Angela and I recently returned from a whirlwind trip to the Middle East where we spent short stints in a few different locations. This journey was certainly more of a vacation than most of our travels as we prioritized relaxation and leisure over rushing around to see the sights. After a somewhat stressful year, it was just what we needed.

My initial plan was for us to spend ten days in Oman, exploring several regions of the country. Award availability did not cooperate, however, and I was forced to shorten our planned stay to five days.

About three months before our departure, after watching the Olympics and becoming fans of Rugby Sevens, we decided to change our plans and stop in the United Arab Emirates to attend the Emirates Dubai 7s sports festival before returning home. Luckily, there was a single award flight on the exact date we needed to get us home after the event.

In the end, this trip left us with a desire to return to both Abu Dhabi and Oman in the future to spend more time exploring each place. In addition, the sports festival broadened our vision of what a sporting event can be.

Bookings

Flights

• Angela & Nicholas
  • 85,000 Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles + 19.70USD per person
    • LAS-LAX on AS J
    • LAX-DOH on QR J
    • DOH-MCT on QR F
  • 21,827 American Express Membership Rewards points per person
    • MCT-AUH on EY J
  • 150,000 Qatar Airways Avios + 975.00AED per person
    • DXB-DOH on QR F
    • DOH-SFO on QR J
  • 12,523 American Express Membership Rewards points per person
    • SFO-LAS on AS J

Hotels

• One room for two nights at the St. Regis Doha for 129.22USD per night, inclusive of taxes and credits, booked through American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts
• One room for one night at the St. Regis Al Mouj Resort for 64,000 Marriott Bonvoy points
• One room for four nights at the Alila Jabal Akhdar for 25,000 World of Hyatt points per night, with a Suite Upgrade Award applied
• One room for one night at the Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi Grand Canal for 127.85USD per night, inclusive of taxes and credits, booked through American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts
• One room for three nights at Al Maha, a Luxury Collection Desert Resort & Spa for 400,000 Marriott Bonvoy points

Activities

• Two people for the Alila Jabal Akhdar Via Ferrata Cave Adventure for 65.000OMR per person
• Two tickets with reserved seats for the Emirates Dubai 7s for 710.00AED per ticket

Transport

• Round-trip transport via 4×4 to the Alila Jabal Akhdar for 280.000OMR
• Four day one-way rental car from AUH to DXB for 582.54AED

November 19, 2024

Our journey started bright and early, waking up at 0400 and calling an Uber to the airport half-an-hour later. The ride was pleasant, if a little weird, as our driver started talking about the Tartarians halfway through the drive and was very surprised when we’d never heard of them.

After checking our bags and retrieving our boarding passes, we headed to our gate before doing a quick loop of the terminal to kill some time. Luckily for us, we were upgraded to first class for our short journey to Los Angeles.

With a seven-hour layover ahead of us, we decided to leave the airport and head for breakfast followed by a visit to our favorite doughnut shop. We walked to the bus stop and rode towards Manhattan Beach.

We intended to transfer from one bus to another but quickly realized that the schedule of the second route meant it would be faster for us to walk thirty minutes to breakfast rather than waiting around at the bus stop. I was happy we did, because we walked right past somebody’s pet pig. They were gracious enough to let me take a picture of it.

For breakfast, we stopped at The Local Yolk. The atmosphere was great, with the restaurant full of locals, and the food was fresh and delicious. We particularly enjoyed the omelets and the can’t-miss banana muffins.

Before returning to the airport, we visited Sidecar Doughnuts for a delicious treat. The shop continues to produce the best doughnuts I’ve ever had.

We retraced our earlier bus ride to return to the airport, cleared security, and stopped at the Oneworld Business Lounge to rest before our flight. Before long, we were headed to our gate to board. We were lucky enough to fly Qatar Airways Qsuites on our long-haul flights to and from the Middle East and I continue to think it is the best business class experience in the sky. The catering on board is delicious, the seats are extremely comfortable, and the service is always friendly.

I actually remembered to bring an HDMI cable this time and was able to play computer games on the seat’s screen.

