khabah

You should know, you used to live here!

Honestly though, here are my thoughts:

• InterContinental Muscat has renovated its rooms, and it's beautifully done. Still looks like a parking garage outside, but the rooms and bathrooms are finally decent. Service is solid, food is fairly good and the location is as good as it gets. Consider this one.
• W Muscat is the hip new kid with great rooms and service that's good but can veer hit-or-miss. Food is good but can honestly be better, and the facilities [spa, pool] are excellent. Location next to the InterCon is convenient. Think about staying here, but note that the boom-boom W vibe is not to everyone's liking.
• Grand Hyatt Muscat is the same as you left it: green carpets, clashing patterns, stained glass and all. It feels like the oldest of the five-star hotels in the city, and is surprisingly well-maintained given how wildly dated it is. Service is good if impersonal, food is good and I prefer the location due to the nice beachside promenade it sits on and the walking distance to the new Waterfront mall, with a cluster of restaurants and good people-watching.
• Crowne Plaza Muscat has a wonderful vantage point and stunning views as it's perched on a cliff above Qurum, and they did a gorgeous job transforming their dingy outdoor pool into a tiered infinity arrangement. The lobby is nicely redone but the rooms haven't been renovated, sadly. The food is great, however, and there is a private beach so I'd consider this one.
• The other Crowne Plaza at the OCEC is a nice hotel that opened in 2017, with sterile design but spacious rooms, nice staff and a fantastic Thai restaurant. You're sort of in the middle of nowhere if you stay here, but it's easy to get around and the price is often right.
• No point in staying at the Sheraton as it's marooned out in Ruwi, but the bang for buck is fantastic at ~75 USD a night given its decent renovation.
• As discussed earlier, I would entirely avoid the pretentious Al Bustan.
• I've had lunch at The Chedi and the grounds are impeccable, but it feels dated and the staff are up themselves attitudinally. I'd give this one a pass.

Hope this helps. Happy to go into more detail if you need anything.

khabah

currid7

Ugh, we are staying at Al Bustan, going against advice on here haha! We have a Cat 6 Marriott cert that we have really struggled to use and it expires in Jan 2022. We'll have a rental car and plan to explore the area. We are only actually there for 5 nights, before moving on.

sophialite

Hah thanks!

Last time I was at the Chedi in 2017 for about 3 weeks. I had booked the most basic room and they stuck me in that building next to the kids pool. Not great.
Before that I was at the Chedi in December 2016 and had a deluxe room that was super nice. Closer to the parking lot end of the property.
And before that I was at the Chedi in December 2015 and had a deluxe room that was amazing and closer to really nice pool everyone likes to use.

So on one hand, seems like the Chedi is going downhill. On the other hand, I'm wondering if I'll still get a good product if I book something like the Club Suite? What do you think?

Intercon I just have way too many childhood memories of to stay there. I don't like Ws. And the Grand Hyatt is a bit too long in the tooth for me to consider I think. I think it would be between the Chedi and Kempinski for me. And I'd also obviously want to go to Salalah to try the new Alila.

ridefar

Oh surely it is worth at least one night just to appreciate the lobby? I found the service... better than fine (not great) and the food the same. But the lobby may be one of the most impressive in the world.

Oman is a spectacular destination. Hope everybody here gets a chance to enjoy it.

khabah

The lobby and grounds are the star attraction of this property; the rooms are lackluster and a hotel of this caliber shouldn’t offer anything less than consistently great service, so I wouldn’t stay here no matter how nice the lobby is. I would definitely come in for high tea and enjoy the lobby space and treats, bask in the frankincense and marvel at the décor, then try to bamboozle the staff into giving me a walk around the grounds. That way, one can experience the best of the hotel and leave behind the rest.

khabah

London21

Great thread.

I am looking at Zighy Bay for Jan 2022. coming from the UK and will be fully vaccinated.

What are people's views on Zighy Bay?

Thanks

roland_wa

Planning 7-8 days in Oman with my family during Christmas time. Prices are really high compared to other dates it seems, but I have 300k Hyatt points to burn.

Was thinking of 2-3 days Muscat, 2 days Alila Jabal Akhdar, and 3-4 more at Alila Hinu Bay (Salalah). Not sure yet how to make the best routing or if Salalah is worth the two extra domestic flights. The alternative would be to stay 2-3 days in Muscat city then go do Jabal Akhdar and look for a beach property around Mutrah for the remaining days instead of going to Salalah. Less stress and time saving, but maybe we are missing out by not visiting Salalah. Any recommendations?

Oman is the only country on the Arabian peninsula I only visited once and for a very short time, so I feel a little bit lost.

Special thanks to khabah for all your recommendations and info about the developments and hotel options. I was a big fan of the Chedi when I visited Muscat for business around 2012 or so but now not sure if its worth it for family vacation. The GH is too old school for us, we prefer minimalist and/or natural design. Less gold, glitz and chandeliers the better.

