Oman Road Trip: Jabal Akhdar to Wahiba Sands

I have never been to the desert. I also can’t imagine how we can be in a desert less than two hours from our current location; 2,000 metres above sea level in the middle of a mountain range, with a comfortably cool climate of around 21 °C. However, leave we must, as after two nights at the blissfully luxurious Alila Jabal Akhdar hotel, we are due to embark on the second leg of our Oman road trip.

We had travelled to Jabal Akhdar from Muscat, taking in the ancient city of Nizwa, visiting Birkat Al Mauz and Wadi Bani Habib, as well as having the absolute pleasure of so many beautiful views.

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Luxury Hotel Review: Alila Jabal Akhdar, Oman

There are two luxury hotel options in the Jabal Akhdar Mountains; the Alila and the Anantara and they are both regarded as two of the best luxury hotels in Oman. I dithered for a bit trying to decide which one to stay at, the spreadsheet came out, pros list was huge for both hotels, cons were minimal…we went with the Alila Jabal Akhdar.

A couple of weeks later, I watched BBC’s Amazing Hotels featuring the Anantara and thought I’d made a bit of an error, nothing could possibly beat it with its decadent luxury and jaw dropping views.

I had therefore regulated my expectations for the Alila and having seen the views for myself from the Anantara earlier in my journey, didn’t see how any hotel could compete.

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Muscat to Jabal Akhdar in Oman: A Road Trip

After four blissful days at The Chedi in Muscat, it was time to move onto the next location on our perfect Oman honeymoon! The wonderful Mohammad, our driver and guide for the day, met us in the lobby to take us from Muscat to Jabal Akhdar in the Al Hajar mountain range. One of the most popular day trips from Muscat, we decided to extend our time there and stay in a hotel in the mountains, the Alila Jabal Akhdar.

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Five of the Best Things to Do in Muscat Oman

While still not the first destination people generally think of when you talk about the Middle East, Oman is becoming increasingly popular within the region. If you are lucky enough to visit this beautiful country, it isn’t hard to figure out why. To reach the Oman you will most likely fly into it’s capital city, make sure you spend at least a couple of days here as there are lots of things to do in Muscat you won’t want to miss!

We actually spent seven nights in Muscat in total; four at the beginning at The Chedi hotel and three at the end at the Shangri-La Al Husn hotel. I am a massive luxury hotel lover and Muscat (and the rest of Oman) have some absolute stand out ones, so I wanted to allow plenty of time for relaxing in them during our stay. We were also in Oman for our honeymoon, another reason contributing to the more laid back approach to our trip!

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Luxury Hotel Review: The Chedi in Muscat, Oman

Choosing a luxury hotel in Muscat was probably one of the fastest hotel selections I have ever made and unusually for me, didn’t involve a spreadsheet or a pros and cons list! After some brief research, there appeared to be only three options for a true luxury hotel in Muscat; Shangri-La Al Husn, Al Bustan Palace and The Chedi Muscat. Luckily, our itinerary allowed us to choose two out of the three, as we would begin and end our trip in the capital. The first choice was The Chedi, a smaller boutique design hotel that features on Mr & Mrs Smith, whose hotels have always been spot on in my experience.

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