Need to know
Rooms
Eighty-two, including 20 suites, private villas, two Private Retreats and one Private Reserve.
Check–Out
Noon (flexible, subject to availability and a 50 per cent charge up to 6pm); earliest check-in, 3pm. Guests arriving early or leaving late are welcome to use all the resort's facilities, including the spa and a day-use villa for freshening up.
More details
Rates include the hotel's decadent buffet breakfast. There's also a half board (US$120 a person a day) and full board (US$180 a person a day) rate with set menus at Spice Market and the Summer House. All rates include taxes.
Also
Most public areas are wheelchair accessible (although paths between are sand and stone); the spacious one-bedroom villas are all on one level and best suited to the elderly or less mobile.
At the hotel
Beach with watersports and dive centre; spa with hammam, sauna and gym; personal training; tennis courts; library of books, CDs and DVDs; free WiFi throughout. In rooms: flatscreen TV, DVD player, pre-loaded iPod and dock; well-stocked minibar and wine chiller, free water, espresso machine, kettle, slippers and bathrobes, alfresco showers, in-room treatments.
Our favourite rooms
Laid out like a traditional Omani village, individual stone-walled dwellings house standalone villas and suites. Every villa has a private plunge pool with sunloungers, a terrace with a dining area, private sand 'garden' and shady outdoor majlis (seating area) and an outdoor shower. Pick of the bunch are the sunrise-facing beachfront villas, with uninterrupted sea views and only a few sandy footsteps between you and the water. Add 'Suite' to your room name, and the bedroom and living room will be separate, with two bathrooms and two outdoor showers. Add 'Duplex', and you're going up in the world: these elevated villas have an extra bedroom and living space on the upper floor – Duplex Pool Villa Suites also have dining rooms and balconies. For total indulgence, the Retreats are huge three-bedroom villas on two floors, with large pools, and a fitted kitchen, while the Private Reserve offers four bedrooms, a spacious dining room and its own private beach area.
Poolside
The freeform infinity-edged pool winds down towards the sea, with plenty of palm-shaded loungers (and the occasional mountain goat) reflected in its surface. Staff are at your beck and call for snacks, drinks and cooling sorbets. There's also a saltwater swimming pool with Roman steps and a swim-round island.
Packing tips
Loose, long linens; Bond girl bikinis; sturdier swimwear for watersports; things containing Lycra (for mountain biking, canyoning, rock climbing, and overeating).
Also
'Minibar' doesn't do it justice: your room is kitted out with a mini wine cellar, half-litre bottles of premium spirits, fruit juices, beers and soft drinks, as well as an array of snack-happy treats.
Children
Welcome. There's space for two under-12s (free) to stay in their parent's room, or one older child or extra adult (US$110, inclusive of tax, breakfast and service charge). There are activities galore and babysitting is available from US$17 an hour.
Best for
Adventurous pre-schoolers and above: kids who can make the most of the seaside setting and all the activities on offer.
Recommended rooms
All villa types can comfortably sleep a family of four, but if you want them in a separate room, opt for a one-bedroom Pool Villa Suite or Duplex Two Bedroom Pool Villa or above.
Crèche
No crèche for under-4s, but Chaica’s Club for children aged 4–12 has activities as diverting as yours are, with distractions from simple sandcastle-building to all-action mini-Olympics or beach bowling, plus sessions inspired by local culture: mehndi henna painting, Arabic lessons and cookery classes. Teens have their own club, Al Feetean's, with more adventurous options including abseiling, archery, capoeira, photography, survival skills, raft-building and snorkelling.
Activities
There's a never-be-bored list of activities to keep older kids entertained, with alfresco film screenings (don't miss the flavoured popcorn), mountain biking, tennis courts and watersports topping the list. Feed the goats, swim in the sea, splash in the pools or sign them up for cookery lessons while you book into the spa.
Swimming pool
Every room type has a private plunge pool, so it may not be hugely relaxing if you have the kind of energetic toddler who seeks danger at every opportunity. There's a large freeform infinity pool as well as a saltwater pool – children are welcome at both.
Meals
Kids are welcome in both the Spice Market and the Summer House, at any time. Highchairs and booster seats are available, and there's a tasty children’s menu, with healthy dishes (such as wholewheat spaghetti, noodle soup, poached sheary fillets or grilled chicken strips), treaty favourites (mini pizzas and burgers) and fun desserts, too (marshmallow fruit salad, banana splits). Staff will happily heat up milk or baby food. Children under six eat free; those aged six to 11 eat for 50 per cent of the adult rate. Children over 12 are considered adults.
Babysitting
Babysitters are available with 48 hours' notice; it's US$17 an hour for one child, with additional children charged at US$17 an hour.
No need to pack
There's a buggy you can borrow at the resort – just bear in mind that most of the paths are sand or rough stone, so you're not likely to need it. Cots, black-out blinds, bottle-sterilising kit, stair gates, baby towels and basic toys also available.
Also
Beachfront properties are great, but if your little ones are freedom-seekers, you might prefer to distance yourself from the shoreline. Bear in mind that the summer months are very hot – consider timing your visit from November to March, when offsite expeditions and all-action playtime are more pleasurable.
Sustainability efforts
Six Senses is committed to sustainability, and has an admirable policy of supporting the community by working with local charities and schools. It has been involved in the creation of a protected marine area, to raise awareness of the Musandam peninsula's unique eco-system. There's an organic kitchen garden onsite, and, best of all, it eschews the import of trendy H2Os, makes its own mineral water with a crystal plant, and donates one rial from each sale to its social responsibility fund.
