Six Senses Zighy Bay

We loved our stay at Zighy Bay. The resort is beautifully luxurious and the setting is spectacular. Our villa was large and comfortable and we made good use of our own pool. The resort team organised our transfers from/to Dubai - a comfortable and interesting drive through the desert and then across the mountains. Each of the restaurants we tried at the resort were excellent (including an outstanding breakfast each day). While we did not have dinner at the mountain-top ‘Sense on the Edge’, we did go up to enjoy sunset cocktails - which was well worth doing. Service at the resort was always excellent.

The standout features of this resort are its unique location, amazing staff and the paragliding experience. All five star. What is not so good is the fact that, the dining does not live up to the hype or the price, although it is still very good. Breakfast was excellent, lots of choices and included several home made cheeses and preserves etc.One of the best I have had. Lunches were okay, fresh and tasty. Evening dinner could be taken at a choice of three restaurants which varied each night. We didn’t eat at the Sense on the Edge up the mountain but the other restaurants at the resort were pleasant but not exceptional (they are very expensive, perhaps justified by the remote location of the hotel). We thought “ Summer House” was the best of the ones we tried. Service at all of them was friendly and attentive without being fussy. In fact all the staff from the maintenance to the reception team were outstanding (it seems wrong to name individuals but Saif , one of the resort’s drivers, really shone, as did Barry, who led the stargazing experience). Villas and pools were very private, well maintained but could do with a few more lights inside. Experiences were usually very expensive, eg a local hiking trip from the hotel up the nearby hills was over £100. The best value one was the stargazing at £25 each, we saw Saturn and Jupiter through the hotel’s own powerful telescope. Paragliding was amazing, especially if you haven’t done it before. Expensive but well worth it due to the unique location. All the prices the hotel quote are subject to several taxes which bumps up the price. It’s the location that sells this place, it’s simply stunning. Do go.

Our group (a couple plus two teenage boys) spent six days at this fascinating property in August 2023. We were seeking a beach destination prior to heading to Kenya for safari, and having flown into Dubai. As this property is a 2.5 hour drive from Dubai, and the flights to Seychelles were inefficient and would have knocked out two days of travel, we were guided to Zighy Bay. Our stay was out of this world and I will limit this review to a few specific and helpful points. 1. Arrival is extraordinary. A border crossing into Oman, an unpaved final 5 miles, and, in our case, spectacular individual paragliding from the SUV down into the resort. You must do it. 2. Other reviews have noted the age of the property. This should be understood in context. Here you are at the literal end of the world in an Arabian paradise. We stayed in a two story villa on the sand with a large private pool and more showers than people. It was immaculate and well serviced. 3. We were on property during the off season in August. It was hot. Very hot. Despite this we never lacked for activity and planned our days around it. Indoor gym and spa between 11am - 3pm. Beach before and after. 4. The food was excellent. Breakfast bazaar was top 3 we have ever had. The kitchen was impressively accommodating of our particular dietary needs. Our wine cellar dinner with a custom five course dinner was a highlight. 5. We enjoyed scuba and snorkel, jet skiing and a day out on the Catamaran. All were easy to arrange and lots of fun! The kitchen supplied generous amounts of food. Our trip was great. We recommend the property. Just be reasonable in your expectations. It is not a brand new resort and it is located at the ends of the earth. Appreciate the unique desert beauty and slowly paced isolation that goes along with impeccable personal service and a tremendous effort at upkeep. Slow down and enjoy.

This is an absolutely gorgeous destination and resort. I haven’t given it 5 stars and I never relaxed here. We had a “butler” who was actually a salesperson. A speedboat trip £500. A 3 hour walk (including a car journey) £300. You are in the middle of nowhere and you don’t have a choice of local options. I’m glad we weren’t there for a week. Having paid over £2000 per night for a beachfront villa with a pool I didn’t expect to be robbed at dinner £4 for a bottle of water. A £10 bottle of Malbec here is over £80 when charges and taxes are applied. We were full board and it was confusing and conditional where we could eat and what we could eat. Then there were surcharges on certain dishes. All these small things just annoyed me. If I’m going to pay £2000 per night it will be all inclusive somewhere. This is the second Six Senses resort I’ve stopped in within the last few weeks and I’m sorry to say we won’t do another one. The decided to clean the windows in the main restaurant while we were having lunch one day. It was small things like this that I felt spoilt it. The staff knew of my frustration with all these things and did try to make my stay comfortable.

It really is a lovely spot just some two hours from Dubai. Accomodation was very comfortable , luxurious ,spacious and included our own pool, all right on the beach. Staff are a delight, very helpful. All the services on offer are very good though you do have to pay for paddle boards canoes etc . There are no other place to eat so beware the extraordinary extra costs you will have to pay on site for meals. That I why I am unlikely to return as that aspect was not reasonable value for money - the food was good but not great ,Im sorry to say .