Muscat is not what you'd call a 'rocking' city and nightlife tends to refer more to a picnic under the streetlamps of the coast road or a few kebabs with friends at one of the ubiquitous coffee shops. That said, all the hotels have lively bars (with a licence for alcohol) and a few local dance venues are beginning to gather momentum. All are obliged to double as restaurants.

At the Safari Club, in the basement of the Grand Hyatt Muscat, a live band playing East African rhythms reminds Muscat citizens of their Zanzibari connections. For those whom East Coast means less Mombassa and more Mexico, Pavo Real (Medinat Qaboos Shopping Complex) offers tequila-fuelled dancing at weekends (Wednesday and Thursday nights in Muscat). For more modish maracas-shaking, there's a nightly ensemble of Santana-types at Trader Vics, InterContinental Hotel, Shatti Al-Qurm. The dance floor is limited but it doesn't stop diners and divas jostling for hip space - especially after one or two of the venue's professional cocktails. Much less hip (in fact more T-Bone) is the new kid on the block, Rocklands, Way 1622, Qurm. Located in the Ramee Guestline Hotel, this live rock venue doubles as a steak bar. Other lively nightspots include the InterContinental's Al-Ghazal in Shatti al-Qurm and the Cellar in the Radison SAS Hotel in Al-Khuwair.