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A labour of love

Recently recommended to New York Times readers, Lebanon’s capital city has regained its tourist appeal. Nathan May discovers more about Beirut

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Last year Beirut was recommended as the number one destination by the New York Times, helping the city regain its party city status and its moniker as the Middle East’s answer to Paris.

Lebanon’s capital has certainly undergone significant reconstruction following its years of civil unrest. Construction company Solidere – owned by former prime minister Rafic Hariri – bought a huge amount of the city centre after Beirut’s conflicts eased. Hariri was on a mission to completely transform the area around Martyrs’ Square and banish the memories of past atrocities. The bulldozers came in, and concerns were raised that the new Beirut would be void of history and soul. Thankfully the restoration work has been handled with care, and street after street of tastefully restored stone buildings and ornate mosques provide a beautiful centrepiece to the city.

Downtown Beirut has seen the most renovation, and can now boast a number of luxury hotels and swanky bars to accommodate the jet set crowd. In October Le Gray, a member of Leading Small Hotels of the World, opened its doors and is welcoming travellers to “a contemporary luxury property as stylish as the city itself.” And at the start of this year, the renowned Four Seasons chain opened its latest luxury residence in Beirut, offering customers a “see-and-be-seen rooftop terrace, where guests can swim high in the sky or celebrate ’til sunrise.”

These hotels have brought with them the stamp of luxury that Beirut has been striving for. The famed nightlife goes hand in hand with this opulence, as a cluster of sophisticated bars give travellers the chance to party the night away in real style. The Skybar is perhaps the most well known, where a bottle of Cristal champagne costs around £10,000. If the price seems a little excessive, bear in mind that the bottle is delivered alongside a mini firework display, just to make sure everyone in the bar knows where the big spenders are sitting.

One can spend a number of days in Beirut perusing the new shopping centres, housed in the restored souks. While most shops cater for high-end fashion, the city has surprisingly embraced some western regulars such as Virgin Megastore and even a Dunkin’ Donuts. A further indication that Beirut is now placed firmly on the business travel map.

However, evidence of Beirut’s unstable past is still present in some places. The significant Holiday Inn building, complete with bullet holes and bomb craters, still cuts an imposing figure on the cityscape, providing every visitor with a timely reminder of this country’s struggle. Away from the capital, building and renovation takes on a different perspective. Seafront mansions are frequently lost to marble skyscrapers as the government moves to capitalise on Beirut’s newfound tourist trade. Along the coast at Jbeil, even the beach has been lost to renovation, and in its place lies a private ‘beach club’ to cater for the tourist dollar. As Beirut’s rise to international recognition reaches its climax in the coming years, one can only hope the edgy appeal of the city is not lost.

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