Travel Guru
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I've long posted on this site but never before done a trip report, but given Oman wasn't someone even on my radar before visiting, I thought there might be others who may be interested in reading about it.
This report is based on a Travel Agent's Famil I took last week flying thanks to Etihad Airways and accommodation organised by Explore Holidays, so not your standard leisure or business trip, but I would be lying if anything we did felt like work!
As anyone who reads my posts on here will know, I've never been an Etihad fan, but I'm also not too proud to admit when I'm wrong and was very impressed, they're obviously an airline who takes criticism on board and has done all they can to offer a product which I now have no problem offering Leisure or Corporate travellers.
Sorry it's quite a long one, I don't know how to do things by halves, but hope you enjoy it...
Monday 11th May 2009 – Etihad Airways EY473
Airbus A330-200 (2 Class Configuration)
Brisbane-Singapore-Abu Dhabi – Business Class
I joined the famil being unsure what to expect from Etihad, I had never been a great fan of theirs since receiving a few complaints regarding service or lack thereof by ground and aircrew shortly after starting Brisbane services in 2007.
What I did find was an extremely professional airline, offering a product I would suggest would stand up as amongst the best on offer by any airline currently servicing Australia.
Their full 180 degree flat bed is extremely comfortable to sleep in, the only comment I’d make which is reflected in comments by other past passengers in reference to seat width, but that is currently being addressed with a new seat recently launched by the airline to be fitted on all new aircraft (no info re retro fitting).
They offer a wide selection of food, even for a fussy Vegetarian like myself, and offer anytime dining which is fantastic, with an anytime snack list including warm club sandwiches, potato chips, popcorn, cookies, icecream etc, so no shortage of food onboard.
Not being a huge drinker especially whilst flying I didn’t sample much of the drinks menu, but it looked extensive enough to keep even the biggest soak happy.
After a quick movie I decided it was time to test out the flat bed which immediately sent me off to sleep only to wake and find it was time to load up on some more carbs before landing in Singapore for their refuel stop. (only the Brisbane service stops in Singapore, Melbourne and Sydney both utilize the A340 which flys direct to Abu Dhabi).
After a seemingly quick stop in Singapore (my favorite airport in the world), it was yet again time to jump back into Business Class, put my feet up, rub a hot towel all over my head and relax for the 6 hour flight to Abu Dhabi.)
After a nice meal of Thyme infused Gnocci, and a nice fresh salad it was time to grab some sleep and I slept most of the way to Abu Dhabi, rising in time for a quick drink before landing right on midnight.
After going through customs and immigration (which seemed a lot more laid back than I expected of an Arab country), we were met by our guide who transferred us to the Millennium Hotel Abu Dhabi, our home for the next two nights.
The Millennium Hotel was lovely, aside from my room smelling like an ashtray it offered a very comfortable place to stay and a great breakfast.
The next day we did some touring around looking at the various places of interest in Abu Dhabi including the fish markets, date markets, heritage village and the amazing Sheikh Zayed Mosque, before doing an inspection on the Intercontinental Abu Dhabi with a hosted lunch to follow.
The Intercontinental was far superior to the Millennium, a fantastic property with plenty to offer every type of guest, and we checked out several room types including the Presidential Suite which was fit for a king.
The property boasts a massive selection of Vodka’s for any Vodka afficiado’s and is a popular night stop with Westerner expat’s.
That evening we were fortunate enough to be invited to dine at the Emirates Palace Hotel (it has to be seen to be believed – see www.emiratespalace.com), somewhere everyone should stay at least once in their lives.
Sister property to the Burj Al Arab in Dubai, the property is rated officially at 5 stars (the maximum), but is considered a 7 star property, and touring around viewing various room types it becomes clear why.
This property is amazing, if you are ever in Abu Dhabi, do yourself a favour, even if you can’t stretch it to stay there, go and dine there, I recommend La Vendome Restaurant, which has one of the most amazing buffet’s I’ve ever seen, and makes the Palazzo Versace’s buffet look like sizzler, but if you can, go the whole hog and spend 2 nights (the minimum allowed) and experience what it would feel like to stay in a Palace.
Wednesday 13th May 2009 – Etihad Airways EY382
Airbus A320-200 (2 Class Configuration – Domestic Style Seating)
Abu Dhabi – Muscat, Oman – Business Class
Very quick service, only around 50 minutes in the air so a quick bite to eat and we were landing in Muscat, Oman, to be met by our guides who showed us around Muscat including giving us time at the Muttrah Souq (markets) to do a bit of shopping.
