Oman Air has introduced an awesome new stopover program for those laying over in Muscat for a night. One of the primary goals of the Gulf carriers is to develop the infrastructure of their home countries and put them on the map. One has to wonder where Doha would be without Qatar Airways, or where…
Continue reading: Oman Air’s Muscat Ritz-Carlton Stopover Program
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
With decent biz fares at times this will be a super goo deal! It should also be noted that the heat in Muscat summer is quite strong, in addition to high humidity. As long as staying indoor most of the time it'll be a good stay.
Oman is definitely my favorite GCC country to visit. It’s got great weather in the winter.
This looks like another good reason to fly Oman Air. The Al Bustan Palace is a great hotel and has recently undergone major refurbishment ( although I have yet to visit since it reopened).
Can't believe our flight to Oman lands in the morning (from IST/ISL) and then continues on to Malaysia in the evening. I guess we don't qualify for this offer. And not even sure if they would count ISL as Europe?
Perfect timing! Just cancelled our other stopover accommodation for our flight from BKK-MCT-CDG in July and booked this. Thanks for sharing Ben.
Shaun: the cost of eVisa for up to 10 days is 5 rials, about $13 , very easy to apply online, one day processing. I did it yesterday
1. 30 day tourist visa (nothing less) is USD 7.
2. Ritz Carlton is a 50 min drive from MCT. I don't see that transfer included, and is 80-100 each way.
@mark3 -- Actually, the cheapest tourist visa (online) is 10 days for 5 OMR ($13). You are correct that the Ritz Carlton is quite inconvenient to the airport for a one-night stay. I honestly don't know why this hotel would be selected. That said, it's a nice hotel, and if no transport is included, you could easily rent a car (probably about $35/day) and drive yourself there, no problems. As far as Lucky saying Muscat is "exciting," I would say that's a gross exaggeration. It's actually a pretty sleepy city! But easy and pleasant. Overall, Oman is a great country to visit, but you'll need a few days if you want to get out of Muscat. Nine or ten days is perfect to see the major sites.
Great post, and I've always wanted to go to Oman, plus Oman Air has an increasing and well deserved reputation.
But I would nitpick your calling "you need to be traveling in First or Business" a basic restriction and one that you don't until several lines into the post. That's a pretty major one that eliminates 90% of the flying public right off the bat.
We visited Oman last November and stayed at a newly built Intercontinental Hotel. Oman e-Visa is only valid for thirty days from the approval date, which was a bit a hassle to apply while we were on a five week overseas trips. We'd prefer to get everything lined up before leaving home. Also, it requires you to shrink the normal passport photo-size to fit into its website. It is an expensive country to visit with little to no historic sites to visit.