Tag: weekend getaway

Muscat in Oman: Mix of charm and classic taste; a weekend escape destination in the middle east

After exploring some very modern cities in UAE and Qatar, we wanted also to explore a more traditional city in the Middle East and when searching for destinations we found Muscat to be an excellent alternative due to distance from Dubai (500KM) and the history they have. Muscat is famous for its ancient and modern structures, such as Portuguese forts from 16th century and the modern Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque; one additional important highlight that we found was their incredible fresh seafood (Omani Lobster was awesome!!!)

Sultan Qaboos Mosque is spectacular

Taking advantage of a long weekend and to celebrate our wedding anniversary we flew flydubai into Muscat for a 4d/3n stay, this amount of time allowed us for a couple of day tours and also some time to relax at the pool and beach of a great hotel where we found a great deal. I can tell you that our itinerary was enough time to get a good taste of Muscat and explore the highlights the city has to offer.

Muscat International Airport

When doing research for the stay, I found that there is a hotel in Muscat that was originally built as an Omani Royal Palace to host the Gulf Cooperation Council in 1985 and to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the late Sultan Qaboos accession to power. For more than 10 years the palace has been operated by the Ritz Carlton under the name Al Bustan Palace a Ritz Carlton Hotel and while they have modernized and upgraded parts of the property, their mission is to maintain the Omani essence and protect the heritage of the hotel.

The Hotel is truly a Palace

The stay at the hotel was perfect, not only the property is beautiful but the employees and quality of food is top notch. Before arriving at Muscat, I shared that we were celebrating our anniversary and the hotel had some nice details to make our stay more memorable. If you come to celebrate a special occasion in Muscat, this hotel is a great choice to stay in, here are some photos that try to capture the beauty of the location. One thing you need to try is the Omani Lobster, what a great dish they prepared us in their chinese restaurant called China Mood.

Hotel Staff was great…

Muscat is an old city, that traces back to the 1st century AD as a important trading port between the east and west it was ruled by indigenous tribes and also the Persians, Portuguese and Ottoman empire. Reading about Muscat, one interesting piece of information was that it was a military power with influence extending as far as East Africa and Zanzibar. It was on the 1970´s that Muscat started rapid infrastructure development with the accession of Qaboos bin Said as Sultan leading to rapid economic growth; his reign was almost for 50 years making it the longest serving leader in the Middle East at the time of death.

A great blend of development and nature

If you fly into the city, you will arrive in Muscat International Airport a small airport when compared to Dubai International but one of the nicest airports I have seen with very elegant details across the terminal. The immigration process was a bit slow when compared to other airports in the zone but after that moving around the city is very efficient with their taxi system, another interesting fact about Oman is that taxi drivers must be Omani locals making the trip more like a cultural experience.

National Museum is a must

One thing you will see in Muscat is that there are no really tall buildings, and they are similar white to beige color. It is said that the previous Sultan wanted Oman to maintain the natural beauty of the country and not change it with tall skyscrapers like Dubai, also maintaining similar colors of the buildings to be consistent to the eyes. You can truly enjoy Muscat natural views and how the city blends perfectly through the landscape, it is something rarely seen in other cities and great to experience.

If there is a concert in the Opera house, a must do…

During the tour we got to see some great places and sights, there are other attractions a bit farther that you should explore like Wadi Shab & Bimmah sinkhole that we did not go but should be done if you have time. Here a list of some of the must do that we experienced:

  • Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque: Beautiful Mosque, with local people there to talk and learn about Muslim religion
  • Mutrah Souq: Fairly traditional Souq in front of the sea, can walk and have fun negotiating prices for souvenirs
  • Royal Opera House: Impressive building inside and out, if there is a show is a must do
  • Al Alam Palace: Very nice structure, with views to the sea and some forts
  • National Museum of Oman: Opportunity to learn more about the country and their history
Visiting the market and talking with locals is always fun…

Muscat charm and simple enchantment makes it a very nice city to explore in the Middle East and if you want a more traditional experience is a place to go. Thanks for reading the post, please share to your friends and sign in to receive our updates; also follow us on Instagram, and Facebook search for #BORICUASLIVINGABROAD. Until next time….

Weekend getaway at the Live Aqua San Miguel de Allende (with proper social distancing )…

For the past 4 months we have followed recommendations and stayed at our home; e-commerce has taken a large part of our shopping and our weekend have been about exploring mexican cuisine and grilling at our homes from the many instructional video on the internet.

  • Salsa Paconi (Regio Recipe)
  • Tacos de Carnintas with Guacamole and Pico de Gallo
Examples of the food we have been doing @ home, no restaurants!!!!

As time has passed the different governments around the world have taken steps to activate their economies, in many places if you don’t work you do not collect any income. Here in Mexico unemployment benefits are non- existent, so people need to have economic activity to bring money to their homes. In late July the city of San Miguel de Allende let businesses start opening with limited capacity for restaurants, hotels and retail shopping; with this signal they started receiving tourist at 40% capacity.

