The palace is located outside of the capital city of Muscat. It lies quietly between the Hajar mountains and the Gulf of Oman. A small paradise for luxury travel hackers.
Location
The palace is a 40-minute car ride from the airport (MCT). Also, a luxury car transfer is offered by the property. As you pass the gate you drive through lush gardens, you can appreciate the quiet settings in which you are.
Check in
We drove to the entrance, parked the car on the side and entered the hotel for check in. The lobby is just gorgeous. Indeed, you are quickly reminded that this is indeed a palace and not a hotel. As you go further into the lobby you cannot help to look up at the iconic crystal chandeliers and the Atrium tea lounge.
We were offered dates and Arabic coffee. The scent of incense spread across the huge lobby. One could feel a sense of peaceful hush.
Check in was a bit bumpy. The front desk agent struggled with room availability. Therefore, I offered to wait with my family at the beach & pool side. That gave him a chance to get us our room wile we enjoyed a nice afternoon swim and nap in te beach gardens.
Finally at 5pm, our room was ready. We were upgraded to a Junior Suite with complimentary dinner buffer at Al Khiran restaurant. We were pretty happy with that. The wait didn’t bother us since we were chilling at the beach. We were looking forward to our 3-night stay.
The Executive Suite
We were spoiled. The Junior Suite is a gorgeous 861 sq ft apartment. Indeed, the photos below feature spacious and contemporary design quarters. Furthermore, the marble bathroom is luxurious and leads to both walk in closets of the suite.
Resort facilities
Dining
The property offers many dining options. As a family we wanted to take it easy at Al Khiran Kitchen for dinner and breakfast buffet. You can read more the palace’s dining offering here.
Al Khiran Kitchen entrance
Conclusion
If you earn Marriott Bonvoy points and travel to Oman then I would strongly recommend at least a 2-night stay to fully enjoy the palace. At 50,000 points per night, this Ritz Carlton property is worth the escape. It is representative of an Omani experience: the Hajar mountains, the Sea of Oman, the inviting smell of incense and a warm welcome. Luxury hotels in the Gulf never disappoint. I also stayed at the Ritz-Carlton Doha and the product remains great #rcmemories.
