Al Bustan Palace, A Ritz-Carlton Hotel

Our stay at Al Bustan Palace, a Ritz-Carlton Hotel started on a very positive note. From the moment you walk in, the hotel truly feels like a stunning palace. Our arrival went smoothly, they kindly allowed us to check in early in the morning and even upgraded our room to one with a sea view and a separate bath and shower. As I am pregnant, this was especially appreciated, as I felt safer with a separate shower instead of a combined bath. We did reauest a seperate bath and shower beforehand. That said, the room itself was somewhat underwhelming. It did not quite match the standard I’ve come to expect from other Ritz-Carlton properties, especially when compared to The Ritz-Carlton, Dubai. The bathroom, for instance, was still relatively small and only had one sink. Unfortunately, cleanliness was also an issue. There was visible dust on the tables and debris in the corners, and this did not seem to improve throughout our stay. I even found myself wiping surfaces on several occasions. Walking barefoot in the room would leave my feet noticeably dirty, which was quite surprising for a hotel of this level. While the housekeeping staff were friendly, the overall standard of cleanliness fell short. Another detail that stood out was the lack of small touches you typically expect from a luxury hotel. There was no welcome fruit plate upon arrival, and we only received one, randomly, around the fourth day. It felt inconsistent and a bit disappointing. It's not something big or important, but don't expect any towel art on the bed or whatsoever. These small things really wowded us away in other Ritz hotels, they always went above and beyond even with the smallest details. Service throughout the hotel was mixed. Some staff members were exceptionally kind and attentive, while others seemed less engaged. At the Blu pool bar, for example, I had to walk over multiple times from my sunbed just to request a menu and place an order. Although QR codes were available for ordering, they were not always placed at the sunbeds. After taking a menu, it would have been expected for staff to follow up and take the order at the sunbed. In contrast, the service at Al Khiran restaurant was noticeably warmer and more attentive, although the menu offered a more limited variety. Breakfast overall was enjoyable, with the egg station being a particular highlight. On a very positive note, the reception staff, especially the ladies, were incredibly kind and welcoming, and they were wonderful with my toddler. The valet team and the staff at the entrance were equally genuine and helpful. The lifeguards also stood out for their friendliness and attentiveness. Additionally, the gentleman managing the egg station at breakfast consistently greeted guests with a smile and great politeness. The gym, however, was quite underwhelming and did not meet expectations for a resort of this standard. Overall, I had high expectations for this stay, hoping for a truly exceptional luxury experience. While there were certainly highlights in terms of staff and initial hospitality, the hotel did not fully meet those expectations. Given its distance from the city and the limited half-board options, I would likely have chosen a different location had I known what to expect. Lastly, I would like to mention the kids club. Initially, it was not very clear that there was an indoor kids club, as most information seemed to focus on outdoor activities. However, they do have one. While it is not very large, it is well equipped with toys, and most importantly, it is run by an incredibly kind and dedicated staff member. She was truly amazing with our daughter engaging, caring, and genuinely wonderful. She was without a doubt one of the highlights of our stay.