Great surroundings around the hotel, cold beer. City Center very relaxed

We live 1 hour from San Miguel de Allende, and have read about these new urban resort Live Aqua San Miguel de Allende, a great idea of putting a modern hotel that fits the colonial style of San Miguel de Allende. From what we understand it has become one of the top hotels in the area since the opening.

Entrance start showing reference to SMA architecture, but also modern trims

After doing some research we book a suite for the weekend (Jul 24-27) looking to have a relaxed weekend and have some amenities like in room pool, good food (that we did not had to cook ourselves) and a change of scenery of the past 4 months. After the reservations was done we received an email confirmation with the details of our stay and that some areas of the hotel were not open due to the contingency. The communication was a good first impression, being front and center of what we should expect, I also took the opportunity and ask them for a early check in or private room to finish a business call the day of arrival facilitating us our arrival before lunch.

Our first suite also spectacular!!! Bar, foosball, pool

We left our home early friday (10AM) and at the entrance of the city there were police officers asking people to show a hotel reservation so you get access (good idea) and taking your temperature as a precaution, with that and after arriving to the hotel we were shown to a room so I can finish my call and started the weekend getaway.

Police Filter… Great way to control people entering San Miguel de Allende.. No ticket No laundry

After the call, the check in was a breeze. Our room the Adam Suite was spectacular with our own private pool, bar and 2 big tv´s 80″ and 55″ that were perfect to see the MLB oppening weekend. We asked for room service and ordered a Club Sandwich ( I taste one in every hotel visited), let me tell you one of the top 3 club sandwiches that I have tasted and taking creativity the #1 (Pork belly, Sun Dried Tomato, Egg salad) definetly somoething to try at the hotel. Later in the night we went walking around the town, we have been there many times, obviously the vibe was different as many places are still closed, still was cool walking around the city square.

Public Spaces, very well kept

On saturday at 5PM, our room started having electrical problems and we thought was a signal of a short weekend getaway. We called the front desk, explained the situation and quickly presented us with an alternative of moving to another room to complete our sleep and on the morning see if the problem could be fixed or another solution was needed. There was a good signal the way they accommodate us looking for our security and convenience, there can be problems of these nature the important thing is how they bring solution

San Miguel at night or day… great place to walk and enjoy

On saturday morning they told us to have breakfast, while they were working with the situation. Food at breakfast was also very good: huevos rancheros nicely done and some great green and red salsa, Chilaquiles in green sauce also very delicious and some “Jugo Verde” a mixed of fruits and veggies to start the day full of energy. At the end of the breakfast they told us that was complementary for the issues we had during the night and that a solution to our room situation was ready at the front desk (Great focus on service and not letting you down on the weekend).

We went to the front desk and they told us our room and the whole block had technical issues, but they wanted us to stay and complete our weekend so they offered us the Luna Suite ( Presidential Suite) to compensate for the issue the first night!!!! So they help us move our things and went to the Suite, the room with some great details like Karaoke, Private deck and Pool looking to the main pool area, big family and dinner area. We did not planned these but the opportunity was exceptional.

Great day to rest in our private pool and sunbathing, we continued trying their food from their Zibu Allende restaurant: Paiko de Res /Short Rib tacos / Rib Eye Tacos, all the food excellent taste and quality. The way they prepare and present their food it’s phenomenal so if you want just relax and do not move far, their restaurants are top alternatives

At saturday night and sunday afternoon we venture in the town and tried a couple of local restaurants CASSA NOSTRA & LA PARADA, good french & peruvian places. One (Cassa Nostra) with a great owner who takes time in explaining his food and how they do it, also takes every precautions as they manage thru the contingency, the other one (La Parada) we have been going since we first arrived on 2015, their taste and consistency makes them a good choice in SMA (Also the Pissco Sour)

Enjoying our day, while social distancing from others!!!

In summary the weekend was a great time for us to share good quality time and forget a little bit of how the world has changed due to the contingency, also to be thankful that I have been able to continue working supporting our business and delivering food to stores in the Mexican market.

San Miguel de Allende looks a little bit like Old san Juan

I know that better times are just around the corner, we need to have some patience and continue take the precautions as individuals, but also when you go out there and connect with people that love their jobs like Esteffany (Great Host) / Amor (Banquets) / Eden ( Best Waiter) / Alejandro ( Guest Seervices) and take the extra mile to deliver a great experience you know that the world has talent that can deliver to any situation. We thank you for making it better for us, we are now #aqualover

Some great food… Our place for the weekend!!!

As you know the idea of the blog is to share a little bit of how we see Mexico, and the great places and people they have. If you just read it forward to your friends and sign in to receive our updates about how you can enjoy Mexico as much as we have done. Follow us on instagram, or facebook look for #BORICUASLIVINGABROAD . Until next time….