Al-Dakhiliyah, Oman

Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar

Price per night from$465.97

Price information

If you haven’t entered any dates, the rate shown is provided directly by the hotel and represents the cheapest double room (inclusive of taxes and fees) available in the next 60 days.

Prices have been converted from the hotel’s local currency (OMR179.12), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.

Style

Hold the fort

Setting

Oh, man

Two-thousand metres above sea level and two hours south of Muscat, Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar is one for lovers of vertiginous beauty. The lofty modern family-friendly resort is styled on a traditional Omani fort – the inaccessibility of this remote, rugged region once made it a natural defence point. The project cost megabucks – money well spent, since the hotel is already considered one of the most Amazing Hotels in the world, according to a BBC series.

Smith Extra

Get this when you book through us:

One dinner for two at Al Maison restaurant; early check-in and late check-out (subject to availability)

Facilities

Photos Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar facilities

Need to know

Rooms

In total, 115, including 33 suites.

Check–Out

Noon, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 2pm, also flexible.

More details

Rates include breakfast.

Also

The ground-floor Premier Canyon View Rooms are wheelchair accessible, as are all the restaurants.

At the hotel

Free WiFi throughout, tennis court, bicycles to borrow, kids’ playroom and playground, gym, free valet parking. In rooms: air-conditioning, minibar, Nespresso coffee machine, LED TV, Bluetooth sound-system, iPod dock, free bottled water and Elemis bath products.

Our favourite rooms

It’s got to be a One-Bedroom Cliff Pool Villa, where canyon views are constant thanks to your sliding windows, deck and private pool. The bathrooms are enormous, there’s a cosy living room as you enter and the beds are vast. Even the entry-level Deluxe Canyon-View Rooms showcase the famous verdant mountain since they’re up on the first floor; avoid their ground-floor counterparts if gorge-gazing is a dealbreaker. For green-fingered guests, who prize a patch of paradise above mountain views, go for a Garden Pool Villa. Families, groups and VIPs will love the multi-bedroom villa options, which come with their own private entrances.

Poolside

There’s a heated, infinity-edged number up by Diana’s Point (as well as one in your room if you’ve booked wisely).

Spa

The mosaic-lined spa is designed to resemble a traditional hammam, with separate entrances and areas for men and women. There are five treatment rooms, two of which have twin beds for couples. Pilates, yoga and personal training are also available.

Packing tips

Take a hint from the locals and opt for cooling natural fabrics; pristine white dishdashas for men, optional.

Also

The hotel can lay claim to being the highest five-star retreat in the whole of the Middle East – and long before there was an Anantara outpost, there was a visiting prince and princess.

Children

All ages welcome. Extra beds and cots can be added to rooms for OMR20, and there are interconnecting options. Babysitting is available with a day’s notice. There’s a club for kids and another for teens, an indoor playroom and outdoor playground.

Best for

Babies and up.

Recommended rooms

The multi-room villas will give you the most space, but extra beds and cots can be added to all rooms. Some rooms can interconnect via the outdoor deck.

Crèche

There are kids’-club offerings for varying age groups.

Activities

The hotel is well-equipped to keep families entertained, with an outdoor playground, indoor playroom, bicycles to borrow, a tennis court and pool table. Braver/older/crazier kids can try abseiling along the via ferrata on the cliff edge.

Swimming pool

A lifeguard is on duty at the communal pool.

Meals

Children are welcome in Bella Vista and Al Maisan, but not Al Qalaa or either of the bars. Highchairs are provided and meals can be adapted – Bella Vista has a dedicated children’s menu.

Babysitting

Can be booked a day in advance.

No need to pack

Pencils, paper and paints, board games.

Food and Drink

Photos Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar food and drink

Top Table

Anantara’s Dining by Design concept means staff can pitch up pristine tableware pretty much everywhere – but nothing beats sequestering Diana’s Point for your own personal dinner à deux.

Dress Code

Al Qalaa is the smartest restaurant, but things never get more formal than ‘smart casual’. For the sake of sunburn prevention and respecting local traditions, covering up won’t go amiss.

Hotel restaurant

There is an impressive assortment of dining options, which is just as well, since there’s not much around for miles. Sit out under the stars (or beneath decorative hanging lamps) in Al Maisan, where an elaborate breakfast buffet consisting of several stations is set up every morning. Guests can pile their plates with everything from the local (za’atar-stuffed flatbreads; ful medames – essentially Arabic baked beans) to the Continental, Asian and American. Bella Vista serves an authentic Italian menu, with faultless pastas, risottos and tiramisu. And for something refined, head to the evening- and adults-only Al Qalaa, where mixed grills, fish from the Gulf of Oman and Middle Eastern favourites such as baba ganoush are given a fine-dining take. There’s also a café in the courtyard: Al Baha.

Hotel bar

There are two: Al Burj, a Moroccan-style cocktail bar set in the tower of the fort, above Al Qalaa; and Al Shurfa, a shisha lounge above the courtyard. Both are open from 4.30pm until midnight.

