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 concourse.

I have already reviewed the Al Mourjan Business lounge – The Garden. In this post I will review the Al Mourjan Business Lounge – South.

Briefly, this is a very nice lounge, with tall ceilings and nice design. The staircase leading to the main buffet and dining area is especially beautiful. There is plenty of seating of various kinds, including day beds and dark areas to relax, as well as a kids play room. Like the Garden lounge, there is a buffet with some great food, though no a la carte dining. But, I gotta say, the Garden lounge is my favorite between the two!

Location and Hours

The ‘South’ 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 location of this lounge is right at the confluence of the Departures A, B and C concourses. As I mentioned in the Garden Lounge review, we arrived at Doha Hamad Airport from our flight from New York-JFK. We first visited the Garden Lounge and loved it, and then decided to go check out the South Lounge. From there, you have to trek all the way south through the Departures C concourse, until you get to the famous bear lamp.

There is signage to the right, showing the location of the South lounge, and indicating you’d have to go up. It doesn’t take long to find the escalator, at which base the staff will scan your boarding to confirm your entrance eligibility.

At the top of the escalator you immediately enter the lobby area with a long reception desk, which was well-staffed. We didn’t need to show our boarding passes again, given that those were scanned earlier already. You can turn left or right to round the partition behind the reception, to enter the lounge proper.

However, if you originate in Doha, you’ll find that the South lounge is ideally located, whereas the Garden lounge is a bit of a hike. After you clear security, you’ll emerge at the bear lamp, shown above. From there’d you’d turn left, following the same signs as shown above, and take the escalator up. Essentially you wouldn’t need to trek from the Orchard all the way south.

Entrance Requirements

Access to the Qatar Airways 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

Once you enter the lounge, there’s three ways to go: you can turn left, which looks very open and inviting, or you can go straight ahead (sort of), which looks a little darker and more intimate, because there is a second floor with the main buffet.

There’s also a passageway to the right, where you will first pass a luggage room where you can store any carryons that you may not want to lug around with you. In front of that are a few seats and some low tables.

Beyond that you’ll find a series of partitions with day beds to get some shut eye. You could in theory leave your luggage in the luggage room, then take a nap, and then come back to pick up your luggage afterwards, if you’re concerned somebody stealing your stuff while asleep (though I really don’t think that’s something to be concerned about). I did take a nap here of about 45 minutes, and I slept very deeply. I thought the beds are quite comfy. There’s even attendants that will offer to bring blankets if they notice you using the day bed.

In the center of all these pods is a also a bar with a variety of soft drinks and water. It’s ncie that it’s close, so you don’t need to head too far for a drink of water.

Making my way back to the main entrance area and taking a right, first there’s the elevator to go to the restaurant and buffet. However, there is a far grander entrance by taking the beautiful circular staircase. This will lead you to the center of the main buffet and restaurant.

One thing you may notice on the walls by the elevator are the lit arrows and lettering. I’m a fan of this signage: it’s clear and easy to spot from some distance, showing you that there’s something over there. Now, if the lettering and icons were also lit, it’d be perfect!

I do love the design of this space. The monumental chandelier that hangs in the center of the staircase and extends all the way down to eye level on the lower floor, above the water feature, leaves a dazzling reflection. Also look how the water feature extends from under this area into the larger space with the tall ceiling: I like specifically how the ceiling has a mirror finish that reflects the water back. The water feature itself has a nifty touch in that there little fountains that create some soft waves as well. A very pretty setup!

Ascending the stairs there’s first a little reception to welcome any guests. I was approached and was asked if I wanted a table for one, but I pointed out that my husband should already be here. The staff asked for his description so they could help me look, but I already spotted him and went over.

This is one of two dining spaces in the lounge. I love the wood! I creates for a warm and inviting space. Turning immediately right form the staircase you’ll first come across the bar. Otherwise there are two islands which I’ll describe in more detail later, but one of these had a selection of cold and hot dishes for dinner, while the other was more focused on desserts. There was also a counter by the wall with Asian fusion dishes, including tuna poke.

There are plenty tables setup, many of them for two people but plenty also for larger parties of four. Circling the staircase were also tables set for parties of one. If you follow the circle around, you’ll then see banquette with tables set for two. My favorite seating were these comfortable lounge chair/sofa-type combinations, with a tall backrest for added privacy. These were generally setup by the windows, either those overlooking the front or the back of the lounge. Either way, it was a nice view.

