This is a relatively new part of town which is home to many embassies – see if you can identify the flags – and the country’s most prestigious multi billion dollar development The Pearl. The area is pretty smart, with massive villas, but it’s rather sprawling and lacking in atmosphere. It would suit families who like a bit of peace and quiet, but it could be a bit lonely. However, once The Pearl opens, there will at least be a lively destination nearby.

There are plenty of huge stand alone villas and some compounds, the biggest is West Bay Lagoon, which isn’t like a typical compound. Houses really are stand alone, but there are facilities like tennis courts and play parks, and there are mini-compounds within the site, too. It covers a large area and residents have access to private beaches. Houses have pools and a six-bed villa is around QR 35,000 a month. Apartments are also available to rent and buy at the striking twin Zig Zag towers.

There are very few local shops, just a couple of well-stocked convenience stores at the south and west gates of West Bay Lagoon. All this will change when The Pearl and Lagoon Plaza (at the bottom of the Zig Zag towers) open, both will have restaurants, shops, cinemas and entertainment zones. For now, the vast City Centre mall is a short drive away with a big Carrefour and countless other shops as well as a cinema, kids’ play areas, an ice rink, and bowling alley. Also for kids in West Bay is My Center (498 0099) a franchise with play classes to help children develop, it’s opposite the International Exhibitions Centre on Lusail Street.

Until The Pearl and Lagoon Plaza are finished, the hotels are the only eating out options – the Tex Mex Paloma’s at the Intercontinental (484 4919) is really lively with good bands, and the Ritz Carlton has the smart, but not stuffy, Italian Porcini’s (484 8000). Opening in summer 2008 is the terribly trendy W Hotel (499 6530) which has the Spice Market restaurant, influenced by Asian street food. City Centre mall also has loads of cafes and restaurants including Nandos and Pizza Express together with a couple of food courts. . The soon to be completed Cultural Village is in West Bay, too, which brings together theatres, art galleries, and a heritage centre. There are plenty of hotels around, and many more under construction, with leisure clubs. The Ritz Carlton (484 8503), Intercontinental (484 4919), Four Seasons (494 8888) and Sheraton (485 4444) all have beaches. The Golf Club (496 0777) is also nearby with great simple food and a welcome dose of greenness, and the Diplomatic Club, (484 7444) which has quite a large local membership, has a great beach and is good for water sports.

There are a few schools around West Bay, with more planned. Newton International School (411 0014), the French School (496 0303) and Qatar International School (483 3456) are there now. More nurseries are springing up, too with Fun First nursery (411 0953) and Starfish Lane’s second branch (487 5939) already open. Qatar University (485 2222) and the Canadian College of the North Atlantic (495 2222) are close by.

Traffic is quite light (by Doha Standards), but it’s likely to get much worse once the Pearl is occupied.

There is still a lot of construction work in this area which will go on for several more years.