Staying Over in Doha, Qatar

Doha is the capital of Qatar, a city that has its roots as a fishing village named Al Bida. As Qatar became a more significant player in the Middle East’s role in the world and became a British protectorate, Al Bida became the capital city and the name changed to Doha. It served a major role for the nation as a whole, being both the largest city and the primary center for the two largest exports of the nation, fishing and pearling. With the discovery of oil outside the peninsula, Doha became the petroleum center for the nation, taking the nation from a desolate recession (due to Japanese cultured pearls) to the forefront of oil producing nations, and by extension, the forefront of the richest nations of the world. Standing now as the richest nation in the world (highest GDP per capita, according to the CIA), Doha is the penultimate diamond in the rough, an oasis of high civilization and luxurious living in the vast sand dunes of Qatar.

Doha International Airport is the only internationally serving airstrip in the nation, so anyone flying in to Qatar will already be in the capital city. From there, getting anywhere inside of Doha is a cinch, due to the easily accessible roads, vast bus and taxi systems, and the highway system that is under constant expansion by the Qatari government. Being the capital of such a rich nation means that the government seated in Doha can afford a lot of high-class expansion: this is reflected in the vast amount of activities and tourist attractions offered to anyone visiting Doha.

For sports, Doha offers several stadiums where you can watch a football game, tennis matches, or even go to one of the aquatic centers where you can see any number of swim competitions or just get in the pool and cool off. Doha was host to the 2006 Asian Games, which was the largest Asian Games in history. Doha was also, until June 4th of 2008, on the shortlist of applicant cities for the 2016 Olympic Games.

Doha has a semi-typical Arabian climate, being warm year round because of the latitude of Qatar as a nation. However, the dry and abrasive air of some countries in the Mid-East is offset by the surrounding ocean of Qatar, making the air more moist than most other nations in the region. Winter months in Doha are much more pleasant, offering temperatures from the low twenties to the mid teens, making the city an ideal place to visit for a holiday towards the end of the year.

Visitors to Qatar have their interests protected by the Qatar Tourism Authority, a branch of the Qatari government that looks into taking care of people of various nations coming into Doha to see their nation. They oversee all of the hotels and various places where people can stay when visiting the country. By also providing a rating system from one to five stars for any accommodation, the QTA makes sure that people know what each hotel offers.

Most of the hotels in Doha are of a high caliber, providing services from boat rental and yacht chartering to discounts and packages for people looking to go try the variety of sports and activities offered around the city and the surrounding countryside. Most hotels combine restaurants and various amenities into their building to provide a cohesive experience to all of their customers.

Doha is the very definition of a modern Arab city, featuring some of the most liberal laws of any Middle Eastern nation; alcohol is even allowed through permits issued by the national government. The legal system’s roots are based in Islamic law but the interpretation is much looser than one would find in more staunch nations such as Egypt or Iran.

In summary, staying in Doha is the kind of experience that one never forgets, and something that anyone who has the opportunity to do, should. The care that shown to anyone visiting this rich city by far outstrips what one would find in almost any other country on Earth. Combining this with the rich cultural and entertainment value of Doha alone, let alone the whole of Qatar, makes visiting the capital of the richest nation in the world a goal that anyone should set for himself or herself while they can.

The author is the owner of a Qatar Hotels website. To learn more on Doha Hotels visit http://bestqatarhotels.com

Restaurant Flower Design

As customers and diners trickle into your restaurant, they will take a moment to look around and absorb their surroundings, especially while they wait to be seated. If you decorate the place right, your customers will feel the ambiance created by the elegant and stylish elements of your décor.

Fresh flowers that complement your restaurant’s interior and color scheme will help produce a warm, welcoming, and hospitable environment. Raise your diners’ spirits and make them feel welcome by placing a small, artistically-made arrangement of fresh flowers on each table.

Flower arrangements for a restaurant centerpiece can range from modest to lavish. When considering flower arrangements for each table, keep in mind that the flowers are there to add charm to your restaurant, not serve as a distraction. As such, choose a petite arrangement placed in a shallow bowl. Never get large floral centerpieces that obstruct the view from across the table, as this will make it difficult for your diners to talk to each other. The centerpiece should never be the center of the table’s conversation.

Whatever flower arrangement you’ve chosen, you can always add fruits to it to make it appear more colorful, interesting, and sweet-smelling. Citrus fruits in particular go great with the scent of some roses. Try adding the fruit as a whole or cutting them into slices. Be careful while using fruits though - make sure you don’t allow the fruit to get ripe near the flowers, as this will shorten the arrangement’s lifespan. If it goes with the overall look of the centerpiece, you can also add sprigs of dried flowers to the arrangement.

Finally, choose flowers that will live five to seven days when watered regularly, like hydrangeas and chrysanthemums. While other short-living flowers might look pretty, replacing them every two or three days will get too costly. Get the ones that have lots small buds as these can live for up to two weeks, and remove the wilting flowers as the buds start to blossom.

Add water to the vase every day to ensure a fresh supply of nutrients. When your restaurant closes, keep the flower arrangements in the fridge; they should be able to fit in there if they are small, shallow arrangements. To make the flowers last even longer, get a flower preservative from your florist or place two drops of bleach into the water to preserve the petals and to prevent bacteria growth.

