The View | Hotel in Al Hamra, Ad Dakhiliyah ‍Governorate

Positive: Nice view, need a 4 wheel drive to access.

Negative: Cold swimming pool, even in April

Positive: The view over the town below.

Negative: You had to pay extra for everything (only 1 bottle of water on the first day, rest charged, cappuccino was charged). No cleaning of the room nor fresh towels during the entire stay. Buffet was very average (either super spice or super bland and very limited choice)

Positive: The only unique "pro" The View has over its competitors these days is the pool - which isn't heated and there were no pool towels or seat cushions available. The staff are very nice, the food is surprisingly good quality (don't be put off by the menu), the flowers are pretty and of course the view itself is great. BUT it's a rip off due to poor maintenance, dirtiness and worn out cheap furnishings.

Negative: The rooms need complete refurbishment and the owners need to stop being so cheap. The patio doors aren't maintained so they jam. There is only one lamp per room, with cheap and cracked lampshade. You only get one towel per person, no hand towels, and the towels are frayed and stained. The cleaning standard is poor - the floor and shower were dirty and (for the first time we've ever had) we had to ask for new bedding on arrival as it was dirty (and stained). Everything is chipped, scuffed and worn. There are better places to stay for half the price, with excellent views but no pool.

Positive: The staff we're all very welcoming and helpful. Including sending out messages prior to areival and coming to check on us once we had settled into our room. The rooms were clean, comfortable and with an incredible view. Pool area and gardens were all clean and well kept.

Negative: The only thing that wasn't such a big deal is the food was overpriced for what it was. It was fine but expensive.

Positive: Lovely view from pod. Pool beautiful but in January very cold. Good curries in restaurant. Superb massage in Spa.

Negative: Room got cold fan heater very noisy to leave on

Positive: The only truly positive aspects of this hotel are the view, the swimming pool, and the massage therapist, who is genuinely excellent and professional.

Negative: Unfortunately, the overall service is far below what is acceptable for a property at this price level. Before arrival, communication was extremely poor. I tried for days to get basic information and received little to no response, constantly having to chase for answers. This lack of communication directly caused further issues once we arrived. The hotel is not honest or clear about how to reach the property. They state that a 4x4 vehicle is required, which is simply not true — the hotel can also be reached with a normal car. Because we were not given proper information (despite trying repeatedly to get it), we were pushed into booking their transfer service, which cost 40 OMR (around 90 euros) for a drive of literally 15 minutes. This is completely unreasonable, especially considering that the room itself costs around 120 OMR (230 euros). This was exactly the information I was trying to clarify before arrival, but communication was almost nonexistent. Once at the hotel, the situation became even more disappointing due to poor organization and the way it was handled. We had lunch at the property, which was not included in the room rate. At checkout, both we and the staff simply forgot about this charge. We checked out, were escorted to the car, and no payment was requested at that moment. Only later did the hotel realize their mistake. From that point on, I was chased relentlessly for the entire day with messages and phone calls to collect 12 OMR (around 25–28 euros). This was particularly frustrating considering that during the stay I had already paid well over 300 OMR, including a 120+ OMR massage, and the hotel had shown very little responsiveness when I was the one trying to contact them before arrival. The lack of balance, discretion, and professionalism in handling such a minor amount was truly disappointing. Dinner was acceptable but absolutely not at the level expected for a hotel charging over 200 euros per night.

Positive: Like the name implies, the view is beautiful and the pool was amazing. The dinner buffet wasn't the greatest in terms of price-to-quality ratio. The beds could have been more comfortable, but the rest of the room was to expectations.

Negative: A better bed and slightly lower pricing for the food (or a la carte options) would have made a huge difference and could have made our visit go from 'decent' to 'amazing' easily