[speakeasy]

I've long wanted to check out the scene in Lebanon. Not only because of the nightlife, but it just seems like a damn interesting place to visit, period. From the wikitravel site: http://wikitravel.org/en/Lebanon

Quote:

The Lebanese people know how to live despite political turmoil. Lebanon is a world-class party destination and has been rated by the New York Times as the number 1 tourist destination in the year of 2009. This is partly due to its spectacular nightlife. It features several clubbing locations such as the thrilling Gemmayze district or the Monot Street where people party far past dawn. It boasts several renowned DJs but it has also been visited by some of the world's most famous such as Tiesto, David Guetta, Armen Van Buren, Paul van Dyk who frequently visit Lebanon in tribute to its party animals. Many world famous bands and performers have performed in Lebanon (or have shows planned)as well such as Keane, Deep Purple, The Pussycat Dolls, Akon, Snoop Dog and Gad Elmaleh. Pamela Anderson and Paris Hilton have both hosted parties in Lebanon and The Pussycat Dolls spent a night in the lebanese nighclubs. Lebanon is also known for it's skyhigh rooftop bars such as the Sky Bar. Lebanese clubs and bars are world-class, marvelous, and fascinating destinations. Greater Beirut is a sleepless city, as the great majority of it open 24 hours a day.

Lebanon also has a huge beach party scene having exquisite beaches and beach resorts such as Oceana, Laguava or Edde Sands and Janna Sur Mer.

Lebanese locations are widely diverse and exhibit "occidental" life style that is omnipresent to the degree that you will no doubt commit the mistake of thinking you're in a grand European capital in one moment and Las Vegas in another.

Lebanon had once been called Switzerland and Paris of the East. The recent wars have diminished this status but the Lebanese have always acted in unexpected ways. Their pursuit of happiness and fun overshadows their financial capabilities.

Someone left a very encouraging comment in the NY Times...

Quote:

lebanon is miami's diversity,italie's history,france's beauty,ibitha's nightlife,greece's ancient and modern history and NY's shops with a twist.
the lebanese people are the best party people on the planet.they trully party long after sunrise.
summer is great,but winter sports in lebanon are marvelous.as is the nature(beaches,mountains,rivers,lakes.......)

oh and the food.god do they know how to make food.
and the women.lebanese women are the hottest,classiest,and most eye popping hotties on the planet.
amazing diversity,amazing nightlife,amazing culture,amazing history!
best vacation ever,there truly is no competitor.
- alik

Don't know what the hookup scene is like, it is an Arab country after all, but sounds like a hell of a place to check out.

[familydude]

Check out Anthony Bourdain in Beirut. A no-reservation episode.

[Lumiere]

I will be in Beruit as one of my last stops on this trip. I should be there next Aug / Sept.

All info appreciated.

[speakeasy]

(11-30-2009 11:53 AM)Lumiere Wrote:  

I will be in Beruit as one of my last stops on this trip. I should be there next Aug / Sept.

All info appreciated.

Are you doing a round the world thing?

[speakeasy]

The women look pretty hot. Definitely a place I've got to check out.

http://www.aliraqi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=74483

[lilactag]

(11-30-2009 12:51 PM)speakeasy Wrote:  

The women look pretty hot. Definitely a place I've got to check out.

http://www.aliraqi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=74483

I know quite a lot of lebanese women and they are sometimes incredibly beautiful and fun to be with.

Don't expect a typical arab country there, because they are not radicals, in fact most arabs aren't, there are a lot of christians in Lebanon, which is the base of their problems, it seems, since the christians have been the political rulers while the muslims take their turns in trying to overtake them.

Ok, all the lebanese women I know, are christians, so I don't know if the muslim ones are as open to fun. But if you think muslim indonesian girls are really sex loving girls, there is a chance lebanese ones are as open as their christian counterparts.