November 20

We were both able to sleep more than seven hours on the sixteen-hour flight and were, luckily, quite refreshed upon landing. We headed to immigration and, after waiting in line for almost an hour, we were shunted into another queue without explanation or any information. We were soon joined by many other United States passport holders and eventually were told that there was some verification issue with US passport holders. After another ninety minutes, we were finally able to pay our entry fee into Qatar and pick up our luggage.

The Doha Metro was easy to navigate, and we took it to the Al Qassar stop near our hotel before walking the rest of the way. As we approached the entrance, we were stopped by a terrified valet who insisted on calling us a club car to protect us from the short trek uphill to reception.

We were graciously welcomed with dates and coffee before proceeding to check-in. The agent was quite excited to tell us we were upgraded for our first night, but that they couldn’t guarantee the same room for the following night. I requested that we be downgraded to a room that we could spend both nights in, but after some hunting, the agent told us we could keep our upgraded room type for the duration of our stay if we’d be willing to wait an hour. We agreed and headed to the bar for some light bites.

We enjoyed some drinks, wagyu sliders, and fried yellowfin tuna before heading back to the lobby. Exploring the hotel a bit, we were struck by how beautiful and elegant the property is. The decor in common areas is quite interesting.

We picked up our keys at reception and headed to our room. To say it was a surprising upgrade is to undersell the situation a bit. The room was huge, with two bedrooms with en suite bathrooms, a dining area, and a huge living room overlooking the water. The finishes were beautiful and the bed was extremely comfortable.

We had to wait an hour for our luggage to be delivered, but after that we freshened up and headed to bed to acclimate ourselves to the new time zone.

November 21

When we woke up, I called the butler team to request our morning coffee which we enjoyed in the comfort of our living room. The views in the morning were fantastic.

We relaxed for a bit before heading to breakfast. There, we were greeted with fantastic service and a delicious spread. The restaurant offered a la carte options and an outstanding buffet.

After breakfast, we walked to the metro and took the train to the National Museum of Qatar. This wasn’t on my radar for our visit to Qatar, but the receptionist who checked us in insisted that we visit. We’re both very glad that she did. We enjoyed reading about the history of Qatar, seeing some interesting artifacts and, most of all, admiring the beauty of the museum and rebuilt palace inside.

We walked from the National Museum of Qatar to the Museum of Islamic Art. The walk was a little surreal as Doha seems almost like a facade of what a real walkable city is. The sidewalks randomly end or are blocked and the beautiful parks were completely devoid of people or any shade, in spite of the extreme temperatures the region sees.

After we arrived, we had a small snack before exploring the museum. There were many beautiful pieces including architectural elements, statuary, tapestries, and more.

The museum also has a beautiful exterior deck where people lined up to grab pictures of the water.

After leaving the museum, we headed back to our hotel and ordered room service to end the day. It was the perfect way to use up the credit from booking through American Express’s Fine Hotels and Resorts program.

November 22

After coffee and breakfast, we relaxed in our room before packing up and heading to the airport. We took a taxi from the hotel because the Doha Metro does not start running until 1400 on Fridays and our flight was in the early afternoon. When we arrived at the airport, we headed to First Class check-in, where we took a seat, handed over our passports, and let someone else do all the work. We cleared the dedicated security line in less than a minute and walked directly into the Al Safwa First Class Lounge.

We really enjoyed the lounge. It features pieces from the Museum of Islamic Art and a full restaurant where we enjoyed a meal. Angela chose the chicken soup and lobster tail while I opted for the beef tenderloin. Everything was quite delicious.

Our short flight to Muscat was pleasant. We enjoyed Qatar Airways’ signature drink and opted to skip the on-board meal.

Entry to Oman was a breeze. We were the first people in the special business class immigration line and, except for a quick question about how long we were staying, we didn’t encounter any delays. We picked up our luggage and I used the Otaxi app to secure us a ride. When we walked outside, the taxi line attendants helped us find our car, exclaiming “oh, you’ve got a very good driver.” Of course, this implies there are bad drivers, but we’ll take what we can get.

We stayed a single night in Muscat and chose the St. Regis Al Mouj Resort on the Gulf of Oman. The hotel opened quite recently and is extremely beautiful. The only downside is that it is currently surrounded by construction. The hotel is located about fifteen minutes from the airport by car.

