Beaches, bars and boys of Beirut and beyond

Paul

This posting has to begin with a tribute, to a Beirut boy (also a Montrealer and my bf's "little" brother), who has been persistent is asking me to mention him in my blog. Paul - this posting is in your honour.

After 11 days of Lebanon, and arriving back in Paris, to a world that feels a little more familiar to me, I want reflect on the sites and sounds of daily life (in the summer) for the young Lebanese. No where have I been, where so many people take the time to enjoy and "celebrate" life on a daily basis.

Upon arriving to Beirut, I expected to go to a family home, be forced to eat dinner for the 2nd time and to relax. Instead, I was immediately taken through a beautiful downtown, lit up by the lights of a mosque, rebuilt city walls, and headlights of BMWs, Mercedes, Range Rovers, Maseratis and Ferraris alike. This was the beginning of lots of sun, eating and drinking - the amount you would consume at an all-inclusive vacation, but the atmosphere continuously changing.

The bars I was fortunate enough to check out:

Main bar at SKYBAR

Night 1 - the bar on top of Virgin Megastore (I already forget what is called). Outdoor patio, with greenery surrounding the edges, and a bachelorette party of sorts, where the bride and groom both attended. I'm not really sure why everyone was calling it a bachelorette to be honest.
Night 2 - SkyBar - the happening place of Beirut that I already mentioned
Night 3 - Le Capital - another rooftop supper lounge - older crowd (25-40)
Night 4 - in a winery for a grande soiree
Night 5 - White - rooftop club that is "known" in Beirut and seems to be either loved or hated by locals. I was so tired the night I was there that I couldn't really form any opinion except for liking the bartenders' shirts

Night 6 - Dragonfly - a small bar on Gemmayze
Night 7 - out in Byblos and nearby restaurant on the sea
Night 8 - El Mandalou - my absolute favourite. It's built in an old movie theatre turned supper club. The clientele is "mature", aka the men are 50+, but the people watching scene is fabulous. I am 100% certain that 75% of the women at this club (aged 20-65, some of whom were undoubtedly escorts) had gone to the salon to get their hair done for their "night on the town"

Night 9 - Centrale - a resto with a bar on top, that is just west of Gemmayze...
I'm sure I missed a night in there, but that gives you a good idea of the numerous spots to go in Beirut.

In terms of beaches, we checked out many... and they are not really "beaches", but rather, beach clubs.
The posh ones include: La Riviera, Le Montagnou, La Plage, Eddi Sands and Orchid... and the not as posh one would be "Pierre and Friends". Note, that out of the 6 we went to, I consider 5 of them to be "posh". This is Lebanon.

Le Montagnou @ Faraya

Sands - just south of Byblos

Last, but obviously not least, are the boys of Beirut. In an effort to be politically correct, I will keep my words to a minimum. Older men, are not in great shape and not particularly charming... younger men aim to impress. They are dark haired, dark eyes, and generally well dressed. The few fair ones are hard to come by, and generally very unique in their physical appearance. Not all, of course, are as courtesy and polite as Paul, although I'm sure some would give him I good run for his money;) I think, however, I got off easy by not wandering off on my own. I was rarely accosted by the everyday "man on the street," which is surprising considering I look nothing like a Lebanese girl. Either that, or maybe it's the lack of plastic surgery and layers of make-up... yes, I did write that - oops! I give them credit though. The women in that country are BEAUTIFUL.