Review: Atana Musandam Hotel, Oman

I touched down in Khasab on the once daily flight from Muscat. It was fascinating landing at an airport with only one daily commercial movement!

After walking a couple of meters through the entire terminal, I found the Atana bus. There are two Atana hotels less than a kilometer apart. The Atana Musandam, which I was staying at, is newer and more central, while the Atana Khasab is by the ocean. There are a couple of things to note; Khasab is a tiny place. Both hotels are quite far from the actual center of town, but even then, there’s hardly anything there. Across a large parking lot from my hotel there was a large mall and some tourism agencies, but not much else.

In any case, these two Atanas are some of your only options if visiting the peninsula, whether that’s from Dubai or somewhere else.

The lobby of the hotel was simple, with a picture of Sultan Qaboos and colorful pillows.

Check-in was done in a matter of minutes.

As I entered the hotel courtyard, I was slightly confused because there weren’t any signs for the rooms. I walked straight forward until I figured out where I was staying.

I walked past the pool, which had a view of the harbor.

My Superior King Bed room was on the second floor of the most central building. These rooms start at 45 OMR per night, which isn’t bad at all in my opinion. The stairs and corridors were outside, which made for quite a cool design.

My room was far larger than I’d expected, and had an airy feel. I guess I’m so used to city hotels that the size of my Omani hotel rooms shocked me.

Looking straight through the room out doors, light blue water from the river gave a pop of color to the otherwise earthy room.

There was a balcony to sit and enjoy the surrounding views, which had a unique charm.

To the left upon entering the room was the bathroom. The sink and toilet were pretty standard, while the shower was spacious.

All the toiletries were Atana branded.

To the right at the entrance was a wardrobe and luggage rack. There was also coffee/tea.

Meanwhile, the bed was wide and comfy. The wall behind it had an interesting texture as you’ll see. It almost looked water damaged, but I assume it’s supposed to be that way.

Across from the bed was the TV, which could be revealed by opening the wardrobe doors.

The desk was useful, though I moved the chair to face the other way since it’s more fun to look outside.

There was also a couch facing the TV.

Breakfast and alcohol policy 

The first thing I’d like to mention is that the Atana Musandam is a dry hotel. While I personally couldn’t care less whether or not my hotel serves alcohol, I know some people like their drinks. 😉 In that case, you may want to consider the Atana Khasab (which has a liquor license) instead.

Moving on to breakfast, it was served in the main building. There was indoor and outdoor seating, and on most mornings the view was beautiful outside.

The selection contained various Middle Eastern and European options.

There was also an omelette station, which I made good use of every day.

Overall, I thought the breakfast selection was solid. Since it isn’t included in all the rates, it’s good to have the mall nearby though.

Is this the best located hotel in Khasab? 

Well, as I hinted at in the beginning of this post, there aren’t many hotels in the area.

The Atana Khasab is further from town, and I only saw one other hotel between the two Atanas. Since this one was near a mall with some good restaurants, and also closest to the center of Khasab, I’d say this is a winner. Obviously if you’re renting a car the distances from either hotel to the center or Khasab will be negligible. Personally, I was fine taking the 15-20 minute walk into town and taking a taxi back for 2 OMR.

Bottom Line

The Atana Musandam lives up to its four star reputation. If you’re planning an overnight in Khasab, I’d definitely recommend checking them out. The rates are good, the room is spacious with beautiful views and it’s a short walk from restaurants and stores. Stay tuned for my post on how to get from there to Dubai without renting a car or taking a taxi the whole way.