The Kempinski Summerland Hotel: A City In The Heart Of Beirut

A city in the heart of Beirut, the Kempinski Summerland Hotel & Resort is only a 10-minute drive from the Beirut-Rafic Hariri Airport, but when you arrive it’s a world of its own. The views of the sapphire sea, the mosaic of chairs and sun loungers on the snaking pool decks, this five-star hotel is a decadent oasis.

Lebanese hospitality at its finest, luxury unfolds in this modern resort with its 153 rooms and suites, caramel-coloured beach, labyrinth of five outdoor pools, relaxing full-service 1,500 square metre spa, tennis courts, gym, delightful bars and restaurants, and more.

With its high ceilings and discreet, exceptionally good service, the Kempinski in Beirut is an easy yes for any occasion. This beachfront resort is bathed in natural light and designed with warm, authentic flourishes, such as its contemporary art collection sourced from Lebanese artists living in the country and abroad, and a show stopping 23-foot-tall resplendent amber-toned chandelier that frames the lobby as guest’s enter. Add to that, a nod to the surrounding nature and cedar tree forests, the walls within the hotel’s entrance are wrapped in grey wood, providing a feast of textures and subtle colours.

From the reception area, travel up a spiral staircase and arrive at Candelabra, the destination main restaurant. It’s atmospheric, with light streaming in from the adjoining terrace. Look up at the glass-fronted and wood-planked ceiling, and each morning at the impressive breakfast, scan the room for its varying buffet counters and stations, teeming with traditional dishes and delights. Baked goods are made fresh each day, and as a result, the scent of sugar and cooling pastries filling the air.

Beyond the morning fare, Candelabra also serves lunch and dinner, promising fresh tastes executed with a flourish. Throughout the day, here you’ll find everything from crispy squid to hummus to spicy beef served piping hot from the pan. And if that doesn’t excite the senses, tuck into local dishes like eggplant fatteh, or a fried flatbread spilling over with melted cheese and swirls of spinach (a hotel speciality).

Beyond Candelabra is the 1897 Bar and Lounge and the two ever-popular poolside bars serving fruity cocktails and indulgent fried snacks alongside fresh pizzas from the wood-burning oven.

A new addition in 2022 is the Le Beach Pop Up, a sushi fusion haven that juts out onto the Mediterranean with sea and city views for days. The ambiance is one of fun and frivolity with music piping through the surround soundsystem and well-dressed guests sipping colourful drinks while dunking their crunchy tempura prawns and smacking the salt off their lips from warm edamame appetisers. It’s the kind of scene-y spot you’d except to find in any cosmopolitan city.

Across the resort, the rooms are large and modern with hints of the local culture, the likes of turquoise Persian rugs and mother-of-pearl inlaid details on walls and headboards. Furniture handles too are made from a sliver of cedar tree, a design nod that reoccurs throughout the hotel. Elsewhere, the bathrooms are spacious with combined shower and bathtubs in carved beige stone. Yet even inside the hotel, the outside beckons, with many guest rooms featuring pools or jacuzzis, cushioned sun beds and leafy palm-filled terraces.

Beyond these four walls, it has not been an easy period for Lebanon, but the country is rebuilding and the spirit, warmth and hospitality of the place has certainly never dimmed.