Stay at the luxurious Hawana Salalah Hotels while exploring Salalah's misty landscapes
From now until September, temperatures in Salalah hover between a breezy 23 to 27 degrees – which means you can actually feel that coolness on your skin while soaking in the stunning greenery all around.
Would you believe you don't even have to leave the Middle East for that?
It's all thanks to the Khareef season, a rare weather shift in this part of the Arabian Peninsula that transforms the Omani city into a fog-kissed oasis, complete with rolling hills, mist-filled mornings and the kind of waterfalls you'll find hard to believe that it exists in this region.
If you're thinking about where to check in while you're here, take a look at Hawana Salalah.
Set in the Dhofar Governorate, this upscale resort-style destination has got everything from luxury stays to lush views, seasonal streams and even access to cultural landmarks.
These include Wadi Darbat, Ayn Athum, and UNESCO-listed archaeological sites like Sumhuram and Al-Baleed, in addition to thrilling adventures in Mughsail's cliffs and its unique natural blowholes.
Plus, it's part of a public-private partnership project that's all about giving back to the local economy and supporting sustainable tourism – so you're holidaying for a good cause too.
On the offerings of the luxurious tourist destination, Ahmed Afifi, Hotel Manager of Salalah Rotana Resort, says, 'We take pride in our Dhofari heritage and work to share it with guests from the moment they arrive, through culinary arts, architectural design and the warm, genuine spirit of our staff. Our goal is to deliver experiences that exceed (guest) expectations.'
Thankfully, getting here is easy with multiple flights heading to Salalah International Airport from Dubai (and most major GCC cities) via Air Arabia, SalamAir and flydubai.
Book your stay at Hawana Salalah Hotels – call +968 2327 5748, email hotels.reservations@hawanasalalah.com or visit hawanasalalah.com/stay
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The Independent
5 hours ago
- The Independent
Why you should swap the French Alps for the Bavarian mountains this summer
The castle is nothing like I expected. Since I'm in Bavaria, I had visions of towering spires and fairytale turrets, but as I push through the last few hundred metres of climb on my bike and Schachen Castle comes into view, I find myself gazing upon a Swiss-style lodge. The pretty, if rather bizarre, structure was built in 1869 by King Ludwig II of Bavaria as a retreat so he could enjoy the stunning landscapes and exquisite loneliness of the mountains. Indeed, the views from Schachen across the border to Austria are breathtaking. Inside, things get even stranger. The Turkish Hall is filled with opulent Moorish decor blended with Indian, Baroque and Oriental influences, which contrast with the simple Bavarian interiors on the ground floor. It's all rather eccentric – a bit like King Ludwig II himself. Just this month, the Schachen Royal House was added to the Unesco list of World Heritage Sites. There is a charm to this mountain home, although it may not have the classic fairytale beauty of King Ludwig II's other three Bavarian palaces that also made the list: Herrenchiemsee, Linderhof and Neuschwanstein, the latter of which is known as 'the original Disney castle' as it is thought to be Walt's inspiration for the palace in Sleeping Beauty. If I'm honest, Germany hadn't been on my list of summer Alpine destinations. For years it had been hard to tear me away from the French Alps (I've spent a good few long weekends scrambling up mountains and running along trails in Chamonix). Then I'd fallen in love with the Dolomites and spent the past couple of summers gazing upon those jagged peaks bathed in rose gold and wandering through meadows of wildflowers. Bavaria had barely registered on my radar. It was Schloss Elmau that got me out here. I'd heard tales of the mountain retreat where great thinkers mulled over ideas in the shadow of the mighty Witterstein, classical musicians played great works in the grand concert hall, and athletes had trained on the steep mountain trails. Not to mention that two G7 Summits had been hosted at the retreat in 2015 and 2022. If Angela Merkel and Barack Obama could thrash out the groundwork for the Paris Climate Agreement there then surely the Schloss could work its powers on me. A little digging revealed that the Schloss has something of a troubled past. It was built in 1916 by Protestant theologian and philosopher Dr Johannes Muller as a space for 'personal freedom and religious life' where guests could think, listen to classical music, dance and just be – surrounded by the rugged beauty of an untouched landscape. However, as National Socialism tightened its grip on Germany in the 1930s, Muller became known for his admiration of Hitler – a past that has hung over the resort's heritage. Current owner, and Dr Johannes's grandson, Dietmar Mueller-Elmau has been determined to confront this history head on rather than try to hide it and has worked to transform the resort into the cultural haven it once promised to be. The resort is split into two buildings: the original structure is the Hideaway, while the Retreat was built later and was completed just before the G7 Summit in 2015. The Retreat rooms are expansive, bright, airy, with long balconies and lots of wood, while the Hideaway has a cosier, more traditional feel (while still being very spacious). Dietmar himself has a fondness for the Far East – an elephant is the symbol for Schloss Elmau and you'll find Asian embroidery throughout – which somehow blends rather seamlessly with the distinctly Bavarian tone. The wellness offering is extensive: six pools (including adults-only, family-friendly and infinity pools) three luxury spas (featuring a Oriental Hamam, Japanese onsen and cold plunge pool), two family spas, and a nature spa on the Ferchenbach Creek with a rustic Finnish sauna. Then there's that impressive yet intimate concert hall, where musicians from across the world are invited to perform. While spoiled for choice with activities, the beauty of the resort for me was its location: it's the perfect jumping off spot to explore the Alps. There's a sports concierge that will equip you with hiking maps, set you up with a bike, and recommend the best spots to experience the mountains. Eschewing an e-bike (a decision I came to regret at moments), I set out on my gravel bike to visit the Schachen Castle. It's a 1,300m climb, but the paths are incredibly well-marked. With a bit of sweat and a lot of pushing I reached my destination. There was a smattering of other visitors, but one of the joys of Schachen is that it can only be reached by bike or foot (a round hike will take roughly eight hours from the Schloss so it's no stroll in the park). And herein lies one of the great beauties of the Bavarian Alps – it's yet to draw the same crowds as the Dolomites and Alps and retains a real sense of tranquility and calm. One morning I climbed through lush meadows for lunch at the cosy Elmauer Alm alpine hut, where I ate Obatzda (a Bavarian soft cheese) spread on a warm pretzel. I spent a sun-drenched afternoon cycling from the Schloss to the idyllic mountain lakes of Ferchensee and Lautersee, where I swam in the crystal clear waters. Munich is the obvious jumping off point for a mountain break, but there are also a smattering of enchanting towns and villages in the region – such as Rosenheim, Regensburg and Würzburg – that offer classic Bavarian architecture, pubs and food (not to mention excellent beer). So are the Bavarian Alps better than the French version? Well, that's impossible to say. Each region and mountain range – like each individual mountain – has its own personality; its own distinct beauty, individual quirks and charms that mean you simply can't compare. But for summer hikes, spas with breathtaking views, and fairytale castles (in whatever form they take), Bavaria's mountains certainly deliver. Annabel stayed in Bavaria as a guest of Schloss Elmau.
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
What Santiago's many 'Camino' pilgrims often miss
Europe's most famous pilgrimage destination is also one of Spain's most stunning – and under-explored – cities. Now, the city is keen to show off its artsy side. For the last 1,200 years, the Unesco World Heritage city of Santiago de Compostela has best been known as a pilgrimage destination for devout Catholics. Last year alone, nearly 500,000 faithful hikers set out along the series of well-trodden trails called "the Camino", journeying through the lush wooded hills and river-flecked valleys of Galicia in north-west Spain to reach the city's towering Romanesque years, I'd heard about Santiago's beauty from friends and fellow travellers who had gazed upon its towering church spires and twisting honey-coloured lanes. Yet, one of the great ironies is that many of those who had walked for weeks or even months to get there admitted that once they arrived, they shuffled alongside the masses into the cathedral to see the tomb of St James, slumped into one of the many touristy tapas bars around Rua Franco and then quickly headed home. If they had just taken a few more steps, I'd always wondered, would they have discovered more? I wanted to dig deeper into the city's medieval and more modern heart, but I didn't have the time or energy to trek the demanding trail myself. Fortunately, a high-speed rail route now whisks travellers across the nation to Santiago, giving visitors a blister-free way to explore one of Spain's most stunning – and under-explored – cities. The fast track Though Spain boasts Europe's longest and most-advanced high-speed train network (second in the world only to China's), it wasn't until December 2021 that the nation extended its three-decade-old high-speed Alta Velocidad Española (AVE) network to Santiago. "We're in an isolated corner of Spain," Ana Munín, from the Santiago de Compostela Convention Bureau, tells me. "We get things last." Stepping onto the platform at Madrid's Chamartin station, the white flanks of my streamlined AVE train were adorned with proclamations of its top speed (330km/h) plus a logo indicating that it was powered by 100% renewable energy. According to Munín, the arrival of these high-speed trains has brought an increase of Spanish travellers to Santiago, while simultaneously reducing the number of flights arriving at its small regional airport. "A one-hour flight – it is just wrong," she remarks. As my train leaves Madrid, I watch the seat-back speedometer rise inexorably until, after 20 minutes, I'm cruising serenely along at 300km/h. Arid plains dotted with weathered ochre-coloured villages and clusters of hardy trees scrolls by. Passing the city of Zamora, moorland gives way to sylvan valleys where mountain streams glint below