LOCAL Escapes

We are treated to Maysan Spa’s twist on my favourite hot-stone massage. This one is not with the usual volcanic black basalt but with another wellness wonder material: pink rock salt from the high Himalayas, hand carved into smooth palm-sized pebbles. It’s a material known for its antiinflammatory and antibacterial properties, believed even to improve mood through the emission of negative ions.

The massage begins with gentle stretching of the limbs. The salt stones are then placed resting along my spine, pressed and manipulated along each limb. These glowing crystals carry the healing power of heat through my body. Their concentrated pressure and warmth relieve my tired and aching limbs, revitalising my nervous system. It’s a feeling of renewal, as much mental and emotional as physical. Afterwards, we take our time relaxing in the spa’s elegant lounge over fresh ginger tea and apricots. After a nap, we change into our evening best and follow our noses back to the restaurant, where delicious smells emanate. We begin with a carpaccio of Wagyu beef and whole burrata cheese on a bed of sweet cherry tomatoes and tiny black Leccino olives.

Our main courses are particularly impressive. The pasta is a graceful twist of Tagliolini al Nero di Seppia – the pasta is black, made with squid ink and loaded with the flavours of the sea, fresh mussels and prawns tossed with garlic and sweet tomatoes. The second act is known as Orecchio di Elefante or elephant’s ear: a prime cutlet of tender veal, on the bone, beaten until thin and broad, breaded with a herbed crumb and then flash fried.

Strolling back to our suite, I decide the way to round off the perfect day has got to be to try the bath. I draw the curtains, turn down the lights, turn up the hot water and empty a bag of lavender bath salts into the running water. As they dissolve, they fill the air with perfume. I lie back and relax utterly, luxuriating in this tub fit for an empress.

We sleep deep and wake early, sweeping the curtains aside to show a perfect blue-skied spring day. Our room has its own espresso machine, so we make strong shots just the way we like them and take them outside to the loungers by our private pool to let sunlight and caffeine gently bring us to life. Breakfast is served on the broad terrace looking out over the main swimming pool and palm avenue. The sun warms us without dazzling as we sip foaming cappuccinos and an energising concoction called The Fountain of Youth, a blitz of orange, raw honey, apple cider vinegar, lemon, ginger, turmeric and cayenne pepper. We share an avocado toast, topped with two perfectly poached eggs on a base of whipped ricotta, garnished with sliced purple radishes. And because alongside a little virtue, we could also do with a little indulgence, we also have a pistachio french toast dusted with icing sugar and topped with fresh berries. Thus fortified, we hit the pool. Settled under a blue-and-white striped umbrella with a good book and a cold drink resting on the marble-topped table beside us, I feel that elusive state of inner peace usually only achieved in the comfort of your own home. We never want to leave this idyll. The sun moves across the sky, dappling the water with light and shade through the fronds of the palms. We wait until the shadows start to lengthen across the pool again before reluctantly saying goodbye – or until next time.

For more information or to make a reservation, please call Maysan Doha, LXR Hotels & Resorts at 4144 6666.

@maysandoha