Doc Holiday: The cheaper alternative to Doha airport hotels

If you've got a stopover in Doha, it is worth asking your airline this question.

Escape's Doc Holiday, Dilvin Yasa, answers your travel-related questions.

We have a 10-hour overnight stopover in Doha and while we’ve investigated airport hotels, the price for two ranged from $380 to $650. Please help.

First, check whether your airline offers complimentary transit accommodation. Qatar Airways, for example, provides this (as well as transfers to and from the hotel) for passengers who have a transit time of eight to 24 hours, with no immediate connections.

If not, all is not lost. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve had to unexpectedly overnight in Doha lately as a result of missed connections and can recommend Central Inn Souq Waqif and the delightfully cheap (around $80 a night) Wonder Palace – both less than 15 minutes’ drive from Hamad International Airport. 

The good news? You won’t need a visa, and taxis are easily available. Just remember you’ll need to get back three hours before your connecting flight.

Trafalgar Tours have a 10-day USA Food and Music Tour of Nashville, Memphis and New Orleans, which includes a visit to Sun Studios.

My wife and our daughter are huge Elvis fans and I’d like to send them on a trip that includes Graceland. Can you recommend any tour operators?

What lucky ladies. You are so thoughtful to be booking a trip like this for them.

Your email mentioned Trafalgar Tours and you’re right, they do have a 10-day USA Food and Music Tour of Nashville, Memphis and New Orleans where day five is entirely devoted to The King. This includes a tour of Graceland and a visit to Sun Studios.

Intrepid Travel offers a Tennessee Music Trail to New Orleans, which starts in Nashville and makes its way to Memphis then on to New Orleans. This one is only seven days, so perhaps a bit shorter than you’d like, but it does include Graceland and the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, as well as a cooking class, a jazz brunch in New Orleans and a Studio B tour with a recording session in Nashville.

I travelled to Memphis on my own a couple of years ago and had a ball. Graceland day tours are easily booked.

I think Tauck’s nine-day Music of America: Nashville to New Orleans could be a winner, if only for the fact that it includes a guided, after-hours tour of Graceland and dinner at the Elvis Presley Automobile Museum.

If they’d like to travel with other Elvis fans, they could also consider booking a multi-day Elvis tour, such as those offered by Newmarket Holidays, or Strictly Elvis UK, which includes a stop in Hawaii. Included flights are from London but fans wishing to join from outside the UK can contact them at [e-mail].

For the full Elvis experience, would they consider travelling independently? I travelled to Memphis on my own a couple of years ago and had a ball. Graceland day tours are easily booked and they’ll then also have the time to eat fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches at Elvis’s favourite restaurant, Arcade, visit Sun Studios, and shop (or browse) The Lansky Bros store where Elvis first developed his signature style. 

Fans can also check out the Memphis Music Hall of Fame.

Fans can also check out the Memphis Music Hall of Fame, see the Elvis statue on Beale Street, and although not Elvis-related, visit what is surely one of the most important museums around, the National Civil Rights Museum. It’s across the road from Arrive, an impossibly hip hotel.

Check Qantas, United Airlines and American Airlines for flights from Brisbane, or better yet, speak with your travel agent to find the flights that suit their needs best.

Plenty of tour operators spruik luxury day tours of Athens, and one that enjoys a stellar reputation is Private Tours Greece.

We’re on a relocation cruise out of Athens, where we have three days. Do you have any recommendations for half- or full-day tours?

Plenty of tour operators spruik luxury day tours of Athens, and one that enjoys a stellar reputation is Private Tours Greece. They offer a variety of multi-day holidays and day tours, including a gourmet food walking tour, a private boat trip (with skipper) to explore the likes of Agistri, Aegina and Moni, or an opportunity to create your own perfect itinerary.

Some of the best tours I’ve enjoyed recently have been booked through Get Your Guide. I like to book a selection of shorter tours back-to-back rather than a full “Athens in a day” tour as the shorter ones tend to be more in-depth and offer real value for money. 

Many of Athens’ main attractions are close to one another near the central neighbourhoods of Acropolis, Plaka and Monastiraki.

Since you’re on a relocation cruise, I recommend taking a look at the Hydra, Poros and Aegina Day Cruise with Lunch, a Meteora Monasteries Day Trip with caves and lunch, or a full-day, all-inclusive private tour of Athens with a private driver.

I will say, however, that taxis are easy to find and relatively cheap so there’s no reason you can’t explore Athens independently. Many of Athens’ main attractions are close to one another near the central neighbourhoods of Acropolis, Plaka and Monastiraki.

Need help?

Doc Holiday is on duty to answer your travel questions. Email [e-mail]. Personal replies are unfortunately not possible.

Originally published as Doc Holiday: The cheaper alternative to Doha airport hotels