Review: the Alila Jabal Akhdar mountain resort in Oman (World of Hyatt)

This is my review of the Alila Jabal Akhdar mountain resort in Oman. Alila is one of the lesser-known brands inside World of Hyatt.

During October half term we made a family trip to Oman. The holiday started off at the Jumeirah Muscat Bay beach resort for four nights. You can see Rob’s review here. I offered to write about the three nights we spent afterwards in the mountains.

With Oman Air joining the oneworld airline alliance in 2024, and therefore becoming an Avios-redemption partner, we thought you’d be keen to see what the country can offer.

The Alila Jabal Akhdar website is here.

Contrary to Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Qatar which are mainly city states, with Oman there is a whole country to explore. Your holiday can be as adventurous as you can handle. With beaches, deserts, ancient towns and mountains there is a diversity you won’t find in the UAE.

After four days by the beach, we decided to go to the famously beautiful mountain range of Jabal al Akhdar for the second half of our trip. There are two five-star hotels to choose from, Anantara (website here) and Alila. Anantara is closer to a town (although still on the edge of a steep cliff) whilst Alila is located higher up in the mountain and more remote. We booked Alila for three nights.

As this was a family holiday, the usual caveats apply to this review. We didn’t get an official hotel tour, we didn’t see other rooms apart from our own and we didn’t slavishly photograph every meal or activity. We paid for our stay at standard rates.

Getting to Alila Jabal Akhdar

The transfer from Jumeirah Muscat Bay to Alilia, using a luxury transfer booked by Alila (c£400) took nearly three hours. The road infrastructure in Oman is very good, including in the mountains, and it was less bumpy than we expected. For the final 45 minutes you are climbing up into the hills on roads which can only be driven by a 4×4. At the bottom there is a police check point to ensure that your vehicle is suitable.

When you approach Alila Jabal Akhdar it looks as if it is based on a high plateau. However, when you explore the area you realise that the hotel is built on an outcrop, with a near vertical descent on both sides. This makes for a spectacular setting. The picture above shows the top of the cliff where the hotels sits, but the drop continues for a few hundred more metres.

The hotel consists of various two storey buildings. They are clad in the regional grey stone and blend perfectly into the surroundings. The landscape is stony and rocky with lots of smaller trees and shrubs.

We arrived during heavy rainfall and in rather chilly weather (less than 20 degrees celsius). This was a stark contrast to Muscat Bay which had been just under 30 degrees celsius. It rained every day when we were there which seems to have been unusual for October, and the water was welcomed by the Omani staff.

We didn’t expect the difference in weather between sea level and Alila to be so extreme. A puffa jacket is definitely required here in Autumn …. except we hadn’t brought any. The weather is obviously hotter in the summer but the beach resorts are likely to be too warm at this time to make a two centre holiday.

There were doormen and reception staff greeting us with umbrellas and taking care of our luggage. This photograph was taken on a drier day!

You enter the hotel via a large lobby with lots of seating and a tastefully styled Omani interior. In the evening a fire was lit which was both eye-catching and, in October, necessary.

Walk across the lobby and you step onto a series of terraces at different levels with the mountain valley opening up in front of you.

It is a staggering view down into the valley:

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Rooms at Alila Jabal Akhdar

The bulk of the accommodation is in small villas, with typically two suites on the ground floor and two suites on the first floor. Both have balconies or large terraces or even little gardens. Some villas have better views than others, but this is reflected in the pricing when you book.

Here you see the entrance to our villa. What you can’t see here is the magnificent view over the deep ridge on the other side.

The villas are relatively spread out. Our block was the nearest with a gorge view to the main reception. The photo below – taken outside our villa – shows a larger room block in the foreground and the main building in the background with the white sun umbrellas. If you have mobility issues then you should discuss your options with the resort before booking.

We had two rooms – a twin suite with a balcony and a king bed suite with a balcony and a terrace. The latter was an upgrade based on Rob’s Hyatt Globalist status, although literally the only physical difference to the other room was the terrace.

The rooms are spacious and in good condition:

…. although the highlight was clearly the (rainy) view from the balcony:

The upgraded room came with a very large south-facing terrace. The furniture was partly covered up in light of the rain and the low temperature, and to be honest we never used this space. If you are visiting in summer then it would be more useful but I wouldn’t pay the premium for the rest of the year.

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Both of our suites had separate walk-in wardrobes. In our terrace suite we were given oriental scent sticks at night – there were some small service differences like this between the terrace suite and the no-terrace twin.

The bathrooms were very generous with bath tubs, shower and two sinks:

…. with the natural stone and wood creating a warm and comfortable ambience. The view from the bath is suitably impressive.

Food and drink at Alila Jabal Akhdar

There are not many eating options at the hotel, which is a little surprising given the lack of alternatives in the vicinity. There is a choice between the Rose Lounge – ie the hotel bar – if you want to grab a bite during the day or early evening, and the main restaurant Juniper.

One upside of only having one restaurant is that the menu is very extensive, running from traditional Omani dishes through to Asia, Europe and Lebanese sections. You can eat a different cuisine each night even if you are sitting in the same place, and the food was uniformly excellent.

