Mandarin Oriental, Muscat

Stayed at the Mandarin Oriental 11/12/2025-17/12/2025, what a lovely hotel The Mandarin Oriental is, fabulously extravagant, wonderful location, everything just so but like any hotel it is the staff that make the experience complete without them you have a very grand shell, however, here the staff were exceptional to a person from the Management right the way down to the service staff who in my opinion are equally as important in making a stay pleasurable as the senior managers.
Lets start with the room, we stayed in a Junior Mountain View Suite, totally amazing which gave us access to the Two Tree 58 Club Lounge, we had also booked half board the meals although from a reduced menu were exactly the same as those on the A La Carte menu. Special thanks to all the team in the Club Lounge Arefe, Krish,Atisi and Norbert much love to you all. When we arrived at 3.00am there was the most beautiful smiley face to there waiting to greet us, Marsya lovely lady bless you. Great respect to all the restaurant staff we encountered in Rawya and Essenza who were extremely helpful and courteous, thank you. I highly recommend the Mandarin Oriental, Fabulous Hotel in a great location on Qurum Beach.

Travelled to Muscat with my Mother and we had a wonderful time at the MO. Intended to stay for three nights but ended up staying a week. Beautiful rooms, great valet service, reception staff so helpful but the highlight of the stay were our days spent round the pool and the impeccable attention from the staff at the restaurant, especially the Restaurant Supervisor, Otman. I can’t wait to visit again.

Our recent stay was quite a disappointing experience.

PROS:
• Stunning lobby
• Great breakfasts at the Club Lounge
• Views from our balcony
• Gigantic bed
• The fastest elevators. We never had to wait!
• The Mandarin Cake Shop
• Sheryl, the Guest Relations Manager, who fixed the many issues of our stay. Unfortunately we found out she is leaving, which is a tragedy for this hotel.

CONS:
• Awful check-in experience. We arrived 2 hours early, so we accepted the fact that we couldn’t check in yet. But instead of offering the hot towel & tea service that we saw others receive, we were told to purchase coffee from the shop in the lobby. After almost 2 hours, still not receiving any updates from reception, we walked over and were told that our room WAS ready now. I don't know why zero effort was made to inform us.
• Had to walk down the driveway for cabs. This seems to be a Muscat law.
• Strange housekeeping. One day we’d have 3 face towels, another day we’d have zero. Once, we noticed brown sludge in the tub we never used.

This is truely one of the best hotels we’ve ever stayed in. We did a lot of research before booking (there’s so much choice in Muscat!) and eventually chose to stay here for 4 nights at the beginning of our trip in Oman. The hotel is stunning from the moment you walk in. The decor is outstanding, the wallpapers, tiles, soft furnishings etc are all beautiful. But the attention to detail is what makes it stand out. The rooms are unbelievably well equipped. Down to having yoga mats for stretching after a long day of hiking, the small mirror in the shower to use for shaving or ensuring you’ve washed out all the shampoo out of your hair, and all the extra amenities you might need. The housekeeping team do an amazing job. Even down to tidying up all our cables, leaving a glasses cleaning cloth for our sunnies and leaving enough water to cover slightly more than we drank each day.
The breakfast is huge with so much choice. The pool area is beautiful with lots of shade. There is always iced infused water available for you to stay hydrated at the pool.
I would not hesitate in staying here again and would 100% recommend it.

I would like to thank the Rawya Restaurant team for the amazing breakfast and excellent service.
Everything was perfect — from the food quality to the warm hospitality
Also, special thanks to the Reception and the strong, professional team for their kindness and support.
Highly recommended this Hotel!

I cannot rate this hotel highly enough. The staff were fabulous. So attentive and the rooms are beautiful. The restaurants. Si breeze if gorgeous beautiful setting and delicious light bites. Very high end. The Italian is lovely. Beautiful food and lovely setting. A couple of issues and the manager Martino was amazing and made us forget all about them. He went above and beyond as did Hilton by the pool and clement in the restaurant!
Gorgeous stay and would go back and highly recommend

Beautiful hotel where all the staff made sure you had a great experience. In particular the highlight was the Club Lounge where Sheryl, Krish, Arefe and Atoshii were fantastic. We had our breakfast, afternoon tea and drinks and canapés every day here and their service and attention was second to none

The gym is extremely well equipped and spacious.

We ate at the Italian (Esenza) a couple of times which was good and also at the Si Breeze which had just opened - great service both times from Tala. We also had a cake in the Cake Shop and Mohammed who worked there was charming.

