Quote: Steve51 "What's the social life like there now .. When I was there it was the rugby club, ERA club & the monthly trip to the "Pharmacy" for your montly "prescription".'"
When you ask about social life and clubs I assume you mean Western type clubs where alchohol is availaable legally. The rugby club is still going strong, probably the strongest club in Qatar with almost a thousand members with some sort of social activity on every night. The ERA club changed hands and was re-named Garvey's, however on New Years eve 2008, at 1030 PM, It was raided for some reason by the police, everybody given 10 minutes to leave the premises (and area), the electricity was cut off, the doors were locked (with food still on the table and in the kitchen) and it has not reopened since, all kinds of stories as to why it was shut down but nobody knows for sure (except of course the person who ordered it to be shut). There are lots of other good venues, including the golf club which has a Championship course and a floodlit Academy course, good food and well stocked bar. The diplomatic club if you enjoy a quiet game of snooker, (4 full size tables) plus others.
There are probably around 15 good Western hotels with pool services and some kind of club either as sports type bar or entertainment with visiting and resident bands, you could say there is a variety of events going on in Doha everynight of the week if you know where to go. You mention the monthly trip to the pharmecy, well is now a supermarket style outlet, where you go when you like, spend what you wish and just pay or charge it to your credit card. Most people are now entitled to spend around 10 times the amount they could under the old system run by the British Embassy. Cheers and remenmber [size
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