Review: Six Senses Zighy Bay

This health resort lies about 1.5 hours away from Dubai, tucked away on the tip of Northern musandam Peninsula in Oman. After a hair-raising, vertiginous drive up the dusty Hajjar mountains, you’ll be blown away by the beauty that awaits you on the other side (for an even more hair-raising experience, Six Senses also offers the option to paraglide into the resort – which gives a whole new meaning to the term ‘arrive in style’.)

Atop the mountains, the resort – and the tiny fishing village Six Senses is adjacent to – present themselves in full kaleidoscopic view; a picture postcard of wooden villas framed by an unfeasibly blue coastline. At the reception, it already feels like you’re a long, long way from the hustle and bustle
of the UAE. The friendly staff are dressed in floaty linen and offer up fresh juices and Buddha-like smiles while you recline on the rustic sofas and take in the ethereal surroundings.

Our dedicated butler invites us to take a bicycle through the resort’s sandy grounds to our villa. Six Senses is built to be sustainable, which means the surroundings resonate with earthy brown hues, and it doesn’t take long to feel relaxed, peaceful, and ready to cast away your Dubai diva for a few days.

This resort effortlessly combines luxury and sustainability. Six Senses resembles a traditional Omani village in many ways, with narrow passages between the individual villas and palm shaded, sandy roads and almost no cars. Each of the villas is furnished to reflect Omani culture and features its own
private infinity pool as well as a private deck and sun-house; you can relax here for most of the day, sunbathe, and enjoy room service from the resort’s extensive, five-star menu. Inside the villa you’ll find a range of luxurious mod-cons, including wireless, music and video on demand, iPod docking station, private wine cellar and outdoor rain-shower.

The resort really is self-contained and, with the range of activities on offer, you could easily stay at this resort for a week. As expected, it’s on the expensive side, but there’s a long list of things to do, including most non-motorised watersports, mountain trekking, paragliding, diving and yacht chartering. There’s also a children’s club for kids between four and 12-years-old with activities in the mornings and early evenings.

There’s a range of eateries on offer too, in the form of restaurants, lounges and bars. Dining on the Sand offers Arabian and pan-Asian fare in barbecue form when the weather is good; Sense on the Edge offers a dining experience that’s perched atop the mountains (so you can enjoy the same breath-taking view as on arrival) and Vinotheque is a wine cellar room offering intimate meals by candlelight and wine-tasting courses.

Six Senses stands alone with its dramatic, unique setting and consistently friendly five-star service. There’s nothing that the staff won’t do to make sure you leave this resort more ‘Zen’ than when you arrived.