After I sat down, an attendant approached with a stand for my jacket and offered to hang it for me – very proactive and attentive service!

Heading back down, it’s worth noting there is a small counter with food by the staircase. It’s mostly desserts, fruits and a hot drink machine as well. To the left of this counter is a long corridor along the far edge of the lounge.

You can turn either left or right into this corridor, and in either direction you’ll find more seating, mostly of the same kind. That consists of four blue chairs arranged in a quad with a partition between each quad. To each side of the chairs are side tables with wireless charging pads as well as a light. You’ll also notice there is something of a pad in-between the chairs. Best I can figure out is that you can put you carryon on there, though I’m exactly sure what that’s good for? Best about the seating in this area are the large windows with a great view over the C gates!

Heading back to the entrance of the Al Mourjan Lounge, but on the opposite side of the entrance to the restaurant, there’s a smoking room here. There’s some nice seating in there, but the smell is very strong, even about 2-3 meters away the smoke is obvious. So, I didn’t go in. To the left of the entrance to the smoking toom is. bunch more seating as well.

Now back at the entrance, we can venture in the opposite direction. This main space has tall ceilings and plenty of seating, but I don’t find it quite as beautiful as the spaces in the Garden lounge. I prefer the sandstone colored tiling and marble in the latter compared to the metallic Silver in this lounge.

In the center if a raised platform with wooden floors. To each side of that platform, accessible by a long and shallow ramp, is more of the blue seating that we saw at the very back of the lounge as well.

On the platform is a variety of additional seating. Around the ramps you’ll see more of the blue seats, in various styles, with different kinds of coffee tables and side table. Then a little further in, you’ll find burgundy lounge chairs. These are arranged on the side of the platform, but also in the center. Here, they are arranged as quads, separated by wooden partitions that somewhat resemble dried bunches of ivy.

Out the other end, surrounded by tall bamboo-like plans, are some stairs to get off the platform again, and immediately in front, separated by a glass wall, is another dining area.

This dining area is a bit strange to me. On the one hand, I find this to be a beautiful space for dining. There’s a variety of seating, from dining tables arranged for two to four people, either standalone or along a banquette, to communal tables and more bar-like seating arrangements with low tables. This is all set in a open and airy space courtesy of the tall seating and the glass wall that separates this space from the rest of the lounge. However, there isn’t actually all that much to eat here.

See, tnhere’s one large bar here, but not much of a buffet. At the bar you can order a variety of drinks, including hot and cold, as well as alcoholic drinks. There’s a nice variety of liquors to choose from, as you can see in the back. However, for food there’s barely anything here. There’s a variety of little bowls with nicely presented cold cuts, some noodles, hummus, and dessert, so it’s enough of a variety for a small bite, but not much of a dinner. So, while I think this is really nice place for some food, if you want to have an actual meal, you should go to the other restaurant.

By the bar is a corridor that leads to restrooms, which I’ll review a little later.

And all the way in the back of the corridor is an additional amenity: a quiet area. I walked in here to see what this is but found there’s a reception desk. It seems you’ll need to register to use what are likely some sort of pods with day beds. It’s a nice facility, though I didn’t venture further.

Opposite that corridor, on the other side of the dining area, is yet another corridor. There’s several rooms here. On the left you’ll find a kid play area, while on the right there is a game room. There’s isn’t too much there in terms of games, but they had a fussball table.

At the end of the corridor is a bigger area which was called the ‘parents area’ (as opposed to the kids area). Whereas the kids room was bright and had games, the parents room was essentially a series of large, family-size pods with sofa, ottomans and chairs, and dim lights. Almost as if its expected that the parents have head aches that need to be dealt with in low light, haha! There was also a bar with cold drinks and water.

Heading back out of these area and to the main space of the lounge, I’m walking on the other side of the center platform. Here’s further seating, consisting of lounge chairs flanked by the same side tables as elsewhere in the lounge

On the left I passed a long corridor with additional restrooms, and a little beyond that was a large space behind a glass partition, which was some kind of a multimedia and work area. The seating there was the same as elsewhere in the lounge, and there was another snack and drinks station.

Overall, this is a very nice lounge. The tall ceiling is pretty and I appreciate the sheer size of the lounge. There’s plenty of seating of various kinds, so I imaging anybody should be able to find a seat to their liking. I welcome the special amenities, such as the kinds and parents rooms, the quiet area or the space with all the daybeds. The dining areas have a very pretty design, and the main restaurant is probably the aesthetic highlight of the lounge.

