Six Senses, Zighy Bay for the ones who like to experience Out of the Ordinary - Day 1
Our drive from Dubai to Musandam border was around 90 mins and after a quick clearance at the border checkpoint, we entered Oman, Musandam. We drove for a few mins from the border until we hit an unpaved road which took us further away from the civilization and in towards the Hajjar mountains. We had a soggy start of the trip with some rain showers on our way to the resort which was very unusual for the weather in December. The weather made the landscape look stunning with rain clouds hanging down low on the tip of the Hajjar mountains that we were soon to approach. After another 15 min of off-road driving on the unpaved road, we reached the foothills of the Hajjar mountains where the arrival lounge of the resort is located. The resort lies on the other side of the mountain which is about 8 Km drive from the foothills of the mountain. Guests have a choice of either driving by themselves over the mountain if they have the nerves of steel or park their car at the arrival lounge and be driven by the staff from the resort in a 4x4. We chose the latter and didn’t question our choice of parking the car at the arrival lounge once we started our ascend over the mountains. At 20 Km per hour on winding roads, we were too excited to see what lay ahead of us. I had seen the landscape of Zighy Bay several times on a screen before but as we were driving past the cliff the landscape was gradually opening up and the view of the bay kept expanding in front of us. That moment was truly breathtaking and the drive itself I must say was quite an experience. I was all ready and looking forward to the other exciting experiences to be had in the next 2 days.
We were escorted for the check-in at the lobby of the resort which had a very cosy feel to it with traditional Omani flair. We had a warm welcome by the check-in staff who brought us cold towels and a traditional date and nut smoothie to refresh. Each one of us was assigned a Gem which stands for Guest Experience Manager for personally looking after our needs and requests during our stay.
This resort is a villa-only resort with 82 family-friendly pool villas nestled in a secluded enclave surrounded by Hajjar Mountains on one side and the beach on the other side. We have driven in a buggy to our villa through the palm-fringed lanes along with our Gem who gave me a quick show around the villa and reminded me to customize and place my order for the picnic that we had planned for next day on the Dhow Cruise. The villa was quite spacious, Bedouin-style made out of natural stone that gave a very homely feel of being in a traditional Omani house. The villa had an open plan consisting of a lounge area, bar, bedroom and the bathroom with separate shower and toilet. The backyard had an outdoor shower of course with complete privacy which I put in my things to try out in the next 2 days. The front of the villa opened up into a patio with its private pool with sunbeds and a dining area. A huge part of the patio also had a Majlis giving guests an opportunity for entertaining friends and family.
I was so ready and looking forward to my spa which was booked within the next hour. I headed to the Minibar area to prepare myself some tea and was delighted to see the welcome letter specially curated and personalized for me along with the detailed itinerary for the next 2 days. I helped myself to some welcome snacks of dates, nuts and chocolates that were presented with such attention to detail.
The entrance to the spa area was infused with aromatherapy oils that immediately relaxed all my senses. The lounge and the reception area of the spa had a cabinet jam-packed with trophies which is no surprise at Six Sense. This is a brand that boasts itself in taking guests through their personal wellness journeys with not only relaxation but also with the eat well and sleep well programs. I was given a personal consultation by the spa therapist and was given a choice of massages that would be fit for my lifestyle. After a terrific and a much-needed massage I was escorted to the relaxation area where I was offered ginger tea and nuts for detox. I could have stayed longer and enjoyed the steam and sauna facilities at the spa which are complimentary for the guests to enjoy but left that for another time as we all were catching up for sundowners at the Zighy Bar shortly.
On this night we decided to try out the Summer House restaurant which serves International Cuisine with lots of seafood options on the menu too. I tried the French Bouillabaisse soup for starters and Grilled Sea Bass with chives crème Fraiche, garden peas, fresh mint. The menu itself is very varied and we noticed how every dish was marked of course with its contents such as Gluten-Free, Dairy-free etc… but it also mentioned whether the dishes were good for sleep, detox or fitness. I have been inspired by their menu and I try making some of their recipes at home whenever I need detox or better sleep. We were all feeling very relaxed after dinner and decided to call in an early night followed by a lie-in the following morning. We took advantage of this situation and decided to call in for an In-Villa Private Dining for breakfast to be had for the following morning before we headed back to our villas for a good nights sleep.
I was super impressed with the turndown service when I arrived at my villa and tucked myself in bed for an early morning start...….. Continued on next page.
Six Senses, Zighy Bay for the ones who like to experience Out of the Ordinary - Day 2