With travel off the cards for a foreseeable period, we have been exploring the cities we live in. Whether it’s the mountains, villages, islands or even the city itself, the TLB writers have been exploring and experiencing the cities we call home (while following strict Covid protocols always). As part of experiencing the city each of us live in, we have been visiting hotels for mini staycations. After all, isn’t staycation the new vacation?
One of the hotels that we recently went for a staycation in Muscat is the Hormuz Grand Muscat. Part of the Radisson Collection, Hormuz Grand Muscat is a luxurious property that doubles up as a business and leisure hotel. Featuring 231 rooms and suites, the hotel is quite close to Muscat International Airport and prominent business as well as shopping addresses.
One of the impressive features of the hotel is the spaciousness of the rooms and suites. We stayed in a Suite that included a generously proportioned living room space and a bedroom. Well-designed with contemporary décor elements, the suite was large enough to accommodate three people. The bath complements the suite in spaciousness and features a bathtub as well as a rain shower cubicle. The Suite we stayed in allows access to the Executive Lounge, ideal for business travellers.
The hotel has three F&B outlets – Straits, the all-day dining restaurant; OMNY Brasserie that brings the elegance of Manhattan while featuring a French-inspired cuisine interspersed with Omani flavours and renowned Indian restaurant, Qureshi Bab-Al-Hind. The Vault is Hormuz Grand Hotel’s lounge-bar that is a great place to relax after a long day or catch up with friends.
For dinner we decided to try OMNY, which has a special menu on Thursday. The menu features premium meats in the choice of burger, mishkak or steak, accompaniments and dessert. The Meat Me Thursday package, as it is referred to, includes two hours of unlimited grapes and hops. We opted for steaks with mash and fries. The weather was pretty pleasant during the weekend we stayed at Hormuz Grand Muscat, so we opted to sit out by the waterside courtyard. The steaks were cooked well and as per our request. A refreshing salad was served along with the steak – a well-thought addition to the meal. After the satiating meal, we decided to stay on and enjoy the ambience of the courtyard, which is yet another highlight of the property.
The next morning, after a dip in the pool, that is adjacent to the courtyard, we headed to Straits for breakfast. The menu features all the oft-requested breakfast favourites. If a guest has a special request, like one of us did, the chefs are only too happy to fulfil. Hormuz Grand Muscat gets extra brownie points for service. The staff are attentive, courteous and accommodating.
Safety and hygiene are two main concerns that everyone has during this challenging period. We were quite impressed to know that Hormuz Grand Muscat had partnered with SGS, the internationally acclaimed inspection, verification, testing and certification company, to create a 20-step cleaning and safety protocol.
Be it service, ambience, F&B or safety and hygiene protocol, Hormuz Grand Muscat ticks all the right boxes, making the 5-star property one of the ideal staycation hotspots in the capital city.