NOT wishing to take anything from being in the coastal town of Khasab for a weekend but leaving is something quite spectacular.
Only if you time it just right, that is.
Only if you time it just right, that is.
Bags packed and loaded into the car, our shadows were growing longer before we headed for the main road back towards the UAE border.
Within a few minutes the gloom of leaving the comfortable enclave of the Atana Musandam Hotel was tempered by a stunning sunset.
And viewed from the winding coastal road that hugs the mountains and links Khasab with the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, the day was ushered out gradually by what can only be described as shimmering majesty as the Persian Gulf turned a golden red.
Twenty-four hours earlier we had watched the day perform a similar curtain call from the balcony of our suite as small boats buzzed from the harbour and gathered at the near horizon in anticipation of an overnight fishing shift.
As nearby mosques broadcast the evening call to Maghrib prayers fish flipped – perhaps out of celebration at having escaped attention - across the surface of the channels running either side of the hotel, as if choreographed by the sounds echoing off the surrounding mountains.
And viewed from the winding coastal road that hugs the mountains and links Khasab with the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, the day was ushered out gradually by what can only be described as shimmering majesty as the Persian Gulf turned a golden red.
Twenty-four hours earlier we had watched the day perform a similar curtain call from the balcony of our suite as small boats buzzed from the harbour and gathered at the near horizon in anticipation of an overnight fishing shift.
As nearby mosques broadcast the evening call to Maghrib prayers fish flipped – perhaps out of celebration at having escaped attention - across the surface of the channels running either side of the hotel, as if choreographed by the sounds echoing off the surrounding mountains.
Earlier in the day a family of dolphins had delivered their own routine, breaking through the clear ocean as they raced our dhow boat through fjords indicative of Musandam.
Reached via a short sail from Khasab’s main harbour where rapid passenger ferries leave for Dibba and the Oman capital Muscat, you aren’t guaranteed such a sighting.
But our hosts, Khasab Travel & Tours, seemed confident, even if during an earlier attempt the friendly creatures had favoured a rival vessel.
Two snorkeling stops, including one beside the weathered coral embracing Telegraph Island, occupied other parts of our day here, along with lunch with our fellow passengers, a mix of tourists on day trips from Dubai and UAE residents.
All the while the backdrop was a dramatic blend of ragged mountains and blue water fjords formed over countless years of geological change.
Reached via a short sail from Khasab’s main harbour where rapid passenger ferries leave for Dibba and the Oman capital Muscat, you aren’t guaranteed such a sighting.
But our hosts, Khasab Travel & Tours, seemed confident, even if during an earlier attempt the friendly creatures had favoured a rival vessel.
Two snorkeling stops, including one beside the weathered coral embracing Telegraph Island, occupied other parts of our day here, along with lunch with our fellow passengers, a mix of tourists on day trips from Dubai and UAE residents.
All the while the backdrop was a dramatic blend of ragged mountains and blue water fjords formed over countless years of geological change.
The dolphins materialized as our captain steered us back towards the harbour, perhaps sensing the excitement and poised iPhones that their energetic swim alongside would generate.
A communal sense of accomplishment settled on the deck as the dhow motored out into the Persian Gulf again and around the coast to Khasab, regional centre of a governate retained and valued by Oman because of its control, alongside Iran opposite, of the strategic Strait Of Hormuz.
Back on dry land and Khasab is a growing town with new roads, an impressive new mosque and the Atana Musandam adding value to the main town in an Omani outpost with a population of less than 40,000.
Still a young hotel, the Atana is an impressive addition, blending modern amenities with a traditional feel.
Considered use of local materials, from the stonework in the lobby to the beautiful patterned ceiling of the restaurant and the sandstone lining the bathrooms, provides warmth that belies the age of the property.
A small gym overlooks the main swimming pool, lending incentive to your work out, ahead of a shower with Atana’s frankincense soaps and gels.
