GIVEAWAY: Free Ritz-Carlton Stay, Sharq Village & Spa with Breakfast

by Gary Leff

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Ritz-Carlton Rewards® Credit Card

Earlier in the year I arranged a brief stopover in Doha. I’ve always wanted to visit the Museum of Islamic Art but never took the opportunity.

Doha is a really convenient stopover, as the home airport for Qatar Airways, a top world carrier and member of oneworld. Their first class lounge in Doha is amazing, and even features pieces from the Museum of Islamic Art’s collection.

I found just two days in Doha to be perfect, but if I had it to do over again I’d do four nights… two dedicated to a museum visit and two for The Ritz-Carlton Sharq Village & Spa.

Follow my lead, and stat two nights here, because I’m giving away a 2 night stay with breakfast to a blog reader.

A TripAdvisor ‘Certificate of Excellence’ hotel, it’s one of the top rated properties in Doha. It’s conveniently located but a retreat on the Gulf. And it garners comments like “Best anniversary ever!” “Magic” and “Awesome architecture.” The resort looks fantastic.

Here’s how they describe the property:

A luxury Doha resort that exemplifies the perfect fusion of contemporary and traditional, Sharq Village & Spa places guests in the heart of the Qatar capital, yet within the tranquil confines of an idyllic coastal retreat on the Gulf Bay. Featuring an exceptional spa, world-class dining, including the only Persian fine dining restaurant in Qatar, and 300 meters of private beach, our luxury resort in Doha Qatar is perfect for families of all ages, and envelops guests in a world of time-honored hospitality in surroundings that embrace Doha’s newer opulent vision.

This is a very special giveaway, thanks to my good friends at Luxury Travel Diary. Regular readers know them as a high-end travel blog with great reviews. They’re based in the UK and run travel auctions with real bargains.

As I’ve said before, folks who already know about these auctions don’t like this added attention, because there don’t seem to be enough bidders for many of their best offerings relative to the value available. Some of their items go way too cheap.

Let me just underscore this. Current bidding on 3 nights in a beachfront villa for 8 people in Turks and Caicos is running just over $900. And 2 nights at the Washington Duke Inn — a lovely property, I stayed there last year when visiting a Duke law school class to talk about DOT regulation of mistake fares, is going for about $80 total.

This Ritz-Carlton prize is being given away by the hotel and Luxury Travel Diary, I’m just helping to highlight it and randomly select the winner.

To enter: leave a comment on this post with your favorite item up for auction at Luxury Travel Diary, or why you would choose to stay at The Ritz-Carlton Sharq Village & Spa. You may enter two times if you wish and answer those two questions one time each in separate comments.

Contest deadline and drawing winner: Entries close Sunday, October 16 at Noon eastern. I will draw winner with the assistance of random.org.

The fine print: Advance booking is required and it’s subject to availability. Terms and conditions apply. Winner will have one week to respond to email notifying of the prize, otherwise the prize will be forfeit and made available to another reader. Free stay certificate expires March 26, 2017.

For avoidance of doubt, I have no affiliation with Luxury Travel Diary or The Ritz-Carlton Sharq Village & Spa. I am not getting anything in exchange for running this giveaway other than an opportunity to share the place with readers.

Of course you know I’m loving the benefits of the new Ritz-Carlton Rewards® Credit Card Visa Infinite, including a signup bonus of 3 complimentary nights and elite status in Ritz-Carlton’s frequent guest program (that’s honored as Marriott status as well).

The hotel is solely responsible for providing prize to winner. All decisions made in the course of running this giveaway are final and unappealable and your entry signifies your acceptance. The goal here is to make readers aware of a pretty cool auction opportunity, and to give away a stay. So please don’t make it hard on me for doing so!

