Friday – February 2, 2018
Our short time in Doha was ending. What a fabulous city! We had a good breakfast in the Santa Monica Breakfast Club and I took some last photos of the grounds of the Grand Hyatt Hotel.
Doha proved to be a fantastic city to visit. The country of Qatar was very clean, safe, beautiful, with much to do, and easy to get around by taxi. I wish I could have stayed longer. Our Vantage tour group went to Qatar’s modern airport and we flew the short distance to Muscat, Oman.
The most surprising first impression of the city of Muscat was that it was all green! As the plane approached the city I saw the stark rocky mountains which form the backdrop of the city and then many trees, bushes, and green lawns. Although the country is primarily a desert, Oman has natural springs and plenty of water!
I took a few photos from the bus to remember the sights. Oman has height limitations on all buildings so there were no huge skyscrapers, like the modern cities of their Arabian neighbors. The scale of Muscat is quite human and comfortable.
Then we arrived at the Grand Hyatt Muscat and were astounded by the incredible lobby. Our Vantage tour group was asked to wait under one of the tents in the huge space while our tour leader, Maged, checked us in, but I had to take pictures!
The three and a half story lobby overlooked several pools and a lazy river. There was a beach beyond the hotel property along the Muscat Corniche.
We were shown to our huge comfortable room which had a balcony overlooking the pools and beach. There was an Indonesian restaurant adjacent to one of the pools. Linda and I relaxed and tried the hotel Wifi for a while. Then we went back to the lobby restaurant to enjoy an amazing buffet dinner. In the evening, we explored the facilities and took a few pictures. The Arabian Adventure continues!
