Muscat is the Gulf for people who find Dubai a little too much. By royal decree, buildings stay low and whitewashed, so the city reads as mountains, forts, and souks rather than glass towers. It's calmer, less commercial, and arguably more beautiful — framed by the jagged Hajar Mountains on one side and the Gulf of Oman on the other. Add in some of the friendliest hospitality in the region and a coastline still mostly free of mass tourism, and Muscat is the Gulf's best-kept secret.