Hotel Review: Qatar: Sharq Village & Spa

Hotel Review: Qatar: Sharq Village & Spa
In reaction to the glassy, ultramodern hotels rising along the Persian Gulf, visionaries in Doha hatched a novel idea: a luxury getaway evoking lantern-lit pearling villages of Qatar's 19th-century rulers. The result is the fetching Sharq Village – an assemblage of 14 crenellated, suite-filled beits (villas) built around inner courtyards and surrounded with gardens.

Nudged against white sand coast, this walled enclave of arches spilling arches intoxicates with sensual detail: rough-hewn stone walls stamped with Qatari motifs, blown-glass lamps, handwoven rugs and miniature chests heaping with dates and dried fruits are accentuated with treasures once hauled in by pearl traders – brocades, velvets and silks draped across four-poster beds and dazzling custom-made furnishings that only emirs could afford.

Specializing in massage with oils of diamonds, emeralds and rubies, the wood-beamed Six Senses spa spreads out like traditional fishermen's market, complete with water bridge entry.

Feast on mountains of Lebanese food, savor seafood overlooking the Gulf's aquamarine waters, dine under private tent, draw on limited edition Sublimes in swanky cigar lounge. Whether nibbling honeyed treats in plush cafe, puffing sheisha under Arabian stars or slipping on gem-encrusted abayas in on-site souk, you're immersed in splendours of a lost world.

Ideal for designers who drink in details, Sharq Village is also popular with honeymooners and revelers who celebrate in the $26,000/night Royal Suite (14 bedrooms, indoor pool, sauna, Rolls Royce Phantom included.