The silver is prevalent here, though is quite overpriced, but there are some great buys in cloth, pottery and other souvenir items.
After a tour we checked into the Shangri La Barr Al Jissah Resort (see Oman Resort | Official Site Shangri-La's Barr Al Jissah Resort and Spa Sultanate of Oman | Luxury Resort)
There’s not enough space on the page for all of the positive things I could say about this property, it’s spectacular and far exceeds any other Shangri La properties I’ve stayed at in the past.
Built around the beachfront and between mountains, it consists of 3 towers, Al Waha, which is a family friendly wing with family rooms, realistically around a 4.5 star rating, then in the middle sits the Al Bandar wing (where we stayed) which is 5 star all the way, fantastic rooms, very comfortable with elegant bathrooms and a great big bathtub, and finally the Al Husn wing which is (very shortly to become) an Adults only 6 star wing, and is pure opulence with everything you could imagine including Jacuzzis on the balconies, and a private secluded beach for Al Husn guests only.
The property features 8 restaurants as well as bars, with Al Tanoor being my favorite, and boasting one of the best middle eastern buffet’s I’ve ever seen, the food was delicious with the only thing lacking being stomach space to shovel more of it in.
The pool area at Al Bandar is fantastic with an extensive dining and drinks menu, we spent most of the afternoon of the Wednesday sunning it up in the 40 degree weather.
The property offers free in room broadband to all guests which is a big bonus, so its worth bringing your laptop to use in your room.
This is the sort of property you stay at for 2 nights wishing it was a week, and stay for a week wishing it was a month, it so well designed and put together that you can’t help but want to spend more time in its beautiful surrounds.
On the Thursday we took a tour with our guides to see the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, which was absolutely stunning, it’s only around 5 years old, but you had a feeling standing there that you were part of history, because much like we visit the Duomo in Florence now hundreds of years later, here was a new building which would undoubtedly still be drawing the crowds 500 years from now.
After visiting the Mosque, we visited the Nizwa Tower and the market surrounding before heading up 3000m to see the Jebel Shams, also known as the Arabian Grand Canyon, which was nothing if not spectacular and well worth a look if ever in Oman.
On Friday morning we bid farewell (unfortunately) to the Shangri La, calm in the knowledge that one day I would hopefully have the opportunity to return and experience more of the fantastic Omani service it offers.
We spent the full day driving into the desert, visiting the town of Ibra and the Wadi Bani Khalib, which is an amazing flowing water hole in the middle of the 46 degree desert, which was fantastic to swim in, but made even better with the interactions with the local Omani people.
I was taken aback by the Omani’s warmth and generosity to strangers, offering us coffee, tea and sweets, and really enjoyed the opportunity to jump off 5m rocks into the water with the local Omani kids.
Unfortunately the cool relief I found in the water was lost the second I got out of it back into the 40+ heat, but it was a great experience none the less.
That afternoon we made our way to Desert Nights Camp (see www.desertnightscamp.com), the only 5 star camping experience in Oman.
Set within a compound, are these fantastic tent/huts which offer a queen sized bed, air conditioning and ensuite facilities for those looking to do something a little different.
We had a fantastic late afternoon 4WDing to the top of the sand dunes and watching the sun set, before returning to camp for a shower and a fantastic buffet dinner.
The next morning we were offered several activities, I chose quad-biking, which turned out to be sensational, right up in the sand dunes and down an almost vertical drop on one, it got the heart pumping, but I had a ball and only wished it didn’t feel like I was sticking my whole body in a hot oven being burnt, otherwise I’d have gladly gone for longer.
After the quad-biking we big the camp farewell, and headed back to Muscat via Sur, a port and boat building town a couple of hundred kilometres from Muscat, where had a fantastic meal in the back room of a little diner, magic food.
On our way back to Muscat we visited the famous Sink Hole, a massive salt water sink hole which lies 1 kilometre inland, and which is so deep, no one really knows how far down it goes, but despite it’s dark appearance, to someone like myself with a sense of adventure, it looks extremely inviting and I fully intend to bring some snorkel/scuba gear with me next time I visit so I can have a look around its dark recesses.
This evening we stayed at the Intercontinental Muscat, a property set on 14 ha. with restaurants, bars, pools, gym etc. It’s a lovely property, my only negative comment would be that the rooms seem quite dated, but spend some money on the rooms and given the rest of the property (which has obviously been done up already extensively) already looks good, it would be a 5 star property in my eyes for sure.
