The Chedi Muscat

"Why book?   Let’s make it clear: You’re not going to come to The Chedi looking for a wild time. But for stressed-out C-Suiters or pleasure seekers looking to decompress, a day or two spent here has the somewhat discombobulating effect of making you forget your everyday life entirely. In the time I spent here, I didn’t hear anyone with a phone glued to their ear shouting about plummeting stock markets. In fact, I didn’t hear anyone shouting at all. The Chedi has that kind of effect. Set the scene   You’ll find the resort off the main drag in an unprepossessing, busy suburb of Muscat —just a 10-minute drive from the airport, so it massively earns points for mid-haul short breaks. Once through the gates and away from the grittiness of urban life though, it’s a different world. The whole place is a homage to repose and tranquility—like a retreat, but for people who also love a good cocktail at lunchtime. It’s a mixed crowd, but there are a lot of European couples and the fashion report from poolside is that Villebrequin and Melissa Odabash are unlikely to be going out of business anytime soon. Wealthy Omanis, too, love it due to the fact the place is so darn discreet. Members of the royal family can, and do, flit in and out of the private dining rooms and salons without any fanfare. The backstory   The Chedi was developed and is operated by GHM Group, headquartered in Singapore from where it launched its first hotel, The Datai, on the Malaysian idyll of Langkawi, 30 years ago. It was a trailblazer in its day, with its pared-back luxury Asian design, deferential service, and serenity that GHM has managed to parcel up into all it has touched since. As is the ethos with all its non-Asian properties, GHM’s core aesthetic seamlessly fuses with local design and culture, so at The Chedi, the vibe is bougie Bedouin meets Zen Master. The rooms   The 161 rooms and suites are either in or near the main hotel in the Serai wing, or dotted villa-style around the hotel’s 21 acres of meticulously manicured grounds where burbling water features and a chic approximation of  falaj,  the ancient Arabic irrigation systems, listlessly meander. A minimal Asian design ethic comes out strong in the room interiors with tucked-away amenities in sleek cabinetry that harmonizes with the Islamic love of symmetry so well. The Chedi Club Suites have sunken terrazzo baths and roomy, sea-facing terraces, and are conveniently close to Club Lounge serving Afternoon Tea and Aperitivo until 8 p.m. The Serai rooms in the main wing (and the most popular by price point) are due for an update in 2023 as part of the hotel’s 20th-anniversary offering and should be operational by the blistering summer’s end. Food and drink   There are six restaurants within the resort but two are seasonal only (October to April). I missed the opening of the signature seafood-centric Beach Restaurant by a week but was assured by a previous guest who still dreams about the Omani lobster—the best they’ve ever tasted, by their account. The hotel is justifiably proud of its Main Restaurant (they don’t go in for flashy F&B naming which is refreshing) with its four “show” kitchens, all of which remain mercifully un-showy. Elsewhere, the Long Pool Cabana offers a sublime modern Japanese menu, with a few further Asian extras thrown in for good measure. Happily work your way through the menu after a few calorie-searing laps up and down the Long Pool, which really lives up to its name at 103 meters (the longest in the region). The spa   Eleven spacious spa suites and a Health Club flank the Long Pool. Treatments veer unsurprisingly towards the Balinese variety, and a relaxation area overlooking the ocean takes some beating. The gym is just downstairs. I say gym, but it’s a sort of gym cum library with tastefully curated bookshelves and armchairs, so if you’ve had enough of pounding the treadmill you can curl up out of sight behind a mashrabiya screen with a George Eliot or Wilkie Collins, thoughtfully supplied. The neighborhood/area   If you can drag yourself away from the pool and spa, even if it’s to the hotel’s exclusive boutique that’s good for far more than sun lotion and aspirin, do it. This is where you can really come to shop with partnered brands including designer Michael Aram and the world-famous Omani perfumier Amouage (headquartered just down the road). Within 15 minutes, you can tee off at three top-notch golf courses, and a 25-minute drive gets to you central Muscat with the Grand Mosque and the Mutrah Souk, both well worth a visit. A bit further afield—and a drive you won’t regret—is Nizwa, the ancient capital of Oman. There are also two specially designed excursions for guests at The Chedi, including a luxury overnight glamping trip to Jabal Shams, the highest peak in Oman, and a private boat charter to a marine reserve for snorkeling and diving. The service   Perennially smiley. The staff really cannot do enough, and unlike most countries in the GCC, you’re just as likely to be served breakfast by a local Omani than international staff—great for getting local knowledge. Most senior staff have been with the hotel for years, so there’s a nice continuity despite the staffing havoc the pandemic caused in Oman. For families   Families are catered to (to a point), with children allowed in one of the three pools. You’re not going to find any kids’ clubs here either—a fact that isn’t going to upset the majority of The Chedi’s clientele. The Club Lounge officially is a child-free zone, but we did come across a crawling baby one evening—though given its imperturbable demeanor, it was a perfect poster child for The Chedi’s inimitable brand of chill. Eco effort   Given the amount of water the pristine lawns must thirst for, it’s encouraging that all the hotel’s water is recycled at an on-site plant and reused for irrigation and more. The three pools source their water from a well in the grounds, which is then treated and distributed; and the Long Pool is treated and cleansed with natural salt instead of chlorine. Accessibility Apart from a ground-floor spa suite, there aren’t many features for guests with mobility problems. Given the steps and walkways that are designed for aesthetic rather than practical purposes, I wouldn’t recommend it. Anything left to mention?   Although it’s set on a 370-meter stretch of coastline fringing the Arabian Gulf, you shouldn’t rush to The Chedi for the beach. You’ll find no silken golden sands like in other parts of Oman, but it gets the job done, if only as a repository for the pleasing sound of breaking waves and a cool ocean breeze as you recline by the gorgeous infinity Chedi Pool right beside it." - Stella Rosato