I was in Beirut over the weekend and on this trip I ended up staying at the Four Seasons Hotel in Downtown Beirut. The hotel is located in what I think is one of the nicest looking towers in Beirut, right in front of the very popular Zaituna Bay and so I was really looking forward to staying there.
Right from the moment I stepped out of my rental I knew I was going to be enjoying my stay at the hotel. The customer service at the hotel was just better then any other I had previously stayed in before and I’ve stayed at many. The feeling I kept getting is that every single employee wanted to help make your stay better, and by every single employee I don’t mean just the reception staff or managers, I mean everyone from the valet guys, to the housekeepers to the waiters. I think its the words they use but you just get this feeling that you can ask them for whatever you want and they’d love to do it and that made me super comfortable in asking them for stuff which I tend not to do.
Other than the excellent service my room was also very comfortable. I had overpacked on this trip but there was more than enough closest space and drawers to accomodate all my stuff. The room wasn’t that big but the bathroom was with a large sink area, tub, shower room, toilet room and a makeup table. The room had a balcony that was big enough to fit a table and two chairs and finally there was free wifi in the room and the whole hotel. My favorite part of the hotel though would have to be the roof. During the day the roof is a cool place to swim and tan but at night it’s an open air lounge overlooking the Mediterranean sea and Beirut.
I do have two minor complaints though. The first issue the hotel really can’t do much about but the view from my room could have been better if there wasn’t a large sand lot right outside. I live in Kuwait so I would rather not see sand lots when I travel. Even though the hotel is right in front of Zaituna Bay, my room was more on the side and I could only see the marina if I was on the balcony looking left which was disappointing. The other issue I had was with their breakfast. It’s not a breakfast buffet and one of the things I look forward to the most in hotels is their breakfast buffets. At the Four Seasons they have a dried fruit, fresh fruit and cereal buffet but if you want any hot dishes you have to order them. The advantage obviously is your breakfast is made for you and so is fresh, but the disadvantage is it takes time to make and you also can’t just fill up your plate with whatever looks good like you would do at a regular buffet.
In the end though I had a really good time at the hotel. I generally don’t tend to spend much time at hotels but on this trip I was having all my friends come over so we could just chill out on the roof. The incredibly friendly service and the lounge on the roof made me really love my stay. I’d most likely stay there again once I’m done reviewing other hotels in Beirut. Here is the link to their [Website]
I know for sure that this is the first and last time I am getting married but I hope it won’t be the last time I drive a Porsche too. Hopefully in the near future, I would have purchased a Cayenne or a 911 not rented it for few days or a special event.
For the time being, getting married is definitely an event that overcomes the joy of driving a Porsche or anything else I dreamt of, at least for me personally, and I hope everyone finds this special person in their life.
By the time this post comes out, I would be probably half way through my wedding ceremony having a blast with my family, friends and loved ones. See you all in a couple of weeks time.
Fun Fact: The road on the left is a dead-end. I don’t know who’s the genius who built it but if they had continued it, cars would have ended up in the Mediterranean sea.
I think we can safely say that Beirut is still better than other capitals in the Arab world when it comes to accepting homosexuals and lesbians but there’s still a lot of work to do.
Talk to Beiruti gays and lesbians, and you’ll find the truth seems to be as complex as the rest of Lebanon’s social politics. In a country held together by a wary part-truce between many religious and ethnic splinters, most things there seem to have a spirograph-like intricacy on closer inspection. Beirut’s waxing and waning reputation for tolerance reflects both Lebanese governments’ conflicted attempts to align themselves with the West and anxieties about the country’s future. [Full Article]
The author would be glad to know Ghost reopened, at least until now. I wouldn’t go as far though as linking the Ghost case to the status of the Syrian refugees in Lebanon and the illegal curfews being set.
To people whose lives haven’t been affected by homophobia, discussing this might seem trivial while Syria (whose capital is just 55 miles from Beirut) is pushing ever closer to Armageddon. In complicated Lebanon, however, the two issues are not unconnected. Local activists who asked to remain anonymous told me that patrons harassed at Ghost, the raided gay bar, were actually Syrian refugees, disobeying an autocratic ordnance by the local mayor to stay home after 7 p.m. Many Syrian refugees have arrived in Lebanon recently, often to mistrust and hostility from locals who remember Syria’s occupation of the country and fear the war next door spreading. The fact that their appearance in a Beirut gay bar might have been enough to spark a crackdown suggests how capricious and unstable Beirut’s no-questions-asked tolerance really is.