Last orders

Breakfast at Al Maisan is served from 7am (6.30am on Fridays and Saturdays) until 11am; dinner here is 6.30pm to 10.30pm. Al Qalaa is open for dinner (6.30pm–11pm). Bella Vista opens from noon until 6.30pm.

Room service

A mix of international and local dishes are offered in-room.

Location

Photos Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar location
Address
Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar
PO Box 110 Al Jabal Al Akhdar
Nizwa
621
Oman

The hotel is high on the Saiq Plateau in the protected Jabal Akhdar region of the Al Hajar Mountains in northern Oman.

Planes

The nearest airport is Muscat’s, a two-hour drive away. Several carriers offer direct flights here; otherwise you can change in Dubai. Return hotel transfers cost OMR165 (plus tax) for up to three guests and must be arranged at least 72 hours before arrival.

Automobiles

Government regulations insist on only 4WDs entering the reserve – and you’ll be glad of it once you’re navigating these long and winding roads. Nizwa (and its famous fort) is the nearest town, an hour’s drive south. Driving from Dubai is also an option; allow four and a half hours. The hotel offers chauffeur-driven 4WDs between the base of the mountain and the resort, which takes 35 minutes each way; there’s valet parking at the hotel.

Worth getting out of bed for

This is a resort for the adventurous (abseiling, anyone?), but if the thought of leaning back into a deep gorge in a hefty harness and traversing the via ferrata drilled into the rocks sends a vertiginous shiver down your back, stick to a walk into the local villages with your ‘mountain guru’, who will teach you all about the ancient falaj irrigation system as you limber across it and family life with goats before people headed to bigger towns to find work. There are telescopes up by Al Burj for stargazing. The Nizwa Fort, one of Oman’s most famous monuments, is an hour’s drive away. Muscat and its glistening beach resorts are two hours away by car.

Local restaurants

There are one or two more basic hotel offerings nearby, but you’ll be better off sticking within your fantasy fort and working your way through its extensive F&B selection.

Reviews

Photos Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar reviews
Lily Simpson

Anonymous review

By Lily Simpson, Clean-eating queen

After a sleepless flight, I walked through Oman airport completely zombified. Luckily, Mr Smith and I were soon greeted by a very friendly driver and a slick four-by-four that was decked out with everything we needed to refresh us after our flight — the comfiest seats, gallons of water, dates stuffed with nuts and a cool towel. Within minutes, the sense that Anantara knows what its guests need was clear. 

As we meandered through the mountains of Oman, I gently fell in and out of sleep. We finally caught sight of Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar in the distance: a James Bond-eqsue fortress in the dusty, rugged cliffs awaited us. Set 6,500 feet above sea level, this area is famous for its hiking trails and stunning views — and as we approached the hotel, it was clear that the scenery would become the main attraction.

As we walked through the hotel, a fort-like mix of modern and ancient style, with stone pathways and low-rise, earthy-toned buildings, my eye was drawn to the canyon, a view that would have us completely mesmerised throughout our trip. Keen to take in the view, we quickly dumped our bags in our room and headed straight to the pool, perfectly located on the canyon's edge. A friendly waiter served us a much needed gin and tonic, and proper relaxation mode kicked in.

There are a few options at the resort for dinner. On our first night we went to Al Maisan, which serves simple Arabic food. The casual atmosphere, coupled with the super-friendly staff, made for a very-much-needed relaxing first night. 

On our second night, we opted to have dinner at the edge of the cliff, the very spot where Princess Diana stood when she visited in 1986. What we hadn’t expected was that it was going to be a private dinner with our own personal chef, and although the idea of taking in the stunning views during dinner sounded great, in the pitch black we couldn’t see a thing. If you want to try it, I'd recommend booking this experience for before sunset.

Breakfast the next day was perfect. A generous buffet of fresh fruit, from blood oranges to the sweetest mangos; perfectly cooked, made-to-order eggs and good strong coffee. Each morning was a delicious and peaceful affair. 

On our second day, we strolled to some local villages, on a serene and memorable walk along the cliffs. We opted not to have a guide — perhaps it would have been advisable, as it’s not particularly well signposted, but we had hours to spare and were happy to explore the routes through the dusty hills, along the ancient irrigation system and the skinny paths at the edge of the cliffs. Don’t expect to see many inhabitants in the villages, as the buildings are mostly abandoned. We walked for three hours and barely saw a soul, which is just what we needed. 

Afternoons were reserved for some much-needed relaxation in the spa. Small but perfectly formed, it has a sauna and steam room, as well as a hammam. The treatments were perfectly good, nothing exceptional, but a massage followed by an hour in the hammam was heavenly. 

As we left the hotel, supremely relaxed even after just a short break, we considered our stay. The staff were well-informed and happy, the food was simple and authentic, the breakfasts were abundant and fresh — everything was done perfectly well. But the views, oh, the views… I would go back in a heartbeat, just for that view.

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Price per night from $465.97