I’m I’m the fortunate position to of won two free tickets to Dubai.Unfortunately I’ve been there before and have no desire to hurry back.
The tickets are not transferable and I don’t want to waste them so Muscat looks like a nice place close by.
So if anyone’s been some advice would be appreciated thanks

Take your own flag so when you star in one of those videos your well equipped.

muscat was quite nice 10yrs ago. no idea now.

hire a 4×4 and go wadi bashing.

Yes many time for business and a couple of times for holiday inc with my daughters. Great destination and much more authentic and interesting than Dubai (not difficult admittedly). Some very nice resort hotels (Al Bustan Palace and Chedi where my favourites … big new complex Shangri-La ? Not so good) Wadi and desert driving / desert hotel options. Muscat good for a day or two inc Souk.

Oman has close relationship with the UK and Sultan served innthe British military. Warm and welcoming people.

I was there in January for work, so didn’t get time to do the touristy thing, but actually as a country I found Oman really nice and much better than other places in the Middle East. Nowhere near as much development so it reminded me of Abu Dhabi about 20 years ago. Friendly people with a much more relaxed attitude than some and at least there are bars you can get a drink at!

Probably less to do and see than Dubai, but there’s plenty of sights in the old town/harbour apparently and the mountains looked stunning. I know I’d rather go back to Muscat than go to Dubai!

Yes, mountains are stunning.

They only starting giving tourist visas about 15-20 years ago so it’s still developing – haven’t been there recently but it’s probably like Dubai was 20 years ago. Get in quick before it turns into some sorts of glitzy $hit-hole in the desert like Dubai where no end of money doesn’t buy class. Go in winter as temperatures / humidity can become intolerable in summer if you want to be outdoors.

Do you really want to be a tourist in the Middle East ?

My fave of the Gulf nations. Friendly people with a good historical link to the UK. As said, avoid in summer but great spring and autumn. Good surfing if you know where, good windsurfing and developing diving.

Not been myself but I regularly send Engineers to Oman, Bahrain and Dubai.

They all hate Bahrain.
They can take or leave Dubai.
They all like Oman. Nice people, good hospitality, etc.

They have suggested they’d take their wives/kids on holiday to Oman.

The coastal areas are lovely….wonderful unspoilt beauty. The built up areas are a bit ramshackle. Nice local people, very friendly. I liked it a lot. The boat trips with the dolphins are fantastic.

Trimix – you are a lot safer in the Middle East than in most town centres in the UK.

Fab thread, ignoring Trimix. Not a place I’d have thought have going, but you put ‘holiday in Oman’ into Google and the images are stunning. Definitely interesting in taking the wife and kids.
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=holiday+in+oman&safe=active&espv=2&biw=1920&bih=942&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjmubuGhLLPAhUHiSwKHT_xC6wQ_AUICCgD

however, I would not recommend the oasis club in salalah.

OP you need to look into time of year, last trip I made was late April and it was starting to get a bit warm ! Oct – March best window ? Will try and dig out a few photos. Dubai never had much to play with – like Qatar mainly just hot flat desert. Oman has changing landscape, mountains, great diving and snorkeling and true Arab hospitality. I have been visiting the Gulf for 25 years (Saudi, Kuwait, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharja, Qatar) and Oman is only place I chose to go on holiday. You get the spirit of the Middle East / Arab world without some of the hassle you experience in say Egypt, Morocco or Tunisia. Other Gulf countries like Dubai / Qatar are just fancy hotels and shopping malls in the desert / sunshine.

I’m looking at going in November.Is it best to fly from dubai to Muscat just some people have suggested driving as its only 450 KM’s and the drives supposed to be pretty visual.

Beautiful country, really friendly people. Musandam Peninsula is definitely worth a visit.When we were there we watched the smugglers in their high powered speed boats, loaded with goodies, setting off to Iran each night. Dhow cruise to Telegraph Island, spectacular scenery. Deserts, mountains and coast all worth exploring. Felt safe wherever we went.

really friendly people.

Who didn’t abolish slavery until 1970 (although recent estimates still put the number at 24000 slaves), who regularly torture people and carry out inhumane punishments on political dissenters. Their human rights record is apalling……………..

Was it Oman where they locked up that Canadian teacher for microscopic traces of weed on her bag?

Yup drive is supposed to be lovely. We flew via Abu Dhabi as we went with BA, didn’t have to get off the plane.

Was 1970 when the current Sultan (with British help) disposed his father (who was by all accounts not the nicest guy)?

BA flying direct to Muscat as of next month.

