Hints & Tips || Qatar Social Media

Qatar Facebook Groups & Pages

Qatar Social Media   Photo Source: Google Images

99% of the people in Qatar will be on Facebook and as a result, there are lots of wonderful groups and pages with useful information or interests / hobbies that you may like to be a part of.  Here are a few groups and pages that I have liked and joined, that you might wish to add yourself to.

Fashion & Beauty

www.facebook.com/FashionRocksQatar

'Fashion Rocks Qatar' - managed by two ladies, Kellie & Charne, and proves to be an excellent 'go-to' page for all things fashion and beauty.  The page is fun to read, addictive and certainly a good find!  Additionally, FRQ hold events which are worth attending, such as their recent 'High Tea Fundraiser for Cancer Awareness'. Currently the page has over 20,000 likes, showing just how many ladies love to keep up to date with FRQ.

www.facebook.com/BespokeEyelashes

'Bespoke Eyelashes' - As an eyelash extension addict in London, I was pleased to find this page dedicated to eyelash extensions and beauty.  An advanced, British mobile professional, with 4 years experience, (including extending the eyelashes of Miss England - OMG!!) who has moved to Doha to extend the lashes of Qatar!  Excellent prices (350QR for a set of eyelashes extensions!!) Certainly another excellent find especially as we are coming up to party season.... I mean, who wants to wear mascara?? Not me!  The silky lashes are placed onto your natural lashes with perfection, leaving you with longer, thicker eyelashes lasting up to 8 weeks.  Definitely a must 'Like' to your list.

www.facebook.com/pages/Glow-American-Salon

'Glow, American Salon' - Mentioned in another post (Hints & Tips || Beauty Needs), another Facebook page which I enjoy seeing in my news feed, especially as they give away freebies, such as Waxing, HD Brows, Massages and Manicures! Glow has three salons, filled with employees from all around the world!

www.facebook.com/bluebrushhairstudio

'Blue Brush Hair Studio' - Their Facebook page is filled with high-fashion photo shoots proving their excellence in hair colouring, styles and cuts.  Also another giver of freebies, such as hair treatments, manicures and blow dries!  I LOVE seeing the new hair trends that Blue Brush has created, they certainly know their hair folicles inside and out, and their Facebook Page is definitely a must 'Like'!

www.facebook.com/pages/Qatar-International-Beauty-Academy-Tajmeel

'Tajmeel'- is a beauty training center for anyone who wishes to peruse beauty courses such as how to apply make-up to yourself, hair styles, how to apply colour and so forth.  It is also a page for those who do not mind being a guinea-pig, or do not wish to spend fortunes getting your beauty fixes!  Regular post-ers, another delight to see run in my news feed and certainly worth a 'Like'!

Health & Fitness 

www.facebook.com/SupYogaDoha

'Stand-up Paddling Yoga' - Yes, you heard correctly!  This is a wonderful group who grab their paddle boards, cruise along the warm Doha waters and perform their Yoga exercise, while still on the paddle board!  If you have never done this before, don't fret as you can have a lesson beforehand which will assist you when you do get to join the group on the waters.  I've not personally had the chance to do this yet, but i'm working on it!

www.facebook.com/rawmeqatar

'RawME Qatar' - RawME stands for Raw Middle-East, and are providers in cleansing juices and neutritional detox juices.  Regular post-ers of healthy food, drinks, fruits and so forth, these guys are definitley worth a 'Like' to remind you that you do need a healthy balance in your life!  Another on my to-do list, and now that you can order the good stuff directly to your door there is no reason not to give your body a good detox and rid of all those naughty delights you've been having.

www.facebook.com/groups/dohabayrunningclub/

'Doha Bay Running Club' - this is a group for those who love to stay fit and in shape by running.  Often running along the corniche early on a Friday morning, this group is very motivating to follow and will have  you up and running in no time!  They organise running trips, races, impropu workouts after work so if this is your cup of tea, or looking for a group to run with, these are you people!

www.facebook.com/fitnessqatar

'Fitness Qatar' - A great page to add if you need motivation to get fit and in shape!  They have a list of avialable personal trainers who are on tap to give you that little bit of extra help to get you moving in the gym or outside! 

