I want to start this review by saying that I suffer from the 'curse of Dubai'. I have lived in Dubai for 3 years and the hotels/service standards/restaurants are the best I have ever experienced and I find myself comparing everything to Dubai standards-it really does change your perspective on things because you expect so much!

Anyway, we stayed at the Chedi 2 nights, this was a surprise weekend away from my other half and we decided to drive to Muscat which takes about 4.5 hrs from Dubai. We've been to Muscat before and we love it-its a different pace of life compared to Dubai, there are few high rise buildings, it just feels calmer. I love just driving around, going up the little lanes and through the mountains. I would never recommend anyone to hire a car in Dubai if you are visiting but Oman is fairly easy to drive round.

So we arrived at the Chedi on Thursday, first of all we couldnt find it! There is a load of road works outside the run up to the hotel and so roundabouts has appeared where they shouldnt be!! The driveway into the hotel is disappointing-just sand banks on each side. however, I had to remind myself that The Chedi was one of the hotels which was almost destroyed by the hurricane there last year and the management have obviously worked very hard to restore the grounds back to their former glory before concentrating on the driveway. We parked the car and wandered into the hotel. We sat in the airy lobby whilst our reservation documents were prepared. The lobby is lovely, marble floors and a huge comfy seating area in the middle. Its very peaceful, there was hardly anyone around. We were checked in and escorted to our room which was a deluxe. Our first impression unfortunately was disappointment. It has a living area and a bathroom area but wasnt as big as I expected. Its all very minimalist which I quite liked but I could tell Mike felt disappointed (we paid over GBP300 per night). There were 2 sinks, a separate toilet and a separate walk in shower-no bath, so no romantic candlelit bath for us. Opposite the bed there is a huge marble wall but it has nothing on it. To the right side was the TV in a concealed cabinet and to the other the mini bar. The TV was a really old style set, really small which for such a modern hotel was disappointing. That huge wall was crying out for a flat screen tv!!! Some of the room was a little tatty, chips in the wall etc....if we didnt live in Dubai I doubt we would even notice but, like I said...the curse of Dubai. Mike said to me 'its not Emirates Palace'-we stayed in the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi last year for the weekend and it was amazing and I think he was hoping for the same feel about the Chedi. We went out for a walk in the grounds and there are 2 pools, one for adults only and one family pool. We only saw about 3 children there the whole time, I didnt really think there was a huge amount to entertain kids with. The pool areas are nice, quite small but the hotel is fairly small and there was never any problem getting a lounger. The beach isnt nice-its stony rather than sandy-again a possible throw back from the hurricane and the sea didn’t look very inviting. However, I am a pool girl so this wasnt a big issue. The family pool has almost like 4 poster beds in the gardens you can relax on and minted ice cold water was provided free. The gardens are very nicely maintained. By the time we got back to the room they had turned it down which actually made it look a lot better, the lighting was romantic and the bed sheets were lovely quality. I had the best nights sleep I have had in a while. We decided to have a shower and venture out...the shower is lovely...its a rain shower so its difficult to wash yourself without getting your hair wet but that didnt matter on this occasion.

The first night we ate at the Indian restaurant Mumtaz Mahal-the setting of this place is incredible-its set on top of a rock with amazing views over Muscat. The restaurant is independent and is licenced. Recently there has been franchise of the Dubai bar, Left Bank opened below it. We’d been to this Indian before, and again it was superb. We were so lucky to get in because we didn’t book but we only waited about 10 mins for a table. The service is prompt and friendly and the food great.

The next morning we had an early start as we were going out with a company called Nomad Tours on a dolphin watching tour. We went for breakfast at the hotel which was nice-not a massive choice but the quality of the fruit was lovely and the home made jams gorgeous. The staff were really friendly and we asked one of them to let us know when it was 7.20am because we were getting picked up at half past. The driver was right on time and we drove up to the Marina which took about 30 mins and then we went out on a private dolphin watching tour. It was so much fun, we saw loads of dolphins and then our guide took us to a private cove where we went swimming and snorkeling. Lorna who owns the company with her husband Chris even provided us with a huge cool box full of fruit and drinks and home made sandwiches and muffins!!

We got back to the hotel about lunch time and went straight to the pool, we also had lunch here, which wasn’t cheap but was tasty. We went back to the room late afternoon and decided to try ‘the restaurant’ at the hotel for dinner. Now we really did enjoy this meal-again it was expensive but would hold its own in any Dubai hotel. The menu is huge-lots of choice, we opted for Chinese steamed dumpling and crispy aromatic duck for starter and Moroccan tagine and slow roasted pork belly for main. Mike had mango crème brulee and I had chocolate and raspberry cheesecake. The desserts were amazing-presentation was stunning. Whole meal with 2 alcoholic drinks each was about GBP90.