At check-in, we were warmly welcomed and informed that we were upgraded to a room with a balcony overlooking the water. The interior was quite spacious and the balcony was very large with great views. The room was perfect and we were disappointed to only be spending a single night there.

I requested some arrival coffees from the butler team and we relaxed on the balcony before heading to the gym. The gym was quite well equipped, including multiple barbells and a plethora of cardio and weight machines. We were also encouraged to take some fruit and nuts upon departure.

We ordered room service for dinner and followed it up by enjoying the five small pastry desserts in the room when we arrived.

November 23

We enjoyed coffee on our balcony to start the day before heading to breakfast. The breakfast included a la carte dishes and a delightful buffet. It was even better than the offerings in Doha and Angela ate what she claims is the best shakshuka she’s ever tasted. After breakfast, we went for a walk along the beach before returning to our room to enjoy our balcony before our drive into the mountains.

We were picked up at 1300 and the drive to our next hotel lasted two hours. The views along the way were beautiful.

At the base of the mountain, there is a police check point where they confirm that you’re driving a 4×4 vehicle. If you are not, you cannot proceed. This was one of the reasons I opted for an expensive driver – by the time I investigated renting a 4×4, it was just as costly as having someone else drive us.

When we arrived at the Alila Jabal Akhdar, we were warmly greeted with dates and coffee. The dates were served with some of the best tahini we’ve ever tasted.

After handling check-in formalities, we were shown to our room. I used a Suite Upgrade Award to confirm a larger room with a terrace and I think it was definitely worth it. The room was gorgeous and we loved relaxing on our balconies during our time in the mountains.

The very first thing we did was cuddle up on the bed outside and take a nap as the day turned to night. We headed to dinner at Rose Lounge, the more casual restaurant, where I chose chicken katsu while Angela opted for the fish curry. The Indian workers kept asking Angela if the dish was too hot, but it was nearly devoid of spice (an unfortunate recurrence across our stay).

After dinner, we returned to our room and headed to bed.

November 24

After a cup of morning coffee, we grabbed the yoga mats from our closet and did a sixty minute stretching session on our balcony overlooking the mountains. It is a nice touch that two mats are provided, as most similar hotels only provide one.

We enjoyed breakfast at the restaurant. All dishes are offered a la carte and food and drinks are both unlimited. The menu did not change during our stay. I particularly enjoyed the brioche and spicy avocado toast.

After breakfast, we went for a walk around the property. What started as a short stroll eventually ended up on the designated butterfly path that loops around the property. The path was sprinkled with exercise and activity stations and we got to see the hives from which the property harvests the on-site restaurant’s honey.

After our walk, we headed to the gym. It was small, but had dumbbells up to fifty pounds and a good selection of cardio equipment. After a brief rest, we met Ayman in the hotel lobby for our via ferrata experience. One other person, a woman from Germany, joined us for the outing.

We enjoyed the experience, but do not think it was an exceptional value and it would have been very disappointing if not for the “extreme” section at the end, which was essentially us pulling ourselves up a vertical face.

Later that evening, we dined at Juniper, the more formal dining option at the resort. The dishes were quite tasty, although very pricey. I started with the mixed Omani grill featuring beef, chicken, lamb, and camel and chose lamb shuwa (a slow-cooked dish) as my main. Angela opted for a seafood soup and grilled hamour. For dessert, we both had a scoop of outstanding gelato.

November 25

After another delicious breakfast, we spent most of the day at the pool until attending a rather underwhelming Arabic coffee experience in the middle of the afternoon. The pool area is quite extensive, with indoor and outdoor heated pools and two jacuzzi style tubs that were, surprisingly, not heated.

The pool started to get a little loud, so we retreated to our room until the Rose Lounge opened for evening cocktails at 1630. We were hoping dinner could be served alongside it, but food isn’t available until 1830. As such, we had some delicious mocktails while enjoying the sunset prior to a decent, but not exceptional, dinner.

As with our previous meal at the Rose Lounge, the fact that none of the dishes on offer have any spiciness seems a little ridiculous. Angela’s tom kha gai and fish curry were both devoid of heat, as was my chili basil chicken.

