Six Senses, Zighy Bay for the ones who like to experience Out of the Ordinary - Day 2
I walked to the beach to catch the sunrise the next morning. It was a spectacular morning with the Hajjar mountains in the background on one side and the sun slowly emerging from the bay on the other side, adding colourful hues of pink purple and blue to the morning sky. It was so relaxing to just watch and listen to the waves and see the sun come up. It was blissful to take a few moments to sit back and reflect on my thoughts, clear my mind and take in the beautiful energy from the mountains and the waves that I was surrounded by. I was looking forward to a great day of spending time out on the sea on a Dhow Cruise. I headed back to my villa to get ready for the day after spending some time on the beach in peace and quiet. I rang my GEM to bring in my breakfast which I devoured alfresco on my patio in the company of little birds chirping and watching the sun rising above the palm trees.
To my surprise when we all gathered at the lobby we found out that the Dhow Cruise was cancelled due to choppy weather and we were going to instead do the Site Inspection first followed by the visit to the Dibba farm. We were shown around the property by the Sales Director and I was delighted to learn about the efforts that Six Senses, Zighy Bay is putting in towards their commitment to Sustainability.
After the site inspection, we were driven back up and over the mountain to Dibba farm which is located not too far from the border. This farm is exclusive to Six Senses, Zighy Bay where all the produce is grown to be used at the resort, a farm to table concept. We were shown around by the Farm Manager and a local guide who let us interact and feed the cows, goats and chickens at the animal husbandry section. They showed us the different vegetables and fruits grown at the organic produce section and also took us to a room where they make their own cheese. We were taken to a private dining area for a cheese tasting session, this is where guests can also organize a private dining experience for breakfast where they get to pick their own eggs and vegetables from the farm to be prepared by the chef.
After a jam-packed morning, we were all ready for lunch and headed back to the resort. On the way back we decided to stop at the Cliffs Edge that overlooks the panorama of Zighy Bay. This is the spot where you can paraglide your way into the resort and also where the resorts signature restaurant Sense on the edge strategically hangs off the cliff overlooking the valley. Cliff's Edge is the place where you can tandem along with the hotel's experienced paraglider and check-in at the resort in style.
We arrived back at the resort and hung out by the Salt Water Pool before we were served lunch at the beach restaurant. This pool is located by the beach and is the only one in the region with a high density of salt similar to the one in the dead sea. As I floated my aches and pains away in the pool I was kind of glad that the Dhow Cruise was cancelled as we got to enjoy and experience more of the facilities at the resort.
Our lunch was served in Bento Picnic Boxes that we were supposed to take with us on the Dhow cruise but were now having it al fresco at the beach restaurant listening to the sounds of waves over some good laughs. We had the rest of the afternoon free at leisure after lunch so we made plans of how to best spend the next few hours. We walked off our lunch on the beach to the Zighy Bay Marina which is exclusive for Zighy Bay guests arriving via speedboats. This was our last evening at the resort and wanted to explore the rest of the resort. There was no better way to do this then do it on the bikes that were assigned to our villas upon check-in. The hotel staff waved at us as we explored around. We headed to the Camel Stable for feeding the camels. The Camel family had 3 camels when we were there - Mum (Wednesday) who was pregnant then, Dad (Humphrey) and Sister (Camille). They are the in house pets at the resort and looked well after. You will be glad to know that there has been a recent new addition to the family as I write this blog. Wednesday has given birth to a baby camel recently and everyone at the resort is thrilled by the news. Guests have an opportunity to interact with the family of pet camels at the resort at 5 pm every evening. After feeding the camels it was time to feed ourselves so we gathered at one of our villas for tea time and a dip in the plunge pool.
What a fantastic day it had been as we sat chatting and recollecting all the fun things we did on the day. We had a business meeting planned at the Zighy Bar with the Sales Director in the evening during sundowners. While we were at the bar we were recommended by the staff there to try the Shua Shack for dinner. Shua Shack is the signature culinary experience of traditional Omani dining. We were curious so we decided to give it a go. We were taken on a culinary journey where the chef explained to us the process of cooking the lamb in Omani way. The chef had marinated the lamb for 24 hours and had slow cooked it in the pit oven underground since morning. This was the highlight of my stay at Zighy Bay to experience Omani food, its culture and its tradition. The meat was served to us in a big steel platter to be shared with saffron basmati rice and vegetable salad. I must say I have never tasted meat cooked tender to such perfection.
The next morning we chose to have breakfast at the Spice Market that serves both local and international dishes. The entries were to be picked from the buffet spread and the ala carte was to be ordered at the table. The staff were very attentive at explaining and recommending the local dishes to the guests. As we sat enjoying our breakfast al fresco on the balcony of the restaurant overlooking the Hajjar mountains it started to rain down heavily. We were not fortunate with the weather this time around as the Microlight experience that was booked for us after breakfast had to be also cancelled due to bad weather. So we decided to check out earlier than we had planned to if the weather got any worse on our way back to Dubai on the roads. The two days we spent in the mountains by Zighy Bay left us relaxed and brought us back to Dubai all-new also with a wish to come back again and try all the experiences that we missed out on this time.