CanaryWharf

Shangri-La Al Jissah

Oman has very strict COVID-19 measures and it doesn’t sound like they are in a rush to re-open for tourism. Just something to keep in mind!

Nizar

I would agree with this recommendation.
Stayed there back in 2017 as a couple and didn't love it.
But for kids/families, it would be quite the paradise.

chinmoylad

Six Senses Zighy Bay?

sophialite

There’s a new Alila in Salalah, giving an amazing city its first bona fide luxury hotel. Paired with the Alila Jebel Akdhar, more reasons to go to Oman and enjoy its rich cultural heritage.

Truly sad that the Chedi fell off a cliff. It was one of my favorite places in the world.

SanDiego1K

FTer @khabah stayed there earlier this month and rates it highly.

Alila Hinu Bay, Oman

khabah

I haven't come across this thread before, and want to chime in on a few things as someone based in Muscat... and because this being Oman, information is either unavailable or released in the vaguest, loosely-worded and most self-contradictory of ways:

• Oman's COVID numbers have been bad - we had a spell for a few weeks this summer with over 2000 cases and 30+ deaths a day, the hospitals are overflowing and Oman is the slowest vaccinator in the region. Despite the government oscillating between gently urging people to follow the rules and threatening the punishment of lockdowns, the general attitude is that now that the vaccines are here, COVID is over. Omanis have been gathering and having their weddings and family events at home, and they are the biggest load of new cases... yet the government has been working extra hard to placate them by removing the mandatory week-long institutional hotel quarantine on arrival into the country for Omanis while mandating that it stays in place for all non-Omanis. Now the Omanis get to go to their multi-generational homes, and come what may.
• CanaryWharf said it: Oman is in no rush to reopen. It's strange because their economy is falling off a cliff, and with the entire country propped up on money borrowed from other countries and international organizations for decades, their characterfully slow realization that oil isn't going to be the backbone of their welfare state and now COVID exacerbating their weaknesses, times are tough. The current Sultan has his hands full coming into a country that's had the same ruler for 50 years, dealing with the distrust of being a new face, having to deal with the bad numbers Oman is running on, needing to trim the largesse and at the same time placate a growing population demanding that their welfare rights are met... so Oman has been going on a populist bender these last few months by opening up new public sector jobs in the police/state security/intelligence services and Omanizing private sector jobs, with hundreds of thousands of expats having already left and more leaving by the day.
• The tourism industry has been massacred; it's bad enough with COVID, but the Omani government has really done a number on the local industry by keeping everything closed and not being imaginative or pragmatic with how to keep things running. Hotels barely have single-digit occupancy during the week and might crawl up to 30-odd percent on weekends, shop vendors in souks are waiting for some form of deliverance and the general attitude is one that is increasingly burning out... but of course, being essentially an authoritarian state [albeit a gentler one than, say, the UAE and Saudi Arabia], nobody airs their grievances publicly.
• We just started a 24-hour stay-at-home lockdown that will be in effect until July 24th, at which point we're going to a 5 PM to 4 AM curfew through the end of July. This might be extended into August; we'll only know closer to the end of the current month. The pattern here is consistent with the rest of the world: cases go up, lockdown. Cases go down, everything reopens and when the cases go back up, lockdown. They really like their lockdowns here.
• Oman confusingly announced that the governorates of Musandam in the north and Dhofar in the southwest are open to visitors, and will ONLY be open to residents of Oman who have received at least one dose of a vaccine recognized by Oman whereas foreigners must have had TWO doses of a locally-recognized vaccine... this being said while all land and air borders remain closed and no directives given to reopen them. Do note that Oman currently recognizes the Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Sputnik and Sinopharm vaccines. I got the J&J shot in the United States last month, and it's as good as nothing here since they don't recognize it nor do they have any mechanisms in place yet to recognize vaccine certificates issued outside Oman. Also, vaccination status for the time being doesn't matter: if you enter the country from outside, you're quarantining for a week at home if you're Omani and at a hotel if you're not, period. Everyone also has to pay for a test pre-arrival, another test on arrival, a tracking bracelet, another test on your eighth day of quarantine and a fee to remove the bracelet.

It's a bleak situation and outlook, and while I'm aware that many places around the world are dealing with the Delta variant and a new round of closures that no doubt is impacting people's attitudes, I can only speak to the frustration of what's going on here. It's irritating. Many if not most governments have proven to be in over their heads with managing this pandemic, and Oman has taken a particularly lazy and heavy-handed approach at handling things, and it doesn't help when they're visibly and politically placating their locals at the expense of foreigners; it sets the wrong tone and is making things more xenophobic.

