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OVERVIEW:
For Easter Holiday, we wanted to go somewhere warm and our priority was to rest our minds and body. We ended up booking our trip to Muscat, Oman and on our way back as I am writing these sentences I feel completely recharged and feel and look good with my sun kissed skin:) In addition to our restful stay; Muscat offered us some cultural discoveries which was the cherry on top of the cake. 

Oman is a 100% Muslim country ruled by their much loved Sultan Quaboos (UNESCO Environment Award Winner) for 47 years now. I found myself asking if this is the most peaceful Muslim country on earth? Sultan Quaboos is a UK educated pioneer that devoted himself to work for Oman’s development and it seems like he did really well. Architechturally, the rule was to use only white for buildings so Muscat looks cute with its short and all white buildings (there are no skyscrapers at all; 14 levels is the maximum).  [Image]
They say there are two seasons in Muscat; summer and the hell! Our visit was just before the hell season starts and it was 38 degrees during the day and 31 during nights. It was not humid so the feeling was the exact temperature. Make sure to avoid May to September and enjoy Muscat between late September to April.
We flew from London to Muscat (direct 7 hours flight) with British Airways; which was as smooth as it can be. It was a night flight and we landed in Muscat in the very early morning. For our #hoteltasting adventures, we decided to stay in 2 different hotels.
WHERE TO STAY:
Al Bustan Palace, Ritz Carlton:
For our first two nights we stayed at Al Bustan Palace, Ritz Carlton. It is one of the oldest hotels in Muscat and you can tell from the rooms and the other parts of the hotel. The hotel will be closed between May to July 2017 for partial renovation. Meanwhile The SPA is brand new and is one of the best: Six Senses SPA. As soon as we checked in the hotel I headed to the SPA for the best pre-sunbathing treatment; the Hamam / Turkish Bath ritual. I do this often and I believe this is the best thing to get rid of dead skin and rejuvenate your skin. Tuk was an amazing therapist and she washed my hair, exfoliated the whole body and at the end massaged me with foam like a baby. At the end of 50 minutes’ ritual I was feeling pure and fresh. We attended the afternoon yoga session which was good to stretch. In general the service and the food was five stars but I don’t recommend this hotel for couples without a kid like us:) It is a huge space so you don’t get overwhelmed by the kids around but the next hotel I will write about is the perfect place to be “just the two of us” and Al Bustan is ideal for families with kids. It has a Kids Club, big outdoor soft play area, play corner in the restaurant etc.  [Image]
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The Chedi:
For the last two nights when we checked into The Chedi I felt myself in a fairy tale. This hotel reminded us The Siam Hotel in Bangkok; both are the best design hotels we have ever been to. The minimalism and the simplicity within design is the wow factor. My husband called their long pool (there are total of 3 in the hotel) in front of the spa, the best hotel pool in the world!
There are several different restaurants that serves different kind of cuisine and it seems like The Main Restaurant is very popular where local people are regulars and tourists staying in other hotels are coming to dine as well. I should mention that the open buffet breakfast was quite fascinating. 
P.S: Not to give any wrong impression I have to mention that there were couples with babies staying in The Chedi as well but there were no kids club or specific facilities for kids like in Al Bustan Palace. [Image]
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WHAT TO DO:
Since my husband loves snorkelling wherever we go we take a boat trip and this time we headed to Bayran Al Kayran. It was quite disappointing because the visibility was very poor and the reef was almost dead unfortunately as it is happening all around the world. I can say it was a nice boat ride but nothing exciting in terms of snorkelling. [Image]
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On our last day we arranged a tour to Wahabi Sands and it turned out to be a very fun day. Abdulaziz our driver & guide from Golden Oryx Picked us up from The Chedi at 8 am in the morning and we drove two and a half hours to reach the Wahabi Sands; during our trip we talked about politics and culture of Oman; which was very appreciated by us. When we reached the destination Abdulaziz showed his driving skills and the huge Land Cruiser turned out to be a roller coaster in the soft sands. Abdulaziz took us to a Bedouin house and they offered us coffee with dates. They explained us that nowadays Bedouins are integrated with normal life and they have normal houses in nearby towns where they stay during the hell season (May- September) and on the desert during September-April. Goats and camel tours and races are their main income supply. They dressed me as a bride and we had this weeding photo with my husband J 
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Although I knew the nutritional benefits of dates and try to include in my diet I was not a huge fan; until I tried the Omanian ones - the most delicious ever! Abdulaziz took us to a hypermarket called Lulu’s to buy dates. There are several kinds of them; be sure to taste and make your selection. Abdulaziz advised us not to buy already packed dates since they get more sugary.
WHAT WILL REMIND ME OF MUSCAT: Delicious dates and warm hospitality of Oman.
For more photos and videos, also visit instagram account @eatandtravelandlove (https://instagram.com/eatandtravelandlove/)