The rooms are spacious and beautifully decorated. The housekeeping team also did an excellent job.

If you want a beautiful beach setting I’d said this is not the resort for you. It’s a public beach which you have the leave the hotel for and it’s not particularly picturesque.

It is a new MO property and it is definitely a nice hotel. There are few things which need to be improved but I still give it 5 points.
The beach: it is a wonderful long sand beach. To have access and come back from the beach you should not forget the keys. They should have somebody there just in case - very difficult to get back in if you loose the key on the beach.
Breakfast: very good.
Food / Restaurants/ variety: still too limited. There is an additional restaurant opening soon which is very good.
Italian Restaurant: very good.
Rooms: excellent!
Cafe MO Coffee shop: excellent
Pool: very nice. Music is too loud and sometimes disturbing
In general they are all very friendly! A good hotel for sure.

Three week Stay: September 9th to September 30th 2025
The Location (Excellent)
Without a doubt one of the hotels assets is its location. It is set within the regarded affluent embassy district of Shatti Al Qurum, very close walkable (if temperatures permit)) to the Opera house, many shops, restaurants with a short drive/taxi ride to the Sultan Qaboos Mosque, main shopping malls such as the newly opened Mall of Oman, to many other interesting and cultural places to visit. The hotel is approximately twenty-minutes’ drive from the Muscat International Airport. If hiring a car and have not visited Oman before i.e. have not driven on the roads, we would recommend becoming more familiar with driving there for a few days. It can get very busy particularly at peak times on the Sultan Qaboos highway and the Muscat expressway. Taking a taxi (is safer and easy to do) from the airport to the hotel and have your hire car delivered or picked up afterwards once familiar with the roads. This hotel has an easy to access underground parking area and with valet parking too. The beach from the hotel is a bird’s breath away it is very clean, the sea is safe to swim with it getting deeper very gradually so is mostly safe for children. Fishermen can be seen some evenings bringing in their days catch with traditional nets at certain times the discarded fish can be a nuisance on the beach but these have recently been cleaned up; the locals and the community can be seen playing football on the beach most every evening and the Arabian horses from the nearby horse school can be seen galloping the same stretch; all can be viewed from one of the hotels Seaview rooms. Alternatively, to sit in one of the covered in pavilions or pitch up on one of the hotel loungers at the edge of the beach whilst watching the beautiful sunsets over the Oman sea.

The Accommodation ( Excellent):
The hotel itself has been designed beautifully with so many authentic design features there are hints almost everywhere of local Omani culture within the architecture and throughout. Particularly pleasing to the eye is the stunning handblown glass chandelier and the artwork by the local Omani artist Alia Al Farsi, these all taking pride and place in the lobby/ foyer and with many of her other pieces including her famous Harley Davisdon strategically placed in the centre. For those that would like to see her work she has a gallery and we fully recommend the drive to Rusayl to view, it’s well worth the trip and it is open most days.

The suites/rooms ( Excellent):
The suites are superb, they are spacious and very well-equipped providing all the amenities one would require or expect from a five-star luxury hotel; we occupied suite 521 a sea view room, centrally located, overlooking the pool and Shatti beach on the (top) fifth floor. A nice touch are the automatic curtains that open and close as you enter the room, these also provide total black out. The bed is spacious and super comfortable. There is also a very useful Armoire; it houses the complimentary teas coffee, water with a fridge and drawers for plates and cutlery etc. this also serves as an attractive piece of furniture and is such a nice touch. The housekeeping staff Serena and Tama and maintenance team were all excellent at servicing our room and whatever we requested anything at all ice etc, they always promptly responded, we loved all the little touches they provided with cable ties for our phone charging leads, hairdryers, almost anything they could find we found they had tidied.
Only slight criticism was that for a room of this size, it did not have a practicable desk/dressing table neither a table with some chairs to enjoy in suite or indeed balcony dining. The balcony to this suite was frequently (daily actually) pooped on by birds and it really required more regular cleaning. For those with allergies they might struggle with this and the top floor may not be the right location. To be honest though we could not mark down the room for this as it was perfect in so many other ways and one of the best hotel suites we have stayed.

The Spa and pool (Excellent):
It has multiple relaxation areas with lots of nooks and crannies to escape to for a private yoga or meditation practice or to just simply enjoy some quiet time alone. There is a lovely area to enjoy a complimentary herbal tea with some local nibbles and to enjoy some mindfulness with a colouring book provided, if in need of switching off. This another nice touch. We didn’t experience any activity classes whilst there but understand from the hotel literature these could be booked. There is a wonderful Hamam, No Sauna, however, there are additional separate steam room within the male and female changing areas. The changing areas accommodated the lockers and private changing areas with showers, I felt they lacked the amenities (such as shower caps, combs etc that were available in room and should have been available for the guest’s convenience. The massage rooms are very clean, calm and peaceful spaces. I was treated to a frankincense massage for my birthday which was bliss and such a treat. The gym is unisex and is very well equipped.

