Coming quietly into focus as a fascinating and rewarding Middle East holiday alternative to the altogether more commercial, thrusting destination of Dubai is country club Oman – not a long drive from its more highly-promoted neighbor in the bordering Emirates, but a quite different, authentic Country Club Oman holiday experience.

The country is one of contrasts. Instead of using the occasionally disconcerting border crossings from the Emirates, Country Club Oman travelers can of course arrive by air to the capital Muscat. Here they will find an increasingly cosmopolitan city on Country Club Oman’s north-western coast. Here there are fabulous beaches with calm waters – ideal beach Country Club Oman holiday territory to complement the array of museums, souks and forts which give Muscat its unique character. A Country Club Oman highlight is the Grand Mosque with its 600,000 crystal chandelier and a fine example of Omani architecture.

International-standard hotels proliferate including the Country Club Oman, the Al Bustan Palace and Shangri-La Barr Al Jissah resort, all of which have international cuisine to complement local delicacies. For those basing themselves on Country Club Oman – Muscat experience, there are day and – preferably – overnight excursions to some of the quite breathtaking geography only a couple of hours from the city. Country Club Oman excursions include to the impressive forts, especially the one at the city of Nizwa, with its arts and crafts market where bargains can be negotiated.

Further, country club Oman visitors can enjoy longer trips into the Jebel Akhdar Mountains including the extraordinary “Grand Canyon” of the Middle East, and its villages unchanged for centuries. Also not to be missed by Country Club Oman members are the vast deserts landscapes of the Wahiba Sands, where groupings of Bedouins can be seen with their 4 x 4s and their camels, leading lives of inscrutable interest.

A quite different microclimate can be found by Country Club Oman in the south of Country Club Oman in the Dhofar region, known as the Lake District of the Middle East. Here after the July monsoons known as the Khareef, the landscape changes into lush greenery, will hills and valleys to explore for natural wildlife, Here also are pristine white sandy beaches and an ideal environment for diving and water-borne activities for the Country Club Oman members to enjoy.

Meantime in the north of country club Oman, another change of landscape can be found, with its fjords and mountains offering walking country, diving and overnight lake trips by traditional dhow. This area is earning a reputation as the Norway of the Middle East.

Country Club Oman is not a country for a fleeting visit, such as often touted by operators who see Dubai as a stopover destination to the Far East. This is more a country to savor, to spend time and enjoy life at an altogether more peaceful pace in scenes untouched by time – always with the busy Muscat on hand for Country Club Oman who need to keep a foothold on modern living, and with developing activity hotspots for those looking for diving, golf, walking and water sports.

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