Gary Player - The Legend

Gary Player and Businessman Pankaj Khimji Set the Bar for Luxury-Living in Oman

May 14, 2008 | Filed Under: Golf Course Design

Omani businessman Pankaj Khimji’s dream of a fully-outfitted haven on a piece of land he owns outside Muscat, Oman, will soon be complete with a nine-hole Gary Player golf course.  The Malkai, as the project is named named, will be developed into a country club and resort set inland from the pretty fishing village of Barka.  If Khimji’s track record is anything to go by, The Malkai will undoubtedly set a new benchmark for luxury living – not only in Oman but on an international scale.  His first venture, The Chedi Hotel in Muscat, ranked number two in last year’s Condé Nast Traveller’s reader’s poll of best places to visit in the world.

Gary Player flew straight from his 51st Masters appearance to Oman last month for the official unveiling of the project.  Player and Khimji, who was said to have been taken aback by Player’s humility, met three years ago in Cyprus where Player received a Lifetime Achievement Award.  It was there that they discussed the idea of a luxury-living resort in Oman.

At the launch event Khimji set the stage for what’s to come of the development in April.  “The Malkai will be like no other the Arab world has seen,” he said.  “When the new owners walk into their villas, they will be completely furnished down to the last designer teaspoon, with landscaped gardens and perfect square swimming pools.”

The development is slated to begin in January and is scheduled to open at the end of 2010. It will feature a boutique hotel offering 41 luxury suites, 92-bedroom suites, 101 four-bedroom villas and of course a country club.

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