Oman

Oman is the Gulf at a gentler pace. Muscat is a low-rise capital of white houses between rocky mountains and the sea, where the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, the Royal Opera House and the old Muttrah Souq sit a short drive apart. Beyond the city, the road climbs to mud-brick forts and terraced villages in the Hajar Mountains and runs out to the golden dunes of Wahiba Sands.

A typical week combines three nights in Muscat with a night in Nizwa or the mountains and a night at a desert camp, with a swim in the turquoise pools of a wadi on the way. Oman is also an easy add-on to Dubai: Muscat is an hour’s flight away, and the Musandam peninsula, with its dhow cruises among dolphins and steep fjords, is a day trip by road.

It suits travellers who prefer culture and landscapes to malls: couples, senior travellers who enjoy scenic drives and families with older children. Gujarati merchant families have traded in Muscat for generations, so Indian restaurants are easy to find, and we brief desert camps and mountain hotels on vegetarian meals in advance.