Few days ago, I celebrated my 42nd birthday. I can’t believe I am 42 already. I thought reaching 40s before would make me feel so old but honestly, I feel like life has more to offer and I still feel young enough.
My little family and I usually have a tradition to blow our birthday cake by 12 midnight. But my boys prepared my cake early before 12 midnight because we are off to Muscat early the next day. So we said that we are celebrating my birthday Philippine time instead of Oman time. They told me to stay in the room while they prepare my cake. Awww, I got a beautiful cake with a bouquet of pink & white roses. Hubby even surprised me with a phone gadget gift which I been wanting so bad.
Next morning, we woke up and prepared for our staycation in Muscat. I wore my little red dress for my birthday which is the same dress I wore in my last year’s birthday.
We drove two hours to Muscat to check in Swiss Belinn Hotel. It is a small hotel near Azaiba Beach. Inside the hotel, the vibe is very hip and quirky. We were accommodated by the nice Omani receptionist and gave us our room card.
We got a suite room. There is a living room with extra bed with TV and round table. Inside there is a big queen bed with shower & toilet.
The vibe of the room aligns with the hotel. I love the quirky wall decals, the modern minimalistic feel of the room and the round table perfect to place food orders unlike some hotels. Only downside is that they don’t offer much toiletries available like conditioners, body lotion etc. For iron and hairdryer, we have to request it from housekeeping.
We fixed our stuff in the hotel then we head off to Intercontinental Hotel for our Japanese buffet lunch at Takara. I called weeks before to book reservations for the buffet. When we were in the car, heading to Intercontinental, I got a call from Takara, reminding me of the buffet that starts at 12 noon.
We were warmly received by the Filipino receptionist at Takara. We were brought to our table. Weekend buffet cost per head is 21 omr for adults and 10.500 for kids 5 years and below. The waiter gave us the QR code for the menu. Unlike usual buffet, there are no banquet spread for us like most buffet. We can order whatever we want from the menu. Drinks are not included in the buffet charge.
We ordered a lot of sushi and lots of yummy dishes until we feel our tummies would burst. Hubby tried out their sake. He said it tasted nice and sweet. We finished off our sumptuous lunch with a banana tempura and ice creams.
We headed back to the hotel to rest a bit. I stayed in the room with Zeke to relax while hubby and the two big boys went into the play area of the hotel where they have foosball table and a playstation area.
I got a lovely surprise from my two doctors friends when I got a cake delivery in the hotel. I am so blessed to have sweet and thoughtful friends like these.
Before sunset, we headed to Al Mouj. We made the kids play at their outdoor playground. Then we strolled around the lively atmosphere of Al Mouj. Oman is celebrating National Day so the place is adorned with green and red light all around. We decided to have a nice dinner at Yellow Cab before heading back to our hotel.
We woke up to a wonderful sleep. We went down for our free breakfast. The breakfast options were modest but kids were happy with the Choco Crunch cereals with milk and bread with Nutella spread. I was happy with my Spanish omelette and macchiato coffee.
We relaxed a bit in our room after breakfast before we packed our stuff for check out. We were going to the mall to buy some stuff and do grocery before going back to our house in North Sharqiya.
I love celebrating my birthdays like this – enjoying good food, relaxing in a comfy place with the people that I love dearly.
Can’t wait what my 42 year of life has to offer. I am ready!
Swiss Belinn
Address: Al Anwar Street Azaiba Muscat Oman 130
Phone: 24 908800
Takara
Address: Al Kharjiya Street Al Shati Area Muscat Oman, 114
Phone: 22 060003
