Who's Going
Business Elite, Euro Globetrotters, Foodies
Reason to Stay
Gourmet Restaurant, Rooftop Pool, Lounge, Bar
Hotel Type
Luxury Boutique Hotel
Grandmotherly Parisian-style boutique hotel was one of the first luxury properties to debut following the civil war. The hotel is located in the heart of old Beirut's Achrafieh District, a former-mansion with cheery pastel façade and courtyard café of smoking businessmen. Inside, those looking for lobby action discover a decadent drinking bar with knobby staff and occasional live music adjacent to the main reception that's far more Agatha Christie than jetset chic. Walls are draped in opulent fabrics with yawn-inducing furnishings that look like they slid out of a 19th Century dollhouse. Such preciousness extends into the restaurant, a noted Relais Chateaux-branded eatery, where a genuinely virtuous Parisian menu is served in a pseudo Wagner-theme dining room with pillars, portrait art and white-glove waiters trained with an iron chef whip. Redemption is finally found on the 9th floor rooftop with one of Beirut's best pools with hanging garden but surrounded in frilly white loungers and potbelly patrons just waiting for a glamorous hotel makeover.
The Room
Well you came here to sleep which is exactly what the room décor induces with into mix of Louis XIV chairs, paneled walls, ornate chandelier and woven carpets. A total of 33 entry-level guest rooms and suites offer varying views of the surrounding neighborhood and occasional city view. Bathrooms are a mash of marble and crystal details extending to oversize showers and Jacuzzi-style bathtubs. Beds are outfitted in high-thread count linens with frilly coverlets that lend a feminine touch. While the level of taste is more of an aesthetic question, the quality and dedication put into the hotel cannot be doubted. Service is top-notch and in-house staff and concierge cater to ever whim even in the most unusual of circumstances that can happen in downtown Beirut.
Preferred Room
European Suites
Special Features
Marble Bathrooms, City Center, Rooftop Pool
Amenities
Restaurant, Bar, Lounge, Rooftop Pool
