Six Senses Hideaway is a name well-fitted for this spa. You wouldn’t find it even if you looked for it. Tucked away, a mountainous journey uphill and back down again, set in a scenic landscape, behind wooden gates and through another gate comes a serene haven, whose secret, only few have been privileged to share.
“Welcome to the Sultanate of Oman,” came the chauffeur’s voice, and twenty minutes later, “welcome to the Six Senses Spa.”
First you are driven to the Sablah (reception), and into a world built on Zighy Bay - a self-sustaining retreat only for those truly in search of relaxation.
“But why Six Senses?” I asked the Director of Sales and Marketing, Andrew Hartley, and more importantly, what is the sixth sense I wondered. “Once you’ve learnt to master your five primary senses here, you learn to find your sixth,” he said. From what I gathered, the sixth sense is that of sheer bliss and relaxation.
He went on to explain the ethos of the resort as we dined at the Dinner on the Sands restaurant, which serves a fusion of cuisines. Their master plan, according to Hartley, is to take the guest out of their comfort zone, and place them in an alternative Zighy Bay comfort zone.
This process begins upon the opening of the large wooden gates leading into the resort. Upon arrival my villa’s 24-hour butler, Hadi, instructed me to change my time settings, seeing that Zighy Bay timing is an hour ahead of Oman’s. “By doing so, we benefit from daylight savings and we can enjoy the sunset at 8 p.m.” came Hadi’s explanation.
The resort consists of eighty villas of numerous sizes. Mine was a spacious one-story room complete with a private infinity pool that appears to be part of the sea in the backdrop. But being in the Gulf, meant some oil pollution found its way to this retreat. Oil tankers clean their ships at a nearby coast, and tar swims back to Zighy Bay’s shore. It is quite unfortunate, yet the sea still manages to look crystal clear.
In fact, all the Six Senses Hideaways located around the world aim to provide a sustainable eco-friendly environment. This location benefits the accommodating lands of Oman, from which, at least they are able to source the ingredients to make the bread and ice cream at the resort. There is a ‘Green Book’ in every room that describes the resort’s conservational foundation in detail. For example, they contribute 0.5 per cent of total monthly revenues to support social and environmental projects on both a regional and global level. In addition, they reuse all their waste water, which is treated, using the Moving Bed Bio Reactor technology, located on site. Don’t worry, I checked it - it’s clean.
Now putting the conservation of energy aside, there was another factor that appealed to me, which is how calm everyone at the resort was. They speak to you in only the most soothing of tones. Even the insects here seemed disinterested with human presence, and appeared to have taken up permanent residence in various parts of the villa. They went along with their business, I, with mine. I found myself apologizing to them for invading ‘their’ territory. Sorry little spider, sorry for bothering you. There were even baby goats moseying around the resort. I had never known such calm.
As a result, I honestly don’t remember the last time I slept so deeply and so peacefully. Perhaps it was when I was still nestled in my mother’s womb. But for those two nights at the spa, I woke up cooing like a baby, and was ready to kick-start my day, without even a sip of coffee. Maybe it was the detergent-free linens, or the night-time plunge in my designated villa’s private pool. Better still, the absence of engines roaring or the presence of the melodic chirping of the birds. Whatever it was, I was addicted.
Then there is the Spa. “Mrs. Bespoken, we are ready for you. You will be having the holistic massage today,” came calm-spa-lady’s voice. Now although she got my name and that of the magazine’s wrong, I didn’t even try to correct her. Why would I? I thought it gave me a cool Swedish edge. On that thought, I was lead into the room.
Of course it was incredible and as you would expect the Six Senses Spa offers a huge array of treatments, massages and facials and there is the traditional Arabian hamam. They even had an Ice room to cool off in which was in direct contrast to the bone-deep heat that Oman’s climate is known for. I was told that the best weather is from October to December, so you may wish to plan your trip then.
When I returned to my luxurious villa, I skimmed through the schedule for the rest of the day and came across:
‘13:30 – Travel as a companion passenger with our professional paraglider…flying at an altitude of 290 meters.’ I didn’t really think much of it, but at 13:00 the 24-hour butler calls, “Are you ready for paragliding?” I think I choked a little, only to squeeze out all my courage and let out a croaky ‘yes.’
We set off on our journey to the mountain top, finally reaching an empty plot of land. During the journey up the mountainous slopes, emotions were running wild.
“Bismillah Al Rahman Al Raheem,” I repeated over and over again.
“Will I die?” I whimpered from the back of the Safari-style jeep.
“If you die, I die,” replied Ezu, the Bulgarian paragliding instructors’ response.
Great, I thought, how comforting and honest. Now, I was worried, so I decided to be more inquisitive, just to calculate a probable percentage of a likely crash-and-burn situation.
“So how long have you been doing this?” I asked.
“Oh, it’s been one week now.” My heart stopped, his laughter ensued.
But the time had come. Parachute in the air, and I was running off a cliff, only to be taken into the sky a few moments later. We glided over the mountains and took in the incredibly clear aerial views.
After a smooth landing, I was alive, grateful and so revived that I noticed a few some more subtle details about this carefully constructed resort. Namely, that all the technological devices were concealed behind planks of wood. They had been vigilantly hidden, so as to take the guest away of the Blackberry-crazed world we live in.
But if I had one complaint it would be that getting to the secluded refuge is a bit of a hassle. From Dubai’s International airport you are faced with a bumpy two-hour drive which is not the most pleasant, given that there are no street lights to illuminate the way. There are apparently plans underway to shorten the trip. There is also a marina set to open soon that will accommodate guests with yachts and a helicopter journey is to be introduced reducing the journey from Dubai to just forty minutes.
So as I try to re-habituate myself with city life once again and contemplate my time in Zighy Bay I can not but advise you to leave the Blackberrys and laptops at home, grab a loved on, and journey to the Six Senses Spa. It’s hush-hush destination that leaves you dumb-founded by the fact that utter relaxation does in fact exist.