the tracks. The train eases across the wide span of the Miño, Galicia's longest river, as we reach the ancient hot springs town of Ourense. From here, a series of viaducts carry us across hills carpeted by a tight arboreal tapestry, dotted with colourful villages whose facades seem brighter in the clear hill air. Barely more than three hours after leaving Madrid, I step off the train into the heart of Santiago. A new vision Pilgrims approaching Santiago on the Camino's network of trails often describe their first glimpse of the cathedral's ornate spires. Instead, I was struck by the dramatic rollercoaster curves and soaring glass facades of the City of Culture architectural complex, which rises atop Mount Gaiás and overlooks the train station below. Designed by US starchitect Peter Eisenman, this eye-popping, futuristic set of museums, gardens and libraries was designed as a "beacon for pilgrims of knowledge" when its first two buildings opened to the public in 2011. Inside the vast multipurpose cultural space (now known simply as the Gaias Centre Museum), I take in a retrospective of artist Rafael Ubeda before wandering through an exhibition on global tattoo designs and culture at the neighbouring UTESA convention and culture centre. "We have fantastic contemporary architecture, modern art – and the gastronomy scene has just grown and grown," Munín later tells me. As we sit at a communal table sipping Galicia's world-renowned Mencia wine and savouring the region's prized octopus and mackerel at Abastos 2.0, a hip diner attached to the historic food market, I look around and noticed that there doesn't appear to be a single foreign visitor in sight. "Santiago is also very much a university city," adds Munín, revealing that a quarter of the city's 100,000 residents study or work at the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, which dates back to 1495. As she explained, this infuses the city with a vibrant, youthful energy, as students and young creatives frequently showcase their work at pop-up arts events – like the exhibition of contemporary photographs I soon stumble upon housed in a 17th-Century church nestled amid the city's medieval core. Santiago's Old Town is a glorious, compact melange of squares and historic porticoed streets that give way to promenade-lined parks like the central Alameda and more secluded Bonaval. Munín explains that in recent years, ancient edifices have been refashioned into atmospheric museums. But unlike the tourist-thronged cathedral, I experience near solitude in every other cultural space I visit – as if the pilgrims don't realise that reflection can be stirred in Santiago's quiet corners, as well as on the trail. Inside the austere granite outlines of CGAC (Galician Centre for Contemporary Art), for example, I see just four other people during my hour spent exploring three floors that include a brilliant exhibition of Galician photographer Mar Caldas. Mere metres from the end of three Camino trails (the French, Northern and Primitivo Ways) on Rua de San Pedro, incoming pilgrims walk right past a showcase by young Galician artists at the tiny Defímeras gallery. After taking it in, I tuck into a luscious Galician bean stew and generous pork loin at the nearby local favourite O Dezaseis. Inside a neighbouring Dominican convent now housing the Museum of the Galician People, there's just one other person absorbing evocative displays of ancient industries, linked via a dazzling Baroque spiral staircase. At Colexio de Fonseca, the university's oldest college, I immerse myself in a contemporary art show beside its leafy Renaissance courtyard while all alone. Ditto at the nearby Fundacion Eugenio Granell, which showcases Surrealist art inside an 18th-Century mansion once believed to be Santiago's loveliest. The following day I visit Casa RIA, a foundation opened in 2023 by famed British architect David Chipperfield which aims to promote sustainable development in the area. As well as displaying exhibitions on topics like Galician food markets, there's a stylish in-house cantina whose affordable daily menus include produce from the foundation's allotment in its tranquil rear garden. "We've welcomed academics from Shanghai's Tongji University and MIT, but also a few people every day visiting the exhibition or stopping by the canteen," Casa RIA's director, Inés Piñeiro Ozores, tells me. Interestingly, she adds, very few of their visitors are pilgrims. Back at the city's main square, the vast Praza do Obradoiro, I watch the melee of faithful mill around the cathedral. Suddenly, the sound of Galician bagpipes draws me around a corner to discover a piper named Fernando Hernandez playing alone in an ancient archway as a flow of people go by without pausing. He happily tells me about the link between Galician pipes and those of Scotland, Ireland and Brittany before lamenting Santiago's pilgrim hordes. "The Camino has just become a walk for too many people – companies now even carry their bags each day!" he says, before returning to his pipes. More like this:• St James Way: The return of the UK's medieval highway• The Lighthouse Way: Walking Spain's 'other' camino• A 77km hike that could inspire miracles As a record-number of pilgrims have descended on Santiago three years in a row, the city has started pushing back against the negative aspects of overtourism that have prompted fierce protests in other Spanish destinations like Barcelona