2 Day Stopover Muscat/Oman Offer Omanair = What To Do?

[THAIPHUKET]

Omanair stop over specials http://tinyurl.com/cqv6sfb

Might be worth it, not to stay in yet another hotel but to get a glimps.

You have been there, what would you do in short 2 days, deducting time of airport waste?

[yermanee]

If you're interested then I would say go for it. Might be a nice experience.

However I would carefully check the hotel prices offered by Oman Air (price per person) against the hotels websites and booking.com which are per room.

Good luck

Yermanee

[THAIPHUKET]

thanks, will look into it, make it dependent on how much sightseeing time is really available. Basically taking a sniff before my sister will stay in the Shangrilla in October. Might even join her for a week or so.

[Rumpole]

Probably better not to stop over for the next 25 days or so, as it is Rammadhan. Bars will be closed for the duration, along with most of the restaurants during the day. You cannot eat, drink or smoke in public, though some of the hotel restaurants will still be functioning, albeit discreetly. The place will be a virtual ghost town from about noon until sunset (all the shops and most other commercial activity will cease), and accomplishing even the simplest task will take 3 or 4 times longer than usual. The roads will be mayhem from about 7.00pm onwards, as the locals turn night into day and go out partying.

Other than that, Muscat can be pleasant enough for a couple of days. The Capital Area is very spread out though, so I would recommend hiring a car, as public transport is virtually non-existent and the taxi drivers are larcenous, directionally-challenged bandits. A day's hire (about OMR 10 - 15) will probably cost you less than a couple of taxi rides, unless you know exactly where you are going, what the official rate should be, and can bargain like an Omani woman in the fish souk (preferably in Arabic). The road system is excellent and not too difficult to navigate and you can drive as a tourist on most Western licences.

Muscat is not big on actual sites, but is scenic enough in parts, and is quite different to its Gulf neighbours. Even the costumes of the locals are different. You could visit Qurum beach area, have a beer at the Yacht Club, see how dhows are made, walk around the old town of Muscat proper (recommended), the Mutrah Corniche, browse the vibrant and still fairly traditional Ruwi Suk, or it's very touristy Mutrah equivalent (nicely-restored buildings, pity it now only sells tourist tat), The Qaboos Mosque and National Museum are also worth a look. Obviously, some of these activities will be severely curtailed or restricted during Ramadhan. Also bear in mind that Muscat is far from cheap, and Omani hotels generally offer very poor value for money, in my view.

Muscat airport is small, but pleasant and generally efficient, and immigration formalities fairly quick and painless (with the usual Rammadhan caveat).

Edited July 23, 2012 by Rumpole

[THAIPHUKET]

Rumpole,........Ramadan.............. BINGO !!! Thanks for saving my time and money!!

[THAIPHUKET]

hello!

Did Oman air fly from munich over muscat to Bangkok ?

Sent from my iPhone using ThaiVisa app

Yes, they do