Some thoughts about about the hotels:

• I've only been to the Chedi once for lunch a few months ago, and I'm cognizant of its status as a stomping ground for the affluent traveler; being a Gulf national, the Chedi has been especially popular with the Gulf crowd who come to conspicuously consume and ride the status of staying there. The grounds are lovely, but a massive row of faceless multi-story apartment blocks has come up on one end and looms over the property, and the aesthetic - although clean and minimalist - is dated. The time to renovate is yesterday.
• The Grand Hyatt is as ancient as always, having been untouched [except for the TVs] since it opened in 1998: green carpet, wallpaper in the bathroom, brass fixtures - they've got it all. It's kitschy, but it's old and it sadly feels that way. They discussed renovation plans in 2019, but being a family-owned hotel that has moved between different members of the family, I suspect this one is going to stay this way even after the pandemic clears up.
• The W is nice and I lived out of it for two months last year, but it feels out of place here: the boom boom music and "too cool for school" vibe grind against the laid-back character of Muscat, and it's become one of those playgrounds for moneyed Omanis to park their G-Classes, McLarens and Rolls-Royces outside while they drink juice and take staged Instagram shots all over the hotel.
• The InterContinental looks like a parking garage, but is a well-located classic and their renovation has done a great job to make the property appealing. These are probably the nicest physical rooms in Muscat at this point, and two of their restaurants, Takara [Japanese] and Tomato [Italian], are fantastic.
• Haven't been to the Shangri-La since my stay in 2013, but I hear it's getting on in age and design.
• On the horizon, a Jumeirah property is opening in the Muscat Bay development near the Shangri-La. They're aiming to create a local feel by trying to source and work with local vendors, and their current plan after years of delays is to open by November this year.
• As sophialite and SanDiego1K mentioned, there's a new Alila in Dhofar, an hour from Salalah. I stayed there this month and had a most fantastic experience at what I believe is now the best hotel in the country, and one could easily build a delicious trip to Oman by flying into Muscat, spending a few days in the city before zipping up to Alila Jabal Akhdar [a magnificent property that really allows you to appreciate the sheer drama and confident stateliness of the mountains], then cutting down to Dhofar and experiencing Alila Hinu Bay. The two properties really complement one another and provide "Oman on a plate" for those looking to get the most out of their experience.

Don't get me wrong: I love this country. Of all the Gulf states, this one has the most to offer by way of its incredible scenery, the warmth of its people, the diversity of its identity and the fact that it actually maintains its authenticity instead of having to build it from the ground up [looking at you, Dubai and Doha]. I hope every minute of every day that they get their act together and can stage a calculated, constructive reopening that will allow them to share this country with the world again, and once again mutually benefit from having people come back in to boost their economy and for people to enjoy it here, because it is magical and it is so worth it.

I apologize for the verbose nature of this post, but I hope it helps some of you out there with understanding what's going on here and can guide your thoughts as you plan future travel. If anyone has any questions or thoughts, please feel free to reach out.

khabah

CanaryWharf

Thanks khabah - it is not easy to get accurate information about the current situation in Oman, so your post is valuable.

sophialite

Thanks Khabah. I used to live in Oman and love to visit.

any thoughts on the al bustan/ritz and kempinski?

khabah

CanaryWharf My pleasure - glad to be of assistance.

sophialite Hello to a former resident! I've spent some time in the Wave but haven't been to the Kempinski or the Mysk [four-stars, relatively new but a dry hotel/no alcohol for those of you so inclined]. The Kempinski is/was popular among Gulf visitors and Omanis for its design and location in the middle of all the action at the Wave, but I can't vouch for what it's like having never been.

As for the Al Bustan, I had a poor stay in December and find the hotel hilariously overrated: physically, it's a storybook palace set against black mountains with huge grounds and a massive beach. The rooms are only just ok, the food is only just fine and the service is very hit-and-miss. This is the state hotel, owned by the government and is the epicenter of Oman's see-and-be-seen community; their events get booked up, and the who's who of Oman come to play here. I find it all very pretentious, and the hotel provides visibly preferential treatment to their VIP guests over their regular ones. I wouldn't stay here but I would recommend coming for their high tea, which is quite nice and takes place in their beautiful lobby; there's something delightful about sitting under the 40-meter high dome, surrounded by gilded walls and between tendrils of softly sizzling frankincense.

khabah

sophialite

The lobby has been glorious since it was first built, but always a place to visit and never a place to stay. It’s sad the Ritz affiliation and renovation didn’t change that.

Are vaccinated non-Omanis permitted to Salalah? Or do they also have to quarantine? I would do a last minute trip there in a week or so if so.

khabah

The Ritz affiliation means nothing, and as is my experience with Ritz-Carltons, they're just tarted-up Marriotts that are attitudinally up themselves... and the renovation itself is quite lackluster. Some of the rooms were renovated with a wooden scheme that is quite nice if anonymous, but the most recent renovations that were initially beautiful were dumbed down at the last minute and now look like a plain Marriott. Disappointing. Come for tea but stay elsewhere - one shouldn't be marooned out here where there's nothing else but a small residential community anyway.

