Job Discussion Forums

shibainu69 · Joined: 08 May 2010 Posts: 86

Got an offer for these places.
Which is the best? best place to live work shops which is the biggest town where are they located can only find Nizwa on the map.
The offer is 1385 ORials a month plus medical 50 days leave + ticket

Anyone living in Oman where would you go out of these three places?

shibainu69 · Joined: 08 May 2010 Posts: 86

For the wife are there any gyms there with aerobics not just tiny gyms with weights but with classes like yoga step and stuff like that. Also which is the most western out of those 3 places? Is it possible to commute from somewhere that's kind of westernised like Muscat or something?
Also I'm into surfing so considering that anywhere else recommended?
Are there supermarkets, malls taco bells that kind of western stuff? I've lived in Japan for 9 years so living somewhere different isn't a problem but there were gyms there no foreigners but gyms.

desert flea · Joined: 03 Aug 2009 Posts: 2

There are some good surfing beaches here in Salalah. It is on and off all
year round with small swells, getting bigger around this time of year and huge but windy in the Khareef.

There are some surfers here already so you wont be alone.

Salalah is a great place to be I would chose it over Ibra any day.

shibainu69 · Joined: 08 May 2010 Posts: 86

Yeah that's where I want to go but it aint on the menu, if I could go there I would be stoked big time.
But I only have a choice of Niza, Ibri and Ibra.
Where could I surf from those destinations?
Also the wife wants a gym with classes do they have them in Niza etc..

Poetic Justice · Joined: 14 May 2010 Posts: 19

Are you hiring on directly with one of these MoM schools, or will you be going through a dreaded agency?

shibainu69 · Joined: 08 May 2010 Posts: 86

TATI I THINK
can you tell me more about those places? do they have tennis clubs, gyms with aerobics, western restaurants, bowling alleys, shopping malls etc... I can't find out much on the net apart from they have a few hotels.

georgemcduff · Joined: 16 Apr 2007 Posts: 16

Hello.

I'm sure none of these towns have anything in the way of western-type luxuries- modern gym etc... although there'll be some decent indian/maybe lebanese restaurants.

Ibra is tiny and I'm sure Ibri is too. I lived in Ibra for a couple of years- It's a friendly place well located for the mountains and the gorgeous wadis. And there's a pool in a hotel in the outskirts.

Nizwa is a fair size, and very pretty. And since it's closest to Muscat where there's the western stuff is in abundance, you might want to go for that.

shibainu69 · Joined: 08 May 2010 Posts: 86

if you worked in nizwa where could you live and then commute to Nizwa. Somwhere where they have gyms and some western things is there anywhere on the way to muscat that is a bit more western?
or are there any gyms with aerobics in nizwa?

usa_in_gulf · Joined: 10 Aug 2009 Posts: 133 Location: Gulf

Hi,

All three-- Ibra, Ibri, and Nizwa-- are better described as "villages". The only "western" item is one Pizza Hut in Nizwa. FYI--there are no Taco Bells in Oman. As georgemcduff mentioned, Nizwa is the closest to Muscat-- about 1.5 hours away--but again, all three areas do not offer the "western" items you may be looking for! Smile

There are 3 hotels in Ibri--one is a guest house (no where close to "western" standards), one offers furnished apartment style rooms, and the third is the only place in Ibri that you can purchase a "drink". No swimming pools--definately no surfing (Ibri is in the interior and so is Nizwa--and I believe Ibra is also.)

No shopping malls or western supermarkets. Ibri is a collection of smaller villages--there is actually quite a large population in greater Ibri--but thats misleading--because all the villages are quite spaced out. So-- downtown Ibri is basically the main road that runs through Ibri.

Ibri is only 1.5 hours from the UAE border--about 2.5 hours from Muscat and Dubai-- thats good--but please be aware--these are considered "remote postings"-- not bad--but just make sure you have realistic expectations. (Good quality of life--beautiful landscapes--quiet--very quiet life)

shibainu69 · Joined: 08 May 2010 Posts: 86

ao nizwa is the best of the bunch? does it have a gym it has a pizza hut what else? Does it have a mall? an expats etc... its difficult to find out much about it on the net. What about Al massannah?

eslbear · Joined: 19 Feb 2010 Posts: 93

Please turn off the broken record....

I think it has been answered - there are no 'western' amenities in these places -no malls, no gyms, no aerobics, crappy fast food ( pizza hut and Hungry Bunny in Nizwa), two hotels in Nizwa area with bars and nothing else.

Based on your repeated posts asking the same thing over and over, it seems that you really need / want these things so the best advice to give you is do not take this job ! You might go crazy if you expect anything at all "western"to be there for you.

usa_in_gulf · Joined: 10 Aug 2009 Posts: 133 Location: Gulf

Its not that "Nizwa is the best of the bunch"--its just that its closest to Muscat. I think you may have a completely wrong view of what these areas are like-- nothing remotely close to a mall! Smile

Very nice areas--but again--villages. Therefore, no malls or anything like that. These are interior areas. No movie theaters--no malls--no western restaurants--(except the one Pizza Hut in Nizwa) Smile

In Ibri, the western expats community is completely made up of the teachers at the two colleges located there---so about 20 people or so! Smile

Try searching on Youtube -- there were a few videos posted there a while back. As mentioned, these areas offer a very nice lifestyle--for those who want this type of lifestyle. But if you are looking for malls, western restaurants, gyms for women with classes, etc... you may be very disappointed.