An idyllic coastal resort, the Chedi Muscat was voted number two in Conde Nast Traveller's "best of the best in the world" awards in 2007. The readers' awards lists the top 100 places and services in the travel world.
The Chedi Muscat, is located in the area of Al Khuwair, approximately 15 to 20 kilometres from Muscat's Seeb International Airport. It is set on 86,000 square metres and has 350 metres of private beach on the Gulf of Oman. Locally owned, The Chedi Muscat is managed by Singapore-based General Hotel Management (GHM), which runs a small chain of boutique hotels in Bali, Goa, Kuala Lumpur, Langkawi, Miami, Yangon, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Hoi An.
The 62 sq m Chedi Club Suite offers the ultimate in luxury and pampering, and is currently priced at 420 Omani rials (about Dh4,000), plus taxes.
Once you have booked the Club Suite, the rest of your stay is taken care of. It includes complimentary drinks from the mini-bar, laundry service, internet access and airport transfers. If you prefer to travel in style, the Club Suite entitles you to a discount rate on a limousine transfer, the latest model Mercedes 350SL.
"We believe in giving more. In giving our guests a total package without getting the guests to worry about paying for little bits and pieces when they leave us. It makes it much more pleasant for our guests," Chedi Muscat General Manager York Brandes told Emirates Business.
The high season at the resort is from October to May and according to Brandes 90 per cent of visitors are leisure travellers, with the majority of tourists visiting from Europe. The resort is also consistently popular with weekenders from Dubai. Brandes said the guests head to the resort to take a break from their hectic lifestyles and everything caters to that, from the overall décor, to the restaurants and the onsite spa.
Specialising in Balinese therapies, The Spa offers an extensive variety of therapies based on fresh organic ingredients for the body and face. The finest hand selected massage oils and essential oils from the Far East are used for relaxing body elixirs and bathing rituals. All beauty treatments use Jurlique, Australia's natural skin care products.
The Chedi Muscat also offers two swimming pools, a 42-metre infinity pool, The Chedi Pool, which is a sanctuary of peace and quiet for adults and The Serai Pool, for families and children. Along with these, guests enjoy exclusive use of a fully equipped gym, two flood-lit tennis courts and an art gallery/boutique.
The decor of the Club Suite is ultimately elegant: sleek furnishings, soft tones used for the upholstery, wooden flooring in combination of black terrazzo, wooden blinds instead of the conventional material curtains, and very minimalist decorations such as brass candle holders, small centerpieces above the head rest area and traditional iron Arabic-style chandeliers.
The suite also has a dive-in sunken bathtub, which is custom-made for the hotel: set into the ground and also made of black terrazzo material. The upper level of the suite has a private balcony, which either overlooks the beautiful palm gardens, water gardens, the stunning Hajjar mountain ranges or the Gulf of Oman.
By Maha Obeid
© Emirates Business 24/7 2008
