BootsnAll Travel Community

So I was so glad it seems I will get a free stopover in Doha, Qatar. Until I browsed some internet pages and got the impression I will be looking at like 100USD a night for accommodation! For me, who have often been paying paying 2-3 dollars a night on my backpacking adventures, it seems like it´s hardly worth it. This sort of ruins the whole incentive for doing the journey with a free stop over.

What I am wondering is this:
Are there any hostels (in this case price is everything) in Doha and other places in Qatar? How much would they cost?

Is it possible to visit Dubai overland and returning to Doha for my next flight? Or would I have to fly? Suppose that would invariably turn out expensive? On that take, I ask the same question if there is any cheap accommodation in Dubai (and UAE in general).
The question of daily expenses greatly matters for how many days I will choose to stay (and I sort of have to decide now) - of course I wouldn´t mind staying there long if there is a way to maintain low daily expenses and if there is lots to see and, again, it is possible to do/see these things without breaking the bank. The thing is, I just got this hunch of doing this trip as a stopover like yesterday and I really haven´t got a clue about anything related to Qatar (or UAE for that matter), so if anyone on the board has visited these places please help.

I might also get a stopover in Bahrain, so am wondering about the exact same things for that destination: Daily costs, hostels, things to do and affordability of these activities, recommended stay when on a budget etc.

On a sidenote, I understand there is no problem getting a visa on arrival at the airport in Doha? If that´s correct, anyone know what the current visa fee is?

I was also excited that I might take a stop over in Addis Ababa, until I read on some websites that you need "at least 100USD" for the visa on arrival! I find that so incredibly stupid that it almost feels like it´s not gonna be worth stopping there for a few days just because of the visa fee - especially since Ethiopia seems like such a cheap country when it comes to basics anyway.
Anyway, enough of my ranting about stuff that doesn´t really matter for this thread - ignore the Ethiopia talk and focus on my predicament regarding my stop over in Doha.

Thanks!

I don't know of any places to sleep in Qatar, but I have had a similar expirance. I want to Muscat, Oman on my last vacation. Every single hotel online was about $100 a night. This seemed hugly expensive to me. So when we decided to not book ahead and see what we could stumble upon. We ended up at a place that was $40 for a double. It's still not $2-3 a night, but it's better than $100.

wow the prices I read in lonely planet worked out to about half that. I was getting 50-60 a night, but even so, that is expensive for a backpacker. I guess I won't be going to Qatar anymore.

Doha was meant to be the 1st port on my rtw trip, but it was in January - the flights were quite expensive but I booked them as i was so excited, then when I was looking for somewhere to stay they were all booked up as there is something on - so I cancelled my flight and booked Dubai instead (althjough I had to pay cancellation wavier it still worked out cheaper), little did I know there arent really hostels there either.....

I did a bit more revision beore I planned the rest of my trip....

Mand