Muscat has four majestic hotels for the high end business traveler and tourist market, the Al Bustan Palace, the Hyatt, The Chedi and the Shang-ri La. I personally prefer the tranquil atmosphere of the Chedi but the other three also have a grandeur, each very different.
The Hyatt Hotel terrace by night with the gas torches.
Arabian horseman, with a falcon.
Once or twice a year I stay here when visiting Muscat, it is my favorite hotel next to The Chedi.
The Hyatt is built in the style of a Sahara safari hotel. It has a dominantly Arab or perhaps Yemenite style mixed in with African features like numerous sculptures of wild African animals and Arabian horsemen [1].
It resembles the forts of Oman. Sand colour walls with a pattern of large rectangular blocks of sandstone stone, with castle like crenellations that are used as shooting holes. The garden by night is lit by gas flares, resembling massif scenes of historical movies on ancient Egypt (The Bible) or the Roman world (Spartacus).
Guests are mostly business travelers from the Middle East but it is also frequented Omani business men. They have tea in the main hall where a musician, mostly English girls, play the piano around 4-7 PM.
The private banquets of rich Omani families in the lower level meeting room are worth checking out by peeking in from the parking lot althought you won't see much. The ladies take of their sjabalas, the black overdresses, and expose their fine silk evening dresses and elegant pumps. Dresses with vivid colours, esp. yellow, red and blue, stand out. A bit naughty but upper classy but it is a way to display a highs standard of living. This is very fashionable in most of the Middle East.
History of the Hyatt
It was built by
an exiled Yemenite Prince, Sheikh Ahmed Farid al Aulaqi, who found a
ship treasure in the Arabian Sea that carried cash money for Saudi
Arabia to pay for oil deliveries in real cash, i.e. no paper bills,
and was sunk by a German U-boat in 1944 [1]
[2].
See: Wiki.
His taste was indeed
royal. Comfort Large rooms, tidy, very quiet, good soundproof walls, good food,
esp. the buffet for lunch and dinner. Rare in the Middle East is that everything is in good order. E.g.
no slippery floors, proper fire escapes and wide stairs, clean
carpets, no broken scales, showers without calcite plagues and no
dangling electricity contacts. Asian hotels are notorious for broken
lamps and poor electricity fittings, a noisy bar next door, traffic
noise, a boring menu (fried rice and meat), and the annoying guests
like big-belly beer drinking Brits. The buffet of the
Mokka restaurant is excellent, especially the salad bar [1].
The problem remains overeating on the fish, meat and deserts and you
better focus at the salad bar. At night, the
garden is lit by two rows of torches. It all looks nice but they
garden is not very inviting for walking as it is dominated by the
pools [1].
The beach boulevard is
much nicer. There is a palm-lined walk-way of 2-3 km leading to the
Intercontinental and this has a few local cafes. At night it is busy
with walking Omanis, men and women. Despite being dark at night,
there is zero fear for being mugged not only by the local men but
also the women who often go out unaccompanied by men.. The beach is wide and there is usually a strong
warm breeze from the warm Arabian Sea. The flood-line is excellent
for jogging. My favorite route leads from the Hyatt to past the
Intercontinental Hotel, till the Al Qurm mangrove forest bridge, 3 km
one way. Along the way, you pass numerous soccer games, encouraging
public. From 3-6 PM there are some 200 young men playing on the wide
beach [1]. Cars The cars in the parking lot are impressive. A BMW 7 serie, a Lexus
or a Toyota Landcruiser, all less than 2 years old, are minimal
models. These would cost over 100,000 Euros in Europe. Small cars
belong to the Philipine cleaning staf. Only the latest models or a
Ferrari or Maybach would make the eyes turn.
View at the terrace, the garden and the Arabian Sea.
Mokka Cafe restaurant.
Main hall.
Doorman at night.
Bathroom.
Bathroom.
Room.
Pool by night.
Pool by night.
Pool by night. Inner garden Back side, in the inner garden. Inner garden and side-building by night. Back side, in the inner garden. Inner garden and local ladies in black. Lounge chairs near the beach by night. View from the sea. Fishing nets. Snorkling trip from the Hyatt to the island. Comparable hotels The Al Bustan Palace is South-East of Muscat on the
coast and isolated surrounded low mountain ridges. The main building
is a high dome with typical Arab white and light blue tiles. It has a
very large private garden and is said to have good diving on the
rocky parts of the coast.
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![[2]](09om_hyatt3571.jpg){kind=link}
![[1]](oman05p4080323hyattbuffet.jpg){kind=link}