Looking down from suite 1506 – the ‘snail shell’ in the distance is Nobu

A weekly series featuring luxury hotel expert Mary Gostelow’s hotel pick of the week.

Four Seasons Doha is Qatar‘s top sophisticated-style hotel – and it celebrated its tenth birthday last week with a party for over 300 national, regional and global VIPs (yes, I was invited but sadly I had already accepted an invitation elsewhere). But I dined there the previous night, with the 232-room hotel’s charming and funny GM Rami Sayess, who also looks after many other Four Seasons in the region. We dined in the world’s largest, and undisputedly most expensive, Nobu, which had opened only ten nights, not years, before.

Chefs hard at work in Nobu.

The Rockwell-designed restaurant looks like a giant snail shell at the end of a long, over-water approach road. Inside, seven dining areas can accommodate over 200 at once, and groups of local men or women or both, immediately accepted this as their best restaurant in town. As always, I go for Nobu’s signature black cod, which went very well with a glass of Chemin des Sables Rosé d’Anjou. Other dining opportunities include Italian and Pan-Asian.

Looking down at just some of the swimming pools.

The hotel has a sensational spa, good gym, and several pools at various levels. Or, you can simply enjoy the beach. For style, Four Seasons Doha is your hotel in Qatar, the country that is rushing to keep up with Dubai.

Mary with GM Rami Sayess.

Read last week’s Hotel of the Week here.