On the northernmost tip of the peninsula of Qatar, where the Arabian Gulf laps the golden sands of Fuwairit Beach, kitesurfers from all over the world gather to somersault and whoosh over calm, warm waters.
Though locals long knew that Qatar - with its endless blue-sky weather and reliable breezes offers some of the best kitesurfing conditions on the planet, it was only when Fuwairit Kite Beach resort opened here last year that holidaymakers started to follow.
Daubed in colourful graffiti and with airy, glass-walled rooms and terraces that offer unimpeded sea views, the hotel also includes everything any prospective kite surfer might need to give the sport a go. The setting is now so successfully embedded in the global kitesurfing circuit that it'll host the Visit Qatar GKA Freestyle Kite World Cup Finals this December.
That championship, of course, follows on the heels of another sporting extravaganza. Prior to hosting football's biggest competition last year, Qatar invested billions to improve its infrastructure and hospitality offering. Visitors can still reap the benefits of a diverse (and surprisingly affordable) hotel portfolio, high-tech attractions and seamless connectivity throughout the capital Doha aboard an immaculate new metro system where single journeys cost about 40p.
But we'll get back to all that, because to really understand present-day Qatar, you need to venture beyond its main city. Ringed by a 350-mile coastline and a seemingly endless parade of pristine beaches, this is a surprisingly compact country where it takes an hour or so to drive from the eastern seaboard to the western coast, and less than three hours to venture from kite surfing at Fuwairit to exploring the majestyIT HAS taken me about three years to find a trench coat that didn’t make me feel slightly tense. of the Inland Sea at Qatar's southern border.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة October 23, 2023 من Evening Standard.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة October 23, 2023 من Evening Standard.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Are you ready for medieval-core?
No one was more surprised than medieval armourer Matthew Finchen.
Worth the wait This is a beautifully written triumph
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's first novel since 2013's Americanah is a winner
Low-budget indie film Anora wins big at the Oscars
“The more Hollywood changes, the more it remains the same,” writes Ty Burr.
Forget the Trump noisepeace could now be possible
There's much to fixate on, but it's best to judge the President on the substance
Is it the final call for the Heathrow villagers?
Life with the residents whose homes could be destroyed if a third runway touches down
The Fat Badger, London's first invite-only pub
A riotously fun boozer that doesn't officially exist? No wonder celebs are secretly flocking here
Marlon James on why Kingston is Jamaica's beating cultural heart
Whether it’s parties, patties or patois, this Caribbean capital is a non-stop celebration, says the Booker Prize-winning author
The London socialite. His aristocrat killer. And a mother's search for justice
The brutal, ketamine-fuelled killing of a public schoolboy shocked the world. In our new true-crime podcast, we tell the real story
“Last year's Festival was brutal, but we're ready to put it right”
The Guinness Village is, to Cheltenham racegoers, something of a field of dreams.
Me, Marrakech and I: How to ace a solo female trip
I first visited Marrakech with my then-boyfriend in 2004, when I spent my days getting lost in the labyrinthine souks and witnessing snake charmers hypnotise cobras. Over 20 years later, I decided to see how it fared for females going it alone.