New in Qatar 

www.facebook.com/QatarLiving

'Qatar Living' - this is the most popular place to start when looking to move to Qatar, or for those to refer to once they have arrived in Qatar.  It is a huge, informative website which also has a Facebook page filled with useful information that will appear in your news feed.  Qatar living also shares important news articles, such as the recent alcohol ban outdoors beside water (beach/pool etc).   Certainly like this page to assist your day-to-day life in Qatar, or the run up to it. 

www.facebook.com/dohamums

'Doha Mums' - A large group for mothers or mum-to-be, who are in Doha.  A wonderful group who are a great support network for mummies new to doha.  They have an extablished website too, which is where you can find out information about how to become a member, when and where they all meet and mum's nights out!  http://www.dohamums.com

www.facebook.com/TrinityTalentQatar

'Trinity Talent Qatar' - need some extra cash?  A natural born poser?  Excellent waitress?  Excellent host?  Want to become a model / hostess?  This is your chance!  TTQ is a well established talent agency who have many, many jobs requiring any of the above.  Friendly and fun, I recommend registering with them because they are always in need of extras and models.  Like their page to see the latest roles that need filling.  Registration is free!

www.facebook.com/EventsDoha

'Events Doha' - the who, what, where of Doha.  Know what's going on at the weekends, the biggest events and how to get there!  Good for your social life - so a definite 'Like'!!

I hope that you enjoyed this post and find new friends along the way!  If you have a page or group you love, post it below and share with us!

Restaurant Review || Caravan Restaurant

Caravan Restaurant

 

Caravan  Restaurant   Photo Source: Google Images

Inexpensive, tasty and filling, Caravan is a great place to gather some friends together and eat until you can't move!  They do serve alcohol as well as lots of cuisines (Chinese, Indian, Vietnamese, Vegetarian,), salad bar, soup bar and most importantly, a dessert bar.

Their price is very reasonable: 55 QR all you can eat buffet per person (drinks excluded). 

They have large tables for big groups and smaller tables for families and couples, the restaurant is always clean, friendly staff and fresh food constantly churning out of the kitchen.

I recommend Caravan for an inexpensive evening, very good towards the end of the month when funds are running out!  Caravan is nestled in the food corner opposite Ramada Hotel.

Caravan was awarded Trip Advisor's 'Certificate of Excellence 2013'.  

Trip Advisor: http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g294009-d1846464-Reviews-Caravan-Doha.html

Location Map: http://goo.gl/maps/4ghEd 

Hints & Tips || Beauty Needs

 

Source: Pinterest

 Beauty 

 ..... every girl's favorite word after diamonds!  As an avid pursuer of all things hair and beauty, I take every opportunity to visit salons and spas when time permits, and now that I have been in Qatar for 7months, I am starting to get into a routine of where to go for what treatment.

Glow American Salon

Glow has three locations: Salwa Road; West Bay Lagoon and Beach Tower, and has everything that you would desire; hair, nails, massaging, waxing, eyelashes, eyebrows.... the list goes on.  Owned by American's, they certainly know a thing or two about customer service and the importance of it's existence.   Glow's receptionists are friendly, smiley, extremely helpful and the Salwa Road branch now greet me by my first name as I walk in, and they also recognise me on the telephone when I call to make (another) appointment, which I think is professional and impressive considering the large numbers of clients Glow has!  

Glow's prices are very reasonable across the board, I have so far had, and regularly have: highlights, cuts, blow dries, manicures, HD Brows, Facials, Massages and LVL lash treatments - it's safe to say that I am addicted to their hair and beauty treatments.   

Glow regularly sends out newsletters to those who have signed up to their mailing lists, with news updates and very often amazing offers.  Offers require booking by a certain date, with a certain person and you must take along the coupon on the email.  Additionally, as Glow is growing and training new therapists, or stylists, they often need models too.  I recently assisted Glow by allowing their wax therapists to train on me, it was free of charge and I have continued with the treatment ever since.  

