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Location: Six Senses Hideaway Zighi Bay
Design: Six Senses Hotels & Resorts

Nestled in a hidden fold of Oman’s rugged Musandam region, Six Senses Hideaway Zighi Bay is quietly challenging conventional perceptions of luxury.

The resort is a rare example of how high-end hospitality can seamlessly co-exist with social responsibility and environmental sensitivity. It is also an important example of how a design can embrace local influences and sustainable principles without sacrificing on quality and, more importantly, economic viability.

A key focus of the Six Senses Group is to create resorts that are in complete harmony with their environment and natural surroundings. Resort size, location, and topographic and thermal conditions are carefully considered before a resort is built, and the company is constantly exploring new ways to improve its carbon and water footprint.

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“With this in mind, Six Senses Hideaway Zighi Bay was designed to blend in with the rugged natural surroundings of the Musandam region, combining the element of luxury to deliver a rustic chic decor. To do this, rather than using conventional materials, Six Senses opted for traditional ones such as date palms, limestone and timber, and used traditional building styles (wattle) to reflect the surrounding indigenous village style of the Omani peninsula,” said Tara Hammond, environment and social responsibilities officer, Six Senses Hideaway Zighi Bay.

“The entire property is built using masonry walls which are left unplastered, adding a rustic flavour. The interiors have stucco walls, mosaic floors created from pieces of local limestone, and the villas are all fitted with furniture constructed with wood, all made onsite by local craftsmen, and left unembellished to give a wholesome, organic and sustainable look,” she continued.

The resort consists of a series of low-rise buildings set on an unadulterated bay flanked on all sides by a dramatic, jagged mountain-scape. A restaurant snuggles into the mountain-side, some 293m above sea level.

“The signature restaurant has been designed and constructed to blend in with the mountains without damaging the mountain rock and ruining the aesthetics or interfering with the biodiversity of the local environment. This gives guests a unique opportunity to experience a dramatic dining experience, without causing disturbance to the surroundings.”

Unsurprisingly, the company was committed to sourcing materials locally. The limestone used for the floors was extracted from the surrounding Hajar mountains, while date palms, known locally as ‘jareed’ were sourced from local plantations in Dibba. Materials that could not be found locally were sourced from neighbouring countries such as India, from responsible, certified suppliers.

The end result is effortlessly Omani – ceilings are constructed in traditional flat-beamed style, and date palm lattices make up shutters, doors, partitions and roofs. These are entwined with ‘jareed’ to allow inside temperatures to drop slightly, offering welcome respite in the hotter months.

“Luxury is not necessarily material possessions such as gold-plated marble bathrooms, but what busy city business people often lack – space and time,” Hammond pointed out.

“So, by offering space in a natural environment and time to enjoy it, guests get their luxury. When our competition catch on and see the success of our resorts I think this approach won’t be so rare anymore; it’s just a matter of time,” she predicted.

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