On our final evening we enjoyed a fantastic meal at a local open air restaurant surrounded by Omani families separated into tables to males and females, most of the males slowly sucking on their Shisha pipes which we all had a go at, some more than others.
Had an amusing birthday without a birthday (thanks girls!)…you had to be there, great night had by all.
Sunday 17th May 2009 – Etihad Airways EY385
Airbus A330-200 (2 Class Configuration)
Muscat – Abu Dhabi – Business Class
Very short flight, nice to have the flat bed configuration on board as it was an early wake up, great service as I’d come to expect from Etihad so far on this trip.
I went back and sat in economy briefly and was impressed with what they offered by way of in seat AVOD screen size etc.
We did an inspection of the Etihad’s First and Business Class lounges in Abu Dhabi, I’ve not been into the QF F Lounge in SYD/MEL, but from reports and photos I’d suggest this would trump it.
It contains its own Six Senses Spa, a Cigar Room, A La Carte Restaurant, personal Plasma’s and sitting area.
Sunday 17th May 2009 – Etihad Airways EY470
Airbus A330-200 (2 Class Configuration)
Abu Dhabi – Singapore - Brisbane – Business Class
Not much to report on this flight, great service of course, but came down with something an hour into the AUH-SIN leg and spent the rest of the flight feeling rather ill so didn’t get to achieve my goal to work my way through the entire snack menu, oh well, next time!
In Conclusion
I’ve successfully transitioned into a lover of the Etihad product, they really were fantastic and am looking forward to trying out their Diamond ‘First’ Class product in the near future.
Abu Dhabi was great, I’d recommend it primarily as a stopover destination, with plenty to keep people occupied for a 2-3 night stay on their way through to Europe.
Security and safety isn’t a concern in Abu Dhabi, males or females can walk alone at night in the streets and feel completely safe which is a lovely feeling.
Oman is a country I cannot wait to revisit, there’s so much to explore, their people are beautiful, very welcoming of westerners, and with some of the best scuba diving in the world would definitely suit scuba diving enthusiasts.
With an array of shopping and sightseeing activities, there’s plenty to keep those of any age interested and enthralled, and it’s a destination I’d recommend for anyone, couples, young backpackers, and families.
This report is based on a Travel Agent's Famil I took last week flying thanks to Etihad Airways and accommodation organised by Explore Holidays, so not your standard leisure or business trip, but I would be lying if anything we did felt like work!
As anyone who reads my posts on here will know, I've never been an Etihad fan, but I'm also not too proud to admit when I'm wrong and was very impressed, they're obviously an airline who takes criticism on board and has done all they can to offer a product which I now have no problem offering Leisure or Corporate travellers.
Sorry it's quite a long one, I don't know how to do things by halves, but hope you enjoy it...
Monday 11th May 2009 – Etihad Airways EY473
Airbus A330-200 (2 Class Configuration)
Brisbane-Singapore-Abu Dhabi – Business Class
I joined the famil being unsure what to expect from Etihad, I had never been a great fan of theirs since receiving a few complaints regarding service or lack thereof by ground and aircrew shortly after starting Brisbane services in 2007.
What I did find was an extremely professional airline, offering a product I would suggest would stand up as amongst the best on offer by any airline currently servicing Australia.
Their full 180 degree flat bed is extremely comfortable to sleep in, the only comment I’d make which is reflected in comments by other past passengers in reference to seat width, but that is currently being addressed with a new seat recently launched by the airline to be fitted on all new aircraft (no info re retro fitting).
They offer a wide selection of food, even for a fussy Vegetarian like myself, and offer anytime dining which is fantastic, with an anytime snack list including warm club sandwiches, potato chips, popcorn, cookies, icecream etc, so no shortage of food onboard.
Not being a huge drinker especially whilst flying I didn’t sample much of the drinks menu, but it looked extensive enough to keep even the biggest soak happy.
After a quick movie I decided it was time to test out the flat bed which immediately sent me off to sleep only to wake and find it was time to load up on some more carbs before landing in Singapore for their refuel stop. (only the Brisbane service stops in Singapore, Melbourne and Sydney both utilize the A340 which flys direct to Abu Dhabi).
After a seemingly quick stop in Singapore (my favorite airport in the world), it was yet again time to jump back into Business Class, put my feet up, rub a hot towel all over my head and relax for the 6 hour flight to Abu Dhabi.)
