Middle East - Anthony Ham [370]
The grotto is a 7km walk from Bcharré; follow the signs to L’Aiglon Hotel and then take the footpath opposite. It’s then a 1.5km walk to the grotto.
Sleeping & Eating
Hotel Tiger House ( 03-378 138; tigerhousepension@hotmail.com; Rue Cedre; dm US$10) On the high road out towards the Cedars ski resort, this is a comfy option with friendly owners. Outside the high summer or ski seasons, you’ll likely have the bonus of a whole dorm room to yourself. Rates include breakfast.
Palace Hotel ( 671 460; s/d/tr US$30/40/48) Located just below the main road, about 100m west of St Saba Church, the hotel offers simple, clean rooms, with breakfast provided for an additional US$4.50. Rooms on the 2nd floor have balconies with views over the valley.
Hotel Chbat ( 671 270; Rue Gibran; s/d/tr US$45/70/85) More Swiss-looking than Lebanese, this friendly, chalet-style hotel has comfortable rooms with balconies, many of which have sitting rooms attached and lovely views across the valley. There are two restaurants, both serving hearty Lebanese food, and the lounge/bar usually has a roaring log fire in winter,
Makhlouf Elie Restaurant ( 672 585; Main St; 9am-midnight) This little place, with a rooftop terrace and beautiful views, serves standard Lebanese fast food – mezze, sandwiches and the like – and meals here come to about US$5 per person.
Getting There & Away
The bus and service taxi stop are outside the St Saba Church. Click here for details of services between Tripoli, Bcharré and the Cedars.
There’s also a minibus to Beirut’s Dawra transport hub, which leaves every morning at 7am (LL5000), but double-check with a local that it’s running outside ski season. When the road is open, you can take a taxi from Bcharré all the way to Baalbek (1½ hours) across the beautiful, bleak mountains for around US$60.
Return to beginning of chapter
THE CEDARS
06
One of Lebanon’s most attractive ski resorts, the Cedars is also Lebanon’s oldest and most European in feel. The village takes its name from one of the country’s few remaining groves of cedar trees, which stands on the right-hand side of the road as you head up towards the ski lifts. A few of these slow-growing trees are thought to be approaching 1500 years old, and fall under the protection of the Patriarch of Lebanon, who holds a festival here each August.
Since the trees are desperately trying to be protected, you can usually walk through the forest on marked trails (the area is reliably open 9am to 6pm between May and October; check at other times), except when the ground is soft and tree roots might be unwittingly damaged by visitors.
The ski season takes place here from around December to April, depending on snow conditions, and there are currently eight lifts in operation. Equipment can be rented from a number of small ski shops at the base of the lifts, coming in at around US$5 to US$12 per day. An adult day pass to the slopes costs US$20 Monday to Friday and US$27 at weekends; the price drops to US$10 and US$17 if it’s just for the afternoon. A new, higher lift should be in operation by 2009, in time for the planned 2009 Asian Ski Championships to be held here. For more on skiing in Lebanon, visit the Ski Lebanon website (www.skileb.com), which offers information, packages, trips and accommodation bookings.
Sleeping & Eating
There’s a good sweep of accommodation for all budgets at the Cedars, with great off-season discounts if you’re here in summer for the hiking. Check, too, about mid-week rates during the winter, which are usually substantially cheaper than weekend prices. There aren’t many dedicated restaurants in town, as most people eat at their hotels after a day on the slopes.
Hotel Mon Refuge ( 671 397; s/d/apt US$15/30/120; ) This simple place has pleasant rooms and apartments sleeping up