V-Flyer

We stayed at Bewleys the night before and this was good as usual. Used the stay and park option (104 for two people and 14 nights parking) and was seamless.

Check in.
Dedicated for Business with red carpet on approach with no one in line. Polite staff who explained fast pass security and lounge access for Manchester and Doha. We were given boarding passes and through check in and security in less than 5 minutes.

Lounges.
Manchester uses the Servisair lounge that is ok with usual drinks, snacks etc. No external windows so we found it claustrophobic. I always compare the lounges at Manchester with the BA one which is excellent, so maybe they are not that bad when judged by themselves.
Doha lounge is a different proposition. From getting on the aircraft at Manchester to getting on the connecting flight to Cape Town, we did not see economy passengers. It works like this. The aircraft comes to a stop. Business class passengers are allowed to get organised then leave the aircraft when they are ready. A dedicated coach is waiting that takes you to the new Business/1st class only terminal. They check you in via your boarding card and pass through a dedicated security check then you enter the lounge. This has waterfalls, restaurants, showers, rooms with latest Sony games, massage rooms, bed rooms for longer stay overs and comfortable seating every where. The whole place is very tranquil and open. There are departure update boards but staff walk around advising passengers which flights are boarding.
When it is time to board, you go back down the main escalators to the boarding gates. Because it is for Business only the time to go through is seconds. The bus then takes you to the aircraft where we board again. The economy passengers have already boarded.
Lounge at Cape Town is the same one used by Virgin.

On the aircraft. Man to Doha - Airbus A330-300.
Cabin crew welcome you and take us to our seats. They explain how the seat works and ask us if we would like a pre-take off drink. They also took our order for after take off drink. All the staff were of different nationalities and were immaculately dressed. Their attention to detail is amazing and any customer service training Qatar has carried out has certainly been worthwhile. The aircraft was very clean and the seats looked new. The tables and trim were a black veneered wood finish with the main seats being in Qatar colours of grey and burgundy. Screens are large and very clear. Entertainment system is called Waves and is on demand with a vast array of new and classic films, TV programs, comedy, documentaries, sports and travel. Music choice again was huge with the option to make up you own album to listen to. All programs can be paused, re-wound etc. Seats are in 2s, 6 across and 8 rows. This was 5 rows on the A330-200 from Doha to Cape Town. Each window seat has 2.5 windows. Legroom was excellent and the 2 seat side by side formation is my favourite. Seat had standard pre-programmed settings that allowed you to press one button for each of eating, take off and sleeping. There were also infinite manual settings. Seat went flat but was slightly angled and I slept well but it was not as good as the Virgin Upper class bed. The seat would have been very good if it was just more horizontal in the feet area. Head phones were noise cancelling. Amenity kit was on the seat on arrival and was by Aigner. It was very comprehensive.
After take off the Cabin services manager came and introduced himself and explained that if we needed anything to contact him. Again, the training here meant that this came across as very sincere.
Menus were handed out along with the wine list. I can only say that for aircraft food, every meal we were served was exceptional. Our napkins were laid across our laps prior to being served, everything was presented in a way that screams good training. This even goes down to how they place the salt and pepper pots out on our tables. Cutlery was plastic on the Manchester - Doha legs and metal on Doha - Cap Town legs
Wine list was;
1997 Laurent-Perrier Brut Millesime champagne- France.
2003 Sancere Jean Paul Balland - France.
2004 Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay Australia.
2001 Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte Grand Cru Bordeaux - France.
2004 Ca`Marcanda Promis Italy.
2001 Burton Shiraz Australia.

All food was individually plated and served at your seat. Dessert and cheese and biscuits with luxury chocolates followed the three main courses. My wife opted for the low fat options that were of equal quality to the normal offerings.
Our flight arrived in Cape Town approx. 20 minutes before a BA 747. We sailed through immigration in approx 5 minutes. All staff were very friendly.

As for South Africa. We travelled to the Victoria and Alfred waterfront, Simonstown, Cape Point, Hermanus, Stellenbosch, Franschoek and Camps Bay. We decided to support the local car hire companies rather than use Hertz etc. and the roads were fantastic. Nice and smooth with gorgeous views. Food was very inexpensive, even Le Francais Quartier in Franschoek. We got a glass of wine for 0.55 each in Stellenbosch and everyone we met was friendly. It was as though they are all one second away from smiling! Ref. my previous posting on lost and found, I left my glasses (again) and walked off. This time in a bar on the V&A waterfront. Sitting in a restaurant, I was tapped on my shoulder 15 minutes later by the waiter from the bar. He offered me my glasses then shot off back to his bar without even thinking about a tip! If only the person in Liverpool had been the same, I may have got that pair back from the Easyjet flight.
As for crime? An Indian guy in front of me had his shopping bag stolen in broad daylight when we were at Cape Point. The thief disappeared into the nearby bushes and promptly began to devour the contents of the bag. A South African native? Yes, but a baboon that seemed far more dangerous than the South African people. Of course there is crime, but sensible precautions are all that are needed ,as with any major city. We saw nothing and felt no threat during our stay. Although one young lady with a baby did ask me for money and when I politely declined, she said she would spit in my coffee. I thought this to be strange since I was not drinking any, until my wife pointed out that she had said spit in my coffin! I don`t know if this was a threat or a tradition, but this was the only slightly negative thing we came across.
If you get the chance to fly Qatar Business class, I would recommend them. You can see why they are rated as 5 star. If you get chance to visit South Africa, I would also recommend this very highly.