The Restaurants – Rawya (Excellent for breakfast)
We breakfasted at the Rawya restaurant each day and the food choice was very good with a mix of local, international and some Asian cuisine. We really loved this restaurant for breakfast and for the occasional lunch, the staff and service were exceptional. Esenza: (Average) The Esenza Italian Restaurant was not really our thing; more of an Urban café style, it got very busy, and we felt there were not enough serving staff with long wait times. It started off well but as it got busy the service deteriorated and it was also too noisy me. People tended to dress more casually in here and if you like that for a dining experience then guess that’s ok. The food we had was not that great, we had the fish; Red Mullet and Tuna and the quality was not up there. Overall, it was not a great experience, so we didn’t bother again.
The hotel restaurants had only two options; and only one dining venue; the Italian Esenza. With no alternative and with no fine dining option one would expect from a five-star hotel we felt with a longer length of stay such as our was limited. Therefore, we decided to dine elsewhere. There are many excellent alternatives to choose from in Muscat.

The staff (Excellent)
The real asset of this hotel is without doubt its staff. Almost everywhere the staff go above and beyond, working so hard to assist with their guests needs and to providing a genuinely heartwarming, at times humbling service to its guests, this very reflective of the Omani way. Yasin The Rawya Restaurant Manager (A truly lovely man) The waiting staff ; so many of them to mention did a great job: Sarah, Osman, Shirin, Stanley, Hilton, Anusha, Alena, Chef Mustafa, and finally to Sheryl Barcelon The Guest Relations Manager ; made a great effort to make ours and guests experience a pleasurable and positive one. Their efforts went someways to offset some of the least favourable aspects from this stay........

The Hotel Parking Area and Security (Poor)
The hotel does not have an adequate or visible, security presence within the; underground parking areas (with non-guests accessing the lifts), Within the foyer/lobby lifts (potential for non-guests accessing room levels – hitching lifts) and around the pool area with no visible security personnel. It was unfortunate during our stay; we witnessed a serious incident at this hotel around the pool area and in an open public space. This was immediately reported, unfortunately it was not immediately responded to with a female person being harmed. This incident does not reflect upon the excellent service of any of those staff that worked so hard to provide us and other guests with such an outstanding service. Moreover, it reflects upon the abusive behaviour of a guest at the hotel that remained as a guest.

Overall, our experience was a positive one with exception to the safety and security. It was unfortunate that we were exposed and witness to such an incident that occurred during our holiday at this hotel. It brought into serious question the hotels overall security/presence and with lack of a timely response to deal with such a serious incident that occurred. Also, with unauthorised access to areas within the hotel specifically to the lifts for non-staying guests. This we feel poses an overall potential risk to the safety and security of its guests. Therefore, we could only recommend staying at this hotel having highlighted this as an issue when staying and for the further awareness/improvement of the hotel.

Room was dirty consistently. Had ants and on multiple occasions housekeeping was told. Room door broke. Throughly not impressed

Everything about the hotel, its facilities and location were exceptional, but we have to mention the friendliness of the hotel staff. Every member of staff we dealt with could not do enough to make our stay extra special. Would 100% recommend this hotel to anyone visiting Muscat.

Amazing from start to finish. The hotel is new and situated about 15 mins from the main mosque and similar time to the malls and Mutrah.

Given it has only been open a year, the facilities are top quality, with the service to match. The rooms are decent size, come with decent toiletries and plush slippers and gowns, really giving you a luxurious stay.

The pool was never crowded and very peaceful, little tiffin bags are given with cold water and loungers set up for you. There is sun lotion and after sun available also for people to use, brilliant touch.

Breakfast was amazing, mix of a la carte and buffet and very friendly staff.

We split our stay here and in Shangri la which cost the same, however the hotels and the experience were miles apart. Although Shangri la has the views as an advantage, you just dont get the luxurious stay vibes compared to the MO.

Everything from rooms, pool, spa, resto are top notch. Relaxing atmosphere, ocean views.

