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Villagio Shopping Mall
City Centre Mall Doha Markets Gold Souq Hyatt Plaza Landmark Mall Souq Waqif The Mall Villagio
Read A Review of Villagio - Qatar's Newest Shopping Mall
Location
Between Sport City and Hyatt Plaza on Al Waab Street, Doha.
What's Villagio Like?
Quite simply Villagio is the best Mall in Qatar. Although not particularly special on the outside, when you walk inside and look up, the ceilings take your breath away. The ceilings represent the sky and if you didn’t know you were inside you could believe you were outside.
Different areas of the mall represent different times of the day – so you can see sunset, night (complete with street lamps) and day.
But the icing on the cake for this mall is the canal that runs through the centre, complete with gondola. Bridges cross over the canal, and comfortable chairs line its sides for you to rest your feet. What's more, for a few riyals you can travel, Venetian style, up and down the canal. (See our movie: Gondolas in the Desert.)
Food and Entertainment
The 13 screen IMAX 3D cinema has now arrived, and is displaying superb 3D films as well as the more normal type. Meanwhile, there is an ice-skating rink in the vicinity off the food court. Apparently, there is also going to be roller-coaster, although we are not quite sure where they are going to put it. There's also a great range of cafes and restaurants, including a superb Thai restaurant (avoid the red chicken curry unless you have a tolerance for extremely spicy food) as well as all the usual fast food joints.
Villagio Shops
But onto the shopping. It's not quite complete, but there will be a total of 220 stores spread over 130,000 sq m of retail space (or 150,000, depending on where you get your information from), which just beats the 129,000 metres of retail space at City Centre Mall, currently the country’s largest.
Many of these shops seem to be British – but they look better than in Britain. (That's with the exception of Boots, which just does not have the same range as Boots in the UK). Virgin, for example, in addition to a great music and computer selection, has a range of books that puts every other book store in the country to shame.
They were also the first shop in the country where you could buy Apple Computers – although Carrefour have now rapidly followed. Then you have Oasis, Topman, Topshop and tonnes of other familiar faces. The supermarket is Carrefour – not as good as a British supermarket (you still have to queue to weigh your veg), but you can’t have everything.
So It's Busy, Then?
"And what's more, it is not busy at all," this review used to read. It is much busier now, through, although you can normally still get a parking space, though.
Issues
As has been noted on the comments section of the article, Villagio, like many other malls, turns away single Asian men. While this is said to be due to a family policy we have never seen a single white man turned away from the mall.
Contact
Villagio
+974 4135444
Virgin Megastore
Tel: +974 4135823/4135824 Email: vgn.vil.qa@azadea.com
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Leave a comment
Comment by che, 3rd February, 2010
about the problems encountered by my brother and his co - employees to the hiphop shop, unpaid salary and non renewal of their visa.We heard that they are planning to open a new store under the same management, they promised that they will settle all the obligations to their employees but until now we didn't hear anything from them.Shall the office of the Villaggio mall will issue a permit to operate a new one even they have unfinished factors to settle from their previous employees.We are asking help from your good office,you might be the right person who can lend a help to these employees who are still hoping to solve these problems.Thank you so much.
Comment by Che, 3rd February, 2010
Comment by Avedis, 28th January, 2010
its not a comment but if anyone can help me to know the electric stuff shops that are included in this mall and repaly to me at my mail avigounjian@hotmail.com
best regards thanks . . .
Comment by Avedis, 28th January, 2010
its not a comment but if anyone can help me to know the electric stuff shops that are included in this mall and repaly to me at my mail avigounjian@hotmail.com
best regards thanks . . .
Comment by Karl Seinheisen, 18th January, 2010
I noted the comment towards the end of this page saying single asian men are not allowed into the mall. This is disgracful.
Racism. but it comes as no surprise to me, as all of the other malls in Qatar have the same policy. Dreadfully unfair.
Comment by Buy Acai Berry, 18th January, 2010
Someone mentioned buying Acai Berry from www.AcaiBerryBoutique.com , and I just want to say that this is a fantastic site, and the products they sell are very good. A guy at the GNC in Villagio recommended this website to me for buying acaiberries in Qatar, and he said its the best place to get them. They ship to Qatar, amazing quality stuff. I took it to my physician when I got the bottles of acai berry pure, and he said it was real, natural and very good quality. check it out. The site and store is called the acai berry boutique.
Comment by Buy Acai Berry, 18th January, 2010
Someone mentioned buying Acai Berry from www.AcaiBerryBoutique.com , and I just want to say that this is a fantastic site, and the products they sell are very good. A guy at the GNC in Villagio recommended this website to me for buying acaiberries in Qatar, and he said its the best place to get them. They ship to Qatar, amazing quality stuff. I took it to my physician when I got the bottles of acai berry pure, and he said it was real, natural and very good quality. check it out. The site and store is called the acai berry boutique.
Comment by Varun More, 17th November, 2009
Its just like Heaven on the Earth...superb..
