In the 80's in Time Magazine Al Bustan Palace published beautiful ad and since then I wanted to visit this place. During my recent first visit to Oman I knew that I must stay at Al Bustan Palace. This place is everything I Imagined long time ago in the 80's. It is a real Palace built for kings and princes of the Gulf states. Arabic themed buffet dinner was of the highest quality with amazing variety (tagine, shuwa, maqluba, shawerma, . . .). Frankincense scent in the lobby, fires in the garden during the evening, beautiful colors on the mountains during sunset and sunrise . . . We kindly received room upgrade and late check out. One of the few truly magical places in our world (like La Mamounia in Marrakech)

Arabic music / oriental lounge music in certain public places at the Palace. Or oud player in the restaurant during themed Arabic evenings

My stay was flawless and excellent in every detail, including the pool, breakfast, room, amenities, spa, staff, and service. We enjoyed a wonderfully relaxing New Year getaway.

Nothing

The setting and grounds give you an indication of the splendour of this hotel before you enter the lobby. It's all pristine. The lobby itself is just mind-blowing, both in terms of scale and decor. The place has the feel of a palace which is how it's known amongst the locals. The pool is wonderful but the service around it is even better. I particularly enjoyed the personal ice boxes with bottles of water. The pool staff were hugely attentive and little extras like ice creams in the afternoon that are kindly handed out - it all makes the experience that bit better. The food was delicious for every meal. You pay 5-star prices but that's acceptable when the quality matches which it did.

The beach is not pleasant. There were tonnes of waste masonry strewn across the sand and it was not safe to walk along without seas shoes on. The sea was entirely pleasant but the journey to it was not! By a country mile, my biggest gripe was the room keys which were good for 1 use, maybe, occasionally. I cannot tell you how annoying it is to get to your room and not be able to get in - every day. This is even more problematic when it's a female locked out, in a swimsuit, who then has to go to reception in an inappropriate dress state for a Muslim country to get the key re-programmed. SORT THIS OUT ASAP!

I had a truly fantastic experience at this hotel. From the moment I arrived, the staff went above and beyond to make sure I felt welcome and comfortable. Everyone was incredibly kind and helpful, but I want to give a special mention to the young man at the reception to his professionalism and friendliness. You can tell that the whole team genuinely cares about making guests feel at home. Every aspect of my stay was taken care of with great attention and warmth. I would absolutely recommend this hotel to anyone looking for an unforgettable and relaxing stay. Thank you for making my trip so special!

The hotel building justifies the word "palace" in the name - it is breathtaking. The hotel was built a while ago, the interior does not look particularly modern, however all spaces are beautifully decorated, all are impeccably clean and the rooms themselves are very cosy and in great shape. Excellent quality of breakfast, generally dining experience was very good (although one of the key restaurants, China Mood, was closed for renovation). Special thanks to Ali Al Wahibi and to Raju Sonar at Al Khiran restaurant, who went extra mile to make us feel welcome; I have to say however that all staff were very friendly and helpful. Sporting facilities at the hotel are very good and the pools are a joy. The Spa deserves a separate mention - it is housed in a separate building of traditional middle eastern design, is very well organized and offers a great variety of treatments.

My choice of room rate did not include meals, not even breakfast. That was my own decision, however in this particular case it was perhaps a wrong decision not to include meals in the rate - the quality and choice of meals were excellent, but they were quite expensive to pay for on the spot. My advice to all who choose to stay in this excellent hotel and to rely on hotel meals (which, as I said, you would not regret) is to opt for the room rate which includes breakfast and perhaps also dinner.

I love that there is a ladies beach. The breakfast buffet had good and many options. The bedddd felt like i was sleeping on clouds. Love the accesability of the volume button in the bathroom. Salon staff were really friendly and amazing service from them! Love the landscape of th hotel and pool.

The check in and check out experience was poor. I would loved clearer communication like were to sit down and wait to be called just the smoothness of the check in, check out and guest service communication was not what i expected from a 5 star hotel. I had a view looked a bit dull because the grass looked really dry. The room felt like too many things were cramped together. I wish there was less walking especially to the lobby

The palace itself is beautiful and very impressive, especially the lobby which is wonderful. It is worth the visit by itself. The staff is very professional and welcoming. Thanks so much to all of them (including staff from Khazir shop). The room was amazing (lagoon access), very confortable, with luxurious material and furnishing. We loved the Dyptique products in the bathroom ! The terrace with private access to the lagoon is a big plus, I would definitly recommend. It felt amazing being able to enjoy the lagoon from our room. The infinty pool is great too. Finally, regarding the restaurant, it was delicious, we had a indian/asian buffet for dinner, it was wonderful, so tasteful and with so much choice. Same for the breakfast. We would love coming back, it was one of the most beautiful palace we've experienced in our life !

Everything was great. The only disappointment was the beach that was not as beautiful as expected (lot of rocks and algae)

We especially liked the Beach as there is a lot of Fish in the water (great for snorkling). The outside area is very beautiful. Food is amazing! And last but not least: the staff is super helpful and very kind!

We did were not very happy with our room for two reasons: it was next to the exit of a very noisy ventilation System which you heard all the time if balkony door was open (we prefer to sleep with open door, sitting on the balkony was not relaxing due to the Noise ). Also, there was always a strange smell when entering the room (another reason why we had to keep the balkony door open) .

Al Bustan is an amazing palace-style hotel. The service and staff are impeccable. The grounds are manicured and feature three large pools. There is a large private beach with plenty of parasols and sunbeds. The hotel caters mostly for European guests, but there are also many locals who come to restaurants after sunset to celebrate Ramadan. Non-Muslim guests need to be aware that during Ramadan Omani hotels are not allowed to serve any alcohol in outer spaces. When coming here expect peace and quiet and no partying of any sorts.

Deluxe rooms are quite small and a bit dark in design. This may not be to everyone's taste. A much better value for money are pool-side junior suits which cost a small extra to upgrade from deluxe. Another important downside is that, like pretty much everywhere in the Middle East, guests cannot use messengers to make calls when connected to WiFi. E.g. Whatsapp calls are technically blocked by the network. Whatsapp messages do get through. In order to make a messenger call one needs to disconnect WiFi and get onto mobile data roaming. Last, the sea is not clear and the water has lots of green vegetation. Very few guests swim in the sea and many use the pool instead.

Our stay was absolutely exceptional. From the moment we arrived, we felt welcomed and cared for, making it one of the best experiences we've ever had especially with our little baby. The hotel itself is luxurious, and the view of the ocean mountains and palm trees were incredible. The food was outstanding, but what truly made our stay unforgettable was the incredible staff. A special thank you to Ali, who went above and beyond during breakfast with his hospitality and generosity. His kindness made our mornings even more special. We can’t wait to return!