Ritz-Carlton Rewards® Credit Card

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Editorial note: any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer. Comments made in response to this post are not provided or commissioned nor have they been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any bank. It is not the responsibility of advertisers Citibank, Chase, American Express, Barclays, Capital One or any other advertiser to ensure that questions are answered, either. Terms and limitations apply to all offers.

Comments

  1. I’d love to stay in a Ritz-Carlton because it’s a Ritz Carlton!!! Please let me go there! 🙂

  2. The ritz Carlton sharq village looks absolutely stunning. I’d love to book a weekend stopover if United airlines continues to allow a stopover on partner awards in the future;)

  3. Would love to stay at “The Sharq” to experience legendary Arabic hospitality, gaze at the awe inspiring Middle East architecture and go to the the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club in the area where all horse racing began.

  7. Over at Luxury Travel Diary, I like the auction for 1 night in a Suite at Plaza Athénée Bangkok in Thailand. Love the city and staying there would be amazing!

  8. I only did an airport stopover at Doha once, so would love to go back for a look at the city, its museums and enjoy the luxury of the Ritz Carlton Sharq Village–would be a gift!

  14. The view from the hotel must be amazing and I like the amenities such as over sized bathroom.

  18. My favorite item up for auction is 3 Nights At The Stunning Palazzo Belmonte In Salerno, Italy. I’d love to take my lovely wife there, sigh 🙂

  19. I’d choose the The Ritz-Carlton Sharq Village & Spa because of the luxury, and the ability to be where the cultural experiences, are the experiences that make lifetime memories! Thank you for doing these contests!

  20. Id love to just relax at a superb resort, and the Ritz Carlton Sharq Village would be a great place for that!

  21. my favourite item on auction is the 6 Nights At Crown Lanta Resort & Spa In Koh Lanta, Thailand.

  25. The Ritz Carlton Sharq Village looks like an amazing property; such an unique design; it is beautiful!

  26. Would love to win the Washington Duke Inn auction; have stayed at this property before and it is a wonderful property; love Durham and Duke. Go Blue Devils!

  28. I would choose to stay at The Ritz-Carlton Sharq Village & Spa to sample their 1,400-m² infinity pool and extensive wellness centre

  29. I would love to get out of the airport in Doha for once and enjoy two nights at the Ritz-Carlton because I was planning a stayover in Doha for such a long time already.

  30. As for the auction, I would bid on 3 Nights At The Stunning Palazzo Belmonte In Salerno, Italy.

  33. I loved looking at the pictures of the Ritz Carlton Sharq Village. The unique regional touches make it very attractive.

  36. What a crazy site. I can’t imagine current bids so low. £5 for a Tigerland visit in Nepal!

  37. Favorite auction:
    2 Nights At The Hyatt Centric Montevideo, Uruguay. Can’t go wrong with Montevideo!

  38. I would stay there to experience a culture I haven’t yet been exposed to. And that learning about fellow human beings is one of the most beautiful things about travel.

  40. I would love to stay at the Beautiful Hotel Sahrai In Fez, Morocco because I have always been fascinated by Moroccan culture and this is a great way to experience it! – Omkar

  41. The Ritz-Carlton Sharq Village & Spa looks like heaven on Earth! Can’t wait to visit it someday 🙂

  42. The Ritz Carlton Sharq Village looks stunning and the Middle East is a fantastic holiday destination.

  44. I plan to visit Doha on an extended stay for the 2022 Workd Cup. I would love the opportunity to take a short visit prior, to better understand the host country of the most important sporting event in the world!

    مشيئة الله

  46. my pick would be HOTEL SAHRAI IN FEZ, MOROCCO.
    Morocco has been on my wish list for a long time now and I really want to take a trip there.

  48. I would stay 2 nights at the beautiful Hotel Sahrai in Fez, Morocco just to go to Africa and enjoy the sights

  49. The Ritz Carlton Sharq Village Is one of their most gorgeous properties. The Middle East is one of my favorite areas to explore and I would live to check out this resort in the near future.

Comments are closed.