and the Canary Islands. In Santiago, these include a surge in short-term rentals that push out locals, an influx of souvenir shops selling cheaply manufactured wares and bad tourist behaviour such as pitching tents near the cathedral. In addition to local campaigns such as Compostela Resists, in 2024 the city launched a "Fragile Santiago" campaign to encourage visitors to engage differently. The hope is that visitors seek out handmade local crafts, savour traditional Galician cuisine and take time to discover the city's cultural – and not just religious – heritage. "Every month, Santiago has some sort of arts festival," says Flavia Ramil, director of the city's tourist office, adding a note on their affordability, with tickets starting at just a few euros. "Now, we are seeing more tourists from places like Japan, the US and UK who are very interested in the culture of the city," she says happily. Amen to that. -- For more Travel stories from the BBC, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Time Out
2 days ago
- Time Out
This heritage-listed national park in NSW will take you on a journey back in time
Looking for an immersive escape into Australia's ancient past? You don't have to travel too far. Up the NSW North Coast is Dorrigo National Park, a World Heritage-listed sanctuary that's part of the ancient Gondwana Rainforest. Renowned for its breathtaking waterfalls, walking tracks and elevated 'Skywalk' lookout, the park offers an unforgettable escape into incredible Aussie wilderness. Wander through dense rainforests filled with giant stinging trees (yes, really), vibrant birdlife and hidden rock pools, or join an Aboriginal cultural tour to connect with the rich Gumbaynggirr heritage of the area. What are the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia? The Gondwana Rainforests of Australia, which include Dorrigo National Park, are a living link to that prehistoric world. Spanning more than 40 protected areas from Queensland to NSW, these forests are known for their unique biodiversity and evolutionary history. Dorrigo National Park was added to the World Heritage List in 1986 for a number of reasons, including its ancient origins connecting it to the ancient Gondwana Rainforests. Where is Dorrigo National Park? Dorrigo National Park is one hour from Coffs Harbour on the NSW North Coast. How do I get to Dorrigo National Park? To get there from Sydney, travel north along the Pacific Hwy/A1. It should take you just under six hours for this 550-kilometre road trip. Don't want to drive? You can also take the North Coast train that departs four times a day from Central Station and get off at Urunga Station. You will then need a taxi to drive inland for another hour. This journey should take around nine hours. Start your adventure at the Dorrigo Rainforest Centre to get visitor information, book a guided tour, find out which walking tracks will best suit you, or go to the Skywalk Lookout for stunning views out to Coffs Harbour. What can I see at Dorrigo National Park? We've got three words for you: walks, waterfalls, wildlife. And they're all wonderful. Walks: Trails range from short and easy to long and challenging. The Lyrebird Link Track is ideal for birdwatchers and beginners, while the Casuarina Falls Circuit offers sweeping views of Dorrigo Mountain. Waterfalls: The park has many spectacular waterfalls. For instance, Crystal Shower Falls lets you walk behind the cascade. Wildlife: Dorrigo National Park is home to many different animals, including 30 types of mammals, more than 128 kinds of birds and 44 species of amphibians and reptiles. Keep your eyes open for red-necked pademelons or wompoo fruit-doves fluttering through the canopy. If you're lucky (and very quiet), you might spot the elusive southern angle-headed dragon clinging to a tree trunk. When is the best time to visit Dorrigo National Park? Dorrigo National Park is always open but may have to close at times due to bad weather or fire danger, so check before you go. Spring is ideal if you love birdsong – a good time for spotting lyrebirds on the Lyrebird Link Track. Given that the area is a rainforest, summer is a welcome respite from the heat, with the tree canopy and cool mist from the waterfalls. Three must-see, must-do activities at Dorrigo National Park Lyrebird Link Track: Less than a kilometre, it's a great spot for birdwatching, plus, there are picnic and barbecue areas nearby. Casuarina Falls Circuit: This 6.6km loop should take under two hours and rewards you with cascading falls, rainforest valleys and moss-covered trees. Aboriginal Cultural Tours: Held on Wednesdays (book in advance), a Gumbaynggirr Ranger will share their Indigenous language and culture as they guide you through the rainforest. Tips for visiting Dorrigo National Park Download the NSW National Parks app before you leave – it's free and works offline for maps and guides. Get it in the App Store or on Google Play. Bring binoculars if you're into birdwatching – you'll want a closer look at those bowerbirds and fruit-doves. There are picnic tables, barbecues and toilet facilities throughout the park. Mobile reception is limited, but there's Wi-Fi at the Rainforest Centre. Layer up as it can get chilly, take a rain jacket, and wear comfy walking shoes. Details Dorrigo Rainforest Centre 142 Dome Road, Dorrigo Mountain, NSW 2453 Open 9am to 4.30pm daily. Closed Christmas Day. .. Want more road trip inspo? .
