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Friday, August 18, 2017

Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) - An enforced detox

ABU DHABI (United Arab Emirates)
12 August - 14 August 2017

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Not exactly an afterthought but not a priority, Abu Dhabi was a necessity for purposes of exiting the UAE with the flights we had purchased.


View from the Shangri La Qaryat el Beri - Abu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates

Our welcome at the Shangri La Qaryat el Beri - Abu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates

Shangri La Qaryat el Beri - Abu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates

View from the Shangri La Qaryat el Beri - Abu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates

Sheik Zayed Grand Mosque - the Shangri La Qaryat el Beri - Abu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates

Shangri La Qaryat el Beri - Abu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates

Shisha @ the Shangri La Qaryat el Beri - Abu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates


The extent of the sightseeing we did in Abu Dhabi extended to the pool area, gym and shisha lounges of the marvellous Hotel Shangri La Qaryat el Beri, a grand hotel on the Khor Al Maqta waterway.


Shangri La Qaryat el Beri - Abu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates

Shangri La Qaryat el Beri - Abu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates

Shangri La Qaryat el Beri - Abu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates

Breakfast @ Shangri La Qaryat el Beri, phenomenal!! - Abu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates

Breakfast @ Shangri La Qaryat el Beri, phenomenal!! - Abu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates

Shangri La Qaryat el Beri - Abu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates

Shangri La Qaryat el Beri - Abu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates


An opulent hotel with plenty of bars, restaurants, cigar lounge, fantastic gym, private beach, breezy poolside bar and views to the mighty Sheik Zayed Grand Mosque. This was the perfect way to ‘de-buzz’ from our honeymoon.


Shangri La Qaryat el Beri - Abu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates

Shangri La Qaryat el Beri - Abu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates

Shangri La Qaryat el Beri - Abu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates

Shangri La Qaryat el Beri - Abu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates

Shangri La Qaryat el Beri - Abu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates

Shangri La Qaryat el Beri - Abu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates


Somehow 6 weeks had just slipped on by so effortlessly but that’s a holiday for you, gone before you know it but the impressions and images you take with you for a lifetime.

Wednesday, August 9, 2017

Muscat (Oman) - Old Muscat

MUSCAT (Oman)
09 August - 12 August 2017

I recall the pilot advising over the in-flight comms we were ‘Now flying over Muscat’. Looking down at a small part of the Arabian peninsula I remember thinking that it was amusing that we were flying over a city whose name was the same as the surname of my football coach. That was some 35+ years ago now. The skies were crystal clear and blue, and the land beneath looked grey and parched, standing out starkly against the Gulf of Oman and the sky around us.

Way back then I wanted to go and experience what was once 12kms below my feet. That’s the oddity of flying around the world and over foreign places where in actuality you can be very close to a location, within 8km-12kms, but reality tells you that you’re a world away.

Considering the U.A.E. are neighbours with Oman then why wouldn’t we take the opportunity to going on down there?

So what did we find?




The Chedi - Muscat - Oman


The Chedi - Muscat - Oman


The Chedi - Muscat - Oman


Omani rials


The Chedi - Muscat - Oman


Honeymoon welcome - The Chedi - Muscat - Oman


Honeymoon welcome - The Chedi - Muscat - Oman


On first passing the city is unmistakably modern but not in the same manner as what you find in Dubai or Abu Dhabi. It feels like a modernist Soviet country in terms of its architecture. A formless straggle of low-rise, washed buildings and suburbs string out down the coastline, the result of an increasing population generally defined through the modern 20th century migration of people out of the rural and into the urban. For me, this part of Muscat was uninspiring. I had the expectation that I’d see something closer the way a place like Marrackech currently presents itself, but it appears that was a long way from reality.

Contemporary and consumerist, typified by a string of coastal hotels that are opulent and pander to a new wave of tourists wanting to discover this safe, liberal, Islamic country. We were more than fortunate to have booked ourselves into The Chedi (Muscat),  for the duration of our stay. A place, where they say in their promotions, the Al Hajar mountains meet their luminous reflection in the serene waters of the Gulf of Oman. The place itself was exquisite, a beautiful Arabian mix of white walls, dark wood panelling, elegant chandeliers and intricate carpeting. The shapes and forms within the structure of the building are very Arabic but as a whole the feel is light and airy. The whitewashed façade sits beautifully amongst their large 21 acre garden oasis. The real highlights of the grounds were their glorious pools, three fantastic features, one of which was a 103 mtrs long which seemed to drift out into the Gulf of Oman.


The Chedi - Muscat - Oman


The Chedi - Muscat - Oman


The Chedi - Muscat - Oman


The Chedi - Muscat - Oman


The Chedi - Muscat - Oman




The Chedi - Muscat - Oman


The most charming part of Muscat however was the engaging port district of Muttrah and the nearby quarter of Old Muscat. Spread around a tight bay the seafront is lined with Portuguese forts, colourful mosques and an assortment of typical Arabian buildings. This to me is where we found the true character of Muscat, or perhaps I should say, what we wanted the true spirit of Muscat to exude. It seems to be these days that the old towns in cities serve less as the cultural epicentre of a city and act more as a forum of nostalgia and touristic fascination. Old Muscat felt a bit like that to me, slowly being diluted by commercialism & capitalism, being strangled by a whole world that’s no longer held at arms length but is pervasive in their everyday lives.


Al Jalali Fort - Muscat - Oman


Muscat - Oman


Muscat - Oman


Al Jalali Fort - Muscat - Oman


Al Jalali Fort - Muscat - Oman


Al Jalali Fort - Muscat - Oman


Al Jalali Fort - Muscat - Oman


Old Muscat from Al Jalali Fort - Muscat - Oman


Old Muscat from Al Jalali Fort - Muscat - Oman


Al Jalali Fort - Muscat - Oman


Muscat - Oman


Old Muscat, up until relatively recently was all Muscat had to offer. The walled town was home to the residence of the sultan and other notables, a beautiful oasis like city bounded by mountains along the coastline. Viewing this part of the city from its various vantage points you get the feeling of the idea that attracts people and has them interested in discovering more about the location and culture.


The Chedi - Muscat - Oman


The Chedi - Muscat - Oman


The Chedi - Muscat - Oman


The Chedi - Muscat - Oman


The 103 mtr pool @ The Chedi - Muscat - Oman


The 103 mtr pool @ The Chedi - Muscat - Oman


The Chedi - Muscat - Oman


The Gulf of Oman - Muscat - Oman


Inga and I split our time between Old Muscat and The Chedi. Truh be known, the hotel was actually a fair distance from the old city, which itself resides more on the periphery of what is known as Muscat these days than anywhere considered to be particularly central. For us this meant a lot more time spent in the majestic Chedi pools and staring out into the Gulf of Oman on beautiful 30 degree days with cocktails in hand, swaying palms overhead and an ongoing honeymoon buzz.