Freestanding villas with their own pools
at Six Senses Hideaway Zighy Bay.

Every May, Condé Nast Traveler releases its Hot List, a collection of the best new hotels, spas, restaurants, and nightspots. Check the Daily Traveler every day for a new post from this year's list.

This is the first luxury resort on Oman's mountainous Musandam Peninsula, whose breathtaking fjords, 9,000-foot-high ridges, and isolated beaches are an emerging adventure-travel mecca. Backed by peaks, the 82 freestanding stone villas, with private pools and, in some instances, spa rooms, share a mile-long white sand crescent with a fishing village; no further tourism development is allowed on the bay. Facilities include a spa and a marina (still unfinished), but the beach alone is worth coming for: Colorful coral patches shelter sea turtles and stingrays, and impressive snorkeling and dive sites are a short kayak or dhow ride away. So as not to disturb guests and villagers, motorized water sports take place in a deserted bay just up the coast. The service is exemplary, but be aware that activities such as hikes, four-by-four trips, boating, and paragliding, as well as four-hour Arabian spa rituals and seven-course meals with wine flights, can easily double your room rate.

Address: Zighy Bay, Musandam, Oman
Tel: 968 26735 555

When to go: Avoid June and July, when the humidity peaks; it may be too cold to swim from mid-December to mid-February.
Which room to book: Request a villa directly on the beach or the four-bedroom Reserve, which has its own gym, spa, private cook, and wine cellar.

Further reading:
* Six Senses Hideaway Zighy Bay Web site
* Hot List 2008
* Hot List on the DT