This article was written by Timothy Spencer for Island Rose - Send Gifts to the Philippines. We hope you enjoyed this article and encourage you to visit our website. Through Island Rose, you can find Flower Shop in the Philippines or simply browse through our blog for more informative articles.

The Perfect Gift

While our options today are almost bottomless, we somehow manage to go back to flowers when we pick out the perfect gift. As a jeweler residing in the Philippines, I get requests every so often asking me to cast diamonds at the center of flower shaped earrings or make a gold bracelet look like a little lei. I honestly could not help but wonder why flowers work and has always been considered as perfect gifts. Is it their appearance? Could it be because of their aroma? Below are some of my guesses:

Flowers are available everywhere, year-round.
Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, anniversaries, graduations, birthdays, and funerals are just some of the most common occasions where we see flowers. These plants are definitely the best “safe” call for cramming gift givers. I am honestly not fond of getting flowers wrapped in plastic. My bright little suggestion: put some personal touches, have a pretty bunch wrapped in beautiful gift-wrapping tissue, and have it tied by satin ribbons. I can almost imagine the smile on the receiver’s face!

Flowers fit everyone’s budget.
With the premise above that flowers are everywhere, this means that they are marketed and sold to cater to all economic classes. For the budget shopper, head to the Dangwa Flower Market, the Philippines’ most popular flower resource, early in the morning for the cheapest rates. No time to drive to Manila? Online shopping is the perfect answer.

Flowers say everything.
Most of us learned in grade school that according to its color, the meaning of flowers differs from each other. It is a fact that they have been the only means of communication by lovers and soldiers in the past. Who would have thought that plants can actually do all the talking?

Flowers can leave one breathless.
Flowers are hands down, beautiful in their own right. Countless hybridizations and combinations have produced stunning results making its new breeds far more beautiful than its parents. I have seen massive displays both here in the Philippines and in Singapore and it just leaves me gawk in awe seeing them arranged to form a particular figure as seen in parks or parades.

May it be the plant, a piece of clothing, or a piece of jewelry embellished with the world’s most popular accent, flowers indeed make the most timeless and perfect gifts year round. Fitting your budget and the recipient’s personality will never be your problem as flowers come in all costs, forms, sizes, and colors.

This article was written by Timothy Spencer for Island Rose - Flowers Philippines. We hope you enjoyed this article and encourage you to visit our website. Through Island Rose, you can send Philippines Flowers or simply browse through our blog for more informative articles.

The Pros of Wallpaper

Choosing between paint and wallpaper when making a wall makeover can be a major dilemma, as both have their own set of advantages. Paint has been the preferred option because it is the cheapest way to redo walls and the easiest to apply. But choosing paint over wallpaper and borders also has its own pitfalls. Paint fades much quicker compared to modern wallpaper. It needs more restoration or revamping jobs than wallpaper too.

Wallpaper, on the other hand, has tons of advantages especially if you perceive it as a long term investment. Walls clad in wallpaper and borders do look more attractive, especially when they blend well with the room’s fixtures and theme. Wallpaper gives a wall a much nicer detail that paint cannot parallel. Aside from that, wallpaper lasts 10-15 years, which is economically sound, considering that paint jobs need to be redone every 2 years. A homeowner can save as much as 30% for painting costs if he chooses to use wallpaper over paint.

While some argue that traditional wallpaper and wallpaper borders are more difficult to install than paint, modern technology has allowed manufacturers to produce easy to apply and easy to remove wallpaper, wallpaper murals, and wallpaper borders. Most brands today offer a one-step application process, which also makes its repositioning and removal easier. Most wallpapers today are pre-pasted; all the homeowner has to do is cut the wallpaper into strips, dip them in water, and apply them to the walls. Of course, careful and meticulous wall preparation is still an elemental factor if one is to achieve a great finish with wallpaper.

Another advantage of using wallpaper and borders over paint is the wide range of designs and textures they present to the homeowner. While paint may be glossy, achieving the desired shade and hue can be tricky and messy especially when mixing two or more colors. Sometimes, a paint job requires professional help, especially when dealing with oil-based paints. In contrast, wallpapers offer an assortment of designs like landscapes, flora and fauna, geometric shapes, classical themes, among others. Textured wallpapers are also increasingly popular, especially those with faux finishing details. They give walls a vivacity that paint simply cannot deliver.

With a wide selection of wallpaper, murals, and wallpaper borders to choose from, a homeowner can embellish his or her abode according to his or her personality. Men almost always prefer wallpapers that exert a sense of masculinity especially in the living room. Women typically like wallpaper and borders that radiate soft colors and patterns. Needless to say, children in their preteens want their walls to burst with colors and child-friendly patterns. Teenagers, on the other hand, fancy having walls that assert their cool personality --- they are likely to prefer designs that display their hobbies, role models or the music they are into.

Its durability, ease of application, luxurious, stylish motifs and allowance for personalization – wallpaper may very well be the best choice for wall designing or makeovers.

Tammy Billings is the owner of USA Wallpaper, an online retailer of designer wallpaper borders and wall murals. Her knowledge of the wallpaper industry, from manufacturing to installation makes her a valuable home and interior design resource. With a variety of bedroom, bathroom and kitchen wallpaper designs, Tammy has put USA Wallpaper at the forefront of online wallpaper companies.