Sunday, 5 May 2013
Blizzards on Doug's way home from work...
...yes please! This DQ is nice and close to Doug's work with drive thru ease ;)
Slowly discovering all the comforts of home here in Doha.
Pretty much anything we have at home we should be able to find here...except Costco and Old Navy maybe!
Saturday, 4 May 2013
Our new home.
21 Lavender Road, Al Farden Gardens
We are so excited to have found a new home in Doha that checks off pretty much all of our boxes, as the real estate agent put it!
It's green and lush, large enough to meet other people and be able to walk/bike on the property, great pool and facilities, close to shopping, can actually walk somewhere, close to Doug's work, nice back yard, and just a great relaxing feel to it.
We got to go in and see that actual Villa yesterday and confirm we'll be renting it. It's a 3 bedroom villa with a large entrance way, two opens rooms, dining room, and kitchen on ground floor - oh and maids living area / or storage! Upstairs is a bonus room type area and three massive bedrooms. The master bedroom is probably the size of all three of our bedrooms from home!
Nice that they'll completely paint and clean the place before we move in. We"re going to ask for a couple things too like new toilet seats and appliances. There is quite a bit of property owned furniture in there too that we can keep if we want. Might be nice to have some extra tables etc to fill our giant rooms! Should be a fantastic new place to call home during our adventure.
We are so excited to have found a new home in Doha that checks off pretty much all of our boxes, as the real estate agent put it!
It's green and lush, large enough to meet other people and be able to walk/bike on the property, great pool and facilities, close to shopping, can actually walk somewhere, close to Doug's work, nice back yard, and just a great relaxing feel to it.
We got to go in and see that actual Villa yesterday and confirm we'll be renting it. It's a 3 bedroom villa with a large entrance way, two opens rooms, dining room, and kitchen on ground floor - oh and maids living area / or storage! Upstairs is a bonus room type area and three massive bedrooms. The master bedroom is probably the size of all three of our bedrooms from home!
Nice that they'll completely paint and clean the place before we move in. We"re going to ask for a couple things too like new toilet seats and appliances. There is quite a bit of property owned furniture in there too that we can keep if we want. Might be nice to have some extra tables etc to fill our giant rooms! Should be a fantastic new place to call home during our adventure.
Museum of Islamic Art
Took advantage of no kids and visited the museum. Beautiful building with interesting artifacts. The views from outside the museum are fantastic too.
Lots of people out at sunset on the Corniche walking and relaxing on the grass. Very nice evening.
Lots of people out at sunset on the Corniche walking and relaxing on the grass. Very nice evening.
Friday Brunch
Weekends are Friday / Saturday here, and Friday is the big brunch day. Most hotels host a giant brunch buffet. Was reading about the top brunches in town when I realized one of the top ones was at the hotel just across the street! Very convenient since no driver for us on the weekend.
Enjoyed a really nice meal with a live piano player right behind us and a variety of every delicious type of food around us. Brunch was more like Linner (Lunch-Dinner) since it doesn't start till 12pm and didn't have any breakfast food on it. The highlight for me was the made to order tempura, mmmm delicious all you can eat prawns.
I was so excited to try the ice cream, they make themselves, to find the chocolate just like favourite from Baskin Robins (that they no longer make), chocolate mouse royale. This actually better. Planning to see if I can go back just for an ice cream cone before I go.
Enjoyed a really nice meal with a live piano player right behind us and a variety of every delicious type of food around us. Brunch was more like Linner (Lunch-Dinner) since it doesn't start till 12pm and didn't have any breakfast food on it. The highlight for me was the made to order tempura, mmmm delicious all you can eat prawns.
I was so excited to try the ice cream, they make themselves, to find the chocolate just like favourite from Baskin Robins (that they no longer make), chocolate mouse royale. This actually better. Planning to see if I can go back just for an ice cream cone before I go.
Friday, 3 May 2013
Morning pool and panoramic.
Enjoying a relaxing weekend morning at the pool. No work on Fridays here. This is the life. Back to reality all too soon.
Panoramic view from the hotel roof pool deck.
Panoramic view from the hotel roof pool deck.
Thursday, 2 May 2013
...and also found KD!
Life in Doha can now be complete. Oh wait, still need to visit the alcohol and pork shop! Which we found out is seriously housed together. One and only place to get the both in Doha and they ration you.
Think we found 'the one'!
It's been a busy and exhausting couple days house hunting. Although tons to choose from in Doha it quickly became apparent that the type of villa we have in mind was also what many others have in mind too. After lots of research on which areas to start looking, it was a little disheartening to find out they are all full and with long waiting lists. We viewed a couple from the same developer/manager and realized that we liked how 'green' they are and how well maintained they are.
