Oh Man! Oman…Part 1

This is a tale of four lasses who stole away to glorious Oman for a getaway to recover from the horrors of working full time in Dubai. This trip was a photographer’s dream: travel by air, sea and road, luxury hotels, buffet breakfasts, long walks, swims in the sea, and righting the wrongs of our little worlds over complementary “grape beverages” (as they euphamistically call booze in Oman)…

Oman – where the mountains meet the sea, with a little desert thrown in for good measure. Bordered by Yemen, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the clearest of waterways such as the Arabian and Oman Seas, the Sultanate of Oman was an easy choice as our sanity-saving decampment.

Sifawi Boutique Hotel, Oman: Nikon D3000 f/8; Exposure 1/500sec; ISO-100

When Sutan Qaboos bin Said Al Said came to power in 1970, Oman was completely isolated; closed off with no roads and no means of communication and could not afford to be part of the industrial boom enjoyed by the rest of the world post World War II.

But like any sagacious Arab leader, the proper exploitation of oil led to a remarkable development for his sovereign state. In 2010, the United Nations Development Program listed Oman, from among 135 countries worldwide, as the nation most-improved during the preceding 40 years. In fact, Oman is one of the most developed and stable countries in the Arab Region. It is also the most naturally beautiful dominion I have cast eyes upon…

Sifawi Boutique Hotel, Oman: NIKON D3000 f/3.5; Exposure 1/800sec; ISO-100

Sifah was once a sweet, sleepy fishing village which got turned on its head and developed into Jebel Sifah, now housing the magnificent architecture of the Sifawi Boutique Hotel, Marina and Villas. The entire hamlet is nestled between the Hajjar Mountains and the Gulf of Oman. This is where four girls escaped Dubai; dined; drank; swam; got seduced by wonderlust…

Much of Oman’s history is echoed in mud brick, stucco and stone of its defensive architecture. However Sifawi affords a completely alternate architectural paradigm to the guest. It was Italian architect Alfredo Freda who created the Sifawi look, designed the villas and landscaping, and provided my camera lens the prettiest of images to capture.

Sifawi Boutique Hotel, Oman: NIKON D3000 f/4.5; Exposure 1/400sec; ISO-100