Oman

Kempinski, Europe’s oldest luxury hotel chain, has a reputation for uncompromising opulence, and that’s precisely what you get at Muscat’s newest five-star. It occupies six kilometres of prime seafront, close to the airport in the leafy suburb of Al Mouj – the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque is within walking distance. The beach itself is no great shakes by the standards of the region, but that doesn’t matter as you’ve the run of two gorgeous pools with fabulous ocean views. The rooms are of a generous sized – even the standard ones – with correspondingly spacious bathrooms featuring free-standing tubs as well as rain showers. There’s an exhaustive choice of places to eat on site, most of them offering wonderful Middle Eastern salads, succulent, spicy grilled meats and freshly baked flatbreads, as well as Western cuisine.