From the moment you arrive, the hotel makes a strong first impression with a beautiful, long driveway leading to a grand and spacious lobby. Unfortunately, check-in didn’t start well. Our booking had been mistakenly cancelled by a third-party agent who assumed our flight was cancelled, which clearly wasn’t the case. The hotel resolved this after a call, but our rooms weren’t ready, so we headed for lunch. The pool area is stunning, surrounded by palm trees with beautiful ocean views. Lunch at Al Khiren was very good, with no complaints and excellent service. When we returned for our room keys, we were informed that the half-board policy had changed to a per-person credit system (27 OMR each). This was not communicated beforehand and came as a surprise, as we had booked half board expecting all food to be included (excluding drinks). Ali Aziz at the front desk, who was very polite and helpful, reassured us that the allowance would be sufficient, and in fairness, it was. Another downside was the limited dining options. The Italian restaurant was closed, and the Chinese restaurant had been shut for months (which we were aware of). This left only three choices: Al Khiren (same menu for lunch and dinner), The Pavilion (dinner only), and Blu Pool Bar (lunch and snacks). After a few days, the options felt repetitive. The only buffet available was breakfast, which was excellent and Thursday and Friday at Al Khiren. When we finally checked into our room, we were quite shocked by the cleanliness. There were large stains on the rug, food left under the sofa, no iron provided (only an ironing board), and a broken tap that wouldn’t stop running. I contacted reception immediately. They offered another room, but it would take time, so we went back to the pool. Upon return, we were offered a like-for-like room, which didn’t make sense to move into. Instead, Ali Aziz arranged for the issues to be resolved, replacing the rug, fixing the tap, and providing an iron, which was done promptly. There were further housekeeping issues during the stay. One of our requested rollaway beds was mistakenly placed in another family member’s room, and they also reported that their bathroom was not properly cleaned. They left the bath matt’s drying in the sink and one left over my shorts. Overall, while the housekeeping staff were polite, the standards were not at the level expected of a hotel like this and clearly require improvement and training. That said, the hotel grounds, beach, and pool areas are beautiful, clean, and very well maintained. Blu Pool Bar: Service here was inconsistent. Pradeep made great drinks and was friendly. Sangey was excellent, professional, attentive, and always checked in on us (5-star service from him). However, there were some disappointing moments. Ganesh, while pleasant when interacting with us, behaved unprofessionally. I overheard him speaking in Hindi (which I understand) and talking about guests. On another occasion, after we raised a concern about watery Spanish lattes, I overheard him discussing our complaint with colleagues. Speaking your own language is absolutely fine, but discussing guests in this way is not appropriate. Arun, unfortunately, was consistently rude and unprofessional. There was no greeting, no politeness, and no engagement. At one point, I handed menus back to him and he took them without acknowledgment. When I followed up on my daughter’s delayed meal (over 25 minutes), he stood there without saying a word. Each interaction was the same. He needs significant training, and in my opinion, is not suited to a 5-star environment. Service at this bar was also slow at times, waiting 25 minutes for a cup of tea is not acceptable. The Pavilion: A completely different experience, excellent food, great ambience, and outstanding service. Khaleel in particular was fantastic, professional, polite, and exactly what you would expect from a Ritz-level experience. The Spa: This should be a relaxing space, but unfortunately it was the opposite. While the front desk staff were welcoming, the staff member showing us around (short bob haircut, wearing a polo shirt and trousers) was rude, disengaged, and on her phone. Her attitude put my wife off completely, and she decided not to book any treatments. This was very disappointing. The Inner Peace Circle and Gratitude Tree: What a fantastic feature to have. Our whole family walked the Circle of Peace and wrote messages on the gratitude cards, hanging them on the tree. It’s a truly special and meaningful touch, something exceptional that the Ritz has created. Al Khiren: This restaurant, and its team, truly made our holiday. The service here was exceptional, the food outstanding, and the team consistently warm, attentive, and professional. The food deserves special recognition. Our favourite dishes included the paneer butter masala and butter chicken, which, in my opinion, was the best I have ever had, including in India. On the days they hosted the BBQ grill buffet and seafood buffet, the variety and quality were exceptional. The salads were fresh and delicious, and the desserts were incredible. The tiramisu was fantastic, and the date pudding is something I can still taste, it was that good. Ali Al Aziz is an outstanding manager who genuinely cares about guests. He acknowledged our frustrations and went out of his way to ensure we were looked after, even offering to accommodate off-menu requests via Chef Yogendra, which was especially appreciated as we had vegetarians in the family. Chef Yogendra deserves special recognition, excellent food and a genuinely lovely person. Salim was fantastic, always checking in on us, taking time to speak with the family, and sharing insights about Oman. A real asset. Raju Sonar was brilliant, professional, kind, and went the extra mile to make us feel at home. He was very good with my children which is always a big thing for us. Mohammed provided consistently excellent service, polite, professional, and attentive. Always smiling and making sure we were always ok. Aghali was also outstanding, warm, attentive, and a credit to the hotel. She always took timeout to speak with us which we really liked. Additional thanks to Phenny, Dipak, Blaze, Udara, and Dominic for their great service and hospitality. What made this even more special was that some of the team shared their contact details with us, we genuinely felt we made real connections and friendships during our stay. A big thing for my family is the interaction with our children, they made them feel comfortable, laugh and always made the moment enjoyable for them. Lifeguards: Sabith, Altaf, and Khalil were excellent, always smiling, professional, and very helpful. When both of my daughters hurt themselves, Sabith and Altaf stepped in immediately to help. Khalil was consistently friendly and polite. another great asset. Photographer: There was a lovely gentleman named Mousa who was often around the grounds taking photos. On our last day, he approached my wife and showed us some beautiful pictures he had taken. He kindly waited until we finished dinner, around 9:30pm, even though he normally finishes at 8pm. The photos were excellent, and we were so impressed that we asked him to take family photos the following morning. They turned out beautifully. Mousa himself is kind, professional, and very polite. The photography service is a fantastic offering but not well advertised. I initially assumed he was taking photos solely for the hotel, but had I known it was a personal service, we would have booked a proper shoot earlier. Front Desk & Management: Ali Aziz was exceptional throughout, professional, supportive, and genuinely caring despite the issues we faced. Tahar was also excellent, he arranged our Dimaniyat Islands excursion and even thoughtfully provided headscarves for my wife and mother-in-law for the mosque visit (although we had already purchased some). Very professional and kind. Abdulaazziz was another standout, polite, helpful, and proactive. He arranged our quad biking experience and shared his contact details in case we needed anything. Before check-out, we spoke with Radwhan (Front Desk Manager), who listened carefully, apologised, and offered a goodwill discount, which was appreciated. The porters and bell team were also excellent, friendly, helpful, and professional. Special mention to Khalid. My suggestions are: Private Villas for large families: it would be if the hotel were build villas for larger families. The hotel rooms are a good size but I think a lovely luxury villa with its own pool would be amazing Photography: A simple improvement would be to include a QR code in each room linking to Mousa’s website, allowing guests to view his work and book a session easily. The Gym: Is quite small and basic, with no views at all. It would make more sense to have the gym located near the spa so guests can easily access the sauna, or alternatively redesign the gym to include sauna and steam facilities. As it stands, the layout doesn’t feel particularly well thought out. The spa: Having the indoor pool restricted to ladies only is not ideal. I understand and respect the reasoning, and it’s important that this option remains available. However, given there is already a private beach, it would be good to consider either a separate pool for men or designated time slots when men could use the indoor pool. This would allow wider access while still ensuring privacy and comfort for female guests. Rotation of menus: We’re not sure if the limited options were due to the renovations and lower occupancy, but if not, introducing a wider rotation of buffet themes would be a great improvement. Overall: Despite the number of issues, particularly around housekeeping, communication, unprofessional staff members, the reason this is a 4-star review is entirely down to the incredible staff mentioned above. They truly made our stay memorable. With the hotel closing for a two-year renovation, I hope that alongside the physical upgrades, service standards and staff training are also improved. The location and setting are exceptional, and with the right improvements, this hotel has the potential to be truly outstanding. We truly hope that when the hotel reopens after renovation, these exceptional individuals return, as they are the heart of this place.

