Activities in Lebanon
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A
St George Yacht Motor Club
The swishest of the beach clubs in the centre of town, the St George is a recently renovated version of what was the club of the 1960s. It has a marina, a nice pool, jet skis, restaurants and grass on which to stretch out, along with a pleasant children's playground.
reviewed
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B
The Spa
Beirutis are buff, and keep themselves so by submitting themselves to a whole host of pumping and perking procedures. Most gyms only admit members for one month or more, but hotel health clubs are an exception to the rule. For pampering, the best of the bunch is The Spa.
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Golf Club of Lebanon
The Golf Club of Lebanon, set in 50 picturesque hectares, is Lebanon's only championship level 18-hole course. The club also has tennis and squash courts, swimming pool and billiard tables on offer, and allows visitors onto its greens for a fee, plus optional equipment rental and caddy fee.
reviewed
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C
Riviera Beach Club
Belonging to the upmarket Riviera Beirut Hotel and therefore free to guests, you'll officially need to take out membership if you're not staying at the hotel, but if it's a quiet day, you'll probably be allowed in for the regular admission fee. Facilities include a marina, a good lap pool and a nice fish restaurant.
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D
boats for hire
Along the seafront range lots of boats for hire waiting to take visitors to the small islands just offshore. A return trip takes about two hours (with enough time for a swim). If you're part of a group, you can negotiate to hire the entire boat (between 10 and 12 people). A trip to the Palm Islands Reserve should be negotiated separately.
reviewed
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E
Beirut-by-Bike
If you and your kids are feeling intrepid, you can hire bikes from Beirut-by-Bike. Downtown is officially a cyclist-friendly no-car zone on Sundays, but in practice is currently safe to cycle throughout the week, since military roadblocks have rendered it largely out of bounds to cars. Meanwhile, the pavement along the Corniche makes a good place to cycle if you're adept at dodging pedestrians.
reviewed
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F
Hippodrome
If you're into horseracing, the Hippodrome, just behind the National Museum of Beirut, is one of the only places in the Middle East where you can legally place a bet. Horse racing has always been wildly popular with the Lebanese; built by the Sursock family just after WWI, the Hippodrome was the place to go in the good old days. Go quickly, however, as the municipality, which owns the race track, is threatening to sell off the land to commercial concerns.
reviewed