A communal sense of accomplishment settled on the deck as the dhow motored out into the Persian Gulf again and around the coast to Khasab, regional centre of a governate retained and valued by Oman because of its control, alongside Iran opposite, of the strategic Strait Of Hormuz.
Back on dry land and Khasab is a growing town with new roads, an impressive new mosque and the Atana Musandam adding value to the main town in an Omani outpost with a population of less than 40,000.
Still a young hotel, the Atana is an impressive addition, blending modern amenities with a traditional feel.
Considered use of local materials, from the stonework in the lobby to the beautiful patterned ceiling of the restaurant and the sandstone lining the bathrooms, provides warmth that belies the age of the property.
A small gym overlooks the main swimming pool, lending incentive to your work out, ahead of a shower with Atana’s frankincense soaps and gels.
Atana Musandam also retains traditional values as a dry hotel, but guests wishing to enjoy wine or beer with their meal can grab a shuttle to Atana’s more established property at the other end of Khasab.
Perched on a hill, Atana Khasab offers stunning views over the bay and has a larger pool but both hotels serve one of the best Goan prawn curries to have passed this palate.
Much of Khasab comprises narrow streets of simple single-storey homes and more elaborate villas, many fronted by brightly decorated metal doors typical of the region.
The area also boasts historic forts that speak of a time long before thoughts of infinity pools and free WiFi.
Across from the Atana Musandam entrance Khasab Castle is a sizeable glimpse into Musandam’s past from its dhow builders to the fishermen who helped feed the area.
Perched on a hill, Atana Khasab offers stunning views over the bay and has a larger pool but both hotels serve one of the best Goan prawn curries to have passed this palate.
Much of Khasab comprises narrow streets of simple single-storey homes and more elaborate villas, many fronted by brightly decorated metal doors typical of the region.
The area also boasts historic forts that speak of a time long before thoughts of infinity pools and free WiFi.
Across from the Atana Musandam entrance Khasab Castle is a sizeable glimpse into Musandam’s past from its dhow builders to the fishermen who helped feed the area.
Built by the Portuguese in the 17th century, before their defeat in 1650, the fortress once housed prisoners and an influential Omani family ahead of being opened as a regional museum.
Now the thick stone walls house traditional boats from Kumzar, the most northerly part of Musandam, and a recreated summer house as once used by mountain dwellers and remote coastal inhabitants who ventured to Khasab in the summer to fish and harvest dates.
Inside the upper floors are tableaus illustrating traditional costume, a Quran school, a wedding room and displays giving insight into costumes, jewellery and other local culture, as well as explanations of the geology, dhow-building and rock art of the area through preserved artifacts.
You will also find details of the wildlife that lives on and beyond the shoreline, from numerous migrating birds and the occasional leopard to the chirpy dolphins that swim in those strategically and historically important waters.
FACTFILE:
FOR prices and more on Atana Musandam and Atana Khasab go to www.atanahotels.com
TO book a dolphin cruise and other trips go to www.khasabtours.com
FOR more on visiting Musandam and Oman browse www.omantourism.gov.om
Now the thick stone walls house traditional boats from Kumzar, the most northerly part of Musandam, and a recreated summer house as once used by mountain dwellers and remote coastal inhabitants who ventured to Khasab in the summer to fish and harvest dates.
Inside the upper floors are tableaus illustrating traditional costume, a Quran school, a wedding room and displays giving insight into costumes, jewellery and other local culture, as well as explanations of the geology, dhow-building and rock art of the area through preserved artifacts.
You will also find details of the wildlife that lives on and beyond the shoreline, from numerous migrating birds and the occasional leopard to the chirpy dolphins that swim in those strategically and historically important waters.
FACTFILE:
FOR prices and more on Atana Musandam and Atana Khasab go to www.atanahotels.com
TO book a dolphin cruise and other trips go to www.khasabtours.com
FOR more on visiting Musandam and Oman browse www.omantourism.gov.om