There are two reasons to stay at the Al-Bustan, apart from the fact it's a wonderful hotel. The first is to get away from it all; the hotel is set up on the hills overlooking Beirut where the air is fresh and full of birdsong and silence. The second is the wonderfully eclectic Al-Bustan festival which occurs every February/March...
Telephone: +961 (0)4 972 980
Url: www.albustanhotel.com
Price: $230-550
The Al-Bustan Hotel is piece of Lebanese history located high up in the hillside village of Beit Mery, and commanding a wonderful view over the whole of Beirut and the surrounding areas.
Built in 1962 by the entrepreneur Emile Bustani, who died in a plane crash soon after, the Al-Bustan – which means ‘the garden’ – is possibly the only Beirut hotel to have an Arabic name and is imbued with plenty of Lebanese style, charm and authenticity to go with it. Still privately owned, it is clean and well kept; and while not as modern as the central Beirut hotels, each room contains a painting or sculpture from part of the Bustani art collection.
This is the hotel to stay in if you want to be on the fringe of Beirut, and in the summer the mountain air makes it a cool alternative to the often-sweltering town centre. Just 20 minutes down the hill to Beirut, and about the same time to the airport, the Al-Bustan is an original Lebanese gem.
