Browsing Tag

Oman

fashion

Sapia Simone Launches Wetsuits for SS18

Whether you’re surfing in Sri Lanka, wake-surfing in Dubai or scuba diving in the cooler waters off Oman, for a couple of months a year, wetsuits are going to be part of your gear.

Dubai based designer Sapia Simone launched her label in the cooler months of 2016. It can now be found in 15 stores worldwide as well as online on Farfetch.com and seen on the pages of Conde Nast Traveller, Harpers Bazaar Arabia and Emirates Woman. Having originated in Miami, the brand exudes a tropical essence, focusing on nature, travel and fantasy across its collections.

The brand’s aim is to encourage and inspire a fresh perspective on ‘beach chic’. Sapia Simone’s design mission is to make playful and beautiful swimwear silhouettes, styles and resort wear that celebrate the active and adventurous female living across the world in a variety of sunshine societies. Sapia Simone SS18 Wetsuits

Designed to provide functional support to all our aquababes, wetsuits are normally your traditional black one-piece (ok it’s sometimes grey too) what they aren’t… is very fashion focused. Yet.
Sapia Simone SS18 Wetsuits

Launching for the first time, September sees one of my favourite brands, SAPIA SIMONE, focusing on the more active and adventurous women. Activating in two colours, these neoprene wetsuits are modest yet sexy, with patterned sides and a front zip for wear-ability. Sapia Simone SS18 Wetsuits

Why not co-ordinate with your accessories too? Who doesn’t want matching wetsuits and surf bags, designed to be completely watertight and seal in all your important belongings, so that you can surf, skate or ski with peace of mind out on the water. Sapia Simone SS18 Wetsuits

travel yoga

Life Well Travelled in Oman

I’m all for a weekend away, but they aren’t always as glam as Instagram makes out. More often than not, they are choc full of busy days and business dinners, so every now and then I like to take a little time out. Not just from work, but from my phone too. It’s important in this day and age to learn to switch off. There’s a new online portal H Retreats that will help take care of your digital detox too… I love Oman as a place of constant peace and tranquility, it is my go-to getaway that’s also super easy to get to!

Here’s where i’m thinking to retreat to this year:

Al Baleed Resort
Beachside
They work with global certified healers, guides, therapists, health and fitness experts to create bespoke programmes to comfort, strengthen and support you along your retreat. This beautiful adventure is set aside the Indian Ocean on the south coast of Oman at Al Baleed Resort in Salalah, surrounded by mountains and the sea. A great place to unwind, recharge, discover and de-stress. Whilst enjoying the perks of a luxury five-star hotel too.
When: Wednesday 22nd March – Monday 29th March 2017
What you get:
Full board – breakfast, lunch and dinner
Airport transfers
8 yoga classes
Up to 6 one-to-one holistic treatments with world renowned healers and therapists
4 therapy workshops
2 luxurious spa massages
1 group Tibetan singing bowls session
1 nutrition workshop

alila jabal akhdar
Mountain High
An idyllic retreat, perched 2,000 metres above sea level on the curving rim of a great canyon in the Sultanate of Oman’s vast Saiq Plateau, Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar is everything Instagram says it is. Hike through valleys bursting with date palms and orchards of pomegranate, practice sun salutations atop a mountain, try abseiling, mountain climbing, archery or mountain biking!
When: Wednesday 7th June – Monday 12th June 2017
What you get:
Full board – breakfast, lunch and dinner
Airport transfers
8 yoga classes
Up to 6 one-to-one treatments with world renowned healers and therapists
Up to 4 therapy workshops
2 luxurious spa massages
1 Qigong workshop
1 group gong meditation/sound therapy session
1 nutrition workshop

Adventure travel

Secret Salalah

Want a bit of a weekend break? Head to Oman, and for once I’m not singing the praises of Muscat and its gorgeous diving/sun-soaked dolphin–watching hotspots.

I’ve always wanted to visit more of Oman, so when the opportunity presented itself, I booked flights to Salalah. Having surfed the local hotspots on trip advisor, the Rotana looked like the best option. We checked in for two nights and planned to leave Sunday night – making the most out of his awkward working days / my not much time off.

Salalah is a really interesting/confusing city… it’s small, but vast. The views from the plane suggested grand canyon-esque landscapes, and on arrival at their 1 month old airport (bear with them, there’s a few glitches) we didn’t really know what to expect when we stepped outside into the 27* temperate terrain.

Renting a car was the most important piece of advice we were given! Taxi’s charge whatever they feel like and believe me, they will triple what you’re used to. We rented a car at the airport (expect to pay no more than 14 OR / day for a small’ish car) and headed in completely the wrong direction at first. By day two we knew roughly which roundabout to look for and there really aren’t that many directions to head in.

SalalahWe were really hoping to see a bit of rain whilst we were there, as it still feels like its 4000* in Dubai, and overnight we were lucky to see some of the rainy Khareef that’s still hanging around. We drove into Salalah on the first day and stopped to pick up some fresh Sri Lankan coconuts, checking out the other resorts for alternative dining options (the Rotana is very expensive food/drink wise – think 100AED per pizza – not really the beach café prices it should be).

SalalahAfter being told that we couldn’t go swimming in the sea (riptides), we spent the afternoon enjoying the beach and spotted a baby shovel-headed ray in the shoreline (who I named Steve). I have to point out – the one thing that is a real let-down – the amount of rubbish… the beaches/roads/mountains are all surprisingly unkept. After another evening at the Rotana’s Silk Road restaurant spent playing cards and enjoying some NZ red, we almost decided to change our flight and head back to Dubai early the next day.

SalalahAnge and Ed (friends of mine from Dubai) moved out to the region a few years ago to set up No Boundaries Oman, and gave us two scenic hotspots to visit before we left. So Sunday we ordered breakfast in bed and after we checked out, got in the car to head for a blowhole.

SalalahWhat we discovered was that the further we headed out past the Hilton, the greener the scenery became. Driving towards ‘Mughsail’, we came upon a camel caravan – trekking across beach/grass and against a backdrop of sheer mountains, it was quite a sight! We arrived 2 mins later at the Caves and headed up to find the blowhole! It sounded like a whale was living in the caves, roaring away! But what got us more excited was the mountains that lay before us, if we kept driving we would hit ‘Fizaya’, a beach that we couldn’t miss… and we’re SO glad we didn’t!!!

SalalahIt’s quite a drive above sea level, as the mountain roads are carved out in winding trails, but with only one way in and one way out. A sign at the top pointed left towards the sea (well we hoped it was the sea – the mist had come in so low we were looking at a road that just disappeared). So off to Fizaya we went, winding through what I can only describe as a scene from ‘The Land Before Time’ – it could have been Scotland! (with much better weather though) 🙂

SalalahAfter a 20 minute drive downhill (small car + I kept stopping to take pics) we arrived at a deserted beach… with lapping waves and rocky outcrops, it literally took our breath away and we parked up. Spending the next hours relaxing/sea shell hunting and swimming (it was cold), we decided that this really is what Salalah is about, somewhere we can come back, camp and actually experience Oman away from the touristy resorts.

SalalahNext time we visit, we’re headed straight to that beach with our gear and a BBQ! Even more exciting for the next trip – I’m looking forward to the dolphin and whale watching that goes hand-in–hand in this region too!