November 26

After our morning meal, Angela and I relaxed on our balcony for a bit before heading to the gym for a run. We gathered our stuff and hung out at the pool until the free archery experience offered at 1500. Through two rounds, Angela beat me once (20-8) and I beat her once (50-49).

We returned to the room and I worked for a bit while Angela relaxed. We chose to eat our last dinner at Juniper. I chose the poke bowl and jabal maqboos (grilled camel) while Angela opted for the Vietnamese spring rolls and mutton korma. We split a molten lava cake for dessert. My camel dish was incredible and I highly recommend trying it if you ever have the opportunity.

November 27

We started off the morning with a run at the gym before enjoying a final yoga session on our beautiful balcony. We opted for a late breakfast before packing up prior to check-out at 1300. Unfortunately, on the way back to our room I was stung by a wasp. I was spared the worst effects by Angela’s quick thinking.

Our drive to the airport was uneventful and we entered the business class check-in area. Oddly, it was almost completely devoid of other passengers. We both commented on how the Muscat airport is probably the nicest empty airport we’ve ever been to.

After clearing security, we checked out a few pieces of Omani history hosted inside the terminal. These are on loan from the Oman National Museum.

We visited the Primeclass Lounge prior to our flight and found it to be quite nice. It was spacious with tasty food and a good variety of drinks. We were able to find a spot that was relatively unoccupied to spend the hours before our flight was set to depart.

Our short flight on Etihad was delightful. The welcome drink was great and, while there is an option for meal service, we chose to skip it.

Upon arrival in Abu Dhabi, we quickly cleared immigration and walked to the car rental area to pick up our vehicle from Hertz. The process was straightforward and we were on our way before long. Angela did an excellent job driving in the United Arab Emirates, but some of the directions from the airport to the hotel were vague and we missed a couple of turns along the way.

The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi offers complimentary valet parking. Check-in was easy and we were informed we were upgraded to an executive suite. Again, I regretted that we were only able to spend a single night because the property is absolutely gorgeous.

After freshening up, we ordered some room service before heading to bed.

November 28

We had intended to visit the Sheikh Zayed Mosque the morning of our stay in Abu Dhabi, but we decided to skip it because the weather was poor, with a haze moving in over the city, and Angela would have to dress a little stricter than I had thought when investigating the trip. We’ll certainly return to Abu Dhabi in the future, though, and will make sure to visit then. The Ritz-Carlton is very close to the mosque and seems like the perfect place to stay for visiting.

After a bit of lounging around in the morning, due to our late dinner the night before, we headed to breakfast. The spread was absolutely incredible, with every cuisine represented. There was so much food that it would be impossible to sample everything in a single meal.

We relaxed a bit after breakfast before heading to the gym. It turned out to be the best hotel gym we’ve ever used and we both had an excellent workout.

We took full advantage of our late checkout and left the hotel at 1500 for our drive to Dubai. We decided to stay at Al Maha, the desert resort we’ve enjoyed on previous trips to the region, because it was the closest (by distance and time) property to the Sevens Stadium. Angela handled the traffic well on the way there.

Check-in was a delight and we were whisked to our room. The property is as beautiful as ever.

We relaxed for a while before heading to dinner. One of my favorite things about Al Maha is the food. The quality has remained extremely high. I enjoyed the tuna tartare, beef fillet, and Arabic coffee panna cotta. Angela opted for the scallops, braised beef cheeks, and umm ali. We were also brought a special cake to celebrate our third visit.

November 29

Breakfast, just like dinner, is quite delicious at Al Maha. There are a la carte options alongside a high-quality buffet. I ordered steak and eggs alongside French toast every day. Angela tried a variety of dishes, including the shakshuka that she enjoyed so much on a previous visit. We tried camel milk for the first time thanks to the buffet. It was delicious and much lighter than the cow milk that we drink at home.

After breakfast, we returned to our room to relax and enjoy our private pool. Arabian gazelle came by to hang out with us and we saw a herd of oryx in the distance from our patio.

We requested lunch delivered to our room. Angela chose the beef burger and fries while I opted for the Caesar salad and lamb kofta. For dessert, we finished the cake that we had been given the night before. Some of the gazelle were quite interested in our lunch.

