger doors. I asked the attendant what’s over there, and he expalined it’s something of a conference room of sorts. You can then go straight ahead, and the gym, including dressing rooms, will be immediately on the right. If you’d continue straight and turn left at the end, you’ll end up in the right ‘arm of the V-shaped lounge.

Entering the gym you’ll first get into a cramped corridor with changing rooms for women and men, and a corridor to the left. The changing rooms have a few showers and sinks, and was spotlessly clean.

Following the corridor on the left you first get to a small space with setaing. If you just follow the wood-paneled corridor, you’ll get to the gym. One person was getting his workout in so I didn’t make too many pictures. There wasn’t much there in the way of equipment anyway: a treadmill, bike and a bench, as well as some dumbbells and such.

Getting back to the main space of the Al Mourjan lounge, I turned left toward a large seating space. Along the wall on the left side was first a meeting room, and a little beyond that were prayer rooms for men and women. I didn’t go inside to make pictures of this.

Opposite of the prayer rooms is the first of many of seating areas in the lounge. In this area there are predominantly seats positioned 2-by-2 with a table and light in-between. These tables also have a wireless charing pad, though there are also conventional plugs.

If you walk over to the other side of the seating area and look over the railing, you’ll get a nice view of the Orchard. This is ultimately why this lounge i nicknamed ‘The Garden’, because of that view. It’s nice and somewhat unique to have a view over an indoor garden such as this, and it gives a wodnerful sense of space.

Beyond the partition that separates this seating area from further parts of the lounge you’ll find a buffet with snacks and drinks, a beautiful water feature with seating around it, and the entrance to the showers. Those I’ll review later on, though this was our first stop in the lounge, and we explored and had some food only afterwards.

Beyond the buffet is the aforementioned water feature. From further away you’d think it’s a long communal table with swivel chairs surrounding it, but when you get close by you’ll see there’s a pool of water on top, that gently reflects the surroundings. It’s a calming presence that feels appropriate in the space. To one side you’ll then find additional seating, and there’s also these ort sof booths with additional seats, setup for more privacy.

In the back of the lounge there’s more of these sorts of booths, with different kinds of setaing. The single booths have tall chairs and side tables, whereas the center has larger booths with either a kind of communal setup, or lounge chairs.

At the very back of the lounge you’ll find this entrance with a Dior sign overhead. This turned out to be a for-charge Dior spa. Offered are facials, massages and more full-features treatments. The cheapest of these start around $150, so these are definitely expensive. The space is quite pretty, though.

So that’s the left ‘arm’ of the V-shaped lounge. If you now walk all the way back to the reception area, you can go the other way and enter the right ‘arm’ of the Al Mourjan lounge. You’ll pass by another luggage storage room and another corridor that will lead to the spa and gym facilities. Then beyond that is another such large space with seating, though this part of the lounge is dedicated to dining.

First thing on the right will be a luggage room, and right beside it a game room. This was a long space with some couches, ottomans, a fussball table and a pool table. Interestingly, the screens advertised the possibility to get a game console from the reception to play video games! Pretty cool to keep the kids busy.

Moving on, the first part of this lounge, like the other ‘arm’ of the lounge, has a bunch of seating arranged mostly in quads or in pairs by side tables. The nicest seats here are right by the railing, so that you have a veiw of the Orchard.

Beyond the partition separating the seating area from the rest of the lounge is the first of two bars and a bunch of dining tables. A fair amount are free-standing, while some of them are arranged along a banquette. Pretty much all tables are setup for two people, but I’ve seen the staff move tables together to accommodate larger parties as well. I like that the setup is so spacious.

The rest of the lounge has much of the same setup, as it’s all devoted to dining. Beyond the bar there will be additional dining tables, setup for two people. Right behind that are two communal tables with high-top seating, and behind that are more dining tables.

To the right of this section is also the buffet, which features a large choice of hot mains, salads, breads and more. I’ll go into more detail later.

Then at the back of the lounge are additional dining tables, though the seating here is a little different rather than the chairs with the straight backrests, these are a little more like lounge chairs. And, there is a second bar here. There’s also a banquette, which resembles a series of couches.

