Thursday, June 14: Khasab, Musandam’s major town, sits at the far northern end of the peninsula in a narrow plain between two mountains. It’s one of the few flat pieces of land in all of Musandam. Khasab is home to just about all of Musandam’s accommodation and the choices are slim.
Since the Golden Tulip is expensive and cited by The Rough Guide to Oman as “beginning to look decidedly shabby and unloved, with peeling paint, dated decor and a moribund atmosphere,” we opt for the Khasab Hotel. We’re especially happy to find their double room rates, normally 47 rials ($122), are discounted for the summer (from June 1 to August 17) to 38 rials ($99). This includes all taxes and breakfast.
The Khasab Hotel is pleasantly old-fashioned with low-lying building set around gardens and a pool. There is also an on-site restaurant. We didn’t eat in the restaurant except for breakfast, so I don’t know anything about the quality of the meals.
The hotel offers a full day dhow cruise, a half day dhow cruise, and a mountain safari, including refreshments and fruit. Upon arrival, we signed up for the half-day dhow cruise (9 a.m. – 1 p.m.), which normally cost 15 rials/person, for the following morning. Again, because we’re here during the off-season of summer (because of course it’s miserably hot and humid), we get a discount to 13 rials.
The hotel only accepts CASH payments.
It’s a comfortable mid-range accommodation and we’re perfectly happy with it. The only drawback was that the pool was as warm as a bathtub, so not at all refreshing!