I visit Beirut for work on a regular basis, as well as some regular visits for some R&R to enjoy the nightlife.
A few good friends recommended that I try Smallholder, based outside my usual stay-in areas, in this case by the National Museum and the Badero area. My friends' recommendations did not disappoint.
I arrived in the evening, with the very welcoming and efficient reception staff expecting my late check-in and I was informed that I was upgraded to a suite. My long weekend in Beirut started very well. The suite is modern, clean lines, has a small kitchen and a dining / working table, balcony, (I think all rooms have a balcony), a good split bathroom and two flat screen TVs.
My first late night late supper of beetroot salad a hummus in the Secret Garden (an outdoor space draped in fabric) restaurant was lovely and I happened to meet "Super Sophia" the hotel's owner who has created a super ambiance in the hotel, of fun, service with a smile, attentive and individualistic. The theme partly centres around superheroes, but it's low key. Several floors of this relatively new hotel are being redecorated with each floor following a different movie theme and I love it.
Breakfasts are wide-ranging and are served on the ground floor and the swimming pool is on the roof, where guests can also sunbathe and look out over Beirut and use a long terrace...I visit Beirut for work on a regular basis, as well as some regular visits for some R&R to enjoy the nightlife.
A few good friends recommended that I try Smallholder, based outside my usual stay-in areas, in this case by the National Museum and the Badero area. My friends' recommendations did not disappoint.
I arrived in the evening, with the very welcoming and efficient reception staff expecting my late check-in and I was informed that I was upgraded to a suite. My long weekend in Beirut started very well. The suite is modern, clean lines, has a small kitchen and a dining / working table, balcony, (I think all rooms have a balcony), a good split bathroom and two flat screen TVs.
My first late night late supper of beetroot salad a hummus in the Secret Garden (an outdoor space draped in fabric) restaurant was lovely and I happened to meet "Super Sophia" the hotel's owner who has created a super ambiance in the hotel, of fun, service with a smile, attentive and individualistic. The theme partly centres around superheroes, but it's low key. Several floors of this relatively new hotel are being redecorated with each floor following a different movie theme and I love it.
Breakfasts are wide-ranging and are served on the ground floor and the swimming pool is on the roof, where guests can also sunbathe and look out over Beirut and use a long terrace wrapping around about half of the top floor.
I had to go out to do some things in Beirut, visit the National Museum a few minutes walk away and I also had a few hours in beautiful Zahle in the western Bekaa Valley, but for most of this trip I stayed cosseted and very well looked after in the hotel. The staff overall did a super job. They are warm, fun and friendly and if there were any small issues, they were dealt with attentively by the staff and overseen by Sophia.
I enjoyed my visit to the Smallville Hotel immensely and I'm going to stay there again when I visit Beirut. I travel for a few months every year around the world and many of the global brand hotel chains can be cool towards guests - but not at the Smallville. I may not be upgraded at the Smallville again like my last trip, but, I love the hotel and I plan to return.More
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