Oman » Accommodation

The country’s planners have focused primarily on top-end hotel development in an effort to attract high-spending visitors looking for sun, sand in a ‘different’ destination. Openings have included The Sifawy boutique hotel in Jebel Sifah, Six Senses Zighy Bay Resort and Spa and the Millennium Resort Mussanah, the latter two just under an hour’s drive from Muscat. Although they offer luxury accommodation in beautiful locations, the downside of many Omani hotels is their relative inaccessibility to neighbouring towns.

Muscat offers the biggest density and variety of luxury hotels, with international names such as Marriott gracing the capital. There are also three international resorts in Salalah and one in the northern Musandam Peninsula. However, if you are travelling around, in many towns there may be few hotels so it is wise to book first.

Oman has also tried to attract overseas property buyers with investment in 22 integrated tourism complexes (ITCs), which offer hotels and tourist facilities such as a golf course or marina alongside freehold villas. However, following the recession much of this investment has dried up and some of these projects have been put on hold.

The first ITC to be built was the Muscat Hills Golf and Country Club, which offers the sultanate’s first grass golf course. Another project, the Wave (a joint venture between the Omani government and the United Arab Emirates’ Majid Al Futtaim Group on the outskirts of Muscat) consists of more than 4,000 villas and apartments, a 400-berth marina, four luxury hotels, a golf course and shopping area. The Kempinski and Fairmont Hotels are due for completion in 2012/13. Other projects in the pipeline include the Salam Yiti resort on the coast outside Muscat, which comprises 400 villas, several 5-star hotels and recreational facilities and ITCs in Salalah, Musandam, Jebel Shams and Jebel Akhdhar.

Growing in popularity are the many desert camps that are springing up in places of special interest like the Sharqiya Sands, or near the turtle nesting sites of Ras Al-Jinz. These usually offer accommodation in barasti (palm frond) huts with shared bathroom block and include barbecued supper, breakfast, camel rides and visits to local Bedouin settlements. They are not cheap however, and you will often need a 4-wheel drive car to reach them. They do offer an excellent chance to enjoy the legendary Omani wilderness. Wild camping is possible in many places if you have a 4-wheel drive and all your own equipment.

Self Catering: Furnished apartments and suites are popular with business travellers and long-stay tourists. They are found mainly in and around Muscat. Privately rented villas are also available at Muscat Hills Golf and Country Club.

Budget: Oman’s drive to expand its luxury tourist facilities means there are few budget properties. They are mainly situated in Muscat, Nizwe and Salalah.

Youth Hostels: These are not available in Oman.