On my way down from Mzaar on Sunday, I took the Kfardebian road and noticed groups of people walking up to the snowy areas all the way until I reached a roundabout where tens of buses were forced to park on the side by Kfardebian’s police. From what I understood, buses were not allowed to go all the way up to the slopes in order to lessen traffic during the weekend.

Mashewe wel shabeb

While I agree with Kfardebian’s municipality on such a move, I believe they should have provided an alternative for these people instead of letting them walk all the way up. I am not saying that because I don’t want them to get tired, but because it’s highly unsafe to walk on these roads with all the crazy drivers in their Audi Quattros and SUVs. To make it even worse, some of the groups were walking in the middle of the road at some point holding Derbakkes and singing.

As stated previously, Kfardebian’s municipality should have provided an alternative such as getting few taxi drivers from the area or small vans to transport the visitors at low cost. That way, they would have avoided any unfortunate accidents and benefited locals.

[High-Res]

I was going down The St. Nicolas stairs on Thursday on my way to Gemmayze when I noticed what looks like a small roller coaster set up on a big portion of the 500 meters staircase. I am not sure what it is being used for but I noticed a construction site at the end of the wooden railway so I am guessing they set it up to carry building materials down the stairs.

It would be fun if someone, Red Bull for example, comes up with a fun game where you go down the stairs on a roller-coaster wearing a costume (maybe during Easter) and jump off it into some pool or huge air mattress. Another idea would be a “Jump and Freeze” event but that’s more suitable for Faraya/Mzaar or the Cedars. Either ways, I will be the first to take part in such a fun event.

Source: Wiki

On a last note, I just realized that the Saint Nicolas Stairs, also known as L’Escalier de Saint-Nicolas or L’Escalier de L’Art, is the longest staircase in the Middle East with 125 steps. [Link]

If the Ministry of Tourism really wants this 50-day period to work, they should also force politicians to cut down their speeches and appearances by at least 50% during the 50-day period.

In 2013 Lebanon can expect 50 days of discounts on airline tickets, at hotels and shopping centers as part of a bid to revive the country’s tourism sector after months of stagnation, the country’s tourism minister announced Tuesday.

“We had our first meeting of the Lebanese Council for Promotions and decided to launch 50 days of discounts in Lebanon starting Jan. 8 until Feb. 18, including discounts on airlines tickets, hotels, car rentals as well as at restaurants and shopping centers,” Fadi Abboud told reports at the Grand Serail. [DailyStar]

I went up to Faraya today to check out few chalets for New Year’s eve and see if we can ski or not yet. There’s snow everywhere but not enough to open the slopes. I guess we should wait for another storm to come.

Picture taken from Sietske [High-Res]

I always look forward to Sietske’s posts, not just for the awesome pictures, but also for the exciting stories and adventures that follow. This time, Sietske got lost on her way back from the Cedars only to find herself in Tripoli where clashes have been taking place for the past few days. Glady she managed to get out safe and sound with her friends and family. [Story]

Picture taken from Sietske [High-Res]

I think it’s just a matter of time before other affordable guest houses open in Beirut and its suburbs. What Lebanon lacks as well are B&Bs (Bed & Breakfast) in the mountains or seaside towns.

Budget-minded travelers who also enjoy a bit of style are usually out of luck when it comes to accommodations. Budget-friendly options generally consist of hostels, folksy guesthouses, smarmy bed & breakfasts and budget hotel chains – all honorable and fine, but only rarely stylish.

There are very few super stylish rooms in in-demand cities with rates in the $100 per night territory. Boutique and art hotels charge several times this amount in most buzzing cities. Budget hunters usually have to rely on the occasional off-season rate dip to enjoy anything approaching boutique style.

Hayete has just four rooms. Two, with shared bathrooms, run $105 per night for a double (or $75 for single occupancy.) Two en suite rooms start at $125 (or $95 for a single). The rate includes breakfast, tax, coffee and tea from a shared bar, Wi-Fi and use of a communal refrigerator. [Link]

I haven’t had the chance to visit Mir Amin’s beautiful terrace during the summer and I bet it’s too cold to go now. However I read on their Facebook page that you can enjoy Cheese & Wine evenings now at Al Diwan area next to the fire and overlooking the valley and the pictures look great!

Of course Faraya is the first place that comes to mind for Cheese & Wine nights during winter but I think Mir Amin is worth a try specially that it is not that far from Beirut and has a hotel too, so you can spend the night there. I am going to wait for the first snow and then give it a try.

If you want check out more pictures and read more about Mir Amin’s Palace Hotel, click [Here].

Picture taken from Zaitunaybay.com

LebanonFiles reported today that restaurants at the Zaitunay Bay are not doing well and Solidere is seriously considering closing down the whole thing given the bad economic situation and the lack of tourists.

I don’t know how accurate this piece of news is, but the solution is definitely not by closing it down, but by lowering the incredibly high rent prices. I have already discussed this matter back in February as I was wondering if it’s really profitable to operate at the Zaitunay Bay.

I guess we will know the answer soon.

I always used to pass by Sweet Tea at the Beirut Souks but had no clue it had a green rooftop terrace until lately. As you can see in the picture, there are green vine plants all over the walls with a glass-roof on top and colorful tables and chairs, making it a gorgeous outdoor seating. Sweet Tea is the perfect place to have breakfast, brunch or lunch, with a large variety of French Desserts, different types of omelettes and a large selection of tea. I had the “Omelettes aux herbes fraiches” and a Baba au Rhum (My Favorite Dessert) and both were delicious.

Sweet Tea is a concept imagined and designed by Yannick Alléno.

