Rou Chater travels to Fuwairit Kite Beach in Qatar and discovers a purpose-built shrine to kiteboarding that is truly unique. It’s not just the incredible hotel; the wind blows every day, and the endless turquoise lagoons mean this place should be on your bucket list. It’s truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

I first went to Qatar in June 2022. It was my first big trip after COVID-19, and the Global Kiteboarding Association signed an agreement with Qatar Airways to sponsor the world tour. They wanted some journalists and riders out there for a few days to see what they were building and what Qatar had to offer to the kiteboarding community. 

Before that trip, Qatar had never really been on my radar as a destination to visit. I’d heard a lot about kiteboarding in the Middle East but never been able to sample it myself. Sadly, I didn’t get to kite during that trip as I was in full photo mode for the short time we were there. I bagged a front cover for the magazine with Aaron Hadlow but not a session on the water. 

With unfinished business, I was super keen to head back there, and last month, I finally got the chance to tick another kiteboarding destination off the list. When we were there in 2022, we were shown a model of what the hotel and kite school would look like. Nothing could have prepared me for what I discovered just two years later. 

Walking into the lobby at the Hilton Fuwairit Kite Beach is an experience; it's a vast glass atrium filled with one of the most stylish kite-inspired interiors you will ever find. With VW campers, cool scooters everywhere, and art dedicated to our sport that's larger than anything I’ve ever seen, it feels like you have stepped into Willy Wonker's chocolate factory, except it’s not chocolate; it's kites. 

The whole resort is purpose-built from the ground up on a site popular with kiteboarders in Qatar for the last twenty years. Sarah Lord is the pioneering force behind this incredible destination. With support from Qatar Airways and Discover Qatar, it’s as if your wildest kiteboarding dreams have been recreated and placed firmly on the map. 

While the hotel is purpose-built, the spot itself is entirely natural, and it’s something of a phenomenon. Right out the front, a large lagoon stretches as far as the eye can see. White sand adorns the beach, and the sky is an azure blue to match the turquoise water. The lagoon is littered with sandbars and small islands, creating incredible flat water spots. The wind blows warm, steady, and surprisingly strong for the Middle East. 

The season here runs from November until the end of July, with cooler temperatures to April; you’ll need a shorty wetsuit if you visit. You’ll experience warmer board-short conditions as summer starts to get going from May to July. August and September are hotter, and the wind is less predictable. If you love the heat, come later in the season; if you want to stay cool, head here earlier. It’s as simple as that. The wind blows most days from 8 am until 6 pm, and we were blessed with over 25 knots for the entire duration of our stay. 

It’s a perfect spot for all skill levels. Beginners will enjoy the flat water, consistent winds and plenty of space, and everyone else will love it for those exact reasons, too. It’s perfect for flat water and freestyle, and you can even find some small waves on the ocean side of the lagoon on really windy days. We had 25 knots plus daily, which was great for sending some jumps and loops and doing many unhooked tricks. At high tide, there is enough water in the lagoon to foil, and at low tide, there are some incredible spots on the ocean side that you can play on. You can foil in the ocean at all states of tide, too; you’ll just need to walk across the lagoon at low tide to get there. 

The hotel is part of the Hilton Tapestry Collection and is second to none. It has incredible rooms, a fantastic restaurant and pool area, and a well-stocked bar with beers priced at £10 per pint, which is very reasonable for Qatar prices. If you come during happy hour, most drinks are half-price, so that’s cheaper than most pints in the UK.

The real jewel in the crown, though, is the incredible kite centre; it’s unlike any other I have seen before, not just in size but also in the amount of gear and the incredible staff working there. You don’t need to bring anything but your harness when you visit; they have all the latest kites, boards and wing gear from Duotone. If there isn’t any wind, they have efoils and electric jet boards to keep you entertained, as well as paddle boards for exploring. 

The staff are all fantastic and accommodating; just rock up, ready to roll, and they will set your kite up and have you on the water in no time. They all kitesurf, even the beach staff, so they are knowledgeable about the conditions and what you need. The instructors are all IKO qualified, super patient with the students, and equipped with Bluetooth headsets. It would be a great place to come and spend a week learning to kite; you’d make progress quickly here. A combination of the conditions, staff, and equipment makes it one of the best places to learn to kitesurf. 

In the evenings you can play pool, play table football and enjoy a drink while watching the sunset. There is also an outdoor cinema, a five-a-side beach, a football pitch, and a volleyball court. A ridiculously well-equipped gym and stunning yoga studio finish what's on offer here. There is certainly plenty to keep you entertained. If you can make a trip to the Souk one evening just to sample a bit of local Qatari life, the hotel will soon get its own shuttle bus to bring downtown Doha closer to the spot.

The transfer is only an hour, which is short by the standards of many places. At night, the lights of Doha light up the journey; by day, you can see some of the stunning buildings, too. It’s an easy spot to get to from Europe and beyond, with many direct flights operated as Doha is a transit hub. It’s one of those airports with direct flights from just about every corner of the world, so this incredible spot should be within your reach. 

If you have done a fair bit of travelling on your kiteboarding journey, you’ll want to put this on the list. It’s got the lagoons of Brazil without the crowds, the winds of Egypt but with a little more punch, and a resort hotel that is quite simply out of this world and like nothing I have ever seen before. 

I loved kiting here. As many of you know, twin tips aren’t my thing, but I got right back into big air riding and busting out the old repertoire from days gone by. The water is flat, the wind is warm, and crashing really is a pleasure when the water feels like a bath. It’s a great place to come and improve your riding, learn to ride, or hone those high-end tricks you’ve wanted to work on. 

As word gets out about this place, it will become more popular, but with only 50 rooms at the hotel, it’s almost guaranteed not to be busy on the water. If you want a different experience from your kiteboarding holiday, where luxury and excellent conditions meet in a melting pot of kitesurfing awesomeness, get to Fuwairit Kite Beach. You won’t regret it!

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Travel Guide - Fuwairit Kite Beach - Qatar
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