Teach Middle East Magazine June 2014 Issue 2 Vol. 1 | Page 30

Travel Featured

SALALAH, OMAN…
A RELAXING GETAWAY
By Richie Chin

S

pring break feels almost like
a distant memory now that
the summer holidays are just
around the corner. This holiday,
like most of my time off from work, was
filled with travel. I only had a weekend
trip to Bahrain over the winter break;
so I think I went a bit overboard for
spring break. The original plan had
been to have a four-night city break in
Bucharest, Romania. Somehow that
changed after watching a travel series
that was featuring Salalah, because
some friends and I ended up booking
a two nights stay there a few days later.
Salalah was the first leg of the holiday.
Arab colleagues had told me that there
was no point going to that part of Oman
over the spring break. They suggested
that the main highlight of Salalah is the
transformation of the normally desolate
landscape into a lush terrain, and that
this is best enjoyed in July and August.
However, the main aim of the visit was
to relax. Our accommodation was to be
at a seaside resort.

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June 2014

The flight to Salalah was only an hour
and twenty minutes long and originated
from the Al Bateen Executive Airport.
This was a very hassle-free experience
as the airport, being located in Abu
Dhabi City, is extremely easy to
access. Additionally, being a smaller
airport that handles mainly domestic
and short-haul flights, check-in and
security clearance was a breeze. The
airport in Oman is similarly small and
easy to navigate.
A rental car had been pre-booked,
which was especially handy for us as
our hotel was located an hour outside
of Salalah. After a few directions from
the guy at the rental office we made
our way to the hotel.
We spent most of our first morning
relaxing by the pool, and the occasional
walk along the beach. It was so soothing
to listen to the waves crashing on the
shore, something I miss living along
the gentle Abu Dhabi coast. In the
afternoon, we ventured into the nearby

After The Bell