Middle East - Anthony Ham [361]
Beit Mery’s Al Bustan Festival (www.albustanfestival.com) is held in mid-February, with a varied program of chamber, choral and orchestral music. Many of the festival’s performances take place at the Hotel Al Bustan (below).
About 4km northeast of Beit Mery is Brummana, a more bustling resort town connected to Beit Mery by a continuous strip full of hotels, eateries, cafés, shops and nightclubs. In summer it’s equally popular with Beirutis escaping the city heat and has a carnival-like atmosphere, particularly on weekends. There’s nothing particular to do here except to eat, drink and be merry (Beit Merry, perhaps); be aware that it’s extremely quiet outside summer season and weekends.
Sleeping & Eating
There are dozens of places to stay and eat in both Beit Mery and Brummana, but unless you’re in Lebanon for an extended stay, there’s not much reason to favour them over Beirut itself.
Hotel Al-Bustan ( 972 980/82; www.albustanhotel.com; Beit Mery; s/d/ste from US$195/215/230; ) One of the smartest hotels in the two towns, this is a good choice during the popular Al Bustan Festival, since many concerts are performed in the hotel itself. Note that prices rise accordingly.
Restaurant Mounir ( 873 900; Main St, Brummana; mezze LL4000-7000; noon-midnight) If you’re especially hungry while flitting between the two towns, a culinary highlight is Mounir, which serves food on a pleasant terrace (equipped with a children’s playground) with spectacular views over Beirut and the Mediterranean. Book in advance, request a table with a view, and settle in for a long lunch.
Getting There & Away
Service taxis from the National Museum or Dawra usually charge LL2500 to either Beit Mery or Brummana. The LCC bus 7 (LL750, 40 minutes) and OCFTC bus 7 both depart for here from Beirut from opposite the National Museum.
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JEITA GROTTO
09
For many visitors to Lebanon, the stunning Jeita grotto ( 220 840; www.jeitagrotto.com; adult/child under 12 LL18,150/10,075; 9am-6pm Tue-Fri, 9am-7pm Sat & Sun summer, 9am-5pm Tue-Sun winter, closed for 4 weeks late Jan-early Feb) is one of the highlights of their trip. One of the world’s most impressive agglomerations of stalactites and stalagmites (remember the old rhyme, recalling that hanging ‘stalactites hold on tight’?) it’s also one of Lebanon’s biggest tourist attractions. Extending around 6km back into the mountains, the caves were used as an ammunition store during the civil war, and their lower strata are flooded each winter due to the rising levels of the Nahr-el-Kalb (or Dog River) for which they form the source.
The incredible upper cavern, though, stays open all year, and can be explored on foot even when boat rides into the lower cavern are suspended due to flooding. And despite all kinds of tatty side attractions – including a toy train ride – the site remains a spectacular day trip from the city. Bear in mind that there’s no photography allowed: you can stow your camera in lockers at the mouth of the caverns.
To get to the grotto, which lies about 18km northeast of Beirut, take a minibus (LL1500), or LCC bus 6 or OCFTC bus 4 (LL750) from Dawra and ask the driver to drop you at the Jeita turn-off on the Beirut–Jounieh Hwy. From here, negotiate a return price with a waiting taxi for the 5km journey (around US$12 to US$15), and make sure to figure in waiting time, since taxis one-way from the grotto back to the highway or Dawra charge a premium. Alternatively, a return taxi trip from Beirut should cost around US$25.
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