My favourite way to spend a weekend: My wife and I are members at the Sharq Village & Spa, and that’s just amazing. I also go sailing with some of the guys from work. We each hire little laser yachts and go sailing off The Pearl. It gets a little competitive, and, invariably, someone capsizes, though the water is so warm here that it’s actually rather pleasant to fall in.
My favourite restaurant: That’s easy. At the Ritz-Carlton there is an Italian restaurant called Porcini and it has never let us down. There’s any number of Italian restaurants but they look after you so well – it’s quality. There’s also another sushi place called Oishi Sushi in the Royal Plaza next to the cinema. It’s a tiny little hole in the wall but you walk in and it’s a huge restaurant and it’s the best sushi I’ve had. It even beats the sushi I’ve had in London.
My favourite view: It’s the Corniche. And you don’t even need to be high up. When you’re looking at the Sheraton at night time or when it’s close to dark, and it’s lit up and people are out walking, with the beautiful blue water. It’s the best view in Doha.
My favourite place to escape: A brand new park has opened behind the Villaggio Mall and it sounds really simple, but you almost feel like you’re in New York or London. It has fountains and walking tracks, it’s green, there are families and, in that sense, it’s escapism.
My favourite thing about my job: Everything. I love the fact that I come to work and I don’t know what’s going to happen. You’re just going about a normal, pedestrian day and something happens like Benazir Bhutto being assassinated and you spring into action.
