Muscat, Oman

Overview

I travelled to Muscat at the end of October 2019, and was joined by a friend from Dubai for two of the days. As a stop off between the UK and Australia I spent five nights there and found the place to be beautiful, calm and a great place to relax.

Often overlooked in favour of its more glitzy neighbours, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Muscat has a serenity that comes from the limitations the country has put on international expansion and the country’s lack of high rises.

On arrival

Landing in Muscat airport is easy and after arriving early in the morning there wasn’t that many people around so swift passage through customs. The taxi rank outside is regulated and payment calculated by a meter, meaning that your fare will be fair and no need to barter. I changed some cash at the airport, however there are ATMs and I would suggest taking some currency with you (we’ll get onto the money part shortly).

AccoMmodation

During my time in Oman I stayed in three different hotels, two low budget and one high budget. All three were in great locations with friendly staff, restaurants on site, clean and secure. Each booking I did was through booking.com which is a site I now always use when sorting hotels abroad as it has a wonderful genius programme that gives discounts and ‘specials’ on reservations when you hit certain ‘levels’. 

Ramee Guestline Hotel

I stayed here for one night when I first arrived. It is a large hotel that is located close to Qurum, within walking distance of the beach and other amenities like a coffee shop and restaurant. There was a basic pool and gym, the rooms were big enough and comfy.

W Muscat

This was the real treat of the trip, and we stayed here for two nights. The hotel is still fairly new, but has all the trappings you’d expect from a location in the W chain. The pool area is large and includes a variety of sun bathing options from the three stage cabanas (a seated area, sun lounger section and then a daybed all for one group of guests to enjoy) to the standard sun loungers and tables. The rooms were large, with a premium finish and we dinned in a couple of the restaurants on site which were top quality. The room rates was reasonable for the level of the hotel, however the added extras were exceedingly expensive - especially the mini bar and the laundry (something to watch out for).

Mutrah Hotel

For my final two nights I headed to Mutrah and stayed in this hotel which is about 20mins walk from the iconic Corniche. The hotel itself is a bit of a maze, however the staff were helpful and sorted me out with a day trip for one of the days I was in the city. The rooms were a bit noisy, however did the job and it was very reasonably priced.

UNMISSABLE

Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque

This magnificent modern mosque is only open for visits between 8-11am for foreigners. There are strict dress code rules for those visiting including no shorts, covered shoulders and women must wear a headscarf. The building is incredibly impressive and due to Muscat still being an up and coming destination wasn’t swamped with tourists.

Top tip: Head to the mosque as early as possible to capture impressive photos with minimal ‘photobombs’.

Mutrah Corniche

A special part of Muscat, the famous seaport has a beautifully designed waterfront walkway that follows the curve of the land. We headed to the fort, right in the centre of the main street, for an amazing sunset view looking back on the area. No visit to Mutrah is complete without ambling through the souq and avoiding the eye of the many sellers trying to hawk their goods.

Top tip: Walk up to the fort about half an hour before sunset, there will no doubt be a few other sunset hunters there with cameras, and remember to stay about half an hour after the sun as gone for the stunning afterglow.

Dolphin boat trip

On my penultimate day in Muscat I headed to the ocean for a dolphin spotting boat trip. Oman has a rich seafaring history, and a morning on the Gulf of Oman looking out for dolphins is a great addition to any holiday. We saw several pods of dolphins swimming and jumping by the multiple boats out on the ocean, and followed it with an hour’s snorkelling.

Top tip: Shop around for your dolphin trip, there are lots of operators offering very similar excursions.

Wadi Shab

On my final day I booked a day trip to the popular Wadi Shab. As I was leaving that day I’d arranged for an airport drop off in the early evening after the trip, to ensure I wasted no time during my stay. Wadi Shab is a series of fresh water pools carved into the mountain side, after a boat ride, forty minute trek and two swims up stream you are faced with a narrow cave entrance that leads to a waterfall and inland cave. The scenery is stunning, and as we started our trip early in the morning was only getting busy around 10am when we were returning from our visit. 

Top tip: Get there as early as you can and, if you have it, take a waterproof bag for your phone / camera as you have to leave your belongings and swim to the main area of the Wadi

TOP TIPS

• Oman is expensive, this isn’t the place to come if you’re looking for a cheap get away. Whilst there are budget options, it is catered more towards an affluent traveller.

• If you can, use OTAXI to get around, like an Omani Uber. The watch out here is that they aren’t able to pick you up from hotels (some city regulations) and so you need to walk away from the hotel in order to catch the ride - they can drop you off at the hotels, though. This can be tricky if you don’t have mobile data and are relying on free wifi. The fares are half the price however and you pay in cash when the trip is over.

• Muscat can actually be quite a walkable city, there are several key areas that you can easily walk around if you can bear the heat of the day.

• The Primeclass lounge in Muscat airport is large and sprawling, I had access through the Lounge Club which I have as part of AMEX Gold card, but there are several other ways to get in - worth checking online before you travel.

Summary

All in all, I would highly recommend Oman for a trip if you can afford it. Muscat is a stunning place with beautiful buildings, friendly people and some really excellent places to stay. The variety of activities is impressive, from treks, to boat trips, desert excursions and lots of culture - but just watch out for the budget…