Alila Jabal Akhdar

Holiable's review of Alila Jabal Akhdar

Getting there

Located on the Jabal Akhdar mountains, the Alila hotel is only accessible by using a four-wheel-drive. The highest part of the mountain is not accessible in another way.

If you’re uncomfortable driving a 4WD or renting one, the hotel organizes transfers and can pick you up from the airport.

It's a two hours drive from the Muscat airport and the route offers stunning views over the canyons.

Eco-Conception

The architecture of the hotel is made of local stones and built using traditional construction techniques and really respects the landscape and the style of the area.

In fact, when we arrived we could hardly see it from the road.

Everything in the hotel is made for visitors to live an eco-friendly experience. Not only is the hotel constructed according to LEED principles, to be in harmony with nature. But they are also doing everything to limit their use of resources, energy consumption, and go way further than just that.

Sustainable up to your plate

Alila Jabal Akhdar first promotes fresh and seasonal local produce, a lot of them organic.

They have their own veggie garden and you'll get to taste them at the restaurant.

Vegan’s and vegetarians will be thrilled :the menu has a veggie-friendly option included every day.

Everything is freshly homemade and you’ll probably have a chance to meet the Chef who regularly visits the guests in the restaurant.

Waste Management

Alila is doing a lot to minimize waste and you’ll hardly see any plastic bottles or single-use packaging’s in the rooms or at breakfast.

Bonuses

The hotel offers great experiences for nature lovers.

They can take you on hiking tours for as less than 2 hours up to a whole day if you want to discover the area.

There is even a hiking track around the hotel “the butterfly track” accessible to everyone.

For the more adventurous, the hotel has it's own via ferrata, so if you want to climb rocks, that’s definitely the place you should go.

If you’re a wellness fan, note that the spa is divine and uses mainly natural/organic products which you can sample while you’re waiting for your massage session.

Yoga classes are proposed daily in front of the canyon.

And if you want to stargaze, you can, on the dedicated deck where an “astral guide” will talk you through the constellations and tell you Omani legends of the night skies.

Our opinion

At every step of the hotel, organisation sustainability is there and you can see it.

From reducing waste, reusing grey waters, reducing electricity, educating customers on their practices, promoting the cultural heritage of the country and encouraging local employment and agriculture, we definitely think Alila deserves a gold.

Good for: Adventure Travel, Hiking, wellness retreat, stargazing, Culture & Heritage, Cooking Classes, Local food, Organic Food, Veggie Friendly

Our tip: unrecommended for people suffering from altitude sickness and for anti-car travellers

Want to learn more on Oman ? Read our article of our trip to Oman