Definitely a place to experience and then finish it up in Israel to get a sample of their cousins

[speakeasy]

(11-30-2009 01:14 PM)lilactag Wrote:  

Definitely a place to experience and then finish it up in Israel to get a sample of their cousins

I would like to do a multi-country thing with both Lebanon and Israel, but some logistics would be needed. Since those two countries have been at war, you can't go from one straight to the other. You have to make Israel your last stop in the middle east since some countries will deny you entry if they see you've been to Israel. Maybe Lebanon to Syria, then Syria to Israel, but that may even be a problem since Syria and Israel are at each other's throats too. I have to do some research on this. Because I wouldn't fly all that way just to visit one country only.

[kerouac]

People in the middle east have very many stereotypes of each other... being from a middle eastern background myself, and living in the west, I will tell you that the Lebanese are probably the least-Arab, thus most fun loving Arabic-speaking country in the region

Just to give you an idea of Arabs vs Lebanese (I'm not Arabic myself) check this out:
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=34...topic=3626

[Kona]

(11-30-2009 12:51 PM)speakeasy Wrote:  

Definitely a place I've got to check out.

Brah, you need to.

All hot chicks aside, that Jeita Grotto is one of the most unreal things I've ever seen.

Granted, the times I went there I was on leave from Iraq or off a ship full of dudes, I love Beirut. It blew my mind that you could take such a short flight from such a jacked up place and land in such a cool one.

It's small, so check some maps and make sure you don't wander into some of the places folks don't want you in.

DON'T BREAK THE LAW! The cops over there are on a whole other level than what most guys are used to. Just look at how well their weapons are broken in.

Don't even waste your time with Israel. Not only are Lebanese girls extremely beautiful, they are so welcoming it was like being at home in Hawaii. My dad came and met me in Beirut one of the times I was in the middle east. He's a 60 year old Hawaiian and he had just as much of a blast as I did.

Aloha!

[elguapo]

"Don't even waste your time with Israel. "

Man, I wouldn't discount Israel at all. Some say one of the most beautiful girls are there since Jews come from all over the world.

I think chinogringo wrote a thread on Israel a while back.

As far for Beirut is concerned, I'm curious what the logistics are like - how conservative the girls, and how the culture affects casual hookups, etc?
Israel is pretty westernized in that respect, so I'm guessing it's normal gaming.

[speakeasy]

God damn the fares are expensive to either Beirut or Tel Aviv from LAX. Like $1600+. Ouch!

[lilactag]

(11-30-2009 10:40 PM)speakeasy Wrote:  

God damn the fares are expensive to either Beirut or Tel Aviv from LAX. Like $1600+. Ouch!

TBH from LAX to the middle east, I don't think is that expensive, it is a really long haul.

[kerouac]

It will probably be a lot cheaper to fly from LAX to either Paris, London, Frankfurt, or some others, and take a short flight from one of those hubs.

[speakeasy]

(12-01-2009 12:00 AM)kerouac Wrote:  

It will probably be a lot cheaper to fly from LAX to either Paris, London, Frankfurt, or some others, and take a short flight from one of those hubs.

That's similar to what kayak.com priced out. There are no direct flights to Lebanon from L.A. You'd have to fly to a European city first, then take another airline. Only alternative is Emirates that flies nonstop from LAX to Dubai and then a connection into Beirut.

[Lumiere]

Jordan is the major travel hub in the region

try flying there and going overland to lebanon

[Lumiere]

I am going to israel and a bunch of other countries in the region

trick is to get israel stamp on a card in your passport and not directly in your passport

[Shaman]

(11-30-2009 01:23 PM)speakeasy Wrote:  

(11-30-2009 01:14 PM)lilactag Wrote:  

Definitely a place to experience and then finish it up in Israel to get a sample of their cousins

I would like to do a multi-country thing with both Lebanon and Israel, but some logistics would be needed. Since those two countries have been at war, you can't go from one straight to the other. You have to make Israel your last stop in the middle east since some countries will deny you entry if they see you've been to Israel. Maybe Lebanon to Syria, then Syria to Israel, but that may even be a problem since Syria and Israel are at each other's throats too. I have to do some research on this. Because I wouldn't fly all that way just to visit one country only.