In the back-right of the lounge is a general seating area with couches and coffee tables. This was a surprising addition and seemed a little out of place, frankly.

Overall, I thought Qatar Airways did a great job on the design of the Al Mourjan Business lounge, though it is a bit cold with all the stone and marble. The high ceilings and the view over the Orchard make for an impressive space that feels calm and serene, even if it gets busier, with an almost museum-like quality.

There is plenty of seating, and the different styles of chairs and sofas should allow everybody to find something to their liking. The die tables have a modern touch by offering wireless charging besides convential plugs. I also appreciated that there was lots of seating in the dining area as well. I do think that the overall design lacks a little but of warmth, since these large marble spaces can feel a bit impersonal.

Food and Drinks

You can have three kinds of dining experiences at the Al Mourjan Garden lounge, depending how much you want to eat. As I mentioned, the ‘left’ arm, which is predominately for lounging and replacing, has a smaller buffet with snacks and drinks for those that don’t plan to eat much. Meanwhile the ‘right’ arm has lots of dining tables and a buffet, but also an a la carte dining experience.

Starting with the smaller buffet, this is really about drinks. There is a small selection of snacks including a variety of (delicious!) arabic cookies and sweets, but also cupcakes, some pastries and fruits.

The drinks selection is much more extensive. Expect to find red and white wine as well as champagne and sparkling wine, beside beers, soift drinks, water and espresso machines that can prepare a vareity of coffees.

In the part of the lounge, there also is a bar where the bartender can prepare some specialty coffees as well as cocktails. On the other side of the bar you’ll find some displays with a variety of small dishes, including desserts , hummus, sushi-type things, and some other choices. The staff is happy to serve you these upon request.

That’s the extent of the food selection in this part of the Al Mourjan lounge. If you really want to have a meal, you’ll have to visit the other side of the lounge, where extensive food options await. For one, there is a large buffet with a nice selection of dishes. Here these is an island split into two by a column, and there is a large section against the back wall, with two drink stations against the side walls.

The island in the center has a selection of pastries, snacks and fruits at each end, and in the middle are cooled display areas with a variety of little dishes. These varied from beautiful-looking sashimi, seaweed and sushi dishes, to larger bowls with salads and cheeses. The ken observer who also read my review of the JFK-DOH flight on Qatar Airways Qsuite may realize that the three bowl in the bottom-right corner contain the three dishes of the onboard Qatari mezze! It’s nice to see some of the food onboard extended into the lounge menu.

Behind the island is a long counter with a broad selection of hot dishes. I reckon everybody will find something to their liking, given the selection, which includes classics such as beef stroganoff, and chicken with thyme, as well as differently prepared rice, pasta and vegetables.

Otherwise there were also some soups and a selection of bread rolls that were kept warm.

For drinks, you can find those in three places: either to each side of the island, or there is a another island with drinks only a few steps away from the island with foods. Here you will find an espresso machine to make hot drinks, with tea bags beside it. You can also find bottled and lemon-infused water.

To the sides of the food buffet you can find additional drinks, including large fridges with a large selection of soft drinks, as well as water, beer and bottles of white and sparkling wine.

Liquor can be found at the bar, and included a nice selection. You can ask the bartenders for cocktails or straight-up liquor as well. The menu I’ll discuss next…

Besides the buffet you can have a full restaurant experience by taking a seat and ordering from an online menu that is available by scanning a QR code. This will open a PDF, and you can put in your order with one of the many attentive staff members that were around. We were here as one of no more than 10 parties, in a big space that had quite a bit more staffing than was strictly necessary, but it did mean we got very attentive service. See the menu below.

You’ll see there are separate menus for breakfast on the one hand, and lunch and dinner on the other hands, and each are served at certain times. The other items seem to be available throughout the day. We ended up ordering sushi and the steak, as per the recommendation of the staff. I also ordered the Citrus Blue Bliss mocktail, since I was expecting to have more alcohol on the flight to Johannesburg.