The next day we went for a drive around Muscat-Muscat is easy to drive around and I would recommend hiring a car and just exploring. We wanted around the old souk for an hour-we didn’t buy anything but it was fun wandering up the old alleys and everyone is friendly saying hello etc.

Overall, it was a relaxing experience but the rooms just didn’t live up to what we were expecting.

This hotel is simply lovely. It's a short drive from Muscat Airport and the City itself. A car comes to collect you and from the moment you step into the hotel, it is absolute luxury and calm.

The people in Muscat (and all the hotel staff) are lovely and incredibly polite. Take a taxi to the old souk and to the Sultan's palace. The taxi will wait for you/come back for you, and it gives you a flavour of what real Muscat is like.

There are over 100 rooms here, but it never feels crowded. The two infinity pools are beautiful. There are large sofa beds around the edge of the pool under beautiful canopies (if you fancy some shade). Waiters come around regularly with water and you can order drinks and food if you want to eat on the beach/from your sun lounger. Alternatively, you can go and eat at one of the many fantastic restaurants...

The food here is exquisite. Breakfast is almost ornamental in how beautifully presented (and tasty) everything is. There are three kitchen areas where you can see all the ingrediants and chefs at work, including making their own patisseries. Lunch and dinner is just as special, with a wide range of asian, oriental, idian and continental choices.

In the evening, sit out by one of the fires and have a glass of sauvingnon blanc with some of their home made nibbles (the olives are incredible and the cheese sticks, etc. just gorgeous). Truly bliss.

We stayed in a deluxe room. There are Bulgari bath products, complimentary drinks and nibbles (dried apricots, roasted almonds, cashews), and a lovely walk in shower.

The only drawback of this hotel is that the beach is not great, and the sea not very enticing when you have pools to compete with it. The sand is quite gritty and brown and the sea a bit muggy. Nevertheless, I'm usually a beach and sea person, but didn't mind because I still sat on the beach (on very comfortable loungers) and the pool is alongside the beach, only 50 yeards from the sea.

Excellent Hotel with beachfront in Oman. Built around water features. Really can't fault the place - ambiance was good, Staff courteous and friendly, rooms modern and spotless, food terriffic, beautiful pool. Worth a stay in anybodies' book.

Who: me and my husband
When: april 29th-may 2nd 2008 (3 nights)
Occasion: trip of Oman and Dubai
Room: Chedi Suite 1006
Other hotels in this trip: Six Senses Zighy Bay, Raffles Dubai

The Chedi is a pure design experience, is this for everybody?
My feeling is that it's designed for a specific target, let's say 'gloobal style-addict experience seekers'.
At Chedi you don't check-in, you actually dive into Style and somehow start wondering whether you belong to it or not. If you feel part of this world you will perceive the value, if not you will probably feel frustrated and might need style-equal-opportunities classes.
Knowing in advance could be good: if your travel guide is by Wallpaper, your travel web source is Tablethotels, your business hotel in Milano is Bulgari, your week-end hotel in NY is The Bowery, you love the Firmdale hotels in London and think a luxury hotel chain is Aman rather than Hilton, then you're certainly in target.

PLUS
- Architecture: a perfect mix of Middle East and Far East.
- The Chedi Suite provides amazing spaces and comfort. Only down side is that our patio (suite 1005) was overlooking the path towards the Chedi pool, so not enough privacy. Most of suites instead are much more isolated and some have beach views.
- Food and ambience at The Restaurant, really top class and interesting menu. Good list of wines from EU, South Africa, US etc and not too expensive.
- Food and ambience at The Beach Restaurant: asian/fusion, fish.
- Some little touches: i.e champagne-surprise in room one evening, but actually in a suite you're paying for that.
- The famous Chedi Pool: breathtaking, but not easy to get the sunbeds after 8:00am. I think guests go there by night or at 6:00am to catch the sofas by the pool and the beach-side ones..! My favourite were the ones by the pool entrance, as I prefer shadow.
- Overall attention to details.

MINUS
- Overall the service is not as perfect as you'd expect from this hotel. It's a bit strange: sometimes the staff seem to be rude, they have a sort of 'detached' attitude, not sure about the reason behind. An intrusive service is not stylish, but here you don't feel like their main focus.
- Concierge: we were very disappointed by the communication about a half day excursion to the Wadi Shab. Be aware: the wadi was destroied in June 2007 by a cyclon and now no greenery is left. You still have some beautiful natural pools to explore but don't do this excursion if you have only few days in Oman. One guy from the concierge team - knowing we had just two days in Muscat - recommanded this trip..We found ourselves walking for hs under the sun at 40°C..

SUGGESTIONS
Go if you are a 'global style-addict experience seeker' or if you're ready to become one. Go in winter - Oct-March - if you suffer humid hot climate. Book a Chedi Suite asking for a beach view or an isolated patio. If you need assistance in organizing trips, ask twice. And don't expect to feel you're the centre at the Chedi, the Chedi itself is the centre, just enjoy it.