Overall, Glow is on-trend, first for new treatments in Qatar, easy to find, addictive and have very good newsletters too!  So, my advice to you is go to Glow, they will take you under their wings and look after you.

Website: http://www.glowamericansalon.com/intro/

Blue Brush Studio

 

Based in The Hilton Hotel, Blue Brush is run and managed by a team of French professionals.  There is a gentleman (David) who is an expert with cutting and styling your hair, and an excellent colourist (Saoud) who will transform your hair, whether it be a new colour, or maintaining your existing colour. 

Easy to find, easy to park, Blue Brush is petit in size but grand in quality.  I recently decided to change my hair colour, from platinum blonde to a red head :)  As always, I took along photos to give Saoud an idea of what I would like to achieve.  A couple of hours later I was transformed: the coverage was excellent, the colour was shiny and beautiful, and I was a very happy customer.  I had gone in with black roots, blonde hair and come out with a colour that looked like it was my natural colour.  Saoud is a very friendly lady, I very much enjoyed chatting and giggling with her, and she provided me with some excellent advice on how to manage my new colour.  Reasonably priced, I highly recommend 'Magic Saoud' to colour your hair and David to give you the highest technical cut and blow that your hair needs.  Children are welcome as guests or customers, both Saoud and David have great patience with them, which is good news for all of you mummy's out there.  Highly recommend Blue Brush for your hair.

Website: http://www.bluebrushhairstudio.com/who/

I will keep adding to this list as I venture out to more salons and spa's, so keep your eyes peeled!

Hints & Tips || Food Shopping

When it comes to doing your food shopping there are a couple of things you can do to make the experience less stressful!  

1)  Do not shop for food on Friday afternoon!

Friday's here in Qatar are the holy day and so very little will be happening shop wise.  However, Carrefour will be open from 8am until 10am in most locations.  By going in the morning you will avoid the large crowds as most will be resting from a big Thursday night out, or taking their day easy - perfect for food shoppers as you will have a more leisurely shop and less people to bump into down the aisles.

2)  Do go to Family Food Centre! (FFC)

The fruits and veg may not be wiped free from soil, nor displayed perfectly, however FFC is, in my opinion, the cheapest place to go food shopping.... and everything else shopping.  Most of the basics are there and usually 2-3 Riyals cheaper than elsewhere, which all adds up and saves you a few Durhams to spend on more exciting things.  FFC does cater for those who are in need of Wheat-free goods and they also have healthy food stuffs such as Quinoa, brown pastas and cous-cous.  

There are three store locations, so check out their website for the one closest to you: http://family.com.qa/location-map/

Healthy Food Section - Horray!

Cheapest in town!

11QR at FFC but 15QR in Mega Mart

BIOFAIR - 37.50QR / granovita - 38.50QR

Lizi's Granola 28QR

3) British products!

Every now and then I will crave something from the UK; biscuits, a brand of cereal, Wotsits, UK Diet Coke etc, etc, and when I do, I head over to Mega Mart, which is a bit like walking into a Tesco or Waitrose (they sell their products too!). Of course, where anything has been imported the prices increase, however I think the satisfaction makes it worth it.

Here are the Mega Mart locations: http://goo.gl/maps/KCLXm 

Good Luck!

Hints & Tips || Order food online

As I sat in the office typing away on a report, it dawned on me that it was coming up to lunch but I had no food, and couldn't face eating yet another 'Coffee Time' sandwich ... blurgh.

I had a quick look online and discovered www.FoodOnClick.com.  A website which houses all the restaurants in your local area who will deliver food to you.  I tested it out and purchased lunch from Bread & Bagels, one hour later my food arrived!

So, if you are working away in the office, or simply want to eat something new but don't want to leave your desk, then Food On Click is perfect for you. You will need cash for most purchases, however there are a few such as Bread & Bagels who will let you pay by card when they arrive to your location.

Bon Appetite!