Anyone been to Al Bustan since the renovations? We are going to stay at Anantara in the mountains (I know people here like Alila better, but my wife was big into Anantara as it seemed more kid-friendly (bringing our 2 year old), and my in-laws are coming and we wanted to stay in a 2BR and that is out of our price range at Anantara) and will likely spend 2-3 days at the beach beforehand.
Al Bustan seems like the best option (Al Husn doesn't allow kids), no? We really like beautiful natural settings and the mountains. My in-laws would really like to do something beach-y, and Zighy Bay is too hard to get too/too expensive.
Anyone have any insight into the best room to book? Right now debating between lagoon access and just going for the base room (mountain view) and seeing if we might be able to get upgraded. Anyone know if all of the rooms were updated in the recent renovations?
We'll be coming from the UAE so could potentially try other beach options there, but they don't look as picturesque. The best stuff in Dubai (One and Only and FS) are out of our price range; could do Waldorf Astoria, Oberoi Al Zorah, or Ritz Carlton Ras al Khaimah/Al Hamra, but the first two seem pretty blah (no mountains, etc.) and the latter would really stretch the budget. Also thought about Salalah and the Anantara resort there, but it similarly is a little modern for our taste, I'm a little scared about being so close to Yemen (perhaps unjustifiably), and it would make the travel harder vs. somewhere I could drive to or from in the UAE or somewhere driving distance from Muscat. Any other good beach options I'm missing (that would be OK for a 2 year old)?
Thank you!