After a nice meal of Thyme infused Gnocci, and a nice fresh salad it was time to grab some sleep and I slept most of the way to Abu Dhabi, rising in time for a quick drink before landing right on midnight.
After going through customs and immigration (which seemed a lot more laid back than I expected of an Arab country), we were met by our guide who transferred us to the Millennium Hotel Abu Dhabi, our home for the next two nights.
The Millennium Hotel was lovely, aside from my room smelling like an ashtray it offered a very comfortable place to stay and a great breakfast.
The next day we did some touring around looking at the various places of interest in Abu Dhabi including the fish markets, date markets, heritage village and the amazing Sheikh Zayed Mosque, before doing an inspection on the Intercontinental Abu Dhabi with a hosted lunch to follow.
The Intercontinental was far superior to the Millennium, a fantastic property with plenty to offer every type of guest, and we checked out several room types including the Presidential Suite which was fit for a king.
The property boasts a massive selection of Vodka’s for any Vodka afficiado’s and is a popular night stop with Westerner expat’s.
That evening we were fortunate enough to be invited to dine at the Emirates Palace Hotel (it has to be seen to be believed – see www.emiratespalace.com), somewhere everyone should stay at least once in their lives.
Sister property to the Burj Al Arab in Dubai, the property is rated officially at 5 stars (the maximum), but is considered a 7 star property, and touring around viewing various room types it becomes clear why.
This property is amazing, if you are ever in Abu Dhabi, do yourself a favour, even if you can’t stretch it to stay there, go and dine there, I recommend La Vendome Restaurant, which has one of the most amazing buffet’s I’ve ever seen, and makes the Palazzo Versace’s buffet look like sizzler, but if you can, go the whole hog and spend 2 nights (the minimum allowed) and experience what it would feel like to stay in a Palace.
Wednesday 13th May 2009 – Etihad Airways EY382
Airbus A320-200 (2 Class Configuration – Domestic Style Seating)
Abu Dhabi – Muscat, Oman – Business Class
Very quick service, only around 50 minutes in the air so a quick bite to eat and we were landing in Muscat, Oman, to be met by our guides who showed us around Muscat including giving us time at the Muttrah Souq (markets) to do a bit of shopping.
The silver is prevalent here, though is quite overpriced, but there are some great buys in cloth, pottery and other souvenir items.
After a tour we checked into the Shangri La Barr Al Jissah Resort (see Oman Resort | Official Site Shangri-La's Barr Al Jissah Resort and Spa Sultanate of Oman | Luxury Resort)
There’s not enough space on the page for all of the positive things I could say about this property, it’s spectacular and far exceeds any other Shangri La properties I’ve stayed at in the past.
Built around the beachfront and between mountains, it consists of 3 towers, Al Waha, which is a family friendly wing with family rooms, realistically around a 4.5 star rating, then in the middle sits the Al Bandar wing (where we stayed) which is 5 star all the way, fantastic rooms, very comfortable with elegant bathrooms and a great big bathtub, and finally the Al Husn wing which is (very shortly to become) an Adults only 6 star wing, and is pure opulence with everything you could imagine including Jacuzzis on the balconies, and a private secluded beach for Al Husn guests only.
The property features 8 restaurants as well as bars, with Al Tanoor being my favorite, and boasting one of the best middle eastern buffet’s I’ve ever seen, the food was delicious with the only thing lacking being stomach space to shovel more of it in.
The pool area at Al Bandar is fantastic with an extensive dining and drinks menu, we spent most of the afternoon of the Wednesday sunning it up in the 40 degree weather.
The property offers free in room broadband to all guests which is a big bonus, so its worth bringing your laptop to use in your room.
This is the sort of property you stay at for 2 nights wishing it was a week, and stay for a week wishing it was a month, it so well designed and put together that you can’t help but want to spend more time in its beautiful surrounds.
On the Thursday we took a tour with our guides to see the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, which was absolutely stunning, it’s only around 5 years old, but you had a feeling standing there that you were part of history, because much like we visit the Duomo in Florence now hundreds of years later, here was a new building which would undoubtedly still be drawing the crowds 500 years from now.
After visiting the Mosque, we visited the Nizwa Tower and the market surrounding before heading up 3000m to see the Jebel Shams, also known as the Arabian Grand Canyon, which was nothing if not spectacular and well worth a look if ever in Oman.