Our friend who lives in Oman recommended The Al Bustan Palace because of its location away from the hustle bustle of the centre of Muscat and because of its amazing private beach and gardens. She wasn’t wrong! What she didn’t know was how fantastic the food and staff are. We ate a couple of times in Il Palazzo (good homemade pasta) and 3 times at The Pavilion (special mention for the tomahawk steak!) Our only minor gripe was the confusion over our “Half Board Plus” basis (2 drinks per person each night). On the 1st night, Adnan in the Al Khiran Kitchen sorted it out and made sure all the other restaurants knew about us. We even had a visit from Sharifa (Quality Manager) at our first breakfast to make sure everything was sorted out. So thank you. Apart from that, everything was perfect and the main reason was the incredible staff. I apologise for missing people out but a special shout out to Adnan and Andi on the front desk in The Al Khiran Kitchen who were ably helped by waiters Mr Ali (who helped me learn a few words of Arabic and made sure I had Omani breakfasts) Mohammad Saad & Brian; Arun, manager of the Il Palazzo & Blu Bar; Doga, manager of The Pavilion; Khalid who made sure we had the best sunbeds; and last but not least, Roshan who’s Sri Lankan cricket team kept losing to England! Apologies if I’ve misspelt any names. It was certainly a holiday to remember and I’m sure we’ll be back.

Currently here in a suite 752. Have a walking disability. Staff are great, but facility is not. Examples: three steps up to lobby, no ramp or hand rail. Kids pool steep slope with no handrail. All toilets in beach are up steps. Ordered twice from family pool for lunch and service is absolutely awful especially given price of food. First time took almost 2 hours to get served. Second time had to turn waiter away we had waited so long. Third time waiting over an hour. Walking is not easy for me.

Had an enjoyable 2 night stay at the Ritz Carlton, with a 2BR suite with fine beach views. The best part of this grand slightly dated hotel are the grounds,pool & restaurants at the rear. Buffet breakfast is excellent. The lobby is particularly impressive, with its cavernous space & glitzy chandeliers.But not so cosy for seating. We had afternoon tea there, which was below par. The lifts are less convenient, with the need to change lifts at the Lobby floor, to move from the upper floor guests rooms to the 1F Restaurant/Pool. Location is somewhat out of the way, & it is at least a 15 minute ride to Muttrah(old port area), or more to other parts of the city.