On our recent trip to the Middle East we spent a few days in Beirut, a city that we very quicky fell in love with. We booked a stay at Le Bristol which was centrally located in downtown Beirut, within walking distance (or a short uber ride) to all the main sites and neighbourhoods. Le Bristol was an oasis of calm and luxury and the perfect place to retreat to each day after a big day of exploring the city.
We arrived mid-morning and were greeted by the friendly doormen who whisked our bags away, helped us through security and promptly arranged for us to be checked in. We were happy to hear that our room was available for an early check in and within a few minutes we were led from the stylish lobby to our room on the third floor.
We’d booked a deluxe king room which was located on the Hipster floor. Our room was a combination of a traditional, classic French style with hip, contemporary touches.
The room was spacious with a wonderfully soft king bed, bathroom with a powerful shower, L’Occitane toiletries, air conditioning, excellent Wi-Fi, tea, coffee & an espresso machine.
The decor was beautiful and we felt like our room was a relaxing oasis that we could retreat to after hours of exploring in the heat.
We had large windows with views of the streets below. The windows had wonderful black out blinds which were perfect for helping ensure we caught up on all the sleep we had lost whilst travelling.
The corridors of the Hipster Floor had graffiti and photographs from all over the world, complete with scooters which Dan absolutely loved and used every single time to get from the lift to our room.
The floor also had a club lounge complete with all day snacks, tea, coffee and cold drinks.
The decor and style of the Hipster Floor truly reflects Beirut as a city, a city where street art contrasts with stylish French influences. Beirut was such a surprise to us, it was charming yet chaotic, with scars from it’s painful history but also beauty everywhere you looked.
There was chic outdoor seating areas on the rooftop terrace, the perfect place for an afternoon apertif.
There were sweeping city and street views from the rooftop. Beirut is without a doubt, our favourite Middle Eastern city to date.
There is a rooftop pool and spa which overlook the city and streets below. The pool area is an oasis with shady olive trees, sun loungers and pool umbrellas.
Beirut was SO hot during our visit (early September) and I can’t imagine how we much would have struggled if we didn’t have this beautiful pool to cool off in! It’s not an enormous pool, however it is plenty big enough for the hotel and there was only ever one or two other couples there at the same time.
There is also a well equipped, bright and clean gym which we didn’t manage to use because walking around Beirut in summer felt like enough of a workout!
We booked our stay through booking.com and it came to US$248 for two nights in a deluxe king room (approx. AUD $360 / LBP 543,537).
Le Bristol was the perfect choice of hotel in Beirut. Our only slight complaint was that we found some of the staff on reception to not be overly helpful or friendly. However all the other staff, such as the staff at the pool, housekeeping and on the doors were so lovely all the time.
We would completely recommend Le Bristol to anyone visiting Beirut and we would certainly book it again if we return to Lebanon (which we hope to)!
Le Bristol Beyrouth
Verdun
Madame Curie street
www.lebristolbeirut.com
Read more on Beirut: 20 Thoughts on Travelling in Beirut // Cost of Travelling in Beirut