Absolutely unforgettable stay!
From the very first moment we were welcomed with heartfelt warmth, but what truly amazed us was the exceptional service at breakfast – Maryam is simply outstanding: incredibly kind, attentive, and full of genuine care. She, together with the whole team, made every morning feel perfect. Sultan surprised us before my birthday with a beautiful gesture, the pool area is breathtaking, Essenza offers a stunning ambience, and the room view was extraordinary. This is by far the best hotel experience imaginable – thanks to the phenomenal staff who made our honeymoon magical!

Apparently this is the newest hotel in Muscat and it’s been open 12 months. Its entrance leads to an elegant and not massive lobby lounge with Reception and Concierge desks discreetly tucked away at opposite sides.

My family occupied sea view rooms. Each was slightly different in layout. Fortunately, the one I occupied was the best layout. Modern, elegant, comfortable, with superb view of the sea.

But watch out that there is no area for those who need to spend time on a laptop for work of for virtual meetings - it was a first time for me. Fortunately I managed to use the dressing table as my work desk. Is it realistic for the owners or management to contemplate a hotel room with no working area?

The other observation is that the shower stall is badly designed - when closing or opening the door, water simply flows out into the bathroom area - and exposes the hotel to being sued when a guest finally does slip, fall and injure himself!

The restaurant on the LG floor serves what was misleadingly seen at the onset as a minimalist breakfast buffet. But when discovering that its complemented by an a la carte menu, we soon realised that whats being offered is actually a wide variety. And the daily Asian specials are really very good and a welcome change to the daily Omani cuisine

The hotel opens to a long beach which is active at sundown when the locals boulevard up and down. Very tranquil.

The only weaknesses are the inconsistency of service levels. In room, laundry lists are forgotten to be placed daily. At the lobby lounge, it was difficult to attract service attention. At the breakfast room, orders were not consistently acted upon. At the concierge desk, the concierges were frequently absent. A note that both concierges are good but need to be challenged to show their best, otherwise they may just deliver “same old same old” service levels. But what does stand out is that notwithstanding inconsistent service levels, the staff are all friendly and try hard to please - perhaps because they are from so many nationalities

The standout has to be Cheryl from Guest Relations. She raises the bar for personal attention. The other senior managers are diverse in nationalities and experienced led by an experienced GM . Hopefully they will be able to impart their experience in service excellence to all their staff - that will make this property a stand out in terms of hardware and software.

Muscat is a contrast to the fancy skyscrapers of the other Gulf States and Emirates. It is surrounded by beautiful mountains and canyons and proximate to the sea rich with marine life. It is calm. I enjoyed the contrast - and the MO does stand out as the hotel property which I hope to return

The best thing about this property is the staff. Special mention to Kygean, Hilton & Otman who are a credit to the MO brand in every way. Slightly annoying that the club lounge was closed for the duration of our stay, evening drinks being moved to Essenza instead. If it wasn’t for the amazing Kygean and his unrivalled drinks knowledge & charm, we wouldn’t have enjoyed the experience as much. We also asked to move room given we were in a Mountain View suite overlooking the main road outside and would have preferred an ocean view. We had a conversation with management who promised to come back to us around availability, but never did. Slightly poor in this respect - even if there were no other rooms available, it would have been good to have had this communicated to us. Very limited for evening dinner also with only one restaurant option.

All in all a pleasant enough stay over the week but better options exist in Oman - we decided to cut our stay short at the MO and move to the Jumeirah Bay for our final 2 days (I will review this separately).

Liked the place and atmosphere. Everything is really really clean and the hotel is really fresh. Food was tasty. The restaurant supervisor was really helpful and caring. So I definitely recommend to visit this place

We had a wonderful stay at Mandarin Oriental Muscat! Very warm and attentive colleagues in the whole hotel. Especially Marsya welcomed us warmly at check-in, which set the tone of our stay. At breakfast Sara and Otman were very engaging and attentive. Sanjeet at the pool was was very friendly and proactive throughout our time there.
Our highlight was Zacharia from the Concierge team, he had fantastic recommendations and his hospitable personality made our stay unforgettable.

I attended a wedding at Mandarin Oriental and the staff, especially Anusha, was very helpful throughout the ceremony. Their support and professionalism made the experience truly enjoyable. Highly appreciate the excellent service!

One of the most beautiful MOs hotels I have ever stayed in. The Omani touch was present in every corner of this hotel which gave it a special charm. The room decor, the lobby, the art work done by the Omani artis Alia Al Farsi, everything in this hotel preserved the Omani identity ! Of course, not to forget the warm Omani hospitality and the professionalism the staff has.

I am a MO fan and will always be a fan of this hotel. Will surely be my hotel every time I am in Muscat!