Lebanon with one-year old kid

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umnaja
umnaja

Hi!
We are planning to spend a week in Lebanon in November with our one year old son.
We are pretty open to the route; the most important thing is that our son has a good time (so that we have a good time ... ;-) ). So we don t want to stress around, but rather pick one or two places (plus Beirut) that are reasonably easy to reach.

So, we are curious to hear about other parents' experiences! And we would be grateful to hear some recommendations other parents (or others of course!!) can make about traveling around, where to go best etc.

Can anyone advice on a child-friendly hotel in any of the villages/towns at the sea or in the mountains?
Did you travel with stroller and/or piggy-back?
How did you get around in Beirut?

Looking forward to your hearing your experiences and recommendations!

Cheers

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south_of_60
south_of_60

Hi,
I was there last November and it was very nice!
Make sure you are not going during or after Muslim holidays as prices will skyrocket!

I stayed at the Mayflower which was nice. They have kitchen facilities.

Also, check with a travel agency, they can provide a van and guide at reasonable rates.
I used Tania travel, which do do tours and proviude lunch!

taniahamra@taniatravel.com

I did my own thing which would be twice the price you would pay!
Stay in Beruit and go on day tours!
The streets of Beruit are rough so "piggy back"!
I did see women with 4" heels pushing strollers on Hamra, but do not think you may be comfortable!

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aussie_in_beirut
aussie_in_beirut

Stroller's are out most of the time! Even if there is a reasonable path you will not fit one between the parked cars when you have to cross a road.

Something else that has concerned some parents posting here is the lack of seatbelts and/or child seats for taxis. If you want a safer option that street taxis with English speaking drivers look up 'Lebanon Taxi' on Google. Slightly more expensive of course.

I have never used Tania travel to get around Lebanon but I used to use them to book international flights and they did provide good service. Nakhal (nakhal.com.lb) is another popular company for arranging tours.

Be careful of the 'resorts' along the North coast from Byblos up towards Tripoli. Many look a lot nicer on the internet than they are in reality.

If you want to head up into the Mountains you could try Bikfaya. Not as far to travel from Beirut as Bcharre and a very nice area. A few hotel options too.

A lot depends on what you want to see and do.

If you travel a little more off the tourist path, you are likely to spend considerable time waiting for you child to be returned to you before you can continue :) Everyone loves a baby, no one more so than the Lebanese!

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umnaja
umnaja

Dear south_of_60 and Aussie_in_Beirut

Thanks a lot for your comments!! They are very much appreciated! We will look into the travel agencies you mentioned!

Just one more question: how is it with beach towns south of Beirut? I would really like to escape the "party" beaches and ugly hotel complexes that seem to mushroom north of Beirut ...

Thanks again!

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aussie_in_beirut
aussie_in_beirut

There is not really any 'quality' coastline until you get right down South, past Tyre, and not so many accomodation options.

I have to admit I didn't really stay down that way overnight very much.

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