Breakfast is a la carte. This can often lead to a long drawn-out meal but at Alila the table service was fast and the food offerings impressive. Fruit, pastries and cold cuts / pickles are delivered to the table – see below – before your chosen warm dish arrives. I recommend the pomegranate juice which comes from fruit grown locally in the mountains.

There is plenty to do in the hotel although sometimes I felt it came up short.

The indoor pool, for example, is relatively small as you can see below, even though the hotel is in an area where inclement weather is always possible. It’s not exactly overrun with sun loungers either.

The outdoor infinity pool is undeniably impressive and offers amazing views. This pool is heated but not enough, in my view.

There are more than enough sun loungers outside, as well as cabanas and two whirlpools. Again, these were not as hot as I would have liked:

The hotel also has a spa. I had a facial which I thought was nothing extraordinary.

In early morning there is a complementary yoga session on one of the outer terraces surrounded by spectacular views. At night, if the skies are clear, the hotel offers here free star gazing. Not only does the hotel have its own high powered telescope but it has an astronomer on the staff (who doubles up on the concierge desk and running the abseiling!).

One feature of the Alila chain is the ‘Alila Living’ boutique in each property. I was disappointed here though. It sold mainly arts and crafts from Asia with Omani products under-represented.

Out and about at Alila Jabal Akhdar

However, what makes this hotel outstanding – and makes up for any other criticisms – is the range of outdoor activities.

As well as hiking tracks around the area, the hotel offers two abseiling opportunities. One leads into a cave right underneath the hotel if you are seeking a bit of a thrill. Sadly I couldn’t talk either of the children into giving it a go.

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There are many day trips available outside the hotel. The hotel concierge will give advice and can organise a guide with the necessary 4×4.

Here is a shot I took of the winding road down from the hotel on a misty morning:

The Nizwa cattle market takes place every Friday in the early morning. If your itinerary is flexible then I recommend arranging your stay at Alila so that you are there on a Friday and can visit. You do need to be driven all the way back down the mountain though.

The market starts off with goats being shown around and the potential buyers, who sit in a circle, watching them go past. When its the turn of the cattle everybody stands up and you soon realise why – bulls will run loose from their traders into the spectators! It’s a fascinating experience. Locals arrive with animals and hire an agent who will walk the animal around the market and negotiate with interested buyers in return for a commission.

Nizwa has a large souk and a historical fort, all in the same area, so it makes for an interesting morning. The souk is far less touristy than you would find in Muscat but has enough stalls aimed at the handful of foreigners who show up to ensure that you find something interesting.

Other popular activities are visits to abandoned villages – more interesting than it sounds – and the famous hanging gardens, irrigated by an ancient system called falaj. The terraces can grow fruit and vegetables but primarily offer roses and pomegranates.

Below is one of the abandoned villages. As you’d expect, you need to be in good shape to walk here as maintenance and safety measures are non-existent.

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These are the terraces which you can explore. You get around by balancing on the edges of the water system channels.

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Here are some pomegranates being sold at the road side:

Conclusion

Oman – and especially the mountains of Jabal al Akhdar – is nothing like the Middle East you may know from visits to Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Doha. Alila’s spectacular setting in the mountains was a real treat and we loved our stay there, despite the chilly and wet weather for which we were ill-prepared.

Given that you will be in the resort for much of the day, Alila could do better in some areas. Evenings can be a bit montonous once you have eaten in the only restaurant, and even the star gazing requires clear skies which are not guaranteed. The bar is too dark for, say, sitting around a fire and playing board games. The indoor pool is too small and the outdoor pool isn’t warm enough.

That said, the rooms are large and cosy and the real joy is from the views and exploring the towns and villages in the area. We stayed for three nights and this felt about right, unless you are a committed hiker.

You can find out more about Alila Jabal Akhdar on its website here.

PS. The nearby Anantara resort was the star of an episode of the BBC’s ‘Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond The Lobby’ TV series a few years ago. UK readers can watch it here on BBC iPlayer.

How to book

Alila is not cheap. For a midweek stay in January 2024, rooms start at £650 per night including taxes and service.

Hyatt has an exclusive booking programme for luxury travel agents called Hyatt Prive. Our partner Emyr Thomas (contact him here) is a Hyatt Prive approved agent.

Hyatt Prive, booked via Emyr, gets you the following benefits:

• $100 hotel credit per stay
• One category room upgrade confirmed within 24 hours of booking
• Daily full breakfast for two
• Early check-in (from 9am) and late check-out (to 4pm) subject to availability
• Welcome gift

The guaranteed room upgrade offers real value. You can book one category below the room you actually want, knowing that the upgrade is virtually guaranteed. If for any reason it isn’t confirmed the next day, you can cancel or amend your booking as necessary.

You will pay the same as the flexible rate on the Hyatt website. You pay at check-out and earn World of Hyatt points as usual. Any elite status benefits you have will also be respected. It’s a no-brainer, to be honest.

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