The U.S. State Department will issue you a second U.S. passport for precisely this reason: you go through Lebanon, Iran, Syria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE, etc. all the Arab countries on one passport and get your stamps from all of them in it, and then you enter Israel on your other passport. Also, I believe there is at least one country that won't let you in if you've got a stamp from Israel in your passport (Libya maybe? I don't recall), so it works in reverse, too (don't use your "Israel passport" to go into countries like Lebanon and Iran, use the other one). Just make sure you keep those passports straight and use the right one for the right country.

Some google-fu occurs...

Bingo, here you go: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Stat...d_passport

[InternationalSwagger]

I will be in Beirut, Lebanon from July 2nd to July 7th with my friend who is meeting me from Dubai...I will definitely report back with a full report upon my return...I'm hearing great things so far and have been lining some chicks up online through some Beirut Nightlife groups so we'll see what's up when I touch down...

@ IntlSwagger

[InternationalSwagger]

(05-28-2010 09:24 AM)InternationalSwagger Wrote:  

I will be in Beirut, Lebanon from June 2nd to June 7th with my friend who is meeting me from Dubai...I will definitely report back with a full report upon my return...I'm hearing great things so far and have been lining some chicks up online through some Beirut Nightlife groups so we'll see what's up when I touch down...

@ IntlSwagger

So just got back from a long journey to visit friends in London & Paris May 27th - June 1st and of course my aformentioned trip Beirut from June 2nd to June 7th.

Flew directly from Paris to Beirut on Middle East Airlines/Air Liban (Lebanese Airline which has a Codeshare with Air France). I immediately got a taste of the talent I would be working with in Beirut...all the flight attendants were stunning, tall, sultry and sexy and tons of talent on the plane going and chatted it up with a cute girl sitting next to me who was visiting Beirut from Paris who I exchanged information with (Which ended up coming through for me later).

Came through customs and asked the agents If they would allow for my passport not to be stamped (I desired to visit Israel well b4 this trip anyway )...after the agents told me to consult with the MOD he decided to say no and the agents stamped my passport and I was on my way to meet up with a friend who works in Dubai who was meeting me in BEY for the weekend.

My friend has a girl he knows from Beirut who just moved back from Geneva pick us up and take us to our accomodations at the Sheraton Four Points in The Verdun area. Verdun is a upmarket area close to some nice malls/open air restaurants and walking distance to The Corniche Area (Waterfront Blvd.) but cabbing distance to Downtown Beirut/Gemmayzeh/Archrafiye which are the main nightlife districts of Beirut. It's an easy city to get around so If you stay in any of the aforementioned areas you will be fine.

So one important detail about the nightlife here is that you need to have fly women to enter into all the good high end clubs In Beirut. Since me and my friend had a well connected chick on the ground here who is plugged into the scene and we worked out day game that wasnt a problem...also If you stay at a upmarket hotel like The Sheraton, Le Gray or Intercontinental you can use your concercierge to plug you into to upscale spots, restaurants, clubs that are very exclusive in Beirut. These places include...

SkyBar - Seasonal and opens this Wednesday - Looks amazing and I will be returning in July to hit it up. Join the facebook group to look at the pictures and snag a few honies on there with net game before you go...

White - Another outdoor club that is open right now. Beautiful indoor outdoor space with views of the Beirut skyline...I could just imagine that sky illuminated during the long Civil War they had...very surreal. We had bottle service here and I bagged a keeper that ended up treating me very well the last few days of my trip.

BO18 - Great spot for afterhours (starts at 3am) partying until the sun comes up...has a huge roof that opens up. Plenty of chicks to scoop.

Le Capitole - Beautiful rooftop Bar, drinks very expensive...I bought the 1st round and it was $64 without the tip. That was my welcome to Beirut but beautiful space and people I suggest getting bottle service instead.

Taboo - Located in Downtown Beirut, Nice Club, You need reservations and to come in the company of women to get in.

Buddha Bar - Downtown Beirut, A bit touristy, but definitely high roller, once again you need reservations and to come as couples or in the company of women to enter.