The mocktail arrived first, and was very tasty with a fresh and citrusy taste. It also looked beautiful, with a deep blue color. The food arrived soon after – first the sushi, then the steak. While I wouldn’t say this is some amazing quality, it was tasty and above all it was so nice to be able to sit down and get a complimentary plate of good sushi in a lounge! The steak was more to my liking, and was cooked just right with a soft texture and full taste.

Overall, the food selection in the Garden Lounge was very good. The buffet has a nice selection of hot dishes and beautifully presented cold dishes as well, including sashimi, salads and dips. I really like that there’s the option of a true a la carte dining experience, so you can have a proper sit-down restaurant experience. The food was nicely presented and tasted great! I’d be very happy to return and have a bite in-between flights.

Restrooms and Showers

In each ‘arm’ of the V-shaped Al Mourjan lounge there are restrooms. The restrooms look pretty much the same on each side, and can be found closer to the reception as opposed to closer to the back of each ‘arm’.

On the inside, at least for the mens restrooms, you can turn left to find a series of urinals, or turn right to find multiple sinks as well as toilet stalls. Amenities included fabric towlets to dry your hand (besides paper towels) and Dyptique hand soap, which smelled wonderful. There was also an attendant at each of the restrooms who was constantly cleaning and offered to help by handing towlets and such.

As I had mentioned, one of our firsts tops in the lounge were actually the showers. These are located in the ‘left arm’, about halfway into it. You’ll find a large opening on the left with a reception desk. Here you can register for shower access. When we arrived the lounge was almost empty so we could go straight in.

Even so, there are many shower stalls. I couldn’t snap a picture as I was ushered into a stall by an attendant, but I reckon there must be at least 25 shower stall for the men, and I suppose at least as many for the women. Each stall is completely private, but doesn’t include a toilet, to my surprise. I was warned about this before entering, in case I wanted to go to the restroom first.

Entering the shower room, the space looks beautiful, reminiscent of a high-quality spa. The marble and sandstone-colored tiling feels clean and natural. Speaking of clean, the whole space was spotless! Immediately on the left you will find a place to keep your carryon, and open it comfortably, in case you want to take anything out. Then there is a partition and behind it a sink and mirror.

The actually shower stall is just beside that, with a large glass door that fully closes. There’s the option to have water come out of the overhead rainfall shower head, or the smaller shower head against the wall. That one is a little bit too low to use comfortable, so the rainfall shower is kind of the only real option here. Personally I do like a stronger water pressure but a rainfall shower usually doesn’t quite provide that.

As expected at this point, all amenities were by Dyptique, and included shampoo, shower gel and conditioner, and then outside the stall by the sink there were a hand soap and hand lotion, as well as towlets. Large, thick towels were of course also provided and the attendant offered to bring a shaving kit, if needed. In a drawer under the sink you can find a hair dryer.

Overall, this is definitely one of the nicer showers I have had the pleasure of using at an airline lounge. The design is pretty and feels calm, quiet and clean. The Dyptique amenities are fantastic and smell great. I wish that the shower head on the wall was more practical so that it’s more of an actual option, since the rainfall shower doesn’t provide the stronger water pressure that I personally prefer. But hey, I’m not complaining! These shower facilities are lovely and I had a wonderfully refreshing shower after the long JFK-DOH flight.

Summary

The Al Mourjan Business Lounge – The Garden is a fantastic airline lounge, and a great example of what one should expect from a carrier’s hub lounge. From the moment you step into the reception area, the tall ceiling and sheer size of the spaces immediately impress. What I specifically appreciated was the open design that looks out over the Orchard. It’s a smart way to bring vegetation, and the serene calm it provides, into the lounge without needing to invest in such features within the lounge itself.

The plentiful seating, which includes lounge chairs, private booths, sofas and communal settings should offer everybody something to their liking, and I was happy to see that almost all sidetables include charging pads and electrical plugs. The food is high quality and can be taken from the buffet, or, if you have the time, you can have an actual a la carte, restaurant-style dining experience, which is lovely. Finally, for those interested there is a rudimentary gym and also spa faciliies, though I didn’t try those.

I’d be very happy to visit the Qatar Airways Al Mourjan again, and is a perfect complement to Qatar Airways’ high quality onboard product and service standard.