The terrace overlooks the Beirut Souks and nearby Beirut streets and buildings. You can also see the rooftop terrace of S.T.A.Y (Simple Table Alléno Yannick), another concept by the guy behind Sweet Tea, which I am planning to visit soon.

Sweet Tea is located in the Jewelry souk of Beirut Souks’ right next to George Hakim. For more information, check out Beirut Souks’s website [Here] and Sweet Tea’s Facebook page [Here].

Paul Ariss, former head of the restaurant owners syndicate, declared today that restaurants will boycott Law 174 as work has deteriorated by 60 percent ever since authorities implemented the smoking ban. Demonstrators blocked the Sodeco road today to protest the damage inflicted by the ban.

Interestingly enough, Tourism Minister Fadi Abboud criticized the smoking ban law yesterday during an interview on MTV, calling it “غباء تشريعي”. As I had stated on previous occasions, the law should have been implemented gradually as there are way too many Shisha cafés in Lebanon that could close down due to this ban.

There are two ways to solve this problem:

1- Put the law on hold for 6 months or until the winter ends, so that Shisha restaurants don’t have to close down and have time to set up an outdoor terrace or a closed rooftop.

2- Amend the law and issue a special (expensive) permit to allow indoor-smoking for a fixed number of Shisha cafés, and forbid the opening of any new Shisha café.

Picture from Telegraph.co.uk

Let’s take the positive aspect out of this list and say we ranked in the first two spots. That must count for something.

The Foreign Office has updated its travel advice to Lebanon following an outbreak of violence over the weekend and is warning British travelers to avoid all but essential travel to the entire country. Here we look at some of the most amazing cities around the world which are currently off-limits.
The Lebanese capital received around 3 million visitors in 2010. Its attractions include numerous museums and art galleries, a sandy beach and promenade lined with trendy bars. The city is also a popular destination for shoppers, and can be used as a base for visiting the ancient port of Byblos, and the ski slopes of Faraya. [Source]

Tripoli, Lebanon

via LebanonEguide

Picture taken from Popup-Beirut’s [Facebook Page]

When I posted about the Junkyard back in August, I never thought I’d get so many people interested in visiting it and asking me about the place, not because I didn’t think it was a cool idea, but because I never imagined that many Lebanese would appreciate an innovative and crazy concept such as this one. These guys were so crazy they organized “Petanque” games every night starting 6 pm.

This being said, the Junkyard, also known as Pop-up Beirut, turned out to be a great idea but unfortunately a short-lived one as it will be closing down this week due to the weather but also as planned initially. So if you haven’t had the opportunity to go there yet, this week is your last chance. In fact, and in order to celebrate the last days of the POP-up, a series of Jam sessions is planned with some Lebanese artists, with all the profits going to a Lebanese NGO called Himaya (Against Child Abuse), which you can read about [Here].

You can check out the full program in the picture below:

Update: LBC news reported the news to be false saying Metropolitan hotel will deny it officially during the day. Noting that I based my post on 3 sources, Mustaqbal, Lebanonfiles and MTV, I will update it as soon as it’s confirmed it’s wrong.

Update2: Metropolitan Hotel administration denied the news officially. That’s good news for a change.

Lebanon’s tourism season is the worst we’ve had since 1974 according to some reports as Hotels have cancelled around 50% of their bookings after the Achrafieh bombing and the recent events in Lebanon and Syria. Buddha bar shutdown its doors a week ago and Hilton Beirut Metropolitan Palace is closing down as well. I was told another big hotel will be closing down very soon as well.

The economic situation as a whole is no better and Lebanon’s Economic Committees are describing it as a disastrous one. Given those facts, I keep wondering why no measures are taken to help those hotels and businesses such as lowering the absurdly high rental prices in Beirut and even outside it. I only ask the Minister of Tourism to stop living in lalaland and realize how serious this problem is.

Buddha Bar Beirut

Check out what he had to say about the tourism season back in June:

Lebanon’s tourism minister said the crucial summer tourism season would not be badly damaged by growing domestic unrest and turmoil in neighbouring Syria, and forecast revenues this year of about $7 billion, similar to last year.

Fadi Abboud shrugged off concern that tourism could take a heavy hit and said he expected 1.8 million visitors this year, despite an almost complete absence of overland travelers. [Link]

I know it’s not his fault and the situation as a whole is messed up but he needs to take drastic measures to save whatever is left because there are hundreds of families at stake. If there’s a crisis, let’s accept that fact and handle it as such.

Brgr Co, my favorite burger place in Lebanon, is now open at Beirut Souks. I highly recommend it to all burger lovers in Lebanon. Mark has already reviewed the place, you can check it out [Here].

Everyone in Lebanon knows this is not how Hamra looks like these days or ever looked like and It’s only normal that the Lebanese government sues Homeland producers for this misrepresentation of Beirut streets in Season2. Here’s what Tourism Minister Fadi Abboud had to say about the matter:

Minister Abboud said the reach of the show made the misrepresentation even more problematic. “This series has a lot of viewers and if you are promoting Lebanon as a non-secure zone it will affect tourism. It will mean a lot of foreigners stay away if they are convinced by what they see,” he said. “Beirut is one of the most secure capitals in the world, more secure than London or New York.”

The show was not filmed in Lebanon at all, but was shot instead in the Israeli city of Haifa. For Abboud the fact that it was filmed in a state with which Lebanon is technically at war was an added insult. “We would like to welcome the crews here to film in this city — we were offended by the fact that they filmed the thing in Israel and said it was Beirut,” he said. [Source]

And this is how Hamra really looks like these days:

Picture from Sieskte