Al Bandar Hotel, Barr Al Jissah Resort Spa, Oman

The Cranley Report®: Al Bandar Hotel, Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa

Al Bandar Hotel, Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa, Oman

Hotel Address

PO Box 644
Postcode 113
Muscat
Sultanate of Oman

Cranley Rating

Al Bandar Hotel

Photo 1 of 35. Click to enlarge

Hotel Summary

Category

Resort Hotel

Hotel Opened	2006
Refurbishment	N/A

Cranley Summary

The Al Bandar Hotel is part of the Shangri-La’s Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa, Muscat which also comprises the Al Husn and Al Waha Hotels. The three hotels are located about 50 kilometres from Muscat International Airport in an isolated location set in a sandy cove with the Hajar Mountains as a backdrop and the resort being accessed via a scenic mountain road, of which the last few kilometres were blasted through the mountains. Whilst enjoying an isolated location the resort is only a fifteen minute drive to the souks and old town of Muscat. The three hotels are located next to each other and have their own swimming pool and restaurants but they all share a common gym, spa, tennis courts and conference facilities. Guests of the Al Bandar can use all the facilities of the Al Waha hotel and the restaurants of the Al Husn hotel by prior appointment. The pool and beach at the Al Husn is for the exclusive use of guests staying in that hotel.

The Al Bandar Hotel is geared for parties with older children or guests without children, The more family orientated of the three is the Al Waha having the children’s club located by the pool. The hotel has a feature pool called Circles which is located next to the beach and has the lazy river that connects the pool to the Al Waha pool and runs along the boardwalk next to the beach. The hotel is finished to a high quality with a range of room types with luxury amenities and benefiting from all the en-suite bathrooms having a separate shower. The hotel has a range of restaurants from fine dinning at the Capri Court to casual dinning at the Tapas and Sablah. The breakfast location is the Al Tanoor which serves a comprehensive buffet. For guests wishing to work or stay in touch there is a comprehensive business centre, wi-fi works throughout the resort and all rooms have high speed internet connectivity. The resort conference facilities are located at the Al Bandar Hotel as well as the boutiques making it a good location for those visiting for a function. The hotel puts on a range of daily activities for adults and children and for further entertainment the resort also has a Heritage Village due to open at the end of the year which will demonstrate local arts and crafts and have an authentic Omani restaurant. Lastly the hotels beaches are a breeding ground for turtles and there is an environmental programme with a Turtle Ranger employed full time to help guest observe egg laying and hatching without disturbing the turtles.

Hotel Location & Layout

Location Description

The hotel is located about 45 minutes from Al Seeb International Airport and 15 minutes from Muscat city centre and near Ruwi business district and Mutrah the old city of Muscat. The resort is set in a spectacular back drop of the mountains and in fact some of the mountains edge was cleared to create space for the hotel to be built and a passage cleared for the road in and out of the hotel. Its location gives the hotel a pleasant sense of isolation but at the same time it is only fifteen minutes from Muscat and the Souks.

Airports
Distance	50 km
Airport Transfers	Muscat

Cities and Sights
Distance	20 km
City/Sight Transfers	Taxi or a chargeable hotel limousine The hotel also runs a shuttle bus four times a day at 10.10, 12.00, 15.30 and 16.35 to the Bait Al Zubair Museum, Mutrah Souk and the SABCO centre with the bus returning at 11.00, 13.00 16.30 and 17.35.

Layout Description

The hotel is part of the Shangri-La’s Barr Al Jissah Resort and Spa that also comprises of the Al Husn Hotel and the Al Waha Hotel. The hotel is located in the centre of the resort with the Al Waha hotel on the right and the Al Husn hotel on the left in an elevated position on top of the cliff. The Al Bandar Hotel is connected to the Al Husn via a lift. You enter the lobby which is on the third floor of the hotel. Within the Al Bandar Hotel the guest rooms are set over four floors, a number of restaurants, the conference facilities, swimming pools and the Xyro Nightclub and Long Bar are located on the ground floor. The CHI -The Spa at Shangri-La, gym and tennis courts are located between the Al Bandar and Al Waha hotels and in addition guests can use the pools and restaurants at the Al Waha hotel. The facilities of the Al Husn hotels are for the dedicated usage of those guests with the exception of the restaurants.

Lobby & Guest Relations

Open Hours	24 Hours.
Languages Spoken	English and Arabic.
Payment Methods	Major credit cards.
Foreign Exchange	Major currencies exchanged.
Taxis Arranged	The hotel has a number of taxis on its own fleet that charge by the metre.
Tours Arranged	A range of tours can be arranged through concierge and include Dolphin watching and snorkelling, canyon crossing by wirers, snorkelling, geology tour of the Hajar mountains, sunset boat trip, Muscat City tour, a two day wadi/bedouin and turtles trip, overnight bedouin desert trip, overnight turtle beach trip, sea kayaking, bird watching, game fishing and Nizwa City tour.