On Friday morning we bid farewell (unfortunately) to the Shangri La, calm in the knowledge that one day I would hopefully have the opportunity to return and experience more of the fantastic Omani service it offers.
We spent the full day driving into the desert, visiting the town of Ibra and the Wadi Bani Khalib, which is an amazing flowing water hole in the middle of the 46 degree desert, which was fantastic to swim in, but made even better with the interactions with the local Omani people.
I was taken aback by the Omani’s warmth and generosity to strangers, offering us coffee, tea and sweets, and really enjoyed the opportunity to jump off 5m rocks into the water with the local Omani kids.
Unfortunately the cool relief I found in the water was lost the second I got out of it back into the 40+ heat, but it was a great experience none the less.
That afternoon we made our way to Desert Nights Camp (see www.desertnightscamp.com), the only 5 star camping experience in Oman.
Set within a compound, are these fantastic tent/huts which offer a queen sized bed, air conditioning and ensuite facilities for those looking to do something a little different.
We had a fantastic late afternoon 4WDing to the top of the sand dunes and watching the sun set, before returning to camp for a shower and a fantastic buffet dinner.
The next morning we were offered several activities, I chose quad-biking, which turned out to be sensational, right up in the sand dunes and down an almost vertical drop on one, it got the heart pumping, but I had a ball and only wished it didn’t feel like I was sticking my whole body in a hot oven being burnt, otherwise I’d have gladly gone for longer.
After the quad-biking we big the camp farewell, and headed back to Muscat via Sur, a port and boat building town a couple of hundred kilometres from Muscat, where had a fantastic meal in the back room of a little diner, magic food.
On our way back to Muscat we visited the famous Sink Hole, a massive salt water sink hole which lies 1 kilometre inland, and which is so deep, no one really knows how far down it goes, but despite it’s dark appearance, to someone like myself with a sense of adventure, it looks extremely inviting and I fully intend to bring some snorkel/scuba gear with me next time I visit so I can have a look around its dark recesses.
This evening we stayed at the Intercontinental Muscat, a property set on 14 ha. with restaurants, bars, pools, gym etc. It’s a lovely property, my only negative comment would be that the rooms seem quite dated, but spend some money on the rooms and given the rest of the property (which has obviously been done up already extensively) already looks good, it would be a 5 star property in my eyes for sure.
On our final evening we enjoyed a fantastic meal at a local open air restaurant surrounded by Omani families separated into tables to males and females, most of the males slowly sucking on their Shisha pipes which we all had a go at, some more than others.
Had an amusing birthday without a birthday (thanks girls!)…you had to be there, great night had by all.
Sunday 17th May 2009 – Etihad Airways EY385
Airbus A330-200 (2 Class Configuration)
Muscat – Abu Dhabi – Business Class
Very short flight, nice to have the flat bed configuration on board as it was an early wake up, great service as I’d come to expect from Etihad so far on this trip.
I went back and sat in economy briefly and was impressed with what they offered by way of in seat AVOD screen size etc.
We did an inspection of the Etihad’s First and Business Class lounges in Abu Dhabi, I’ve not been into the QF F Lounge in SYD/MEL, but from reports and photos I’d suggest this would trump it.
It contains its own Six Senses Spa, a Cigar Room, A La Carte Restaurant, personal Plasma’s and sitting area.
Sunday 17th May 2009 – Etihad Airways EY470
Airbus A330-200 (2 Class Configuration)
Abu Dhabi – Singapore - Brisbane – Business Class
Not much to report on this flight, great service of course, but came down with something an hour into the AUH-SIN leg and spent the rest of the flight feeling rather ill so didn’t get to achieve my goal to work my way through the entire snack menu, oh well, next time!
In Conclusion
I’ve successfully transitioned into a lover of the Etihad product, they really were fantastic and am looking forward to trying out their Diamond ‘First’ Class product in the near future.
Abu Dhabi was great, I’d recommend it primarily as a stopover destination, with plenty to keep people occupied for a 2-3 night stay on their way through to Europe.
Security and safety isn’t a concern in Abu Dhabi, males or females can walk alone at night in the streets and feel completely safe which is a lovely feeling.
Oman is a country I cannot wait to revisit, there’s so much to explore, their people are beautiful, very welcoming of westerners, and with some of the best scuba diving in the world would definitely suit scuba diving enthusiasts.
With an array of shopping and sightseeing activities, there’s plenty to keep those of any age interested and enthralled, and it’s a destination I’d recommend for anyone, couples, young backpackers, and families.