We relaxed the rest of the afternoon out of the sun. Angela drew an awesome picture of a camel in the desert that I now have displayed in our office.

In the evening, we took part in the sunset camel ride. I love this experience and enjoyed our sparkling pomegranate juice on the dunes at the end.

Another great dinner was made even better by a visit from an unexpected guest.

November 30

We woke up bright and early to enjoy the falconry exhibition before breakfast. We’ve enjoyed the birds of prey demonstration on both of our previous visits and this one didn’t disappoint, either. In fact, it was better than our last stop as we were allowed to hold the birds again.

After breakfast, we headed to the Sevens Stadium. On the way, we passed by a herd of oryx chilling on the side of the road.

Parking at the event was easy and entry was straightforward. The hardest part was finding our reserved seats as the staff seemed to have no idea where anything was.

Over the course of the next two days, we witnessed a ton of thrilling action as we tried to puzzle together exactly how the game is played. While we knew the basics going in, it was certainly a learning experience.

At the conclusion of the day’s action, we returned to Al Maha for dinner and to get some much needed rest. I repeated my order from our first night and, when I finished, the waiter graciously asked if I’d like to have a salad to follow my steak. Not knowing what else to say, I agreed, and was presented with an enormous bowl of greens as a post-entree, pre-dessert course.

December 1

After breakfast, we checked out, loaded up our luggage, and headed back to Sevens Stadium. On our way out of the desert conservation area that Al Maha is located in, we stumbled upon a herd of camels on the side of the road. As one does, we rolled down the windows and started making camel sounds at them. It was only after we drove another twenty feet and crested a small hill that we saw the camel herder watching over them and surely amused at our terrible camel impressions.

Once at the stadium, we enjoyed a full day of action, culminating in USA Womens’ fifth place finish in the mid-afternoon.

Because we didn’t know how long getting to the airport and returning the car would take, we left as soon as the USA Womens’ team was done playing. It was quite the hassle returning the car as there was a distinct lack of visible signage and very unclear instructions once we realized where we were supposed to go. We eventually ended up double parking in the parking garage outside of the Hertz office before turning the keys over.

We were too early for check-in, so we waited around for half-an-hour until the desk opened. From there, it took us ninety minutes to make it through immigration and security and find ourselves in the Ahlan First Class Lounge. Terminal One is nowhere near as efficient as Terminal Three at Dubai International Airport.

The Ahlan First Class Lounge was pleasant, with a la carte dining available and quite a bit of comfortable seating. We were also able to take a shower as soon as we entered the lounge which we both very much appreciated. We left the lounge and boarded our flight to Doha at 2215.

Surprisingly, our hour-long flight got switched to an A350-1000, so we enjoyed the long-haul Qsuites on our extremely short-haul flight. The transfer process at Doha was a breath of fresh air after the long immigration process in Dubai, and we made our way to the Al Safwa first class lounge. Unfortunately, all of the lounge’s bedrooms were taken until after our flight was scheduled to depart. We had a light dinner and then rested in a pair of chairs until it was time to head to our gate. It was freezing in the lounge and that made it less enjoyable than it could have been otherwise.

December 2

Our flight home was a delight. The food was great, again, and the overall experience was excellent. I was able to sleep almost eight hours and we landed in San Francisco feeling rested and refreshed. Interestingly, the flight’s catering and pajamas were F1 themed in honor of the upcoming Qatar Grand Prix.

We cleared immigration and picked up our bags in San Francisco. Being back in the United States, our priority baggage tags meant nothing and our luggage was some of the last pieces to come out. After rechecking our bags with Alaska Airlines, we headed to the Centurion Lounge for a quick bite before hopping on our short flight home.

When we arrived in Las Vegas, we gathered our luggage and were picked up by one of our local friends who had graciously agreed to be our driver.

We had a great time on this trip. While we hopped around a lot more than usual, that just meant we got to have a variety of distinctly fun experiences. We enjoyed our first ever rugby tournament and had a very nice time lounging around in luxury at the various properties we were lucky to stay at. In the future, we look forward to a return to both Abu Dhabi and Oman, when we hope to have a little more time to explore each place.