Lebanon

Lebanon: “If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home."
― James A. Michener

Lebanon was never really on my travel radar, however when we decided to visit Egypt and Jordan last year we found that it was cheaper to fly via Lebanon. I’m never one to turn down a new destination and so we booked a stopover in Beirut. More people than not questioned whether Beirut was safe and whether or not it was still war torn, the reality however was very different.

Known as the ‘Paris of the Middle East’ this diverse city surprised us in almost every way possible. Beirut was both everything and nothing we expected it to be. We'd only planned our visit as a stopover for a few days and wished we'd given ourselves so much longer.

We had a lovely stay at the luxurious Le Bristol Hotel and the rooftop pool saved us from heat stroke as we visited in the middle of Summer. Beirut had a beautiful coastline and we loved strolling along the Corniche, the city’s very French-inspired promenade.

The coastline was framed with remnants of grand buildings from when Lebanon was the must-visit place to visit in the Middle East. We walked all around the city exploring and found so many beautiful places as well as many sad reminders from the wars.

The Lebanese people were so friendly, we felt completely safe and the food was amazing! Beirut has so much potential to be an amazing destination and I really hope we can visit again one day.