Al Bustan Palace Ritz Carlton Hotel (formerly Intercon) – Muscat, Oman

Hotel & Resort – Review

Been in this uber fabulous haven in February 2011 for 3 nights due to a business trip. It was an awesome experience as this hotel is close to being a paradise (no exaggeration)! The location (lush greens, beach-front, and mountain views) is superb -from the first night of arrival I only wished for one thing, hope i could stay longer -seems like four days aren’t enough to fully absorb and indulge in this this beautiful place.

The hotel, from the name itself, was a former palace of the ruler -where his guests stay and receive his hospitality. From the interiors of the lobby, the rooms, conference rooms -it’s obvious that this place was built to impress.

I’ll give this hotel a grade of 5 (best). Let the photos speak for themselves:

Golden interior greets you at the lobby

Seeing gold

The room’s interior – a classic beauty

stylin’ with tiles

with compliments

a good morning

the room balcony

view from the room  balcony

chill at the palace’s beach-front

eternity pool

Golden Tulip Seeb Hotel – Muscat, Oman

Hotel Review – Golden Tulip Seeb Hotel

If you are looking for a hotel that is close to the city proper, this might not be the one. This hotel is very close to the airport (about 5 to 10 mins taxi ride) but getting around the city from this hotel is not a convenient launch-point. Stayed here for 2 nights and the service was OK -friendly staff, though it would be obvious from the room that the hotel is pretty old already -rust, molds, stains, etc.

view from balcony (yes, it's a room-like balcony with a sliding window)

Overall rating (5 being the best), I’ll give this hotel 3.5 -mainly because of the breakfast -really tasty and extensive compared to the 5-star hotel which we have stayed in right after this.

room balcony

Standard Double Bedroom

Road Trip to hilly Fujairah (United Arab Emirates)

Early this year, I have been going to Fujairah, a very different kind of emirate (talking about 1 of the 7 emirates of UAE), because of work. Went to Wadi Wurayah in all my four trips -the first mountain protected area in the UAE. Fujairah is close to the border of Oman (another GCC country in the Middle East) and the views around this place is just relaxing -Indian Ocean and the rocky mountains are lovely breaks for a view from the city’s hustle.

A one and a half straight road trip from Dubai to wadi wurayah is tolerable for my buttocks.

rocky mountains greeting you amidst the morning breeze…this view makes you feel that you’re not in the desert!

Fishing is a way of life for the locals.

Memories squall for Formula 1 GP Abu dhabi 2010

Nothing beats a FREE grand experience (and its in the Paddock Club) to see live F1 grand prix and meet the daredevils in flesh! Here are some photos from my last year’s abominably lovely experience!

Sporting that VIP tag for the F1 Paddock Club

This was the closest I could get to them, all at once, grr

The Pit Lane Walk -Ferrari’s [Massa tried it out after a few mins and everyone went gaga to look in, sheeesh]

Sleek-tough Bridgestone tyres ended their sole sponsorship on that last year’s race (1997-2010).

And it’s on, new record -youngest champ -vettel!

Schumi and liuzzi after that hard crash, cheated death.

The Peaceful Community of Penang Island

When I heard that I would be traveling to Penang in Malaysia, I was like —’where? the name again?’ —didn’t ring a bell. I was totally clueless. But when the details of the tour were already laid, I was like —’neat and sweet, wherever it was!’

I do not know what you call this local / traditional boat, but it looks like some water creature from afar

Took this shot from the bus, it was a cloudy day which added up to the cool ambiance and european-feel  of the small island city.

Snake Temple in Penang. Literally, there are live snakes inside the temple -just hanging around. Cool ei?