Shangri-La Al Husn Resort & Spa break

Shangri-La Al Husn Resort & Spa

Our rating: Deluxe

Rooms

The 180 spacious, richly decorated rooms all have a balcony with views of the pool, beach or sea. The decor is contemporary with Omani influences including opulent fabrics, carved wooden furniture and Arabian lantern-style light fittings.

Location

The Shangri-La enjoys a secluded location, set in its own bay. In front of the resort lies a long stretch of golden beach which shelves gently down into the blue waters of the Sea of Oman, while behind the hotel, the rugged sandstone mountains provide a dramatic backdrop.

The hotel’s beach is private, and stretches for a kilometre (0.6 miles), while down a short path, there is also a smaller, secluded beach at the edge of the mountains, called Turtle Beach.

The hotel provides complimentary shuttles to Muscat, 15 minutes’ drive away. It’s a good idea to reserve seats a day ahead or, alternatively, taxis are easy to arrange. There are no local restaurants or shops within the immediate vicinity of the hotel, but the resort offers a wide range of dining options.

Food and drink

One of the highlights of the resort is the huge range and quality of dining options open to guests. As well as the dining options at Al Husn, guests can also eat at the restaurants of the two sister properties next door.

At Al Husn, the stylish Sultanah restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, serving an international menu of à la carte dishes. Shahrazad restaurant has a richly opulent Moroccan interior, serving subtly spiced Moroccan dishes, accompanied by live Moroccan music. A smart-casual dress code is required.

At Al Bandar hotel, Tapas and Sablah is set in a large square with views over the gardens to the sea beyond. Open for dinner, it offers a mix of Mediterranean and Asian tapas, as well as Middle Eastern mezze. Some evenings, traditional music or dancing takes place on the square, and hookah pipes are also available.

Capri Court, also open for dinner, offers Italian cuisine in a stylish restaurant overlooking the gardens and beachfront. Al Tanoor is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, serving buffet meals with a wide choice of Arabian, Mediterranean, Indian and other international dishes.

Set on the beachfront between Al Bandar and Al Waha hotel, Bait al Bahr is a charming, intimate seafood restaurant, with both indoor and outdoor dining, overlooking the sea. Enjoy one of the à la carte dishes, or wander over to the Seafood Market to take your pick from the array of fresh fish caught by one of their dedicated fishermen from the local village.

Al Waha hotel offers two relaxed, family-friendly dining choices. Samba is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, offering buffet meals with flavours of Asia, the Mediterranean and Latin America. The Surf Café is open all day serving burgers, sandwiches and salads, alongside internet stations.

At the hotel’s souq area, there is a choice of three dining options; an all-day café, a contemporary Asian restaurant with four show kitchens, preparing the best of Asian cuisine, and a Lebanese restaurant serving Middle Eastern cuisine.

There’s also a wide range of bars and lounges, including beach and pool bars.

Please note that hotel restaurants can be busy at the weekend (Friday and Saturday) with local residents and ex pats. We recommend you ask your specialist to pre-book for you.

Families

Al Husn is only open to adults and we recommend families to stay at Al Waha or Al Bandar, as the atmosphere there is family-friendly with better facilities for children.

Facilities and activities

The hotel has plenty of activities to keep guests occupied in between their poolside relaxation, many of these include water sports with snorkelling tours, dolphin watching and diving all available at the Marina. The private sandy beach and impressive infinity pool overlooking the Gulf of Oman, are exclusively reserved for hotel guests.

The onsite Hareer Spa offers a wide range of relaxing and restorative spa treatments using L’Occitane products. The spa is the first in the Sultanate of Oman to use L’Occitane. Ingredients in the treatments draw on nature and authenticity of origin. 

There is a full onsite fitness centre open 24 hours a day for those dedicated to exercising during their stay.

Local excursions

There are daily dolphin and whale watching excursions, as well as snorkelling trips, and sunset cruises.

This is a good location if you’re keen to explore more of Oman. Muscat is only a short drive away, and is a fascinating city with lots to explore whether you’re interested in shopping, history or architecture. A variety of sightseeing excursions is available from the hotel.