If you are budget strapped and need a vacation, Lebanon is increasingly the place for you.
A few months ago I reserved a room in a hotel in Lebanon. I asked for a no-frills double room for my wife and myself only to be surprised that we were “upgraded for free” to a royal suite. We ended up paying 110$ for a luxurious 3-rooms-and-2-bathrooms suite in a 4-star hotel in the heart of Beirut . Such acts of generosity are increasingly common in the land that scares tourists away. In fact, hotel rates all over the place have taken a steep cut.
Sure a war might break out any time between Hezbollah and Israel. But hasn’t it always been the case? Why miss out on all the good stuff? As the Belfast Telegraph‘s Travel reporter puts it in an article that encourage the Irish to come to Lebanon:
For the 15th time today, I congratulate myself for ignoring the people who told me I was mad to holiday in Beirut.
The Belfast Telegraph is not the only foreign news source that is awakening to the charms of Beirut. Bloomberg ran a piece today that is in essence a mouth watering account of a traditional Lebanese restaurant.
To sum it up: If you like to have exciting times but you’re a bit cash strapped. Now is the time to come to Beirut.
Hello, my name is Mustapha and I've been blogging about Lebanese society, business and politics since February 2005.
Beirut here i come!!!!! Iv already booked my 3 WEEK vacation and cant wait.
what is the name of the hotel?
what is the name of the hotel?
Ghassan, I prefer not to advertise, but If you’re savvy enough, it’s in the middle of hamra and it has been recently revamped. The name starts with an M.
It’s the Commodore Le Meridien
. It’s my favorite place to stay in apart from the Holiday Inn Dunes in Verdun.
Although if you wanted something with no-frills and cheap, yet clean and decent (in Hamra) you could’ve tried Daouk Apartments, they charge $50 per night I think and the rooms are extremely clean and comfortable. The location is very central; it’s a 5 minute walk away from the Berber takeaway
.
So – Where is the best Shawarma in Beirut ?
Malek el Taouk is one of my favourites; it’s just off Sassine Square in Achrafieh.
Lebanon is the best place in the world, wait and see after the election
Beirut will BUZZ!!!
If it was Israelis or Americans who were suffering from cluster bombs, would you also wish to outlaw them?
Thanks for the articles, sure is good to read something positive about Lebanon. Interesting enough, we went to Walima just last week and, like the hotel prices dropped, so did their prices: a full meal (mezza, main dish and desert) will set you back some 20$ only instead of the 30$ quoted in the Bloomberg article. Excellent food, highly recommended.
Still puzzling on that hotel starting with an ‘M’…;-)
Riemer,
The answer is in the comments
Quick update on previous comment: the prices mentioned apply to the Tabkha restaurant we visited last week in Hamra. Also excellent home cooked food and highly recommended
@Mustapha: Commodore Le Meridian…ayyup, that starts with an M alright:-)