I’ve been for work field trips and would love to go back on holiday. Look at Google Earth. Where the flat and boring desert ends, Oman begins. Masses to see and do – especially if you drive out of Muscat to the mountains. Be careful driving as they are very dangerous drivers.

Funnily enough, I am off there fro two weeks in November …. I have friends who live there.
So I would like to hear how you get on ….

The friends have a pretty comprehensive trip sorted …. including a trip to Dubai (which I absolutely hate) …

Lived/grew up there in the 80s. I always think about going back but would be too worried I will not recognise the place and feel like a stranger. Lived in the middle of nowhere halfway between the airport and Muscat. Literally just a mosque, a few shops and a few blocks of flats and lots of sand dunes. Went on Google Earth a while ago and spent 10mins just trying to find my block of flats dwarfed amongst a load of high rise. Not a sand dune for miles. But my school and our boat club which is where we spent most of our time was all just about still there.

Things I remember:
-wadi bashing and finding crystal clear deep oases surrounded by palms just like out of a film
– playing in the mountain sized sand dunes
– sailing in warm warer (apparently it’s great for kitesurfing now)
– visiting the old forts and villages with amazing raised irrigation systems
– the souks in Muscat
– the people (albeit many people are foreigners working there- or were)

We also went to Dubai before it turned in to what it is now. Scary to think what it’s become. Hopefully the charm of Oman hasn’t gone the same way.

Also good for scuba diving. I remember we used to drive to a deserted beach, my dad and the other men would drive the speed boat over. They would dive for cray fish. And we would light a bonfire, cook them and eat them and sleep on the beach looking at the stars and watch the phosphorescence lap up on the shore (whilst the adults got pissed).

Good times

Not been for 10 years but fab. The people, as others have said are amazing. We were in a hired 4×4 middle of nowhere passing through a small town and realised we had a puncture. Read the manual to find jacking points etc before getting out into the heat and before we knew it the car started to lift as the locals were jacking it up and starting to change the tyre for us.

Could anyone recommend some hotels please as we are getting a bit confused is it better to be in the city or in a resort looking at the grand Hyatt which looks really nice

Regarding the drive…
It’s a reasonable drive over to Muscat from AD/Dubai. Believe it or not I did it as part of a long weekend rock climbing a few years ago. Completely nuts:
Work Thursday, overnight flight from Manc direct to Abu.
Friday drove to near Muscat. Did a few deep water solo climbs. Camped.
Saturday, more DWS, drove back to UAE
Sunday, climbed at Wonderwall near the UAE border. camped.
Monday drove to Hatta crag, climbed some more, drove to Abu
Quick shower and meal out, then drove to AD airport and go the overnight flight back to Manc.
Tuesday, arrived home about 6am, got the kids to school and then went to work.
Utterly awesome weekend. Just amazing to have been swimming and climbing in the sun in November/December with only 2 days off work.

Wasn’t so convinced about the locals as most of the posters above. The boat dudes were pretty unreliable and then tried to fleece us for additional payment when we got back. Fair play though, there were lots of signs up saying don’t use the unregulated boat dudes as they will try to fleece you for extra payment when you come back.

The drive was pretty fast empty roads if I remember correctly, but fairly scenic. You may get held up a while at the border post though.

actually, just remembered…..

To balance my post above, on a previous weekend trip, our jeep died in the middle of BFN and a local shepherd was exceedlingly excellent getting us going again. He used some random power lines to jump start us as send us on our way. Not a word of language in common apart from thank you

He was brilliant.

We stayed in Al-Bustan and Chedi. Both have since been rennovated and are now Trip Advisor #1 and #2, may be pricey and if you stay there its worth searching out excursions seperately as whilst they will offer great trips they will have a heady price add on I suspect. I would recommend multi venue stay anyway inc a night or two in a desert hotel.

EDiT: love Tripadvisor bad review from one Hyatt guest, “floor only had tiles” wtf did you expect in the Middle East shag pile carpet 🙂

@the generalist the boatmen may well not have been Omanis but is of course a generalisation to say “all Omanis are great”

@ads the Omani toursit board has put a lot of money into sailing / water sports inc running worlds class teams in a few specific events abroad. Have met a few people who run things / sail for them. Bit like Abu Dhabi who won the Volvo Ocean Race.

Slavery is alive and well in the gulf. Something unbelievable like 20,000 slaves migrant workers have died so far in Qatar building the facilities for the World Cup. It will be double that by the time the event comes around. Life is cheap out there.

But Oman is supposed to be nice according to work colleagues. But they rave on about Beruit.

Wobbli the death toll in Qatar is indeed shocking, it is however around 1,200 I believe.