Gay Beirut – Beirut Travel Guide Travel Guides > Lebanon > Gay Beirut – Beirut Suzi SiegelBeirut is a sexy, fascinating, city that would likely be one of the world’s top urban destinations if it weren’t for the political unrest in the Middle East and the lingering reputational effects of its civil war back in the 1970s. But the Arab world’s most gay-friendly city is not letting any of that hold it back. The Mediterranean hub is a hotspot for food, wine, nightlife, art, design, fashion and anything else you could ever want from a city. Get ahead of the pack and make this ancient-city-slash-cosmopolitan-playground your next big trip. Word is already getting out–the number of tourists from the US, France, Canada, UK, and Australia has been steadily on the rise for five years running. The gay scene is more developed than elsewhere in the Arab-speaking world, which means there’s still a long way to go. Well-established gay clubs are tolerated by the authorities and Beirut launched the Middle East’s first Gay Pride in 2017 but never got off the ground due to threats from Islamic radicals. The courts have thankfully begun poking holes in the law that criminalizes gay sex but it still stands (for now). Feel like getting away? Take a trip planned just for you, and let us do all the work. Discover Trip Design Hotels Things to do Things to see Food & Drink Shopping Nightlife Trip Design Baffa House is the product of a love story between an Italian who fell in love with a local galThe best hotels in BeirutThe Albergo Hotel dishes out elegance and charm in spades. The 33 suites, each with its own character, are decorated in Lebanese-oriental. The boudoir-style rooms are appointed with crystal Ottoman chandeliers, Persian rugs and four-poster beds. And with a wood and glass Art Deco lift that deposits you onto a leafy roof terrace with views to the city and the Mediterranean, Albergo is the place to stay in Beirut. A funky boutique hotel in a 1920s house, Villa Clara is filled with both colour and character. With just seven rooms, the blue villa is run by a French chef and his wife who designed it so that contemporary pieces by local artists sits alongside antique furniture. The hotel’s French restaurant is considered to be one of Beirut’s best. A light-filled guesthouse with high-ceilings, tiled floors and vintage furnishings, BEYt Mar Mikhael is lovely. Take your breakfast in the garden courtyard. O Monot landed a spot on the Small Luxury Hotels of the World for the simplicity of its sleek minimalist design set in a Modernist building. It’s got a rooftop bar and pool and plenty of high-tech amenities. The Baffa House is the product of a love story. Italian immigrant Francesco Baffa Volpe came to Lebanon after WWI and fell in love with a local gal. They built this house in the 1940s and his family has lovingly converted it into a four-room guesthouse. Local art and family photographs adorn the whitewashed walls and the owner’s mom makes the breakfast for you each morning. Baffa HouseThank you for reading Mr Hudson.Subscribe to Travel Guides or log in to continue reading. Subscribe now Log inSpecial SelectionExclusive Mr Hudson offersOut now from gestaltenMr Hudson Explores Browse the Book Explore more Hotel Alexandra - exquisite Danish design in CopenhagenCopenhagen’s Hotel Alexandra is a wonderful and unique destination that falls into a category somewhere between a boutique hotel and design museum. Everywhere you turn, there’s an original piece of mid-century Danish design history. Read story > Gay travel to the MaldivesThe 200 inhabited (and 1,700 uninhabited) Indian Ocean islands which comprise the Maldives are well-known tropical paradises, where pristine beaches sweep into warm, shallow seas teeming with reef life. Read story > Wildlife holidays in South America: Best places to see incredible wildlife in South AmericaWhere you choose will determine which animals you encounter, from the penguin colonies of Argentina’s Tierra del Fuego to the capybara and jaguars of the Brazilian Pantanal, all edged by shores visited by whale families and their sea turtle brethren. Read story > Subscribe to our newsletterYou can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By clicking below to subscribe, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.