Centara Muscat Hotel Review

Looking for an affordable hotel in Muscat with good facilities, spacious rooms and fairly close to the airport? Read on my Centara Muscat Hotel review to see why it’s a good accommodation option in town.

Muscat is one of those cities I never get tired of visiting over and over again. The capital of the Sultanate of Oman is slowly becoming a more popular tourist destination, bringing in new brands interested in investing in the country and giving us, hotel guests, a wider option of good hotels in Muscat.

Whilst I usually stayed in the Ruwi area due to its easy transport connections, I decided to stay at the Centara Muscat Hotel.

The hotel opened in late 2017 and is located in the Al-Ghala district, one of the many business areas in the city. It’s just a few minutes’ drive from the Oman International Exhibition Centre and only a 15-minute drive from Muscat International Airport.

Centara Muscat Hotel Review: First Impressions

My flight into Muscat arrived late in the evening and I took a cab straight to the hotel.

Traffic in Muscat can get very heavy, but at that time of the evening the drive was smooth and it took us a little less than 15 minutes to go from Muscat Airport to the hotel.

Centara Muscat Hotel is tucked away on a side street close to the highway, and the driver found the hotel very easily.

The building itself is brand new and as soon as my cab stopped, the doorman came out to welcome me. As I arrived at the front desk, there were two agents, who both greeted me and one of them checked me in.

They were both pleasant and very natural, not over the top, and the lady who checked me in explained about my arrangements with the hotel, the facilities and opening times of the restaurants, gym and pool.

Once checked in, the bellboy accompanied me to the room taking my suitcase. He also reconfirmed some of the information I got at the front desk, like where the pool was located, and restaurants opening times. All and all, a very positive start to my short stay in Muscat.

My Room at Centara Muscat Hotel

My Deluxe room was very spacious, modern and quite stylish. It was decorated in white and grey with details in a nice shade of green. The working desk was very large, going from wall to wall, ideal for me to spend a few hours working after my busy schedule in the city.

The room also had an armchair, a designer lampshade, LED TV and a lot of storage space in the wardrobe, something so important in the region, since in the GCC people usually travel with a lot of luggage and are keen shoppers.

The bathroom was very nice, all in white, with a shower only. At Centara Muscat Hotel they use Eco Vida toiletries, which were new to me and I really liked the gentle fragrance.

>>Check Out The Top Places To See In Muscat<<

I was pleasantly surprised by the room configuration and style. If you take into consideration that this is a four-star hotel in Muscat with rooms starting at about 88USD+taxes per night (around 34 Omani rials), I have to say, they’re probably underpricing themselves.

Even though it may sound a lot to some, it’s important to remember that hotels in Muscat are quite pricey. Here at Centara Muscat, they are offering great value for money.

Restaurants and Hotel Facilities

The next couple of days, once I was back from my commitments in Muscat, I tried to enjoy the hotel as much as I could. There are two restaurants at Centara Muscat: Tiptara is a Thai restaurant that is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Akdeniz the hotel’s Turkish restaurant, open for lunch and dinner only. They also have a rooftop bar that opens late afternoon, but sadly I wasn’t able to visit, and 24-hour in-room dining.

Tiptara, the Thai restaurant, is the busier of the two restaurants and I could see there was a nice buzz the evening I arrived.

They have an à la carte menu with Thai specialities and classic international cuisine dishes. Tiptara Restaurant also has a popular buffet with Omani, Mediterranean and Asian dishes.

Breakfast at Tiptara was very good, with a good sized buffet with a huge selection of cold and hot dishes catering for international and Middle Eastern guests.

I ordered some eggs Benedict which didn’t look appealing when it came to presentation, but it was absolutely delicious.

In the evening, I opted for Akdeniz, the hotel’s Turkish restaurant. While Tiptara was busy, Akdeniz was much quieter, but with a good atmosphere.

The restaurant has a typical Middle Eastern decoration, with strong colours and low lighting, giving it an intimate ambience.

They were playing Turkish and Arab pop music in the background, which I really like, and I had a young waiter looking after my table. He was really pleasant and professional, I just wish I could remember his name.

He suggested mixed dips that included hummus and eggplant paste as a starter and I chose a lamb shashlik as the main course.

I am a fan of Turkish food, and here I was not disappointed. On the contrary. The bread was nice and warm and the dips were creamy and very tasteful.

My lamb shashlik was also delicious and very more-ish. If I had another night here, I would most likely order the same.

On my final morning, I went for a one-hour workout in the hotel gym, which I found very well-equipped, with treadmills, bicycles, weight machines and free-weight.

From there, I went for a dip in the rooftop swimming pool, which was quite popular during my stay. But wouldn’t it be a real shame if I didn’t enjoy the pool on such a sunny day?

The hotel also has a spa offering a variety of facial treatments, including Thai and Arabian techniques.

Spa Cenvaree, which has individual and double treatment rooms, also offers couples experiences with treatments for him and for her.

Final Thoughts

To put it simply, my stay at Centara Muscat was perfect. The hotel location is ideal for you to explore the city, since it’s relatively close to the airport and the beaches of Muscat.

Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque is also very close – you can even get there on foot if you fancy going for a walk – it will take you around 20 minutes, if you do so.

The hotel staff, from my arrival to check-out, was very pleasant and happy to assist me. The restaurants were also very good and, even if you’re not staying at the hotel, I would recommend lunch or dinner in one of them – I have to stay, Akdeniz restaurant was my favourite. So, enjoy!

Bearing in mind that hotels in Muscat are quite pricey, I can say for sure that it is very hard to find a hotel with the same facilities and service, at such competitive prices.

Centara Muscat Hotel

P.O. Box 3564, PC 112, Way No. 5003, Wilayat Bausher, Ghala Heights, Muscat

Check rates and availability here

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