There few things in life more beautiful than Oman’s rugged landscape, with its craggy, undulating mountains and rock-strewn scenery. It’s a striking contrast to Dubai’s concrete jungle that’s just a few hours’ drive away. But over the border, Muscat’s raw beauty has long been a draw for tourists looking to offset their urban footprint. And while the coastline wins brownie points for its bays and sprawling seascapes, there are myriad in-land ways to explore Oman in all its calm and cultured glory.
Whether you drive to Muscat or fly, there’s a hotel waiting just outside the city centre that offers something that little bit different for the modern traveller – a new kind of luxury that is steeped in culture. Muscat means ‘safe anchorage’ and away from the city’s frenetic heart and hotel-peppered shoreline, Hormuz Grand Muscat, a Radisson Collection Hotel offers just that – an urban retreat-meets-luxury leisure destination for those seeking serenity in both business and pleasure. Flanked by the Muscat Hills, the hotel provides the perfect starting point for Muscat’s slew of activities; from here you can work, rest or play.
Its minimalist open-plan lobby, with double-height ceilings, sets the tone for Hormuz Grand’s style that revels in understated, contemporary luxury. 231 keys allows for much choice in your bedroom decision making, ranging from a classic 40sqm Collection Room, all the way up to the 120sqm Presidential Suite. The perfect mid-range room would be the 65sqm Junior Suite – a capacious space that caters to all manner of guests’ needs. The four-part rectangular suite neatly divides itself with sliding partition doors, giving privacy to bedroom, lounge, dressing room and bathroom. But keep the doors open, and the Omani sun floods in and bathes the suite in a golden light. The bathroom is cloaked in sunset yellow marble, warming the suite’s muted soft furnishings, while its curved, standalone bathtub winks alluringly to those wanting respite and relaxation. The huge rain shower will blow any cobwebs away, while the hotel’s Amouage amenities offer scents and sensibility.
Two TVs, a beautiful long pine desk, a terrace big enough for sun-catching and sundowners, and a king-bed with possibly the softest pillows you’ll ever have the good fortune to rest your head on, all provide ample space for those requiring work-meets-recreation.
Languorous breakfasts and lunches are best enjoyed at the Straits, with al fresco tables bordering the peaceful water-sculpted courtyard. Gently blowing palm trees serve as a bucolic canopy, while birdsong mixed with the sound of trickling water from the swimming pool’s fountains proffer a melodious soundtrack.
Dinner at one of Hormuz Grand’s two evening restaurants, provides both hotel guests and Muscat residents with two easy-on-the-eye options. The first, Omny Brasserie, is an elegant New York-style restaurant with a menu that subtly fuses Omani flavours. Its candle-lit private dining area serves as an elegant backdrop for business meetings and mingling, where attention to detail – both in service and on the plate – raises the bar for in-hotel dining. The second, award-winning Qureshi Bab-Al-Hind, serves Northern Indian cuisine, presented against a setting of lavish Indian influence. However, to experience something exceptional, request a Chef’s Table, which will take you behind the closed doors of the restaurant and into the kitchen, for a top table in the centre of the fun. Here you’ll feast on crisp potato patties with grilled masala asparagus and shrikhand cheesecake with glazed figs amid the bustle of a working kitchen.
By day, you may linger by the pool or step out for an adventure. The hotel can arrange transport to show you around Muscat, visiting places such as Al Alam Palace or the Royal Opera House, or book something more adventurous and set sail along Muscat’s coastline aboard one of Oman Sail’s Catamarans, for a day of snorkelling, dolphin spotting and fishing in the audience of the Hajjar Mountains. For something even more intrepid, explore some of the area’s dried river beds (wadis), with a day trip to Wadi Tiwi (just an hour or so drive from the hotel), where outward bound experts Twenty3 Extreme will enlighten you about the region’s rich cultural history through topographical exploration, as you abseil down waterfalls, clamber through the gorging wadi and swim in sky-blue freshwater pools. It’s an extraordinary experience that allows you to witness Oman in all its agrarian glory.
Back at the hotel, Hormuz Grand’s spa promises to see off any aches and pains via its curated collection of Asian-infused massages. Or, for those with energy still to burn, there’s a fully equipped gym, too. The lobby’s coffee bar will provide a much-needed caffeine hit, should you need it on your return.
Once heads have rested on those marshmallow-esque pillows, wake up for the next step of your Oman adventure to Sohar, the capital and largest city of the Al Batinah North Governorate of Oman. It’s a meandering two-or-so hour drive through Oman’s breathtaking scenery, further giving you the opportunity to drink in the countryside. With its seafaring past, Sohar is known for its beautiful coastline, which is where you’ll find Radisson Blu Sohar, a relaxed property on the waterfront, making for the perfect beachside stopping point on your journey back to Dubai. Just an hour from the border, its laid-back ambience, seaviews, and four interlocking swimming pools promote just the right kind of peace before heading back to the metropolis.
With its beauty, natural charm and uncharted geography, Oman opens itself up to being explored, whilst in equal measure providing ideal ground for more business-minded occupational pastimes. Two-fold appeal at the hands of two Omani properties that we promise will steal your heart too.
Stay:
What: Junior Suite
Where: Hormuz Grand, a Radisson Collection Hotel, Muscat, Oman
Tel: +978 2435 0500