A Relaxing Family Staycation @ Al Baleed Resort Salalah by Anantara

Right by the Salalah coast lies a luxury resort whose name we may be quite familiar with : Al Baleed Resort Salalah by Anantara. We stayed here with the kids in April 2022 on the second half of our Salalah trip – with just one goal in mind : to relax, and we did just that 😉

Here’s a little rundown of the Al Baleed, and how it’s like to stay there with the family :

Where in Salalah is Al Baleed?

Nestled between a natural lagoon, and the Indian Sea – about a 20 minutes drive from Salalah International Airport – you will find Al Baleed. It is also about an hours drive from Mirbat where we spent the first half of our trip.

As you get closer to the resort, the roads are lined with coconut trees on either side. It’s quite surreal – it’s as though you’ve suddenly gone from desert to a tropical paradise.

What is the property like?

Combination of rooms in the main building, to numerous villas on ground level. As we all know – the Anantara is a Thai brand, so the resort has kept to its origins with the design and decor.

Let’s talk about the pools and beach at Al Baleed.

It was the beginning of Ramadan when we went so the property was understandably very quiet – which suited us perfect. No need to fight for sunbeds and towels, ample space for kids to run around and play on the beach.

You get soft white sand along the Salalah shoreline, which the kids absolutely love. There is no construction, no jet skis, no party boats in front of the beach – just open sea. You can sit there and listen to the rolling waves all day long.

On the third day, all the kids were on surf boards in the main pool – something you would never ever see in a Dubai resort 😉 To mention, there is minimal shade in the main pool – so make sure you put on sunscreen and rash guard for the little ones.

Did you stay in a Pool Villa?

We were booked into a Two Bedroom Garden View Pool Villa – which was ginormous at 240 square metres. This villa officially sleeps 4 adults and 2 children, so it’s perfect if you were going with grandparents (how I wish I brought ours!).

Our own Pool | 2 Bedroom Pool Villa Anantara Salalah

The girls had the second bedroom, and as always, the little man slept with us in the master bedroom. Did I mention there is an ensuite each, to both bedrooms?

We also spent some time swimming in the pool by the villa, which is much more heated than the main pool. If you prefer complete privacy, these villas are perfect for that.

If however you prefer beach-front, there are a few One Bedroom Beach View Pool Villas which leads straight out to the beach – and is also closer to the main pool and restaurants.

Does Al Baleed have a kids club?

Of course it does.

The Albahhara Kids Club was a short walk from our Villa. All 3 kids ended up spending some time in the afternoon on both days, when it was too hot to be outside. They were playing games, watching TV, just chilling out. There is also a splash pad right outside.

It shares the same building as the gym, so that’s quite helpful if you want to work out while your little one is in the Kid’s Club.

Over the second and third morning while we were there, the team brought toys and arts & crafts to the poolside so kids could get busy in the shade, by the pool. That was pretty nice for us – so they could still do all this, outdoors.

It will be even better if there was also a playground installed by the beach – there’s so much space for it (hint hint!)

Our little ones with their holiday friends

How is the Anantara Spa like?

The husband and I took turns for our massage in Anantara Spa (the joy of having very little kids, hehe). They do have a couples room, for those of you who are lucky enough to have older kids that you can drop off in the Kid’s Club.

It was nice to relax for 60 minutes (and a bit more, before and after) – getting a proper massage in their spa. Do it, if you can!

What are the food options? Where did you guys eat?

Sakalan

Breakfast was in their all-day dining – Sakalan. Buffet spread, with an ala carte menu for eggs.

There’s a donut wall which my girls loved 🙂

They also do dinner here but we decided to stick to Mekong for both nights as the kids love Thai food. That’s how it is these days isn’t it, when you are travelling with kids? 🙂

Al Mina

We had lunch at their poolside restaurant on both days. Quite convenient as the tables are literally right by the pool. Obviously, it can also work to your disadvantage as they keep disappearing into the water when you are trying to feed these little people, haha….

Menu is standard poolside grub. You have to try their prawn salad. I need to recreate this at home.

Mekong

For both nights, we dined in their specialty Asian restaurant – Mekong (same name as the one in Dubai).

We loved their Thai Vegetable spring rolls, Vietnamese Beef Pho and Glass Noodles with Prawn. The Garlic prawn with chilli salt was a winner with all of us as well.

They do have kids menu, so if the little ones prefer not to have all that – they can have things like Grilled chicken with rice and vege, Egg fried rice with vege etc.

Have a look at their website here for this and other restaurants.

Overall Thoughts

We were at Al Baleed to chill, and it was definitely the perfect spot for that. The beautiful white sandy beach, the rolling waves, coconut trees – the sereneness of the entire place. Have a chat with the team before you book to find out the location of your villa, so you know where it is with respect to the main pool, beach, kids’ club and restaurants – as this might be a deciding factor when you are there with kids (particularly those who don’t like to walk ;))

Al Baleed is definitely a luxury option for a relaxed staycation with kids in Salalah. If you do end up here, please let me know how it is.

PS – Our stay was made more fun as we ended up meeting another lovely Dubai family with similar-aged kids 😉 She owns a tea company called BRW. Note to all hotels – if you ever want to consider a new/better tea brand – get in touch with them, haha!