Guest Relations	Safe deposit boxes
Concierge Services	Translation services can be arranged. Parcel wrapping service
Medical Facilities	A doctor is on duty seven days a week from 09.00 to 18.00. Outside of these hours a doctor can be called in with 30 minutes notice.
Parking	Complimentary valet parking

Cranley Comment

The lobby is located on the third floor of the hotel as the hotel is approached from the mountain road. It is a rectangular shaped room which is two floors high with a feature dome for the ceiling laid with gold leaf and under which is a carpet inset into the marble floor matching the shape of the dome. On the left side of the lobby is the front desk and concierge and on the right side is the lobby lounge. At the rear of the lobby are doorways that lead to the boutiques and guest rooms and on the right hand side are further doorways which lead to more guest rooms, the Piano Bar and the Business Centre and conference facilities. Overall the style of the lobby is of sophisticated elegance and is designed with an Arabic theme.

Shops & Amenities

Description

Al Bandar Souk Area:

Pashmina shop 10.00 to 22.00 Saturday to Thursday and 17.00 to 22.00 on Fridays.
Carpet Gallery 10.00 to 22.00 Saturday to Thursday and 17.00 to 22.00 on Fridays.
Damas Jewellers 10.00 to 22.00 Saturday to Thursday and 17.00 to 22.00 on Fridays.
Porsche Design Shop 10.00 to 13.00 and 17.00 to 21.00 Saturday to Thursdays
Jawahir Oman Jewellers 10.00 to 13.00 and 17.00 to 21.00 Saturday to Thursdays
Hamac; Designer swimwear 09.00 to 22.00 daily
Turtles Bookshop 10.00 to 22.00 daily.

Cranley Comment

The hotel has a range of boutiques covering basic necessities to designer jewellery. For guests who want more substantial shopping Muscat with its souks and shopping centres is fifteen minutes away and there is a daily complimentary bus to Muttrah Souk which is nearby.

Rooms, Suites & Villas

Number of Floors	4
Total Rooms	198
Elevators	4
Rooms per Elevator	50

Check-in Time	14.00
Check-out Time	12.00
Late Checkout	16.00 subject to availability
Smoking Rooms	Non-smoking rooms available
Room Service	24 hour ala carte menu available
Laundry Service	Items collected by 10.00 are returned the same day. Four hour express service up to 16.00 at 50% surcharge. Overnight service from 20.00 to 09.00 at a 50% surcharge. Pressing service is available 24 hours. Express 2 hour pressing service for at a 50% premium 24 hours a day.

Cranley Comment

The Al Bandar has a number of room options. The Deluxe Rooms are well appointed and come with a sea view or partial sea view. There are a range of suites all of which have a separate bedroom and lounge. All the rooms are decorated in a similar style with beige walls and light coloured wood furniture and feature high speed internet connectivity. All bathrooms have a separate shower as well as a bath tub. In addition the ground floor rooms have a patio and the other room types all have balconies.

Type of Room, Views & Facilities

Type	No.	View	Facilities	Max. Occupancy	Size m2
Deluxe	170	97 Sea 61 Pool/Partial Sea 12 Pool	Satellite television Individually controlled air conditioning Mini-bar Patio or balcony Desk and chair High speed internet Complimentary tea and coffee making facilities Armchair and coffee table Two patio chairs and circular table Iron and ironing board Safe Slippers and bathrobe Separate walk in shower Bath	2 adults and 1 child under 12	38

Cranley Comment

The Deluxe Rooms are located overlooking the gardens towards the pool and beach and come with a number of view types. The rooms come with either a balcony or a patio that opens out on to the gardens. The rooms themselves are a standard rectangular shape with an entrance corridor (with a double wardrobe) that leads into the room. They are decorated in a contemporary style with light gold carpets and brown/gold curtains. The furniture is a light wood colour with magnolia painted walls. The en-suite bathroom entrance is next to the bed and is tiled with a similar beige marble effect and with a light brown speckled marble sink counter. The bathroom benefits from having a separate shower and bath tub.

Type	No.	View	Facilities	Max. Occupancy	Size m2
Premier	14	Sea	As per the Deluxe Rooms plus: Additional SQM Chaise longe	2 adults and 1 child under 12	58

Cranley Comment

The Premier Rooms have the same amenities as the Deluxe Rooms with the addition of a chaise longe. The principle benefit of this room type over the Deluxe Room is the additional space which is utilised to create a lounge area in the corner of the room and that they all come with a direct sea view. The rooms themselves are an irregular shape because of their position in the building which also creates the additional space. They are decorated in a contemporary style with light gold carpets and brown/gold curtains. The furniture is a light wood colour with magnolia painted walls. The en-suite bathroom entrance is next to the bed and is tiled with a similar beige marble effect and with a light brown speckled marble sink counter. The bathroom benefits from having a separate shower and bath tub.

