For a few weeks each spring, Damask roses appear across the terraces of Alila Jabal Akhdar, turning the rugged landscape into something soft and in bloom. Rose season in Oman is fleeting, and should be experienced at least once in a lifetime.
The Damask rose, which blooms here for just a few weeks each year, has long been part of life in the region. Its petals are distilled into rose water using traditional methods, a process that still takes place in small, fire-heated distilleries dotted across the mountain.
Guests at the eco-luxe resort Alila Jabal Akhdar can follow that journey, too. Before sunrise you can handpick petals alongside local farmers who have been doing this for generations. After you’re invited to watch as fresh petals are transformed into rose water.
Back at the resort, breakfast is held on the terraces, with rose-infused dishes woven into the menu. Elsewhere, expect rose-infused moments, including a high tea scented with rose, a spa ritual built around blooms, or a dinner where flavour and fragrance become one.
There’s also a more structured way to experience it. The Alila Damask Rose Journey, running across select April weekends, brings together several of these elements into a single afternoon and evening—harvesting, distillation, and a series of rose-led tastings.
What makes this moment stand out isn’t just the setting—though the Jabal Akhdar mountain, with its layered cliffs and sweeping views, does most of the work. It’s the timing. Rose season is short, weather-dependent, and gone almost as quickly as it arrives.
Wider Harvesting
But it’s not the only moment at Alila Jabal Akhdar. What begins with roses in early spring gives way to mulberries, figs, honey and pomegranates as the year moves forward.
Guests are invited to gather fruit, visit hives, and walk terraces with local farmers. What’s picked in the morning often finds its way onto the table later in the day.
And while there’s no shortage of ways to fill the hours at Alila Jabal Akhdar—hiking between villages, climbing the via ferrata, or retreating into the spa—it’s the quieter moments that tend to stay with you. A morning in the terraces. The scent of roses just after sunrise. Small things, but trust us, they stay with you.
Details
Alila Damask Rose Journey: In-house guest: complimentary. Optional dinner at Amouage Café: OMR 59++ / person. Walk-in guest: OMR 65++/ person Includes: Rose harvesting, canape tasting, rose water demo, cooking class, dinner at Amouage Café
