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It’s just lunch: at the Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar Resort

We were tootling around in the mountains north of Nizwa, and lunchtime was soon approaching, and the initial plan was to go to Alila Jabal Akhdar for lunch, the hotel I was originally considering to stay in Oman. Mohamed “The Guide” mentioned a new 5-star hotel that just opened, and perhaps we wanted to try that instead. Why not, 5-star had to be reasonably OK. So we chang plan, and continue on past the road that goes up to the Alila, Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar, here we come.

An hour later we are at the gate of the Al Jabal Al Akhdar and enter. It is quite a lavish set-up and has that fresh resort smell all over. All is quiet and there really doesn’t seem to be that many people around, guests or staff. So we explore a bit and hunt for a restaurant.
The grounds and property are quite exceptional. The gardens are all still new, and in 5-years, should be quite lovely. The Infinity Pool at the edge of the cliffs is beautiful and the views of the canyons below are breathtaking. The Hotel itself it built around Diana’s Point where the Prince and Princess of Wales were helicoptered to admire the view. So we chose to dine at their Bella Vista restaurant. A view of the pool lunging into the canyon and Diana’s Point right there, a scenic spot for sure.
This is where things just didn’t go quite right, and in the end a rather unsatisfying lunch, even for Mohamed. The Guide actually had to order off of their dinner menu, not finding anything on the Italian Lunch menu to his liking, and the Pizza and salad were just OK. That being said, I do think the hotel is still in the start-up mode, and this is off-season… but 5-star hotel, no way. Staff needs better training and the menu and preparation (at least for lunch) need a good revamping. When I come back to Oman, I might consider staying here, but I believe that Alila Jabal Akhdar would be my choice of hotel in the mountains above Nizwa.