Shangri-La Barr Al Jissah, Muscat

“Traditional resort in picturesque location.”

Very satisfying vacation spent at Al Bandar, which is recognized as a higher level of accommodation than Al Waha. The hotel is kept in tradition style, but very cozy, comfortable and with unusually friendly everyday service. Den Go from the Front Desk and Nayana from Thai restaurant are the pers… more

Very satisfying vacation spent at Al Bandar, which is recognized as a higher level of accommodation than Al Waha. The hotel is kept in tradition style, but very cozy, comfortable and with unusually friendly everyday service. Den Go from the Front Desk and Nayana from Thai restaurant are the persons, deserved our appreciation, making our stay joyful and trouble-free. The exceptional spot for resting, exercising the water sports, with excellent breakfast buffet and many options for evening dining. Definitely the place to return.

less

“A Happy Birthday Indeed!”

It was a wonderful experience to spend our weekend and my birthday here, though it was only for a day staycation but it was indeed worth it and memorable. The room was so lovely, clean, smeels good and facing the beach and lazy pool was such a view. All the staff that we met were all so accomodati… more

It was a wonderful experience to spend our weekend and my birthday here, though it was only for a day staycation but it was indeed worth it and memorable. The room was so lovely, clean, smeels good and facing the beach and lazy pool was such a view. All the staff that we met were all so accomodating and gracious. The reception also generously approved our request for a late check-out. And I was so touched and surprised that they prepared for me a birthday cake, such a sweet gesture. For the breakfast buffet, it was good but couldn't enjoy much coz i got sick. The only downside we got to experience was that the AC was not 'cold' enough as we were sweating in the middle of our sleep. But overall, our experience was great and lovely and def worth it.

less

“We are planning for another trip for 2026!!! Good place for the family…”

The good stories… (the bad further below) Shangri-la Al Waha (Family Resort) Feb 17-22, 2025 Overall, verrrrry considerate staff and great place to take kids. The Kids Cool Zone we used minimally as our 4 y/o wanted to swim all day every day but had some fun activities scheduled hourly, every da… more

The good stories… (the bad further below) Shangri-la Al Waha (Family Resort) Feb 17-22, 2025 Overall, verrrrry considerate staff and great place to take kids. The Kids Cool Zone we used minimally as our 4 y/o wanted to swim all day every day but had some fun activities scheduled hourly, every day! Henna, movies, bracelet-making are some to mention. Female staff very sweet there. The beach was clean and all lifeguards very attentive. Clean premises overall. Any staff member we encountered was very friendly and willing to help. Assistant Manager Ali of Al Waha buffet area was more than generous, warm, welcoming, always greeted us with friendliness and thankfully held our baby while we ate! Manager Rusiru was also kindly accommodating in giving us a new baby bottle as we misplaced the water bottle for our 9 month old. Very thoughtful! The other server staff always had a smile from time to time there was confusion and incorrect food brought from the omelette station to our table… communication error maybe? Room turn-down was great, Esha and her colleague (forgot his name) went out of their way to give us extra snacks, (Snickers bars, Oreos for our little one), delivered 1L bottles of water promptly when we asked. If we asked them to return at a later time as the baby was sleeping, they came back promptly at that time. Impressive! The crab, dog & fish made out of towels placed on our beds were super cute! We were always greeted by a smile from Esha and her colleague. Based on observation I would say most food service areas outside of the morning/evening buffet were short of staff due to the multi-day Indian wedding that took place at Al Husn. Swim areas luckily appeared adequately staffed. We were hoping for more Omani local delicacies (shuwa/mushkak) to be served at the restaurants and buffet - mostly western cuisine or Southeast Asian cuisine was served. For this reason we preferred to eat outside the resort. As we were finishing our last breakfast before going to the airport, the staff Nandar, Rusiru, Ali, Thaw, & Ishra serenaded us with a very yummy chocolate cake, a card with personalized messages from the staff, and Polaroid photos! Such an amazing farewell touch! Never experienced this before. Very well done! Assira (Shout out to PUTRA!!!) Putra at the pool food bar always asked us the right questions if we needed something but in a way to make us comfortable. So friendly, kind, wonderful smile, open, attentive. Good man. Sadly we didn’t have time to say goodbye. When Putra wasn’t working, we noticed the difference in service level THE NOT THAT GREAT PART!!….. Bait Al Bahr Tuesday Feb. 18, 2025, Reso @18:45 Dinner for 4 (2 adults, 2 kids). We sat down @18:45, we were one of the first five tables to be seated for dinner. No other patrons in the restaurant. Order placed by 19:05 latest. Appetizers arrived maybe around 19:40, main entrees didn’t arrive until 20:29. Our 4 y/o’s simple spaghetti with butter dish we ordered came out as spaghetti with tomato sauce. With a 4 y/o & 9 month old, an hour and 25 min wait for our main dish is less than ideal. Asked multiple staff members many times about the food ETA, some employees walked around appearing to not even really know what they were there for, supremely delayed response times from said staffers. These employees appeared to be walking aimlessly in circles, almost. After many “I’m sorry” apologies from server staff, asked to speak to manager, and was met with more “I’m sorrry” remarks from the manager with little confidence that our issue was being remedied. Only after we were insistent that no one even came over to check on us or give food updates, one meal was comped. Not an ideal setting for a family in my opinion.

less

“Good staff, facilities, bars and food”

We visited the Shanghai La during Ramadan. There is only place alcohol which is a bar. This was pointed out during the booking process though. The food selection was great. The pool was good, with a water polo court and a slide for everybody (including adults). The beds are fairly comfortable but… more

We visited the Shanghai La during Ramadan. There is only place alcohol which is a bar. This was pointed out during the booking process though. The food selection was great. The pool was good, with a water polo court and a slide for everybody (including adults). The beds are fairly comfortable but the mats seem to slide off. My experience with the staff was extremely good. When the room was made up, each day there was an animal made out of towels. The reception, bar and shop staff were really nice and kind. Both English and Arabic are spoken. There might be other languages in the hotels that I’m not aware of. They have a British/Irish plug.

less