Vaccinated non-Omani residents of Oman can enter Dhofar with proof of at least one dose of the four vaccines mentioned above, and they said that tourists can enter if they have both doses of those vaccines... but all borders and airports are still closed to tourists. They really need help with their government-level communications, because it's been driving hotels, residents and guests crazy with its horrible wording and lack of sense.

The current round of lockdowns ends on July 31st, but they might be extended. There are rumors that there will be a soft reopening in August, but I don't realistically see tourists being allowed back here until September at the earliest, and unless Oman does away with the quarantine requirement - which it doesn't appear to be with the recent news insisting that all arriving non-Omanis MUST quarantine in hotels for a week - then all bets are off, and I wouldn't plan on coming here for a while yet. Dhofar will be losing yet another khareef season, which was always a boon to their economy.

Sorry to disappoint you. I'll keep this thread updated with news as it comes out.

khabah

SanDiego1K

khabah, thank you for the enormously helpful posts. It helps me be realistic about travel to Oman. You didn't mention Moderna as a recognized vaccine. That's had big take up in the US.

SocialAdept

Thanks to Khabah for a very detailed post on the situation. My wife that has been yearning to go read it in full from my screen with a sad expression on her face. It's sad really as the middle east appears to be the most realistic destination over winter for sunseekers igf youäre travelling out of northern Europe. As you say, there's Dubai and Doha but there's nothing genuine about those destinations compared to what I expect to find in Oman.

khabah

To all the posters above who read my updates: a big thank you for reading through everything! I hope it helps you all; I'm doing what I can to piece together the fustercluck that is the situation in Oman as the transparent dissemination of information seems to be something the people and local culture are violently allergic to.

The health situation has gotten considerably better in the last few weeks - daily cases are now down to the low 200s [a refreshing drop from over 2000 a day this time last month], the stress on the ICUs is gone, and we've been under a curfew from 10 PM to 4 AM for the past two weeks that's on indefinitely. The land borders are still closed, tourists are still not allowed in, gatherings and events are still banned, weddings and Friday prayers aren't permitted and there are capacity restrictions at hotels [no more than 50 percent occupancy at hotels and dining venues, for instance] and malls. I've been hearing different rumors from people within the hospitality industry with connections to government circles, who have told me that there are discussions to reopen the borders at an unspecified time later this year [good God they're slow, sitting on a faltering economy you'd think there'd more impetus to act fast but alas, Omanis will be Omanis] to vaccinated travelers only with proof of vaccination and no quarantine necessary as long as they get negative tests pre- and post-arrival.

Allegedly, over two million of Oman's population of nearly five million have received one dose of a two-shot vaccine regimen but there remains large resistance among natives to take it due to suspicion and skepticism, and Oman has a very convoluted and frankly discriminatory mechanism in place that grants Omanis free access to vaccines, while all foreigners have to pay inflated prices for it via private health centers or their employers. Omanis are also given access to the Pfizer vaccine, while foreigners either get AstraZeneca, Sputnik or Sinopharm depending on their professions or employment. Private sector employees can also get the Pfizer vaccine through their companies, provided they pay ~120 USD out of their own pockets for the vaccine. Considering that the minimum wage for Omanis regardless of academic qualification is 325 rials [~840 USD] and there isn't one in place by law for expats - and most foreign laborers and entry-level staff make no more than 125 rials [~320 USD] a month without factoring in what they pay for rent and living, this is nothing short of appalling and, at least personally, criminal.

Unfortunately, the Supreme Committee that calls all the shots has mysteriously disappeared - they've been radio silent for two full weeks, and we haven't had any indicator about which way things are going. Oddly enough, they arbitrarily raised the occupancy cap for hotels in Dhofar - where there is a notoriously low uptake of vaccine and purportedly high COVID numbers - from 50 to 75 percent to cash in on the influx of domestic tourists for the khareef season, as we have nowhere to go without a brutal quarantine on return from international travel to Oman [one week at home for Omani nationals, eight days in a hotel at your own expense for all foreigners with no exception unless you're a resident over 60, are a resident in the medical/educational sectors, or are a resident with a pre-approved medical condition that exempts you from institutional quarantine]. Oman is missing out on key tourism opportunities, and are now the back of the pack within the GCC as the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and even Saudi Arabia have all reopened at this point. The hotels here are worried that the longer this drags out, the smaller the planning window gets for visitors around the world who obviously plan travel well in advance... but it seems that the Omanis don't comprehend this concept, as many people here think that the world is delusionally clamoring for a piece of this pie and will flood Oman the moment it opens.

In short: it's a mess. As a resident here, it's suffocating and feels as if nobody's home, and it's not reassuring.

khabah

currid7

We have a Marriot 7-night Cat 6 cert that we just can't get rid of! It expires end of this year (we had Mykonos booked but flight was cancelled). Only extended time off is Christmas and I was able to find a great flight to MCT, then CAI, then back home using the certificate at Al Bustan. I know it's all very murky, but any chance it's open by December?

We are starting to look at back-up options, but I wonder if we should 100% switch to somewhere else.