Originally Posted by Goldorak

Introduction A new Sofitel for me : Beirut Le Gabriel, where I had a very pleasant 3 nights stay. This hotel is of medium size and is a kind of boutique hotel with charm and a nice atmosphere as you can see on the lobby pictures below. It is located in one of the Christian neighborhood of Beirut called Achrafieh, very close to downtown (15 to 30 min walking depending where you go). I had booked transportation (taxi) from the airport with the hotel. It costs USD28 and they bill it to your room, which is convenient and avoid hard discussion with the driver (taxi rates must often need to be negociated in Lebanon). Check In I was awaited by the front desk agent. I had booked a luxury/king room and was "upgraded" to "Luxury/king with balcony" which is indeed a different (slightly more expensive) room category. Could have been better for that upgrade but I liked the room and the balcony was definitely something pleasant to enjoy the nice Beirut weather when working in my room or just having a morning coffee. So I decided to not push further. I am sure Starflyergold will be happy to know about the balcony ;-)I was given plenty of information about what to visit in Beirut during the little free time I had while being there. Room It was a corner room which means plenty of sun and this was really great. No real desk but a table which allowed me to work properly. 2 big closets with drawers, safety box, mini bar and kettle for tea/instant coffee. A Bose sound station.Sofitel MyBed was very comfortable as usual.On the weak points to be mentioned:- no espresso machine - small bathroom- poor soundproofing for outside noise (car traffic in the street). It becomes "noisy" from about 6 am. Before is OK. It is not horribly bad but still.Welcome gift was a bit basic and consisted in a plate of fruits and a plate of oriental pastries.Water was replenished regularly.There was a turndown service every evening. Dining The bar and restaurant are located on the ground floor. There is an outdoor terrace at the back where it was pleasant to have lunch. There is no Club Lounge in this Sofitel.The drink voucher usable at the bar was valid for everything including Champagne.The restaurant is very good, but serves mostly Western (French) cuisine and not enough Lebanese dishes in my opinion. I had several meals at the hotel and they were of very good quality.If you want to go out for dinner, there are plenty of great restaurants at walking distance (10 min) in the rue Monot area. Other amenities In the basement, you have the fitness room and a swimming pool of decent size. One can of course regret it is not outdoor, but it has the merit to exist. I enjoyed having a swim in. Overall The staff was nice. I needed to delay my check-out to 1 pm which was granted immediately.Overall, a very pleasant stay. I would certainly return if I had to return to BEY.