By Samar Kadi –Middle-East Online- BEIRUT
“Feeling
at home” is the idea behind L’Hôte Libanais — the Lebanese Host — 15
guesthouses and boutique hotels carefully selected to give guests
genuine insight into traditional Lebanese living.
Nestled
in quiet village quarters, centuries-old buildings hidden in the
mountains or artsy apartments tucked in the heart of Beirut, the
guesthouses are scattered across Lebanon, with each having its own
cachet and characteristics. L’Hôte Libanais introduced
guesthouses to Lebanon 15 years ago, guided by a belief that “the best
way to experience a country is to share its food and to mingle with the
local people,” said group founder Orphée Haddad.
“Although
the Lebanese people are very hospitable, the tourism industry in
Lebanon for years was mainly based on hotels in Beirut, from where
tourists would go on day trips to visit historical sites,” Haddad said.
“Those who did not know anyone in Lebanon were stuck in places mainly
dedicated to tourists and did not have a chance to experience what real
Lebanese life is.” The gist of the endeavour is to have
the Lebanese people open their houses to foreigners looking to better
understand Lebanon and gain first-hand experience of Lebanese
hospitality.
“This is how L’Hôte Libanais started. I
went from neighbourhood to neighbourhood and from village to village
knocking on doors and sharing my idea,” Haddad said. The
first guest houses of L’Hôte Libanais started operating in 2005- 06,
receiving both foreign guests and the Lebanese who wanted to explore
their country. “This is how global travelling is moving
now,” Haddad said. “Today people are looking for something more
genuine. The old tourism with impersonal large hotels has probably
changed into something that is more focused on the experience. It is an
experience with the food and the area itself.” L’Hôte
Libanais members are carefully selected through strict criteria that
combine the physical with the flavour and feel of the place.
“Architecture
is one of them but the building should not necessarily be old,” Haddad
said. “The place should have something to tell about Lebanese history,
about the country and its traditions but the most important criterion
is to show a different Lebanon than the Lebanon that was shown for
years to tourists.”
Just walking distance from the
Beirut nightlife hub of Gemayze, the Sursock Museum and downtown is
Jamil Azar’s guesthouse, Dar Al Achrafieh, in one of the Lebanese
capital’s mythical neighbourhoods.
“It is my family
house where I was born. It has two rooms for guests and has been part of
the L’Hôte Libanais family since 2005,” Azar said of his 90-year-old
house with its art deco furnishings and painted ceilings.
“It
is special because, first of all, guests are staying in a traditional
Lebanese house and with a Lebanese host. They feel that they are really
in Lebanon. I welcome them personally, give them directions to places
to visit, to museums and restaurants. These are small things that they
appreciate and make them feel at home.”
For those who
want to experience Lebanon’s traditional village life, L’Hôte Libanais
offers a selection of guesthouses nestled in high mountains or in the
heart of olive groves, such as Rola Bazerji’s Bouyouti in the Chouf
Mountains.
When Bazerji and her husband decided to
build a summer home under the olive trees, they had no intention of
turning the place into a boutique hostel.
“There was a
small stone house on the land, so we decided to build a bigger one for
us. Then we built another small house for our friends and guests, then
another and another. Now we have 12 houses scattered in the olive
orchard, which we later turned into guesthouses,” Bazerji said.
The
houses differ in size but they all have a small terrace and a
kitchenette. Some have two bedrooms and a living area and the place is
equipped with a swimming pool, a bar and a restaurant under the olive
trees.
“The place has become our baby. In every house
there is everything the guests need to make them feel at home,” Bazerji
said. “The area is very popular with foreigners and Lebanese alike, with
its touristic sites, like Deir el Qamar, Beiteddine Palace and the
Cedars’ Reserve of Barouk. We are located in the middle of an open
museum.”
All guesthouses of L’Hôte Libanais operate on
a bed-and-breakfast concept. Jacqueline Helwanji’s breakfast at Dar
Qadisha is an example of genuine traditional food.
Breakfast
includes homemade jams from fruit that Helwanji grows in the garden of
her 100-year-old house in the village of Hasroun overlooking the famous
Qadisha Valley, mankoushe, known as the Lebanese pizza, with fresh
zaatar (thyme), local goat cheeses, organic eggs and labneh (strained
yoghurt).
With prices ranging $80-$250 for a double
bedroom per night, L’Hôte Libanais offers individuals of all budgets the
opportunity to discover and fall in love with Lebanon, Haddad said.
“L’Hôte Libanais’s experience is about a coming together of people, place, aesthetics, and tastes,” he said.