C Lounge @ The Bay View Hote - A great outdoor place on the 6th floor to knock back cocktails while taking in the view of Beirut in all its glory. International, commercial and chill out house music is played. Reservation is a must on Saturdays. I went on a Sunday with a fly chick so I was good.

Day Game ---

Amorei Cafe - Verdun - Great for people scooping out fly chicks during the lunch hour or early evening and puffing on hookah noshing on something tasty. Starbucks is a good option across the way as well and was popping every single day. This was walking distance to my hotel so it was convenient.

Riviera Beach Club & Hotel - Basically a Vegas style pool party a la Rehab/Ceasers in Beirut, DJ's good food and fly women everywhere.

Pool @ Saint-George Yacht Club & Marina - A little more subdued but still a great crowd try both as I did and chat it up with the ladies and come up.

Beirut Souks - High Class/Trendy/Outdoor Shopping Mall teeming with Lebanese Hotties
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beirut_Souks

La Plage - Shopping Area for the non-beach guys
Saifi Village - Really hip artsy spot to pull chicks
ABC Malls - Not really my thing but If you need to do some chopping I'm sure you can can come up.

Good Stuff to see in the city -
Great Mosques throghout the City and Downtown Beirut is really interesting. Corniche :Beachfront Area where you can take strolls and people watch check out the Pigeon Rocks while your out there.

Recommended Fly Dinner Spot: Got treated to Al Balad...delicious Mezza and outstanding Hookah...every restaurant had hookah.

A must is Jeita Grotto: Try taking a chick on a day trip there only 40 minutes away and visually STUNNING. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeita_Grotto

Neighborhood Bar Spots Early-Late Evening (No Reservations Needed)

Went bar hopping early in Gemmayzeh and Archrafiye which are nice neighborhoods packed with great bars and restaurants that stay buzzing 1am and 4am respectively. No reservations needs tons of good spots in both neighborhoods to pull chicks without the preteniousness of the other big clubs. I liked both areas.

Beruit is a gold mine for Middle Eastern Women...the city is 1/2 christian 1/2 muslim you see alot of women walking around in hijabs but not at the nightclubs and of course the places I mentioned. I snapped up my 1st Lebanese flag on the last night on a chick I was working on since I got there and didnt notice any extreme conservatism overall with women's attitudes. Granted I was there for 5 days and 4 nights so I still have alot to learn as this was more of a scouting trip for me.

I ended up meeting alot of nice women and some cool dudes so next trip will no doubt be even better since I know the ropes a bit and it will be peak summer season. My main girl out there told me that most people live at home until marriage so things are different than western culture in that respect. In summary great place to go, friendly hot women, smart, cultured, talkative...If I could do it right I would stay at least one full week or two but time is my issue so in the meantime I have to work with what I have. Another thing I noticed is that once they know your from the USA they have alot of respect for you just coming out to see what Beirut is all about. They love to talk up there city and are exicited that foreigners (especially ones from far away) make it out there. The city is very compact and easy to get around and for the most part it's inexpensive. Tons of International acts coming this summer and everyone says thats the best time to go so make it happen!

The Pic below is one I swooped we were at C Lounge (Aforementioned spot) So I dipped from Lebanon in 5 days...flag in hand... I will return in July so If anyone is out there hit me @

Websites:
http://sky-bar.com/
http://www.beirutnightlife.com/
http://www.timeoutbeirut.com/
Join the groups on Facebook for the big clubs...all the hot Beirut chicks are on them.

[speakeasy]

@Iswag

Awesome report man! And great detail too. You make Beirut sound like everything I'd envisioned.

One thing you left out though is the safety situation. Is there a lot of crime or areas to be avoided? Guys walking around with machine guns and shit like you often see in the middle east?

Also, as far as gaming style, how do Lebanese women compare to Western women? Are they more like S. American women where direct balls out game is best? Or are they more like Western women that respond better to indirect game, cocky/funny/witty banter?

Anyway, I'm going to have to head out there for sure now.

