Al Baleed Resort Salalah by Anantara, Salalah, Oman. Salalah is a surprisingly tropical place, and the Al Baleed sits on a perfectly idyllic strip of palm-dotted sand, between the sea and a freshwater lagoon. The hotel itself is meant to recall an ancient fortress, but it’s a rather welcoming fortress, and its rooms combine locale-specific crafts and decoration with a generous helping of contemporary luxury. The result is impressive indeed but somehow never quite ostentatious.
