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. Headed back to UAE next month…so a couple nights in Doha at the Ritz would be very sweet!

  2. Wow, 2 Nights At Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge In Tasmania looks pretty fabulous! Would be an incredible experience as have never been anywhere near the South Pacific!

  4. I have a stopover in Doha for a work sabbatical and would love to spend some time at the Ritz and dip my toes in the Persian Gulf.

  5. I’d love to stay in the Sharq Village, as it looks amazing, and I already am going through Doha in December and would love to extend my stay there.

  7. My favourite item on auction is 6 Nights At Crown Lanta Resort & Spa In Koh Lanta, Thailand.

  9. I would choose to stay at The Ritz-Carlton Sharq Village & Spa because of its great location.

  10. 6 nights at Crown Lanta Resort & Spa in Koh Lanta, Thailand looks like a winner for quick stress relief. The Ritz Carleton Sharq looks awesome as wel , even though I have no travel planned to Doha, winning that might cause me to make some plans.

  11. Would be my first time in Doha. Staying at the Ritz-Carlton Sharq Village & Spa would make of the visit an awesome trip.

  16. Yes, that lodge in Tasmania looks awfully sweet! I would bid on that auction! And it is at the top of the list besides!

  20. Visiting Doha soon as part of a trip to Sri Lanka. I would love to stay at the Ritz-Carlton Sharq Village & Spa as it looks to provide a fantastic opportunity to unwind.

  25. 2 Nights At The Hyatt Centric Montevideo, Uruguay. Always looking for an excuse to return to Montevideo!

  33. I don’t want to bring attention to my favorite item up for bid because I’m bidding on it…my second favorite is the 3 night stay at Oke beach in New Zealand.

  38. I would kill to stay at Ritz Carlton Sharq, relax in the Gulf, see some of the Doha sites, eat fabulous Persian Cuisine, and of course fly home on Qatar air in first. 🙂

  39. I would love to go to the Monaci Delle Terrre Nere, it’s in a beautiful part of Italy.

  40. We will be in Doha in November for a stopover to see the museums and would love to stay at the Ritz!

  41. I would like to stay at the The Ritz-Carlton Sharq Village & Spa when I stop in the middle east for a few days on my way to New Delhi to visit the Taj Mahal

  47. My pick would be the Full Day Grade 5 White Water Rafting On River Nile For 4 Ppl. I’ve always wanted to go to Egypt and see the pyramids and this would give me the opportunity to do so. Also, I’m planning on stopping over in Doha on my way to the Maldives next year for my honeymoon, so I’d have the perfect chance to stay and provide a review for you ;).

  49. My pick is the 4 nights at Shepherds Hut at The Shepherds Hut Retreat — only hesitation is the March stay requirement (might be rainy?).

  50. I would stay at the Ritz Sharq Village to warm up from the winter months in the US at the resort’s pools!

Comments are closed.