Originally Posted by
stargold
Stayed in Alila, and visited the Anantara for lunch on our way down. At the risk of contradicting earlier posters, the two are not even close, despite comparable rates.
Alila is a proper 5* which blends in with the mountain surroundings in a perfect isolated location, small enough to be peaceful and relaxing. You go there and realise the whole place just works.
Anantara on the other hand is an oversized concrete complex located off a questionable looking village, with the distinct feel of a package tour resort. The lunch was also bad, both in terms of food and service.
I would absolutely echo this sentiment.
Alila is a tranquil low rise resort, beautifully integrated into an isolated canyon.
The F&B are incredible and the service was Aman level, without question.
The activities were also excellent, ranging from the adrenaline fuelled to moments of deep cultural understanding.
Easily one of my favourite hotel stays ever.
Anantara is a concrete monstrosity right by a main road, on the outskirts of a town that is frequented by day trippers.
I can't talk to the quality of the soft product but one look at the hotel and I knew we'd made the right decision in picking Alila.
Elsewhere I found the Chedi to be extremely disappointing. After the serenity of Alila, getting gouged for mediocre F&B at an overrun resort factory was a real blow. Muscat Opera house was fantastic as is the diving in the area, otherwise I would recommend opting out of Muscat entirely and spending as much time as possible in the mountains.