When I was choosing a hotel in Salalah, it came down to the Crowne Plaza or the Hilton. I ended up booking the Hilton, but once I arrived, I regretted not choosing the Crowne Plaza instead. Here’s why.

When the taxi driver dropped me at the hotel, I was incredibly relieved. His car had no seatbelts, and it genuinely felt as it could fall apart at any moment during the journey.


Hotel


At the hotel reception, the staff were fantastic. We had a good laugh, and they were quite amused to learn about a nearby tourist destination famous for its frankincense trees, something they, as locals, had never even heard of. By the time I left the reception, my head was so full of information (breakfast time, pool opening, location of each place, etc..) that I managed to forget half of it before I even reached my room.


Entrance

View from the reception area

Decoration: Omani daggers

Meeting rooms

Gift shop (always closed)

Another store

For those who wanted to play tennis

Of course, I had to inspect everything, so here are all the photos of the room:


Hallway with rooms on both sides

King bed

Bathroom

Bathroon - view from the shower

Amenities

Shower gel, shampoo and conditioner

Desk I used a lot while working

Not sure if it is just a sofa or a sofabed

Different angle


Horrible coffee. I am glad I always carry my own

Wardrobe with a safety box

A nice surprise was waiting for me

The room had a small balcony overlooking the pool and the sea. However, when I returned to the room, I could not get the air conditioning to work. I considered calling reception, but decided to investigate first. After retracing all my steps and still having no luck, I realised it might be something to do with the balcony door. Indeed, there was a trick: once the door was closed, you had to push the second panel until it clicked. Only then did the air conditioning start working.


Balcony with the pool view (and sea)
Hearing so many European languages around the hotel, I began to suspect that it was popular with holidaymakers. A quick search confirmed this, many travel agencies offered packages starting at around 1,000 euros for a week including flights. The hotel ticked all the boxes for a typical holidaymaker: a bed, a pool, a beach, and restaurants.

There were two pools: a children’s pool with water up to my knees (not theirs🙂 ), and a larger pool with a depth of 1.5 metres.


Day view

Night view

I hear some parents complaining that the kids area was not as big as advertised, and the kids were disappointed.

Kids area

The hotel also had a beach, but it was a public one with views of the local port. The water had a strong smell, yet people still swam there. Numerous signs warned about dangerous rip currents. And, as it was a public beach, it was not as clean as you might expect from a private resort beach.


To the beach

Manual lawn mowing

The beach (and the port)

Hotel

Breakfast was served buffet-style. There was a wide variety on offer: cold mezze, salads, vegetables, breads, a continental breakfast spread, hot dishes, fresh fruit, sweets, pancakes, and an egg station where eggs could be cooked to order.
















Guests could choose to sit indoors, where it was cool, or outside with better views of the pool and beach. However, eating outside came with its own hazards. Local crows were always watching and would swoop in to steal unattended food. The staff did their best to keep them at bay, but with only one person on duty, it was an impossible task.


I had to try everything

The biggest drawback of this hotel was its location. There was nothing nearby – no markets, no restaurants, just a rather ugly port. If I could choose again, I would book the Crowne Plaza or find a hotel closer to the city centre.


Café, but it was closed

Café

Pool Bar and Palm Groove restaurant

Guests on full board did not have to worry about finding dinner, as it was served in the same restaurant as breakfast. Fortunately, there was another option on-site: Palm Grove restaurant. When I spotted lobster on the menu, I was excited, but when I asked, they told me it was frozen rather than fresh. Instead, I went for a local classic, the Mishkak Grill, and ended the meal with a pistachio crème brûlée made with camel milk.


Palm Groove restaurant

Mishkak grill. I specifically said no yogurt...

Camel milk crème brûlée

One morning, after breakfast, I went for a walk to explore the area. As I was taking pictures of some nearby buildings, a whole herd of camels suddenly appeared. All the tourists, myself included, hurried to take photos of them.

Vorel was here!

I was the only one there

Here they are!