Al-Bustan Palace Hotel, which
is managed by Intercontinental. Built originally as a meeting
place for Arabian Gulf Co-operation Council heads-of-state,
it is one of the Gulf's -- and the world's -- most luxurious
resort hotels.
The hotel hosts seven different
restaurants and bars, from coffee shop, the Al-Khiran Terrace
, on the pool level with its wonderful Friday brunch, to the
seriously expensive and seriously French, Le Caprice.
The Al-Bustan offers guests not
only different sized rooms and suites, but different room styles
as well. You can choose between a Western room or an Arab one.
The Western-style rooms are very nice, but little different
from others you'll find in any Hyatt, Hilton, Taj, or Intercontinental.
Rather than choose the dull and
pedestrian, if you're going to splash out and spend the money
on the Al-Bustan, the Arab option is highly recommend: inside
you'll find blue ceramic mosaic wainscoting, seating alcoves
built into the walls with Arab cushions, and decorative wood-framed
mirrors. The Arab rooms seem larger, too, which is another obvious
advantage.
Amenities All the usual amenities
are offered: pool, health spa, sports facilities, e.g., tennis,
squash, skin diving, scuba diving, etc. (The Al-Bustan is the
only hotel in Muscat that has its own private beach.) Business
people will find secretarial services, in-room Internet connections,
and all the rest of the goodies that executives seem to demand
nowadays.