hello graeme

i toally agree with what you have said. places such as croatia and beirut to visit have always been a no go area as far as a holiday destination and i am sure there are lots of other destinations no one would think of going too.

if there's any forum members out there who have experienced other unusual places to visit? if you have, please comment and share your experiences with the other members.

just as a footnote the new york times has a list "the 44 places to go in 2009" and beirut tops it at number 1, honest.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/01/11/travel/20090111_DESTINATIONS.html

cheers

jim

ps. bye the way (a good scottish saying), i don't work for the lebanese tourist board, honest.

Hi jim,

Great stuff. Glad to hear you had such a lovely time - it's not somewhere I would ever have seriously considered as a holiday destination, but your experience proves that you should never simply go by what you see on TV or think is this situation in a particular country.

I remember a similar situation back in the 90s with Croatia - yet the former Yugoslavia was a hugely popular destination for holidaymakers back in the 80s.

Does anyone else have any experience of visiting Beirut?

hello

i have just returned from a 6 night stay in beirut lebanon and for me it has been one of the best destinations i have visited. there is everything there to suit every taste.

http://www.lebanon-tourism.gov.lb/Default.aspx

if you like to visit historical sites ther are plenty to see from the ancient city of baalback with some of the best Roman architecture to see in the world. the Romans selected this site to construct the largest religious temples in their empire. Over a span of 200 years (60 B.C.-150 A.D.), a succession of Roman emperors oversaw the construction of the magnificent temples to honor the divine Roman trinity: Jupiter, Venus, and Mercury. These temples also served as a monument to the wealth and power of Imperial Rome. Byblos a port that dates back to 5,000 - 4,000 B.C. along with many others.

as a destination for sports it's also great and the weather is good all year round. you could also spend time at one of the many beaches near beirut in the morning and ski in the afternoon at one of the 6 ski resorts to the east of beirut.

the nightlife, dining and attractions are superb to suite every taste.

while i was there i felt completly safe, i know peoples conception of beirut is one of a city that has been scarred with a history of bombing, the war and a city that has been devasted over time, to be be totally honest it couldn't be further from the truth. beiret today is a vibrant city with plenty of construction going one, very cosmopolitan, the people are some of the friendlist ive met and the majority speak english and very few buildings show the difficult past it has.

with flying time from london to beirut of only 4hrs 30mins it's ideal even for a short stay of 4 nights. 3 full days with tours is enough to get even a taste of the city if time is against you, better still spend at least 7 nights.

i did visit the FCO site and their advice is it's safe but follow a few guidlines to make your holiday more enjoyable and safer, ie... don't take pictures of government buildings, dont talk about religion etc... they also advise not to visit the south of the country. but on the whole they are not advising against visiting lebanon. last but not least if you are still unsure visit.

http://blog.paradizo.com/luxury-vacation/top-44-places-to-visit-in-2009-from-the-new-york-times/

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=times+newspaper+20+places+to+visit+lebanon&meta=&aq=f&oq=

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=beirut+best+holiday+destination&meta=&aq=f&oq=

if you decide to go there are plenty of 1st class hotels next to the marina in the port of beirut (just a walk from the new downtown area) better still, stay in the Hamra district to get a taste of the old beirut. hamra used to be the centre of beirut and is the still the most vibrant part of the city with sights, smells (good i may add) and a way of life to surpass many other cities in the world.

sorry i willk not bore you any longer, i will now sign off now but do consider lebanon, it's fantastic.....

regards

jim