A first look inside the new Mandarin Oriental, Muscat

Everywhere in this long, thin city squeezed between the Gulf of Oman and the rugged peaks of the Hajar Mountains is infused with the scent of frankincense. It is heady and sweet, earthy and citrussy, a smell that helps calm the mind and soul. Muscat is the most relaxed capital in the Arabian Gulf. It avoids the frenetic rush of its neighbours, and instead focuses on its own distinct culture and heritage. And the just opened Mandarin Oriental, Muscat takes its cues from this spirit.

The hotel opened this summer in the smart seaside address of Shatti Al-Qurum, flanked by embassies, handsome residences and the Omani coastline. Skyscrapers are forbidden in the city, and Mandarin Oriental’s low-rise, white-walled silhouette fits in neatly with its neighbours. It has speedily become a firm favourite of the local community – men in crisp dishdasha robes and traditional kuma caps and women in floaty abayas and patterned dresses, who come to dive into afternoon teas of Omani lobster brioche, black lemon tarts and date scones while looking out to sea. In front is a long stretch of golden beach and a landscaped park where families stroll at sunset beneath coconut palms or play at the water’s edge and Arabian horses are raced along the sands.

The artistic theme continues in the corridors that lead to the rooms and suites, where pastel-pink oil paintings reference the rose harvest in the mountains of Jebel Akhdar, and in the light-filled rooms, featuring colour schemes echoing the blues of the sea and the dunes of the desert. Behind each bed is a dramatic woven tapestry inspired by kuma caps, and bedside metal lamps give quiet nods to the lines of ceremonial khanjar daggers and frankincense burners. Sand-hued bathrooms feature geometric mosaics in cool shades of turquoise, and every detail contributes to the pervasive – though subtle and cliché-free – sense of place. Omani inspiration also runs through the spa, where rituals harness the power of local ingredients including that precious frankincense harvested from the Boswellia sacra trees that grow in the south of the country, and pomegranate and rose from the mountains. In the Moroccan-style hammam, lined with intricately patterned mosaic tiles, a scrub-down with black olive soap and argan oil leaves skin deeply exfoliated and nourished.

Muscat doesn’t really have one centre but instead has a few, from the old seafront neighbourhood of Mutrah, a 15-minute drive from the hotel and famed for its bustling souk piled high with dates, frankincense and a fair amount of tourist tat, to Old Muscat, where waterfront forts date back to the times when the Portuguese ruled this stretch of the Arabian coast from the 16th to the 19th century. There’s plenty in the neighbourhood of the hotel, too, including the Muscat Royal Opera House, a suitably grand venue for the city’s vibrant season of performances that draws big-name theatre companies and orchestras from around the world. But you can also simply step out of the hotel and walk a few minutes in either direction to one of the waterfront cafés and restaurants. It’s just one more way to feel part of this friendly – and uniquely Omani – community by the sea.