Middle East - Anthony Ham [427]
Money
There are Syriabank ATMs all over Lattakia. One of the more central ones is at the Commercial Bank of Syria No.2 Branch (Sharia Baghdad); it may also change travellers cheques for a flat fee of S£25.
Post
Main post office ( 8am-2pm Sun-Thu) Some distance out of the centre, just north of the train station, in a little alley off Sharia Suria.
Telephone
Telephone office (Sharia Seif al-Dawla; 8am-11pm) To make an international call, buy a phone card then wait your turn for a free phone. You can also make calls from some internet cafés.
Tourist Information
Mohammed Ziadeh ( 093 337 6900; safwanhotel@go.com) Even if you’re not staying at Safwan Hotel & Hostel (right), Mohammad has his finger on Lattakia’s pulse and his mission in life seems to be keep travellers to his city well informed.
Tourist office ( 416 926; www.syriatourism.org; Sharia 14 Ramadan; 8am-8pm Sat-Thu) Opposite the Riviera Hotel. English-speaking staff supply maps and not much more.
Visa Extensions
Immigration office ( 8am-2pm Sun-Thu) Beyond the tourist office, near Saahat Jumhuriyya, and on the far side of a large traffic roundabout.
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SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES
The small National Museum of Lattakia (Sharia Jamal Abdel Nasser; adult/student S£150/10; 9am-6pm Wed-Mon Apr-Sep, 8am-4pm Wed-Mon Oct-Mar) is housed in a charming old khan near the waterfront. Though its archaeological garden is attractive, the museum’s displays are rather unimpressive, but do include some inscribed tablets from Ugarit, beautiful jewellery, coins and figurines, ceramics and pottery and a Crusader-era chainmail suit and swords.
Blue Beach is a good public beach at Shaati al-Azraq, 6km north of town. Minibuses (S£10) leave from a back alley down the side of the big, white school on Saahat al-Sheikh Daher. A taxi will cost S£150 one way.
The best beaches in Lattakia are monopolised by the large tourist resorts, which charge an extortionate S£700 for nonguests to use them.
Women will feel comfortable swimming at Wadi Qandil, 25km north of town, where the beach has black sand and clean water. To get here, catch a microbus (S£15) from the station near the stadium. Microbuses (S£20) also leave from here going to Burj Islam, where there’s clean water and a stone beach. Ask to get off at Sakhra (the Rock). Women won’t feel quite as comfortable here.
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SLEEPING
As a seaside town that’s popular with Syrians in summer, prices at some midrange hotels drop by as much as 15% in winter and rise by up to 20% in summer.
Budget
Hotel Lattakia ( 479 527; Sharia Yousef al-Azmeh; s/d S£500/700, without bathroom S£250/350; ) Some of the cheapest beds in Lattakia are to be found here. The building’s seen better days and the rooms (some with fan, some with air-con) are basic, but they’re clean and the owner is friendly. Compared to other options in this price range around Syria, the bathrooms aren’t at all bad. There’s also a kitchen for use by guests. The hotel is tucked away in a central location, down a narrow alley north of the Al-Ajan mosque.
Safwan Hotel & Hostel ( 453 801, 093 337 6900; safwanhotel@go.com; Sharia Mousa bin Nosier; mattress on roof S£200, dm/s/d S£300/450/700, s/d without bathroom S£400/600) This could be our favourite backpackers’ hotel in Lattakia. It’s not that the rooms are anything special – they’re basic and sometimes rundown, but clean (it pays to ask to see a few before choosing). Rather, the place is run by Tintin fan Mohammad Ziadeh and his family, and Mohammad is switched on to travellers’ needs (see left). He’s an engaging host.
Hotel al-Atlal ( 476 121; Sharia Yousef al-Azmeh; s/d from S£350/700) This simple, quiet establishment has immaculate rooms with snug beds and freshly laundered sheets; the bathrooms have squat toilets. There’s a pleasant common area with free tea and satellite TV. The family who run the place add much warmth to your stay.
Hotel Riyad ( 479 778; fax 476 315; Sharia 14 Ramadan; s/d US$22/26; ) Overlooking a busy road but close to the centre, the