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

  7. I love staying at Ritz-Carlton properties and I am on a mission staying in all of the Ritz-Carlton properties. If I win, it will be my first time to stay in a Ritz-Carlton property in the Middle East.

  8. Doha is a place on my to go list. if can stay at The Ritz-Carlton Sharq Village & Spa would be great!

  15. I would like to stay at the Ritz-Carlton Sharq Village & Spa because I’ve always wanted to visit Doha, and the hotel looks gorgeous!

  17. Would stay at the Ritz to break up the long travel time on my upcoming trip to India — fly Qatar airways to Doha, take a short break, and continue on to India.

  21. My favorite item is the 6 NIGHTS AT CROWN LANTA RESORT & SPA IN KOH LANTA, THAILAND. Going to Thailand is on my bucket list!

  22. My sister currently lives in Nigeria and it is difficult to travel there for a visit. The Ritz-Carlton Sharq Village & Spa would be a good place for both of us to travel to to meet up!

  23. Reveling in the mix of tranquility and tradition at the Ritz-Carlton Sharq Village & Spa will give me the boost I need to finish writing my book 😉

  24. My favorite item up for auction at Luxury Travel Diary is the two-day stay at Makakatana Bay Lodge in South Africa.

  27. The “2 Nights At The Beautiful Hotel Sahrai In Fez, Morocco” looks really cool. I’ve always wanted to see Morocco.

  28. I’d want to win 2 Nights At 5* Alpine Palace, Salzburg, Austria. Looks like an awesome place in relax!

  30. I’d love to stay at The Ritz-Carlton Sharq Village & Spa and do a bunch of shopping as well as swim and enjoy the resort

  31. I would love to win the auction for the Hyatt Centric in Montevideo, Uruguay. I was in that country briefly and was not able to make it to Montevideo.

  32. I would want to stay at the Ritz-Carlton Sharq Village & Spa as an excuse to finally visit the Middle East!

  33. It would be so relaxing to hang out along the water at the Ritz-Carlton Sharq Village & Spa in Doha!

  34. I traveled with someone from Qatar once, and listening to her made me want to visit. Staying at the Ritz-Carlton Sharq Village & Spa would be the icing on the cake!

  35. My husband and I have been discussing a trip to Nepal, and would love to win a Luxury Travel auction to the Tigerland Safari Resort in Nepal!

  38. I’ve never been to the Middle east and would love an opportunity to stay at The Ritz-Carlton Sharq Village & Spa.

  39. I’d be most excited about the 2 nights at the Alpine Palace Salzburg in Austria that they have up for auction.

  47. Going through Doha for a round birthday in a few months – would love that excuse to stay at this ritz!

  49. The swimming pools at the The Ritz-Carlton Sharq Village & Spa look gorgeous! I would love to swim in them!

  50. My favorite auction is 2 nights at Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge in Tasmania. Looks like it would be both a stimulating and relaxing vacation!

Comments are closed.