Shangri-La's Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa – Al Waha

Shangri-La's 5-star oasis for families

Meaning "The Oasis" in Arabic, Al Waha hotel is the largest and most family-friendly of the three environments that make up Shangri-La's Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa. Overlooking the Gulf of Oman, it has glorious pool facilities fringed with palms and a pool bar which sits adjacent to a dedicated kids' pool. You can explore dining across the resort — with inspiring beachfront Omani cuisine, Asian delicacies and extravagent buffets to try — and between meals you can go over or under the ocean with kayaking or diving, have some family fun at Adventure Zone, or unwind on the 500-metre lazy river that runs between Al Waha and Al Bandar next door.

Hayes & Jarvis Rating

Average: 5 (1 vote)

Guide Price

£979 per person

Hotel Category

Luxury

Location Type

Beach

Recommended For

Family Friendly

TripAdvisor Review

1469 Reviews

Read reviews

Hotel Gallery

Hotel Features

General Information

Check-in Time:
15:00
Check-out Time:
11:00
262 rooms

Main Facilities

Diving
Outdoor pool
Spa facilities
Watersports
Wifi

Accommodation Type

H&J Recommended
Luxury Collection

Board Basis Options

Full Board
Half Board
Bed & Breakfast

For Families

Babysitting
Kid's Club
Kid's Pool

Hotel Location

Location Highlights

Shangri-La's Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa – Al Waha

Beach
Approx. 1 hour from airport
Connected to the Shangri-La Al Bandar Resort by a lazy river
Short driving distance to Muscat airport and the city centre

1469 Reviews

86% of travellers recommended this hotel

Traveller ratings

Excellent 760
Very Good 469
Average 160
Poor 52
Terrible 28

What to Expect

Location
Sleep Quality
Rooms
Service
Value
Cleanliness

Reviews

Jan 24, 2020

A very wheelchair friendly resort

London, United Kingdom

We recently stayed at the Shangri-La Barr Al Jissah resort in Muscat with our disabled child. This was our 3rd time back to the resort in 10 years and it was certainly our best experience to date. As many disabled families know, it takes a lot of energy (and courage) to travel – especially when going abroad. Will the pool be accessible? Will there be ramps around the hotel? Will there be enough accessible rooms? Do we need to hire a wheelchair or should we take our own? Should we hire a portable disability hoist to take with us? These are just some of the questions that need answering before we can even consider booking somewhere. Due to his disability, our child has a very restricted (pureed) diet. We didn’t really want to be cooking whilst on holiday, so before booking the hotel we contacted the F&B team to ask whether they could cater for our son. They were exceptionally helpful and put us in contact with all the relevant people who assured us that we were in safe hands. And when we got there, they did not disappoint. Everyday, our son was given fresh, nutritious meals just like he would have had at home; fresh fruits, lentils, chicken, fruit smoothies etc, all pureed to the perfect texture so that our child was able to eat without any issues; nothing was too much trouble for the staff. And not only did they cater well for our son, but the food that we had at all restaurants was truly amazing. With 8 different restaurants across the resort, we were spoilt for choice. The quality of the food and service from the staff was 2nd to none. The resort consists of 3 hotels (Al Waha, Al Bandar & Al Husn), which are all within walking distance to one another. However, when we stayed at the resort previously, there wasn’t a level pathway from the Al Waha hotel to the Al Bandar. This meant that I had to carry my son’s wheelchair up and down a couple of bridges (with stairs) to get from 1 hotel to the other. I’m pleased to say that this has all changed. There is now level access (via concrete ramps) all the way from the Al Waha to the Al Husn which made walking around the resort very easy. We stayed at the Al Waha hotel which is the more family orientated of the 3 hotels in the resort. We booked the Speciality Suite which at 1100 sq ft was more than adequate. There was enough space in the living area for my son’s wheelchair and other mobility aids without the room feeling too cramped or messy. This room also had the benefit of a small kitchenette which meant that we could keep our child’s utensils sterilised all the time. There was a 2nd bathroom (off the living area) which we could use to bathe my son. We had called the hotel beforehand to ask whether they could provide a shower chair, and this was already placed in the bathroom when we arrived – 5* service. The bedroom itself was a good size and included a king size bed as well the usual desk, large cupboard area and good size bathroom (shower, bath, 2 sinks etc). Prior to arrival we had asked the hotel for a rollaway bed in the bedroom and this was arranged as requested (still leaving plenty of space in the room). The house keeping team also took the initiative of putting the bed guards in place. The Al Waha hotel has 2 pools (kids and a very large adults/family pool) as well as the Lazy River. Other than the Lazy River, the pool area is totally accessible with ramps coming from both sides of the hotel, plus an additional concrete ramp to get from the Al Waha hotel to the Al Bandar hotel and the beach area. This is a vast improvement from when we were last at the resort in 2012. Well done Shangri La Barr Al Jissah for making these changes and becoming such a wheelchair friendly resort in Muscat and enabling the disabled traveller to be included in as many of the resort’s facilities as possible.