Type	No.	View	Facilities	Max. Occupancy	Size m2
One Bedroom Suite	12	Sea	As per the Premier Room plus: Separate lounge Guest bathroom Two armchairs Three seat sofa Additional mini bar Coffee table Additional plasma satellite television Walk through wardrobe	2 adults and 1 child under 12	90

Cranley Comment

The One Bedroom Suite as its name implies comes with a separate lounge as well as an en-suite bedroom. On entering the room there is an entrance corridor with the guest bathroom on one side. The guest bathroom also cleverly doubles as the toilet of the en-suite bathroom via a connecting door to the bathroom. The lounge is on one side at the end of the entrance hallway with the bedroom on the other side. The lounge has a range of furniture including a three seater sofa and upgraded amenities like a plasma television. The bedroom is similar to the Deluxe Room but benefits from a larger en-suite bathroom and a dressing area with walk through wardrobes. The Suite also has a balcony that runs across the lounge and bedroom and has two sets of table and chairs. The room is decorated in the same theme as the other room types.

Type	No.	View	Facilities	Max. Occupancy	Size m2
Speciality Suite	2	Sea	As per the One Bedroom Suite plus: Dining table for eight persons Kitchenette Desk in the bedroom DVD Player Guest bathroom	2 adults and 1 child under 12	142

Cranley Comment

The Royal Suite as its name implies is the premier room type in the hotel. It comes with a separate lounge, kitchenette, guest bathroom as well as an en-suite bedroom. On entering the room there is a rectangular lounge with television and sofa’s at one end and the dining table at the other end. Off the lounge is a small kitchenette which can also be accessed via the hallway for room service staff. The bedroom is similar to the Deluxe Room but benefits from a larger en-suite bathroom and a dressing area with walk through wardrobes. The Suite also has a balcony that runs across the lounge and bedroom and has two sets of table and chairs. The room is decorated in the same theme as the other room types although there are a wider range of ornaments and pictures reflecting the nature of the room.

Restaurants & Cafés

Number of Restaurants

Restaurant Comments

The hotel has a range of restaurants with the main breakfast location being the Al Tanoor that also has a buffet at lunch times and in the evenings as well as an ala carte menu. There is a fine dining Italian on the ground floor next to the long bar and for more casual dining there is the Tapas, Mokha Cafe and the Lobby Lounge. In addition there are numerous other restaurants at the Al Waha hotel which guests can also dine at.

Al Tanoor

Restaurant Type	Middle Eastern
Restaurant Capacity	Total 188, inside 90 outside 98
Opening Times	Daily 06.30 to 23.30 Breakfast Buffet 06.30 to 10.30 Ala carte breakfast 07.00 to 11.00 Lunch and dinner Ala carte menu 12.00 to 23.00
Dress Codes	Smart casual

Air-Conditioning	Yes
Smoking Policy	Non-smoking area
Children’s Facilities	Children's menu Children under 12 are entitled to a complimentary buffet. High chairs.
Breakfast Options	Comprehensive buffet with cooking stations and an ala carte menu.

Cranley Comment

The Al Tanoor is the main buffet restaurant of the hotel. It has a comprehensive buffet breakfast as well as a buffet at lunch and diner and an ala carte menu available throughout the day. The restaurant has themed evening buffets four nights a week which change on a monthly basis but in addition to the theme there are a couple of other buffet selections with a slightly more restricted choice to cater for guests who may not like the principle theme. The ala carte menu has a range of dishes from a number of different middle eastern countries to choose from. The restaurant is decorated with a modern marketplace theme with three show kitchens and tables on a couple of different levels.

Capri Court

Restaurant Type	Fine Dining Italian
Restaurant Capacity	Total 76, inside 55, outside 21
Opening Times	19.00 to 23.30
Dress Codes	Smart casual

Air-Conditioning	Yes
Smoking Policy	Non-smoking tables
Children’s Facilities	Children's menu
Breakfast Options	N/A

Cranley Comment

The Capri Court is located overlooking the beach and has seating inside and outside as well as a private dining room. The restaurant is a fine dining Italian specialising in dishes from the island of Capri. Most of the dishes have a seafood theme utilising local catches and in some cases fish especially flown in. Typical dishes on the menu at the time of the review included a range of pasta based options, risottos and grilled meats as well.

Tapas and Sablah

Restaurant Type	Mediterranean/Asian Tapas and Oriental Mezze
Restaurant Capacity	Total 100 all outside