TURTLE BEACH RESORT Ras Al Hadd: "Roughing it" traditional style... have a hut!
by JessH
What can I say about the Turtle Beach Resort?
First of all, it's not what you would traditionally expect from a "resort" so don't be misled by this grand title.
Secondly, we found it to be a unique experience which we enjoyed very much... the resort shows how little once actually needs to be comfortable when travelling.
The Turtle Beach resort is located approx. 45km from Sur, a coastal town on the southern coastline of Oman. The resort comprises of 22 huts built in traditional Omani Style. These huts are artistically built with date palm leaves for walls and grass mats for the roof, which acts as a natural deterrent from heat & cold. Rooms with private ensuite bathrooms and airconditioning are also available.
The restaurant is built in the shape of a traditional 16th century Arab sailing boat, covered by a roof but otherwise open to all sides and right by the beach. The food was a bit hit-and-miss but generally everyone found something they liked and enjoyed. The restaurant is licensed to serve alcoholic beverages as well.
As there are no restaurants, villages, etc. nearby so the resort's room price includes breakfast, lunch AND dinner for its guests in this restaurant.
The beach is equipped with about 25 wooden sunloungers and umbrellas, and I would definitely recommend that you bring your snorkeling gear: just a few metres from the beach the sea is teeming with fish, coral reefs, sea horses and more!
The hotel's reception can organize fishing trips, dolphin sighting cruises, as well as tickets and transport to the nearby Ras Al Jinz Scientific Turtle Research Centre (see my seperate "Things to do" tip).
We stayed here for 3 nights as guests of our friends' wedding (they had reserved the entire resort for wedding guests). There are 4 male and 4 female shared bathrooms which are basically a toilet with a shower hose on the back wall. Although basic and shared by many, the staff always kept these surprisingly clean.
The huts were comfortable and clean (well, as clean as a hut made from palm fronds can be!) and during the milder months (from October to April) the ceiling fan sufficiently cools the air.
In March 2010 we paid 40 Omani Riyal per night for a basic beach hut with 2 beds and ceiling fan.
(1 Omani Riyal = 2.6 US Dollars = 2.0 Euros)
These are the GPS coordinates, this will take you to the Ras Al Hadd/ Ras Al Jinz T junction. At this junction turn left and follow the signs to the resort:
UTM 786, 044E 2, 488,536N.
GEO 22*29' 18"N 59*46' 48"E.
The Turtle Beach Resort is basic and somewhat of half-way between camping and a tiny motel. But we absolutely loved the laid-back atmosphere and the silence and calm in this rugged wilderness... you feel like the modern world has forgotten about you, and that feeling is surpringly calming.