STAY

There are several excellent luxury beachfront hotels in Muscat but best is The Chedi, an exercise in elegant Arabian/Oriental symmetry with beautiful water gardens, six buzzing restaurants (Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Asian fusion, Indian), three pools and a healthily discouraging attitude to children (if they’re in tow, try the Shangri-La Barr Al Jissah instead). It’s a fine option even for a stay of less than a week.

ghmhotels.com; shangri-la.com