Zighy Bay

Yes, I did manage to make it rain in the desert again. This time round in Zighy Bay we had 1 overcast day and one night of actual rain. But I am told that, in fact, a few drippy days are common in February. Usually compared with the sleet and misery of a UK February half term that’s fine, but it seems like the UK was bathed in summer weather all week while we were away.

A few notes on Zighy Bay! For those who are curious.

Getting there

Fly to Dubai, which takes about 7 hours. It’s closer to ZB than the capital of Oman, Muscat. The hotel driver will meet you at the airport and transfer you the two hours to the hotel across the border. The advantage of flying into Dubai is that there are a lot of flights and you can get them on air miles more readily than somewhere like, say, Cape Town.

Jet lag

Oman is four hours ahead of the UK. That just means when you are there you wake up and goes to bed very late. We more or less kept on UK time. Going back is less fun as it’s an eight hour flight back and when you arrive back you still have an awful lot of day to slog through.

Weather

Ha ha! THE WEATHER. See above. It’s spring-like, about 27 degrees and coolish at night – with occasional rain.

Who goes there

In the UK school holidays ZB is absolutely rammed to the beams with the dirty English posh. You know exactly who I mean. It’s you. It’s me. A little tubby round the edges, no flash clothes to speak of. Maybe a Do Do Bar Or dress if we’re feeling really racy. Kids in Boden. Yes, okay, you do not feel very adventurous holidaying side by side with your actual kin, but by gum it’s a lovely scene; everyone’s kids playing football, no-one snooty or stand-offish. Some nice man who seemed to be holding a baby for his entire holiday offered to take a cross-legged Sam to the loo at dinner one night when I was waiting in line for a lady to make my Thai pancakes.

Don’t hate me, okay, but it was sort of paradise.

Out of the UK school holidays there is a more blingy, international crowd who really like playing loud music on their phones while they eat. Also some older people – and couples with no kids. But that’s obvious, isn’t it.

The food

Is sensational. SENSATIONAL, DO YOU HEAR? Breakfast is a massive buffet with stuff like ready-made bircher muesli in pots, a full fry-up if that’s your thing, exotic marsala omelettes, good pancakes and pastries for the kids. One morning Giles had a breakfast laksa, but he does things like that, you need not be so reckless.

You can have lunch in either the main restaurant or the bar, which is sort of standard European stuff and slightly less good – or over at the Beach Club you can get amazing Arabic mezze and these mini-Shawarmas. OMG. Endless chips for the kids. A lot of people go mad for the breakfast and then don’t eat again until dinner, which is a perfectly workable strategy.

Dinner is usually also a buffet – we were there for Asian night, Curry night and Arabic grill night and it was just knock-out, fall-down stunning. There were niche Pakistani dishes I’ve only ever heard tell of and the best Bao Buns this side of Soho. Sorry, I meant Taiwan. It is also easy to be super-healthy, with salads and turmeric juices everywhere you turn. You could probably be vegan for a week and not really notice.

There are three fully-stocked bars, the cocktails are insanely good and quick, there is free ice-cream all day. Sometimes they come round the pool with a juice at around 11am

The staff are fantastic: engaged and seemingly a genuinely happy team. There are millions of them.

What to do

Sunbathing and reading aside, there is a well-staffed kids club and a teenagers club with a full list of robust activities for all ages. You can also borrow a 4 or 2-man kayak and go for a paddle in the calm, clear sea, or do some terrifying-looking thing where you whizz about in the sky on a motorbike attached to a paragliding thing, which I would never do in a billion years but people claimed was fun. I there was also water skiing and a day out on a Dhow. And a “Crazy Couch” – whatever the hell that is.

There were also paddle boards, which looked quite easy as I didn’t see a single person fall off (and as you can imagine I live for stuff like people falling off paddle boards).

The beach is a mile long and really nice to swim in if you are a massive scaredy cat and a bad swimmer, like me.

What room to get

The hotel is small. At a guess, about 100 rooms – and when I say rooms they are more like bungalows. There are some that are actual two-storey houses. I suppose you could say that the rooms right on the beach are the best, but I was really happy with our little house set one row back. I guess I’d be less delighted with a room up in the 70s and 80s, which were quite out of the way next to the spa, but who am I kidding? I’ll take anything.

Each bungalow is open plan, with a bathroom at the back, a main bedroom in the middle and a living room, which can be converted to a kids room, at the front. Each room has its own terrace and good-sized plunge pool. We have stayed in room 55, which is right next to the main pool, (great if you have little kids who can’t walk far), or room 67, which was further along the beach, but made for a nice shady stroll up to breakfast. There are bikes supplied to get around.

Wildlife

There are mosquitoes, but not many and they do a pretty half-hearted job. There are anti-mosquito burning coils and insect repellant provided in the rooms. They also make their own Aloe Vera from plants in their organic garden for dabbing on sunburn and bites. Sam got two mysterious massive bites from something on his arm, but he always does, wherever we go. A lady got stung by a jellyfish on a swim and this Australian guy found a snake next to his plunge pool. He made it sound like it was no big deal – snakes never are to Australians – but I checked under all the beds and everywhere before turning in for the night for the rest of the stay. I am now going to have a panic attack about the time 20 years ago I think I went for a wee in the Outback and may or may not have turned to see what was possibly a huge snake slithering away in the undergrowth about three feet away.

The cost

Astronomical. We get special dispensation for all sorts of reasons, not least because it rained for the entire week we were there last time, but we were by no means on a free roll. I’m told you can get better rates if you book in advance but basically the extras may bankrupt you as food and booze are expensive and the OMR-GBP exchange rate is awful. Don’t even think about going to the boutique.

But I know that some of you are loaded and can well afford this place. (Occasionally I will be approached by a Spiker in the street and I am stunned at the diamonds and the hair-dos and the designer trainers.)

It’s silly to talk about “value” as what does that really mean, but if you are look for the perfect resort for February half term, flying from the UK, this is for you. A lot of you will be allergic to resort life and feel like the idea of a themed buffet and a daily changing cocktail of the day is naff beyond words and to you I say: do please enjoy your exotic walking holiday in Bhutan or your working break in a Nepalese Ashram. But, I think resorts – good resorts – have their place in the world. And If I had to design my dream beach resort, it would probably look a lot like Zighy Bay.

This is not a sponsored post or quid pro quo for the stay.

Click here to be directed to the Zighy Bay website.