[InternationalSwagger]

(06-08-2010 06:08 PM)speakeasy Wrote:  

@Iswag

Awesome report man! And great detail too. You make Beirut sound like everything I'd envisioned.

One thing you left out though is the safety situation. Is there a lot of crime or areas to be avoided? Guys walking around with machine guns and shit like you often see in the middle east?

Also, as far as gaming style, how do Lebanese women compare to Western women? Are they more like S. American women where direct balls out game is best? Or are they more like Western women that respond better to indirect game, cocky/funny/witty banter?

Anyway, I'm going to have to head out there for sure now.

Didnt have a problem with any safety but I didnt venture into any crazy looking areas on foot either...If I was there for longer I would maybe go check some hoods out but I was there for such a short amount of time I didnt have time too. There were some shady looking areas I drove through were the bullets holes from the civil war (1975-1990) were still on the buildings, abandoned buildings, squatters, etc. but it kind of blended in with the landscape and gave it character to me. Most of the city is rebuilt now and it's really a testament to the spirit of the people.

I walked around many areas at night in the main areas I mentioend and it wasnt a problem. Had a few Palestianian beggards approach me for money (kinda hot too...lol). They had a huge military presence in the city. Armed tanks, humvees, soldiers with machine guns in pedestrian areas everywhere th eye can see. My hotel had a metal detector and a bag search upon entry and all of the malls had the same thing. That was kind of weird at 1st but when you take into account the messed up Israeli situation in the Middle East they have to take those precautions. I had some interesting conversations on that as well with some chicks who straight up told me they dont believe Israel even exists and have friends in Hezbollah...shit was kind of a turn on for me but I digress.

There were a few black basketball players there but as far as White, Asian, Latino American Tourists I didnt see any...no Black Americans besides the brothas who played balled there and no other Identifiyable American Tourists besides the Lebanese-Americans home visiting family.

Chicks were definitely giving us stares everywhere we went and were just very curious so conversation flowed easily. My girl told me they dont meet many Americans in Lebanon. Many thought I was Lebanese or Arabic (I can blend in in many countries because of my skin tone and name) and some even thought I was an actor (B or C lister for sure...lol go figure).

As far as style of game I throw to women it really depends on my/her mood I can switch it up pretty effectively either way and it worked just fine. Just go out there and be yourself and you'll do well.

Here is a interesting tidbit on the Us Embassy in Beirut http://lebanon.usembassy.gov/about_the_embassy.html. This would easily scare off the average traveler/backpacker and with no direct flights from the USA with the closest being Amman, Jordan (1 hour flight 5-6 overland drive through Syria--visa needed for Syria) It makes it even harder. I'm not into hostels but from what I read on couchsurfing they dont have many If any hostels in Beirut and the Lonely Planet that I read is a bit outdated so It might scare off the average budget traveler. But If you spend a little $ on nice accomodations/apartment you can get it done in Beirut no question.

[Caramel Communist]

http://starscene.dailystar.com.lb/category/night-scene/

motivation

[Lumiere]

Nice report

I should be there around July / Aug for a few weeks.

[InternationalSwagger]

I found out two Budget options through Couchsurfing for the cost-conscious fellas on the board.

Al Nazih pension in Gemayzeh (Good location close to many good bars and restaurants)
http://pension-alnazih.8m.com/

The one below would be my second option...Read the description left by a CS'er below
http://www.talalhotel.com/

I just slept there last night. It is the best place for poor backpackers with low expectations.

I shared a room with three other people. My room had air-con but no window. The nights are not quiet: the owner likes to invite few friends every night to play cards and backpackers are partying as well... The shared bathrooms are not really clean. I would advise you to try to have a single room with the bathroom already inside.

The location is not the best but it is close to "place des martyrs" so that is ok.

So if you don't mind all these things, you can go there!!! I think you need to book it before because for example, right now, it is super crowded...

[thegmanifesto]

I told you guys that InternationalSwagger is the real deal.

Side note:

There are a good amount of Lebanese girls, and Lebanese mixed girls in Australia. At least in Sydney.