Castle by the Sea
Shangri-La’s Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa, Al Husn
The heavy carved wooden doors of the museum closed gently behind us and we shuffled away silently, awe-struck at what we had just seen. Inside the Bait Al Zubair, an enchanting collection of ancient Omani jewellery, costumes and instruments were on show — all crafted with an unfathomable amount of detail, one could only imagine how many months, even years, the skilled artisans must have taken to complete each piece. We strolled through the streets of Muscat lined with dusty white buildings, relishing our freshly painted memories of exquisite craftsmanship, and soon found ourselves at a resplendent palace-citadel with glistening pools, elaborate arches and bronze flamingos. For a moment we thought we might have arrived at the home of some Omani royal, but of course, we had not. It was, in fact, the Shangri-La’s Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa, Al Husn, dripping with regal opulence and a familial warmth that was palpable. And when a charming doorman welcomed us with the sincerest of smiles, suddenly the one thousand miles between the hotel and our home ceased to exist.
That afternoon on the beach, we were utterly spellbound by its beauty; but it was not just the angel-soft sand or the sapphire blue waters that enamoured us, there was something more to the beach that moved us. Maybe it was the air drenched with tranquillity, or its spirit filled with a profound wisdom, or its mysterious sandy cliffs steeped in history; it was certain the beach had something special. For as we rested there on its pillowy golden sand, we felt an extraordinary peacefulness deep within our souls, a feeling we had never experienced before. Gazing out at the ocean, we did not feel the urge to engage in conversation at all; in fact, the moment had called for silence. So in silence we sat, relishing each other’s company, the quietude, the beatitude and the sheer serenity of it all. Only memories of the sweet harmonic melodies from the night before’s performance at the Royal Opera House lingered softly in our ears.
As we sat by the window and gazed out at the mysterious waters, I could only imagine how the Sultan of Oman must have felt, over two centuries ago, sailing the seas on his famous ship, The Sultanah. Up above, the boundless expanse of the sky was filled with no less than a trillion glittering stars, through which I happily floated about for some time, contemplating the tales of the sultan and his mighty empire. When I eventually returned to earth, and to the Sultanah restaurant, I discovered our main courses had arrived, and it appeared the food was just as rich as the history we had been pondering; for before us lay two exquisite servings of succulently roasted lamb complemented perfectly with borlotti bean purée and delightfully fluffy fondant potatoes.
It was that magical time of day again when the sun had dropped down below the horizon but darkness had not yet fully arrived. When the remaining light of day was spread so thin across the side of the earth that everything became soft and fuzzy, and the things in the distance once sharp, began to disappear one by one. It was during this time, we found ourselves in the tranquil embrace of CHI, The Spa. Its soothing blend of woody scents and tinkling music had an almost intoxicating effect sending us drifting in and out of sleep whilst our therapists massaged our bodies all the way from our heads down to our toes. In the soft light of candles, and with the waves lapping an almost hypnotic lullaby, everything felt surreal and we soon realised there was not much else to do but to close our eyes and float off into the mystical Arabian night.
