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Old Aug 8, 2010, 2:20 pm
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geoffsb
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 19
Le Gray Hotel, Beirut

Below is a a report of my recent trip to Beirut, BD 907, LHR to BEY, staying at the fabulous new Le Gray Hotel. And here are links to the full version on my personal site and hi res pictures for download

http://www.luxurytravelblog.net/The_...1_Entry_1.html

http://www.luxurytravelblog.net/The_...ay_Beirut.html


Is this really Beirut’s moment of renaissance? Somehow the wonderful new Le Gray seems to stand for more than just another new hotel development. Downtown Beirut now has a world class luxury venue which is attracting the smart and successful (and a few hangers-on like me) from all over Europe. It must have cost Campbell Gray and his backers a small mint to build this place, in the middle of a global recession.



Le Gray is surrounded by dozens of other new upmarket developments - mainly shops and apartment blocks - which leads one to think that big investors, and the rich Lebanese diaspora, have decided this is the time to place their bets on Beirut. The past is still all around, of course, in the shape of massive paintings of various local pols who have been assassinated recently. It’s still hard to believe that parts of this city were bombed to hell as recently as four years ago.

Le Hotel

Le Gray is the brainchild of the guy who owns One Aldwych in London, a small stylish hotel which has always been good to me! I toasted the start of 2010 at an excellent dinner in the Indigo restaurant upstairs. But Mr Gray has really outdone himself with his Beirut creation, which has already won so much acclaim around the world.



After passing into the small hotel lobby, the first thing you notice is the smart uniforms of the staff. They are all dressed in sharply cut grey suits with pinkish shirts, an excellent combination which I am now - somewhat ridiculously - copying at work.

Don’t let that small lobby deceive you. Stepping into the glass elevator, you travel up a wide circular atrium which goes all the way to the uber-cool Bar Sixty Three (above), a kind of blue heaven which looks out on downtown Beirut from all sides, with cocktails to match (below).



We had executive suites at Le Gray (below), which has everything you’d expect of a contemporary hotel like this. Probably the best feature was the very long terrace, which was perfect for a leisurely breakfast.



Indigo on the Roof

Sticklers for brand consistency will love the fact that Mr Gray gives the same names to the restaurants in his different hotels. So there is also an Indigo restaurant in Le Gray Beirut, as there is in London. But the view is a little better. All you can see while dining at One Aldwych is the downstairs bar packed with boozed-up locals. In Beirut, Indigo is on the roof (hence the brand variation ‘Indigo on the Roof’), and you can see all across the city and the sea beyond as you tuck into some delicious local fish and white wine.



Infinity Pool

If you had to pick one feature which really makes this hotel, it’s the rooftop Pool Lounge (top) where you can swim and laze around under the Beirut sun - all day if you want. But Beirut is far too exciting a city for that.
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