Al Bustan Palace, A Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Muscat, Oman
The jewel of the Sultanate and a monument to luxury and unashamed indulgence: grand and imposing, set against the even more grand and imposing mountains of Muscat.
Nestled in 200 acres of private beach and gardens and punctuated by a network of lagoons, infinity pools and fountains, the Al Bustan Palace was originally built to host heads of state.
Now a Ritz-Carlton Hotel, it’s an unapologetically impressive resort, where even the smallest of its 50 suites is bowl-you-over fancy, with meticulous attention-to-detail at all levels and some knock-out features like in-room dining and lagoon access plus, unique to Oman, all come with butler service.
The infinity pool really does seem to go on forever, and there are four more lagoon pools to choose from if this one doesn’t quite sate your needs. Then there’s the private beach, the Tennis Village and a recreational watersports centre.
If all that seems far too exhausting, down-time comes courtesy of the Wellness Rooms; and out of this world dining from the four show-stopping restaurants, all rounded off with cocktails at the Al Maha Piano Bar.