Comment by Acai Berry, 27th October, 2009
You can get Acai Berry in Qatar now. Best place to buy it is online, I have read a ton of great reviews about this site. Took me 4 business days to get my products from the US. Quality is amazing, really helped me.
http://www.acaiberryboutique.com
Comment by Jorge O, 28th September, 2009
I am a Filipino who worked in Doha just rcently. I visited Villagio n City Center Mall in Doha in many occasions during holidays and Friday where workers, like me, have the chance to shop or simply go out and relax. I was surprised to learn that these malls dont allow single males, alone or in groups or if they don't have females in tow as what they call as family days, hence for families only. But what struck me as it's simply a discrimination against race when I lingered around for a few hours and noticed that the guards really allowed Caucasians, alone or in groups of 2 or more, to enter the mall without getting stopped or questioned. But when a lone man or groups of men who appeared to be from Asian countries judging on their skin color and facial features, they are outrightly refused entry and shooed away like 'this is for the rich only' mall. White men, alone or in groups, don't have problems getting in at all.
Comment by LG, 7th September, 2009
I visited the Villagio mall in March of 2009. I am a white american with blonde hair and blue eyes...I did not face any racial barriers. I found the people to be very kind and helpful when I went into the shops. I actually went there twice and both times I have never witnessed someone at the door only allowing Arabic people. There were people of all sorts of ethnic backgrounds. This mall seemed very family oriented. I recommend this mall to anyone. I thought the cielings were awesome, but the whole entire mall was so beautiful. Much nicer than any mall I have ever visited in America.
Comment by alex fernandes, 7th July, 2009
Quite simply Villagio is the best Mall in Qatar, even though it is only half finished. specially the ceilings is the best i like i feel like going again and again just to see the ceilling.
Comment by Davide, 3rd July, 2009
I've been there and it's interesting. Do you know what time The Villagio close at night?
Comment by Blueach, 17th June, 2009
Hii Ryan,
I think you are in human, in sensitive, person may god bless you and teach you or show you right path to respect fellow human beings immaterial from where they are from.
Comment by ryan, 2nd June, 2009
stop complaining u (edited). i guess tht ur frm india so return to ur (edited) country. we dnt need uncivilised (edited) in qatar. ur polluting the place no wonder tht the saleman teath u badly. i been there myself loads of time b4 n i can assure u tht the salemen r very nice. am middle easten btw n am pround to b. btw bcome human n wear normal clothes mayb ppl will threat u better. i hate (racist comment removed)
Comment by DIRTY, 21st April, 2009
DAMN IT SOUNDS LIKE THIS MALL SUCKS!
Comment by elena, 28th February, 2009
i just recently moved to qatar as my husband landed a job with an oil company here.we went to villagio to buy my daughter's track bottom.first we went to reebok but sadly,the service was not good.the sales person told me that my daughter's size is not available for that particular item and went on to do his business.so,we looked around on our own.later,a few white people came in and did not ask for any assistance but this sales person quickly approached them with smiling face and asked if he could help.i am an asian and felt as if i was not worthy of his time and assistance.i am not blaming the white people as it is not their fault people are treating them nice but what has this world come to?this is not my first time experiencing this lack of service.i asked my other asian friends and they told me the same.we are treated as if we could not afford the things in the shop.the staffs should treat all customers equally regardless of the colour of the skin especially so,when the colour is the same as the staff's.
Comment by Dereck D., 11th January, 2009
I am American, and have visted the mall before. I was not stopped in any capacity and roamed free with in its walls. The Virgin store is HUGE and reminds me of a FYE on steroids. The JCC store was the only thing I made a purchase from, but it was quite the experience.
Comment by Mohd Hafiz, 1st January, 2009
i've been there once..but the problem is only arabic people is allowed to go in there..not only Villagio even city center and other shopping mall... so there's no point Qatar promoting this place.
Comment by Villagio, 23rd December, 2008
Actually,Villagio isn't busy at all,there's always parking space.It's nice but I think it lacks "life".The first time I went there,I felt like I was in lost world because there was very few people in the mall.What makes it better than City Center is the Virgin stores(Video games and books) and the availability of parking space.But I still think City Center is nicer.By the way,to Amr,I think they didn't let you in because it was a "family only" day,not because you don't look Arab.They never dare discriminate people like that,I'm sure you're wrong.And in Qatar,never expect good service anywhere,most of the workers barely speak English and were raised in the jungle.
Comment by Amr, 9th December, 2008
It’s very embarrassing moment in my life, I visit Villagio Shopping Mall, On the Stadium entrance side, one of the security person stop me and informed that only Arab’s allowed in this mall; shopping mall management advice same, it’s very strange, I had visited same place, actually I’m Egyptian, I had seen many time, security person stopping Asians people, many times I was wondering WHY they are doing that???????
Comment by Guest, 6th December, 2008
"Villaggio" is the biggest mall in Qatar now; however it is not yet completed....but probably by mid of 2009 from the look of it.
Comment by Osama Al gailey, 22nd November, 2008
I bought on the 5th of October two PSPs for my twin sons from Virgin Megastores at Villagio.After a couple of weeks one of the PSPs is not working so i went back to the store to see whats the problem.They took the PSP and kept it to fix from the begining of November.I visited them on the 22nd of Nov.They made me wait for 30 min and they told me by mistake it has been given to anthor customer (who is holding invoice number 13).I am not happy with the service there.The supervisor came and spoke with sales lady and he promised by tomorrow 4.00pm they will have it back from the sony workshop.Iam still waiting for a soultion for this problem because i will not accept my PSP if it has been used by another customer for more than 10 days.
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