Food and Drinks

There are two main dining areas in the South lounge: the main one is one floor up, and the other one is a wonderfully airy, light space on the other end of the lounge. Starting with the latter, above I mentioned how there isn’t much more than a bar with a small display showing a variety of small dishes served in little bowls. These all look very tasty, and cover a variety of food, from noodles, to deli meats to dessert. There’s also a secondary buffet with some warm bread rolls and soup.

In terms of the drinks, liquor is served by the bartender, and you can request various cocktails, among other things. Then there’s also a cooler with various soft drinks and water.

Overall though, as I mentioned before, the sheer size and beautiful design of this dining area isn’t done justice to by the selection of foods. Indeed, if you want to have an actual dinner, you’d have to go to the other restaurant, which seems to be utilized as the main restaurant of this lounge.

It’s at that restaurant that you can find a much larger variety of foods. Unlike the Garden lounge, there was only a buffet here, and no a la carte dining. It seemed to me that the food at the buffet was largely the same between the two lounges.

The food is mostly spread out over to large islands and a counter against the far wall of the restaurant. When entering, the first island you’ll see hold drinks, fruits and desserts. There is a hot drinks machine with tea and such beside it, as well as water. Then there are various desserts, my favorites here were the Arabic sweets, such as baklava, but also various other cookies made from different nots. These were absolutely delicious! There were also various tarts and other such desserts, all of them quite tasty.

The island on the other side of the central staircase hold all the savory food. Here you will find various salads and dips, which are the same as the ones you’ll find in the Arabic mezze in Qatar Airways business class. Otherwise there were several hot plates with a variety of hot dishes, which were the same as in the Garden lounge.

Then off to the side there was another counter, with a few more items. The little bowls included a variety of Asian style dishes, including tuna sashimi and a noodle dish. There were also a variety of cold and warm bread rolls. Can I also just add how I love the design here? The black stands in such contrast to the white bowels… I think it’s quite beautiful.

Besides the buffet islands, there’s also a full bar, with seating all around. The many bottles elude to the variety (and quantity) you could consume, with various red and white wines, liquor, but also soft drinks and water. The liquor selection is the same as at the other dining facility in this lounge, and the bars at the Garden lounge.

Although there is no true a la carte dining at the South lounge, there is a limited menu of items you can order. These are mostly prepared in advance, and include some breakfast and lunch or dinner items. You’ll see most options on the menu are drinks however, prepared by the bartender.

Ultimately we already had a lot of food on the flight from JFK to Doha, and then some a la carte items in the Garden Lounge. Seeing as we’d be having more food on the flight to Johannesburg, I stuck with a selection of sweets. As I said, my favorite by far was the Arabic sweets. I also had the strawberry and lemon tarts, though the latter was too sweet for me – the strawberry was ncie though.

Overall, the dining venues at the South lounge are nicely designed and have good selection of good quality food. This is a nice place to enjoy some dinner before your flight, but keep in mind that the flight on board is also quite good so you may want to pace yourself. And, if you have the time, I’d suggest to head over to the Garden lounge and partake in the a la carte menu.

Restrooms and Showers

The Al Mourjan Business Lounge – South does have showers, but I was not able to enter these unfortunately.

All the restrooms are about the same, so I’m only showing photos from the restroom in the secondary dining area. You’d get here by taking the corridor on the right, by the bar, and finding the men’s restroom. The women’s restroom is just beyond the men’s restroom.

Upon entering you’re immediately greeted by rows of toilet stalls, and a series of sinks on thje right. In the very back is an attendant who offered me a shaving kit or a toothbrush, though I decline. If you turn right before the stalls and sinks, you’ll get to and adjacent corridor with urinals, on either side.

The restrooms were nicely and functionally designed, and I appreciate the sheer number of stalls and urinals. Throughout my stay in the lounge, the restrooms were kept sparkling clean and smelling fresh, which is ultimately all you can ask for.

Summary

The Qatar Airways Al Manjour Business Lounge – South is a very nice lounge with a large, open design that feels airy and light. I quite liked the metallic features in the main space, and thought the water feature, grand stair case to the restaurant, as well as the design of both restaurants were very beautiful.

The food at the restaurant is high quality with a good amount of choice, and I thought the service was proactive and attentive. Facilities, including the restrooms (and the lounge as a whole) were clean and maintained well. Overall, this is a very nice lounge that I’d be happy to spend time at – but I’d be even happier to be at the Al Manjour Garden Lounge!