Six Senses Zighy Bay

Zighy Bay sits on the far side of the Hajar mountains on the Musandam peninsula, the Omani exclave that juts into the Strait of Hormuz. Arrival is famously theatrical: guests can take the switchback mountain road, come in by speedboat around the headland, or tandem paraglide down from the ridge above the resort.

The villas are built as a mock Omani village of rough stone and mud render, each walled for privacy with its own pool, and the beach runs for about a kilometre between the mountains and a turquoise bay. The Six Senses wellness programme is a serious operation here, with a spa built into the hillside, a hilltop yoga pavilion and multi-day retreat options.

Dining ranges from an organic garden restaurant to a wine cellar carved into the rock and a clifftop perch reached by buggy. Dhow cruises through the Musandam fjords, diving on unspoiled reefs and mountain hikes fill the days.