According to LebanonDebate, Ghost Club was given permission to reopen its doors by Mount Lebanon’s Governor Antoine Sleiman. However Dekwaneh’s citizens, mainly their religious representatives, don’t seem too happy about this decision and threatened to protest in the streets Ghost reopens.
The truck spilled almost over 20 liters in the minute I was behind him and kept switching lanes. Is it so hard to stick to the right lane and drive slowly? Why are they in a hurry?
I think the ISF and Army should consider adding a hotline on the back of their vehicles to report misconduct or reckless driving.
I don’t think we needed a poll to realize that but this is yet another proof, a scientific one this time, that Lebanon is not doing well and that businesses will suffer this summer unfortunately. More importantly, it’s a wake up call for all Lebanese to cast their votes wisely in the upcoming elections and elect those who chose to help the country not screw it over and over again.
Nine out of every ten Lebanese believe the country’s economic situation is bad, according to a new survey from the Pew Research Center published Thursday. Of those nine, nearly two thirds describe the economic situation as “very bad”. A mere one percent of Lebanese say the economy is “very good”.
The outlook for the future is equally dim. 48 percent of those polled expect the economy to get worse over the next year, while 47 percent predict today’s generation of children will be worse off than their parents. No wonder 88 percent say they’re dissatisfied with the country’s direction — more than in any other Arab nation surveyed. [Executive-Magazine]
If you want to check the original research paper, click [Here].
I thought this was some sort of joke at first but then I searched for Deghre Messengers and found an [official Facebook Page] and a [YouTube video].
Deghre Messengers is a fast, clean and Eco-friendly delivery service for a greener Beirut. I think that’s a great idea and I wish Matt all the luck in his project!
This idea reminded me of the movie “Premium Rush“. Hopefully few years from now, we’ll have a Beirut version of that movie inspired by Matt’s initiative.
Cycling has become more than a hobby for a Cheltenham man living in Lebanon. Matt Saunders, 25, who grew up in Cold Aston, near Bourton-on-the-Water, has put plans in place to start his own courier business in Beirut, the capital city in Lebanon.
“There really are too many cars on the streets here, and this results in noise, smog and hour-long traffic jams.
“I thought I saw a big gap in the market for fast, environmentally friendly delivery, and drawing on my experience as a courier, decided to move to Beirut, mobilise my contacts, and try it out.”
Since he started his venture last month, he has taken on three cyclists.
His business will be called Deghri Messengers.
Deghri is the Lebanese colloquial Arabic for straight on and right away.
The couriers are in training and are getting ready to work full time when it launches in September.” [Source]
Lebanon ran away with the HSBC Asian 5 Nations Division IV title last night at The 7evens in Dubai, beating top seeds Pakistan 45-12. It was the third successive Division IV finals appearance for Lebanon and their convincing win sees them advance to next year’s Division III competition. In the final, winger Joseph Zidan grabbed a hat-trick of tries and flyhalf Karim Jammal added 15 points through three penalty goals and three conversions as the Cedars’ 15-man approach proved too much for Pakistan. [Source]
The Lebanese Rugby Union team finally won the Division IV title after 2 previous attempts in the past two years and convincingly advanced to Division III. I had the chance to meet one of the players and you should know that these guys are really working hard to produce strong results and advance from one division to another.
Congrats to the whole team and wishing you the best of luck next year!
What is the Asian Five Nations?
The Asian Five Nations is an annual international rugby union competition held between the top five Asian national rugby sides. The teams play a round-robin competition held on five consecutive weekends throughout April and May.
The competition represents the highest tier of international rugby in Asia, and is the apex of a multi-divisional Asian international calendar. [Wiki]
It looks like Lara Kay and Myriam Klink might have some serious competition on their hands. In case you missed out on what happened with Rola Yamout, aka Haifa’s sister, in Hamra street, check it out [Here].
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