Spugsy

me and mrs spugsy are off to stay at Hatta Fort Hotel this weekend, now we know nowt about it, but it'll be nice to get out of Dubai,

what's up there that we can see and do? what about these pools?

Ta all.

Welivehere

The rock pools are good, not too sure how much water there will be in there just after summer but still worth a look (if there is not to much trash)

People will tell you can drive up to them in a car, which I have seen people do, but to be honest a 4x4 (even a SUV) is a much better bet.

There is also a heritage site on the way to the rock pools but to be honest we didn't go in. Looked the part though.

Hatta hotel has a few facilities there and the two pool areas were quiet nice when we went. If you are only going over night I would say go see rhe rock pools, have driver around the area and then just spend some time relaxing.

shiva

pretty quiet up there so not many "tourist" attractions however,

for the pools, buy off road explorer book and follow directions. dont expect too much though as some do. personally i like them as its a pleasant change and there are some great spots for a picnic but a european river system it aint.

Definately go to the Heritage village in Hatta itself, the people there are really cool, last time i took family up there we spent 3 hrs chewing the fat and having kawa and dates with the locals.

If you drive past the hatta roundabout towards the oman border (it will be clear where when your there) and take the first left you can drive up into the mountains where there are loads of old forts and villages. (this is the old main higway between Dubai/Sharjah etc and the Omani coast)

dont forget to chill out at the hotel in the uae's coldest pool

some pics
hatta pools


old fort to the north of hatta on the filli hatta road


road to the pools


pools

MataHari

is this a nice way of saying that there is actually not much to do...

Welivehere

I was trying to be subtle There are things to do.... Just not oodles of things to keep you occupied, we tend to just treat it as a one night get-away... Still definitely worth going though....

Spugsy

ah magic, we've got a jeep wrangler and I've been on at mrs spugs to let me have a go so I think I'll have a drive to the pools.

Should be canny, we're really looking forward to it.

Spugsy

thats fine, the pool looks nice at teh hotel and they do massages and stuff, we'll have a wander around and chill out all weekend, plus i've got a nice bottle of pink champagne I can take with me, lovely.

lionheart

Please explain why any well travelled person from anywhere other than a desert background would want to drive for miles to see what are frankly puddles? Its like the Tree of Knowledge (or whatever) in Bahrain...just a boring tree. In Saudi I was once driven for nearly an entire day to see... a field of flowers. What a complete waste of time. If you want scenery and culture, the UAE is definitely not the place to be.

Meow

The best thing about staying at Hatta Fort Hotel is that it is so quiet. I get my best sleep there and the rooms aren't bad since they were refurbished early last year. I think they do things like archery and shooting. There are some hiking trails around the hotel if you have the energy.

Don't expect great things from the food. Last time I was there they had a dessert trolley straight out of the 1970's. Black Forest gateau, trifle, oranges in Grand Marnier etc.

Look out for a strange hamlet that you go through on the way there. It is called Al Madam, but I have never, ever seen any women there!

-

Spugsy

cool tam we're just going for peace and quiet really, out a bit in the jeep and relaxing at teh pool,

trolley sounds great!

Kim67

Climbing Hills - great fun. (oh and three bottles of water, two magnum icecreams, one packet of cheezels 5.5 durhams) - must be the cheapest deli's in the world in Hatta. Seriously though, I think Dubai is pretty ugly, but driving out there, I found it really beautiful. It reminds me of North Western Australia, just with different coloured dust.

matthew.lewis2

For a lovely get away try The Chedi in Muscat, trully amazing hotel, superb service, fantiastic tasting and amazingly presented meals with a good wine selection.

Even though it is a spa resort it is not pretentious and is very child friendly/welcoming.

It can be expensive, however, through primetravel in Arabian Ranches i managed to secure a 47% discount (during ramadan) which was not available direct on the hotels website.


5hrs from Dubai to Muscat and 3.5 hrs from Muscat to Dubai (difference in time due to border crossing procedures.)