miss b loves....The Chedi Hotel, Muscat, Oman

I mentioned in my last post about my trip to Oman(here)that our hotel, The Chedi was so impressive that it deserved its own post.......

As soon as we arrived, we were greeted by warm smiles and once through the main doors, into the incense-perfumed lobby, we instantly knew that it was a special place - there's a calm ambiance so difficult to describe (and even more difficult to achieve!!) ......  

The Chedi offers understated elegance, a minimalist design which combines Omani architecture with an Asian Zen-style.....low-rise buildings and immaculately maintained symmetrical gardens, inner courtyards, pools and fountains which all add to the feeling of tranquility and total relaxation.  

The design of the rooms is sleek and minimalist but with warm, earthy Omani colours......

...and there are great little touches including a Nespresso coffee machine, Bose docking station, complimentary fruit, water, soft drinks and beer ....and gorgeous Bulgari toiletries.... 

The pampering continues by the pool and on the beach with cold, refreshing towels and iced water (with lemon and mint) constantly topped up..............

and the sunbeds are enormous.....

There's a family pool and two adult-only pools. The Long Pool is the longest in the Middle East.....

and the infinity pool is just as stunning........

All the staff contributed to making our stay special....friendly yet always professional......they really couldn't do enough for us. While sipping a cappuccino in the gardens.........

.....I asked if they had any macarons.......The waiter took me to the main restaurant to one of the open kitchens where the pastry chef went through all the flavours while the waiter waited so patiently for me to decide.........

raspberry and rosemary, sandalwood,
pistachio and salted caramel

Ladurée has some serious competition!!!!!! These were out... of.... this...... world!
  

In the evening the hotel and grounds have a romantic, magical feel with clever lighting ......

and at every turn there are more candles, firepits and lanterns.......

There are six restaurants at The Chedi and we dined in two of them. The Restaurant with its four open show kitchens has a varied international menu and the highlight of our meal was the Omani Seafood Grill (lobster tail, king prawn, shari fillet, hammour and saffron rice) and Steamed Sea Bass Fillet with roasted pumpkin, asparagus, artichoke salsa and vanilla foam - delicious!

We also enjoyed the Japanese and Malaysian cuisine in The Long Pool Cabana

Breakfast at The Chedi is particularly memorable with both cooked to order dishes from the menu and an extensive buffet choice....they bake their own bread and melt in the mouth pastries. 

Oranges in the fruit preparation area

Even the hotel shop, The Boutique, is ultra-stylish........

We knew when we booked that The Chedi had won numerous awards and our expectations were therefore high. However, not only were they met, but they were exceeded! So...... our final verdict.......one of the best, if not the best place we have ever stayed! Our first visit but hopefully not our last(next time I would love to stay longer and I must try the spa treatments!)and we would definitely like to try one of the other hotels in the group ......The Nam Hai in Vietnam also looks very special....