Bastion of glory

Imagine whiling away your morning sunbathing on the beach and then hitting the ski slopes in the afternoon. Seems like another delightful day in Dubai, right? Think again. The beach is on the Mediterranean, not the Gulf. And the slopes are on a mountainside, not in a mall.

Beirut was one of Middle East's hot spots before the 1975-1990 civil war. It boasts of a combination of seaside and mountain attractions, and an array of historical relics.

Still pulling tourists

And today, despite continuing unrest, tourists are heading back to the city, once touted as the Paris of the Middle East.

Well, if you cringe at such epithets — the Switzerland of Africa and the Venice of Asia — you are not alone. With its breathtaking mountains, picture-perfect coves and layers of history, Beirut needs no comparison.

After landing in Beirut, we headed straight to the revamped Beirut Central District, which retains much of its French connection. The buildings here were gutted during the civil war, but most of them were restored in the late 1990s.

Cobblestone streets, lined with yellow-stone façades, are decorated in Ottoman, Italian and French styles. Did I say French? En fait, there is a hint of Paris in the Central District, with people dining al fresco on the streets.

The wrought-iron balconies and wooden window shutters above the chic cafés add a touch of Europe.

Boutiques flaunt their wares where snipers once lurked. It only takes a short stroll to see the scars of war. Buildings pockmarked with bullet holes still stand derelict.

Adjacent to one of these buildings, we find signs of a more distant past: Roman columns — the remains of an ancient market. About 2,000 years ago, Beirut emerged as a major city during the reign of the Roman king Herod the Great.

The city is layered with relics from Greek, Roman and Ottoman eras — a baklava of history. With the revamping of the Central District in the last decade, several sites were discovered, some of which can be seen at the Old Beirut archaeological site.

The following day, we took a 45-minute drive up the coast to Byblos, one of the oldest towns in the world.

Maritime trading power

Byblos was an important port town of the Phoenician empire (1200-800BC), a major maritime trading power. With a sandstone backdrop, its tiny harbour looks quite picturesque.
After a stroll along the seaside, we feasted on fresh fish at Pepe de Byblos, an institution that Marlon Brando and Brigitte Bardot once visited.

The open-air restaurant features pictures of celebrities and political figures from the 1960s, when Beirut was a playground of the rich and famous.

Between 550BC and the 12th century, Byblos was occupied by the Persians, Alexander the Great and the Romans before it came under Arab rule.

In 1104, it fell to the Crusaders, who built a castle using materials from Roman buildings. Most of what can be seen today belongs to that period.

Today, the Crusader castle is the main attraction and exploring it invariably leaves you humming the Indiana Jones theme. Very evocative.

Our last evening was spent at the Central District, where we unwound at a street-side café.

Active nightlife

We dined on hummous, tabbouleh and unleavened bread and our host told us to go easy on it. "Westerners, you always eat too much mezzeh; you must leave room for your main course." He was right.

After dinner, as we wandered through the streets, I loosened a notch in my belt. The night was hardly young, but locals were out in droves.

Some smoked sheesha, others dined. Music from surrounding rooftop clubs filled the air.

The pleasure-loving nature of the Lebanese brings to mind Latin cultures. And judging from the number of Brazilian football posters, the association seems to run deep.

"There are more than eight million Lebanese in Brazil," our taxi driver told us. "When Brazil wins, we all celebrate."

Ski resorts: Cool off here

• Some of Lebanon's ski slopes are a 60-minute drive from Beirut, making a day-trip, a viable option for tourists.
• Resorts in the mountains are popular with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) citizens outside the skiing period (from mid-January to mid-March), providing respite from the heat during the summer months.
• Long considered the ski capital of the Middle East, Lebanese operators do not feel threatened by the advent of SkiDubai, the indoor ski complex at the Mall of the Emirates in the UAE.
• "Everyone in the business knows about the skiing in Dubai, but we don't see it as competition at all," says Joanne Varife, PR assistant, InterContinental Mountain Resort & Spa, Mzaar.
  
  "In fact, we believe it is a good thing for us in that it should make GCC nationals more interested in skiing.
  
  "Both are different, but they are not in competition," Varife says, noting that SkiDubai has the advantage of being open year round.
  
  "At the moment, more than 70 per cent of our guests come from the GCC. We hope that those people who visit SkiDubai will get a taste for skiing and come to Lebanon to ski on the real slopes."
• The resort, located at an altitude of 2,000m on Mount Lebanon, is one of several resorts at the Mzaar 2000 Ski Complex, 65km from Beirut. For more information, go to www.ichotelsgroup.com
• At Faraya Mzaar ski resort, situated at an altitude of 1850-2650m, ski passes are $25 (Dh92) during the week and $45 (Dh165) on weekends; and ski equipment can be hired for $10 (Dh37)
  a day.
• For more information, log on to: www.skilebanon.co.uk/resorts

Go there...Beirut

From the UAE
From Dubai: Emirates flies daily. Fare: Dh1,670
Malaysian Airlines flies three times a week. Fare: Dh1,210
Oman Air flies five times a week. Fare Dh1,100
Middle East Airlines flies daily. Fare Dh1,100
Jat Airlines flies five times a week. Fare Dh650

From Abu Dhabi: Etihad flies daily. Fare Dh1,100
Middle East Airlines flies daily. Fare Dh1,100
(All fares exclusive of taxes)
— Information courtesy: MMI Travel Information

• Emirates and Middle East Airlines fly from Dubai to Beirut. Air Arabia flies from Sharjah to Beirut for competitive prices. Beirut airport is a 20-minute drive from the city centre.
• Getting around: Taxis do not run on meters and prices must be negotiated in advance. Expect prices to be considerably higher than in the UAE.
• Visas: Citizens from GCC countries, most European countries, Australia, Canada and the US have visas issued on arrival. Other nationalities living in the UAE must obtain visas from the Lebanese consulate in Bur Dubai for a fee of Dh130 (single entry) or Dh260 (multiple entry).
• Accommodation: A number of new hotels have been built recently, including the luxurious 32-floor Habtoor
  There is also the Grand Hotel. Visit their website: grand.habtoorhotels.com