Shangri-La's Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa, Muscat

This stunning resort is really three hotels in one, a family hotel (Al Waha) which if you have young kids I would recommended, they have larger family rooms and the restaurant caters more for little ones. We stayed at the business hotel (Al Bandar) though I think they do themselves a disservice by labelling it "business", it is beautiful, rooms are nice size, beautifully decorated and all have partial views of the sea and gardens. It is also the hub of the resort with some of the best (and cheaper) eating places. My kids, all teenagers, loved the pools and lazy river. The beach and water sports are good and it is possible to snorkel safely from the beach though there is not a great amount to see. To complete the review, the six star hotel (Al Husn) is for those seeking solitude and who have more money than sense. To sum up - great resort, fabulous service and stunning setting.

We stayed six nights at Al Waha with a sea view room. We managed to get a rate through Agoda with breakfast included daily which helped with the cost. We enjoyed relaxing in the sun, with ice chests filled with cold water and fresh fruit provided. (nice touch). Enjoyed the work out facilities at the health club as well as several of the spa packages. (they have a buy two get one free deal). Enjoyed chosing from the nightly dinner choices with several buffets, Italian Restaurant, Seafood, etc. The Indian and Asian nights were especially good and our favorites. We went into Muscat for an afternoon with the complimentary bus ride to and from the souqs the hotel provided (you must sign up). There were a lot of young couples with children, so we tended to stay away from the more busy pool areas and went to later dinners. All in all was a great stay as we were looking for relaxation. The people of Oman were very friendly and pleasant. Muscat is very beautiful and green. Would love to go back again. When planning your trip, consider how hot the summers are. Spring and fall most desirable times.

we liked our stay in this hotel very much. The hotel is set in a beautiful and very scenic landscape (red rocks). the beach is very nice, but unfortunaltely, during the last two days of our stay, the sea was polluted with green algues so that swimming was not pleasant. fortunaltely, there were enough big pools interlinked by an artificial river. \nwe particularly liked the dinner buffet in the arabic restaurant al tanoor. the omani night with speciality food, music and dancers was equally great.