Jan 13, 2020

Nice, but could be so much better

Hong Kong, China

Currently staying at Al Waha, and I must say that not much has changed in 7 years, when we spent a month in the hotel when waiting for our villa, also in the Shangri-la to become available. The rooms are now looking tired and in need of a refresh. What is surprising, is how quiet it has become compared to what it used to be, which may be a good thing in a resort mainly catering to families. The restaurants and food remain top notch, as do the staff who typically go out of their way to be friendly and welcome you. The only irritant, was the need to ask 3 times as a Golden Circle member at check-in as to whether we’d be upgraded, given the hotel is extremely quiet at the moment. Otherwise, for a winter break in the sun, the Barr Al Jissah is a great choice

Jan 04, 2020

Fantastic facilities and a beautiful location!

Singapore, Singapore

We had a great stay at the Al Waha hotel. In hindsight we would have booked Al Bhandar, not realising the Al Waha is more of a 'family friendly' option when we were traveling as a couple without kids. However, we still had a fantastic time. Check in was quick and efficient, though they didn't have my Golden Circle membership on file in spite of me emailing in advance and providing it, and didn't show us to our room, which was a bit tricky to find at night. Our room faced the sea, and was clean and well-maintained if a little older. Housekeeping was excellent, we were never short of water and found a lovely box of Christmas cookies waiting for us on Christmas Eve, a thoughtful touch for guests staying over the holiday season! Slippers were provided, but no bathrobes, which would have been a nice option to have. The highlight of the resort though were the facilities, both in terms of food and recreation. The daily breakfast, included in our rate, was excellent, with a huge variety of choices all of a very high quality, with a particularly huge choice of fresh pastries and breads, as well as fruits, and two live stations with chefs preparing egg dishes. Even the pre-prepared waffles, pancakes and scrambled eggs were delicious, a tough feat in a buffet! We had dinner at the tapas restaurant on our first night after mistakenly not making a reservation at our first choice, Capri Court, which was fully booked, and it was tasty if a little overpriced. But both the Christmas Eve buffet dinner at Al Tanoor and the room service dinner we had were fantastic, both quality and value for money. The Christmas Eve buffet was absolutely incredible, we've never seen such a variety of food at a dinner buffet, there was so much to choose from I don't think we even managed to try 10%. The desserts were particularly amazing, with at least two dozen varieties, not including the amazing baklava section,, and all of the food was of the highest quality. Service was excellent that evening as well, in spite of it being very busy. We were also impressed with the room service dinner we ordered, which arrived promptly along with a table that the server kindly set up on our patio for us to enjoy dinner outside. The portions were very generous and everything was very tasty, particularly the assorted baklava platter! It was nice throughout our stay to have so many options of dining venues to choose from. And the recreation facilities were fantastic. We used the gym daily, which was one of the better ones I've seen at a hotel or resort, with a huge number and variety of machines and weights, water and fresh fruit provided, and was very clean and well-maintained. I did the yoga class (for an extra charge, though not expensive) on the hotel lawn near the pool one morning and it was wonderful, one of the highlights of my stay! The temperature, setting, instructor...everything was perfect. There were lots of pools to choose from, including a 'quiet zone' pool, and the fantastic lazy river, which we loved floating down using the provided tubes. There were always lots of lounge chairs to choose from, even in the late morning or early afternoon, and we liked the option to sit near the pools, on the lawn or right on the beach. The huge variety of water sports available was also fantastic, and we really enjoyed the sea kayaking we did (again, for an extra charge), with snorkelling gear thrown in, and were lucky enough to see a sea turtle on our outing! The location is beautiful, with the surrounding mountains and a lovely beach that is great for walking along (though when the tide is low there are some slimy rocks to watch out for in the middle of it). And even though we were there during the high season and the resort was quite busy, it never felt particularly crowded or chaotic. There is a lot of space to spread out. We would definitely return, though would stay at Al Bhandar next time, knowing what we do now about the resort set up.

