Dhofar · Oman
Alila Hinu Bay
A whitewashed beach resort on the Dhofar coast, where the monsoon turns Arabia green
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Alila Hinu Bay sits on a long sweep of sand near Mirbat, an old frankincense and horse-trading port on Oman's southern Dhofar coast. The buildings are crisp white cubes stepped along the shoreline, and the whole place is oriented towards a private beach and the Arabian Sea.
Dhofar is unlike the rest of the peninsula. During the khareef monsoon from roughly late June to early September, moisture off the Indian Ocean turns the Qara mountains behind Salalah startlingly green, with waterfalls, mist and temperatures in the twenties while the Gulf bakes. The resort runs trips into the hills, to the frankincense groves at Wadi Dawkah and to the ruins at Sumhuram.
Out of monsoon it reverts to a straightforward sun-and-sea resort with good diving on the reefs off Mirbat, a spa, a long pool and several restaurants. Salalah airport is about an hour west.
At a glance
What to expect
- Private beach
- Infinity pool
- Spa and sauna
- Diving and watersports
- Multiple restaurants
- Khareef mountain excursions
- Fitness centre
- Salalah transfers
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