MrML

I have been to Salalah last year in December and although it’s nice and different from rest of Oman. You do miss out on the Khareef season which will end this month. The views are still spectacular, but no waterfalls or green lush environment. Also you don’t need to go to Salalah for the cool temperatures, as it will be pleasant all around Oman (and maybe even cold in jabal akhdar at night). Maybe also considering a day trip to Jabal Shams (I think highest mountain on Arabian peninsula?) and if you like hiking do the balcony walk there.

There isn’t really a beach in Mutrah, so if you want a family beach (private) hotel. Shangri-La (20min from muscat) is an option with great views. My daughter of 3 loves it, although it is getting little worn. Maybe you can try the new Jumeirah resort in Muscat Bay which should open end of this year. Close to Shangri-La but similar spectacular setting.

But Oman is great to explore and I am happy that I live here atm.

currid7

Well, now that Oman seems to be opening up, Turkish Airlines cancelled the IST-MCT of my award ticket and moved 4 days later. It seems they changed up the schedule. They did this same thing with Seychelles (my original Christmas trip).

khabah

Hi everyone -

A few pointers on how to travel to Oman - these are things you won't find online because the Omani authorities seem to vehemently hate making things easy and transparent:

• Currently at DXB and flying back to MCT. Fully-vaccinated resident of Oman with a vaccination certificate and sub-72-hour negative PCR test with QR code.
• Upon arrival at DXB, I was held up at check-in and was told that even as a resident, I need to have pre-uploaded all my details... TO EMUSHRIF. Oman's press has indicated that all documentation needs to be uploaded to their Tarassud platform, but it is eMushrif that is the upload platform.
• Make sure you register at covid19.emushrif.com with your travel details [passport, DOB, flight number, vaccination certificate, PCR result, etc.] prior to checking in.
• There is a 2.5 OMR service fee that eMushrif charges you; I tried to pay it online using my Omani card, and the website froze at the little loading bar visible in the upper left corner per the screen shot uploaded below. It's always been unstable to use even in the months leading up to now, and by force of my own persistence and the staff being aware that the Omani platform ***sucks***, they gave me my boarding pass and let me go through.

Do note: apparently, you can pay this service charge upon arrival to Oman, but the airport staff at DXB were insistent that it was confirmed pre-boarding.

SIGH.

We're this far along the process, and it's still a total pain the ### to move. Heads up - I hope this helps you all.

khabah

gnomey

If you have the time to make only one visit, then the recommendation is to visit Salalah during Khareef season, right? (even though the rest of the areas in the Gulf are hot like hell)

I know it's very lush and beautiful, but I also heard it can be foggier but not sure if that means foggy 80% of the time, or 20% of the time

gnomey

Alila vs Anantara for Jabal Al Akhdar
I think Alila location is more secluded, Anantara is nearer to town/village, 30 minutes apart.

But which one has the better view?

Jennatraveller

Based on Qatar schedule, I can fly into Salalah (flying Saturday from US) and out of Muscat (leaving Saturday from Oman). If flying into Muscat and out of Salalah, I would have to add more day (leaving Muscat Sunday - not getting back to US till Monday). So prefer to fly into Salalah. But does anyone know if it's hard/ super expensive to rent a car (with or without driver) in Salalah and return in Muscat (one way)?

Also, does it even make sense? I want to stay at Alila Hinu Bay. But is it worth the hassle and extra hours on the road? I only have 7 nights in Oman total (sadly!) Thanks!

SanDiego1K

I'm working on a similar issue. I bought QR biz into Oman. I found that the price jumped substantially if I purchased into SLL rather than MCT. There are four flights a day from MCT to SLL. I will buy one of them. I plan to fly to SLL, stay at Alila, then fly to MCT and have a driver take me to the second Alila. @khabah reported that he drove from Muscat to the Alila near Salalah and it was an 11 hour drive. That's not my jam. If you have found a good fare into SLL, perhaps you can buy a one way ticket to MCT and have a driver take you from there to Alila Jabal Akhdar?? Khabah reported it is a 2 1/2 hour drive to the hotel. You need a 4 wheel drive to go up the mountain road to Alila Jabal Akhdar.

AbuCordoba

I have lived in Oman for the last 7 years whilst working across the GCC so regularly had a taxi guy to do my airport runs as they were not family friendly (hence my missus was sleeping whilst I needed a lift) so I have the contact details of a very reliable guy if anyone needs a quote just DM me.

Regarding the drive there between Muscat and Salalah obviously many people do it, you have two options you can do the scenic route along the coast and take your time but if your short on time as khabah reported it is around 11 hours and it is not that scenic or enjoyable drive tbh. There is loads of rental companies in Salalah and most will allow one way drop off if thats what you want to do in Muscat or vice versa.