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Shangri-La's Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa – Al Waha

Facilities

Private Beaches

The Barr Al Jissah Resort offers private beach access to all guests.

Lazy River

Linking the Al Waha and Al Bandar resorts is this tranquil lazy river, stretching over half a kilometre!

Tennis Courts

Enjoy use of four floodlit tennis courts with complimentary racket hire available.

Watersports

Enjoy a huge range of watersports all available in resort.

CHI, The Spa

Relax and rejuvenate at Shangri-La's own CHI Spa with a range of well known and unique signature treatments available.

Shangri-La's Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa – Al Waha

Room Types

Superior Sea View Room

With views of the gulf, this room has a furnished balcony or patio and complimentary Wi-Fi. The luxurious bathroom has a separate bath and shower and there is a full-size desk, minibar (payable locally), and electronic safe.

Show room facilities

Air Conditioning
Bath
Flatscreen TV
Minibar
Safe
Satellite/Cable TV
Sea View
Separate Shower
Telephone
Towels included

Executive Sea View Room

With enhanced views of the ocean, sit down on your furnished balcony or terrace and unwind. Each comes with complimentary Wi-Fi and a bathroom with shower and separate bath, as well as an electronic safe, minibar (payable locally), and movie channels.

Show room facilities

Air Conditioning
Bath
Flatscreen TV
Minibar
Safe
Satellite/Cable TV
Sea View
Separate Shower
Telephone
Towels included

Family Room

Comprised of two interconnected rooms — one with a king-sized bed and the other with twins — this room has garden and pool views from a furnished balcony or patio and is equipped with two en-suite bathrooms. There is complimentary Wi-Fi and a minibar (payable locally), a Playstation and DVD player, and an electronic safe.

Show room facilities

Air Conditioning
Bath
Flatscreen TV
Minibar
Safe
Satellite/Cable TV
Separate Shower
Telephone
Towels included

One Bedroom Suite

The luxurious one bedroom suite has contemporary Arabian interiors and views of the gardens and sea. It has a large furnished balcony or patio and a separate sitting room with dining area. Amenities include complimentary Wi-Fi, a TV with DVD entertainment system, a minibar (payable locally), and electronic safe.

Show room facilities

Air Conditioning
Bath
Flatscreen TV
Minibar
Safe
Satellite/Cable TV
Sea View
Separate Shower
Telephone
Towels included

Shangri-La's Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa – Al Waha

Food & Drink

Samba

Featuring an open show kitchen, this restaurant showcases famous recipes stretching from Asia to Latin America.

Al Waha Lobby Lounge

Enjoy panoramic views while indulging in a range of coffees, teas, cocktails and light snacks

Assira Pool Bar

Surf Café

From burgers to salads you can enjoy a variety of snacks and meals at this casual dining venue. Also take advantage of the individual internet stations.

Board Basis Options

Bed & Breakfast

Breakfast in a buffet style from Samba.

Half Board

Breakfast and dinner at Samba.

Full Board

Breakfast, lunch and dinner at Samba.

Shangri-La's Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa – Al Waha

Shangri-La's 5-star oasis for families

Hayes & Jarvis Rating

Guide Price

TripAdvisor Review

Hotel highlights

Hotel Gallery

Hotel Features

General Information

Main Facilities

Accommodation Type

Board Basis Options

For Families

Hotel Location

Location Highlights

Shangri-La's Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa – Al Waha

Traveller ratings

What to Expect

Reviews

A very wheelchair friendly resort

Nice, but could be so much better

Not enough value for our money

Loved everything about this hotel 😊

Fantastic facilities and a beautiful location!

Shangri-La's Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa – Al Waha

Facilities

Private Beaches

Lazy River

Tennis Courts

Watersports

CHI, The Spa

Shangri-La's Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa – Al Waha

Room Types

Superior Sea View Room

Executive Sea View Room

Family Room

One Bedroom Suite

Shangri-La's Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa – Al Waha

Food & Drink

Samba

Al Waha Lobby Lounge

Assira Pool Bar

Surf Café

Board Basis Options

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