I spent day one with one real estate agent on my own while Doug had to work. Felt really good about a brand new development just about to become available. Got out yesterday with Doug and a different real estate agent who actually took us to the same place, which was nice to show Doug. We really liked the inside but it is a small compound and kind of ugly architecture. We also went to a more established area and looked at a place with it's own pool! We liked how green and lush it was, and just the feeling of the larger compound. We decided to tag along on another showing she had planned for someone else to give an apartment option a look. It was beautiful and if we had no kids, I'd be there in a heart beat. After seeing the apartment it really solidified that a villa on a compound was the right way to go. But of course after expressing interest for the one with the pool we found out it had already been taken.
But before leaving the apartment we found out there was one villa coming available on a very sought after compound and he was willing to show us the next day.
Seems like fate, like it was meant to be because as soon as we drove in we just knew. Doug called it Club Med before even seeing any of it. It's an older compound, but very popular and impossible to get in usually with a long wait list (which apparently they don't observe lucky for us). The facilities are fabulous, the pool like a resort. Because it's older it's very green, lots of trees and even grass!
It's a 3 bedroom villa with little backyard. The one we viewed is just an example, but on Saturday we'll get in to see the actual villa. The photos show the one we viewed in disrepair, but gives an idea. The outside photos are the unit we'd get though. Apparently you can plant anything or do up your backyard as you'd like and the gardeners will take care of it for you!
Very excited and so relieved to find something that matches everything we were thinking of.
Take reservations for Club Bryan now!
I spent day one with one real estate agent on my own while Doug had to work. Felt really good about a brand new development just about to become available. Got out yesterday with Doug and a different real estate agent who actually took us to the same place, which was nice to show Doug. We really liked the inside but it is a small compound and kind of ugly architecture. We also went to a more established area and looked at a place with it's own pool! We liked how green and lush it was, and just the feeling of the larger compound. We decided to tag along on another showing she had planned for someone else to give an apartment option a look. It was beautiful and if we had no kids, I'd be there in a heart beat. After seeing the apartment it really solidified that a villa on a compound was the right way to go. But of course after expressing interest for the one with the pool we found out it had already been taken.
But before leaving the apartment we found out there was one villa coming available on a very sought after compound and he was willing to show us the next day.
Seems like fate, like it was meant to be because as soon as we drove in we just knew. Doug called it Club Med before even seeing any of it. It's an older compound, but very popular and impossible to get in usually with a long wait list (which apparently they don't observe lucky for us). The facilities are fabulous, the pool like a resort. Because it's older it's very green, lots of trees and even grass!
It's a 3 bedroom villa with little backyard. The one we viewed is just an example, but on Saturday we'll get in to see the actual villa. The photos show the one we viewed in disrepair, but gives an idea. The outside photos are the unit we'd get though. Apparently you can plant anything or do up your backyard as you'd like and the gardeners will take care of it for you!
Very excited and so relieved to find something that matches everything we were thinking of.
Take reservations for Club Bryan now!
Monday, 29 April 2013
Today's Plan
Heading out this morning to meet with a Real Estate person from a Canadian company. Hoping to see some great places, but struggling to figure out which parts of town to even start looking. Hope today helps to narrow our search a little.
Strange it's cloudy today and Doug said it had been raining. Almost slipped outside on the sidewalk. Guess froggy and kitty boots will need to get packed!
Strange it's cloudy today and Doug said it had been raining. Almost slipped outside on the sidewalk. Guess froggy and kitty boots will need to get packed!
Day One back in Doha
I don't think it's really even hit me yet that this is it! Doug is here now to stay. And dive into his new job he has. We knew the first day back would be busy with work meetings, so Doug spent the day in the office. I had hoped to get out with a real estate agent but set everything up for Tuesday and Wednesday, so spent the day researching and reading lots.
Got out in the afternoon to check out the Al Garaffa area and to visit the Lulu Hypermarket! A massive Wal-Mart type store with everything from groceries to clothes to tvs. Grocery shopping is going to be very overwhelming for awhile. Not only are there all the typical items and brands of home but all these new types of foods and strange vegetables!
Found where I can buy my Burka Mike!
Got out in the afternoon to check out the Al Garaffa area and to visit the Lulu Hypermarket! A massive Wal-Mart type store with everything from groceries to clothes to tvs. Grocery shopping is going to be very overwhelming for awhile. Not only are there all the typical items and brands of home but all these new types of foods and strange vegetables!
Found where I can buy my Burka Mike!
Friday, 26 April 2013
The adventure continues....April 2013
Once more our bags are packed and we are ready to go. We fly to Vancouver tomorrow afternoon. Then onward to Frankfurt Germany and finally off to Doha, Qatar. Excited and sad all at the same time. Fairwell Kelowna hope to see you soon!
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