Hot List Hotels 2009
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Originally commissioned in 1985 by Sultan Qaboos of Oman, this eight-story hexagonal bunker concealing an impressive 125-foot-high white marble and gold domed lobby became the first of the Gulf States' over-the-top luxury hotels. A perennial favorite of wintering upper-crust silver-haired Europeans, the icon has just undergone a top-to-bottom, 18-month refit that added amenities such as a huge health club and a network of outdoor pools; a French restaurant, VUE, from Australian chef Shannon Bennett; a water sports center; and a hip beach bar and a seafood eatery (a Six Senses Spa is in the works for 2010). The dark-wood paneled hallways and neoclassically styled 240 rooms and 40 suites are more Anglophile in spirit than the modish Arabian Zen of Muscat's Chedi and Al Husn Palace. But the improved Al Bustan has two huge advantages over any hotel in the sprawling Omani capital: a location five minutes by taxi from the souk, museums, and palaces of Muscat's seafront, and a dramatic setting on a private bay with a 35-acre palm tree-studded garden along a white-sand beach.
When to go: November through March to avoid hazy skies and sweltering heat.
Which room to book: Beach-level Lagoon Suites have private decks from which you can walk directly into a series of large lagoon swimming pools; suite No. 126 is within wading distance of two underwater jet massage chairs.
Information may have changed since date of publication. Please confirm details with individual establishments before planning your trip.
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