Antique Inn

Antique Inn is a characterful guesthouse in the centre of Nizwa: several Omani mud-brick houses around 300 years old, restored and linked together, a few minutes' walk from the fort and the souq. It is not an upmarket hotel. Nizwa has no boutique hotel that combines superior comfort, private bathrooms and historic architecture; we chose Antique Inn for its location and character, knowing that comfort here is rustic.

A 300-year-old house in the heart of Nizwa

You enter through heavy studded wooden doors. Inside are ochre-washed walls, ceilings with painted beams, alcoves filled with antiques, and a maze of narrow passages and steep stairs connecting the different houses. The large majlis (Omani reception room), carpeted and lined with cushions, welcomes guests with complimentary coffee and dates.

On the roof, a terrace overlooks Nizwa Fort. Breakfast is served there facing the great tower, and in the evening the hotel lays out a buffet dinner. There is no restaurant as such.

A small pool and a garden sit at the back of the property, next to newer barasti-style units with walls of woven palm fronds.

Choosing your room

Every room differs in style, size and decoration. All are air-conditioned, with Wi-Fi. The rooms in the original house are the most authentic, and the ones specialist tour operators recommend, but they are compact and dim, with mattresses on the floor and, depending on the room, a bathroom outside. The other categories, newer and with less character, are more comfortable: the King Suite for a couple, the Family Room for a family of four.

For the old-house experience, ask for a room in the main building; for comfort, the King Suite.

Nizwa on foot

Location is the real reason to stay. From the hotel you can walk to:

• Nizwa Fort, whose round tower, 34 m high and 45 m across, was built under Imam Sultan bin Saif between 1649 and 1679;
• the souq, known for its hand-chased khanjars (Omani daggers), silver jewellery and pottery;
• the Friday morning livestock market, where goats and cattle are paraded in front of buyers seated in a circle.

Staying in town means being at the fort and the market as they open, without the 1 h 45 drive from Muscat airport. The hotel has a tour desk, a shuttle and bikes for hire. Bahla, Jabreen, Misfat al Abriyeen and Jebel Akhdar are all a drive away: see the Nizwa region.

What you need to accept

• Stairs: low doorways, narrow passages and steep steps make the hotel difficult for guests with limited mobility.
• Rooms: small, dark, with no desk furniture and mattresses on the floor in the original house.
• Meals: no restaurant, but a buffet dinner on the roof in the evening. The souq is close by.

For a more comfortable stay in the area, Anantara and Alila are no more than an hour and a half away on Jebel Akhdar.

Price

In October 2026, for two nights in March 2027, the cheapest room was offered on Booking.com at about €100 a night for two adults, breakfast included, free cancellation up to two days before arrival, possible local taxes extra.

Sabaro's view

Who it suits: travellers curious about traditional architecture, comfortable with simple standards, who want to explore Nizwa on foot early in the morning.

Highlights: the location, a few minutes from the fort and the souq; the character of the mud-brick house; the rooftop terrace facing the fort; a gentle price; an 8.3 out of 10 rating on Booking.com (2,626 reviews).

Good to know: rustic comfort; small, dark rooms in the original house; the stairs; no official website, so details must be confirmed through the booking. One or two nights is enough. See also our boutique hotels and museums and culture ideas.