Lebanon Archives - Page 9 of 143

Giveaway Day 3 – Surprise Gift from JouéClub

I know a lot of the blog readers are married with children (my circle of friends at least!), that’s why I decided to reach out to JouéClub and was so glad to have them participating in the giveaway series. Settling on the gift/toy to offer however wasn’t an easy task for us since they vary so much from one age to another, so we decided to leave it till after I do the draw, and the awesome staff at JouéClub will then pick a suitable gift depending on the age of the winner’s kid.

JouéClub of course needs no introduction as it is the go to place for everything toys related and is with no doubt the dream store for every kid! What some people probably don’t know though is that they also have many toys and gadgets for adults as well. In addition to the popular Parrot drones for example, you can also find some cool board games such as the Game of Thrones edition of Risk and Monopoly. So basically it has something for almost anyone!

To qualify for the draw, go to +961’s page on Facebook, like the giveaway post and tag your friends in a comment. One winners will be randomly chosen and announced tomorrow morning, and I will make sure to coordinate with JouéClub in order to choose the right toy depending on his/her kid’s age.

February 20, 2018

Giveaway Day 2: Two $50 Roadster Diner Vouchers

It’s the second day of the giveaway series and Roadster Diner are pitching in today with a couple of $50 vouchers to be spent at any of their branches. For this giveaway I will be randomly choosing two winners to get one voucher each.

What I love the most about Roadster is the homie feeling you find at their outlets, it’s more like a comfort place for me and I guess a lot of people my age feel the same way.

For lent season by the way, Roadster Diner is offering two types of value meals, the delivery meal for two ($20) with a variety of seafood and vegetarian sandwiches, and the dine-in meal ($15) with also a variety of non-meat items. Both options are served with a half appetizer portion per person and are quite fulfilling.

To qualify for the draw, go to +961’s page on Facebook, like the giveaway post and tag your friends in a comment. Two winners will be randomly chosen and announced tomorrow morning, and I will message them for instructions on how to claim their vouchers.

February 19, 2018

Giveaway Day 1: Dinner For 2 At Pier 78 Kempinski Summerland

For the first day of the giveaway series, Kempinski Summerland Hotel & Resort was kind enough to provide a voucher for 2 persons for a dinner at their Mediterranean restaurant Pier 78 ($150 value).

I personally have experienced Kempinski Summmerland’s service on several occasions and they impressed everytime. Aside from the programs they present on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays evenings at Pier 78, I specifically love the family brunch they also offer on Sundays. The open buffet has a lot of variety and is nothing less than what you would expect from a 5-star venue, but what really makes them stand out from other hotels offering similar formulas is that they also provide free kids entertainment so that parents can enjoy their meal at ease.

So, to qualify for the draw, go to +961’s page on Facebook, like the giveaway post and tag your friends in a comment. A winner will be randomly chosen and announced tomorrow morning, and I will message him/her for instructions on how to claim the voucher.

February 18, 2018

The Housing Bank Just Screwed Home Shoppers in Lebanon

The two most popular options for home shoppers in Lebanon in order to finance their purchases is to either get a loan from the General Organization for Housing in case the apartment price is relatively low, or from the Housing Bank if the price is on the higher end.

However, earlier this month the Central Bank of Lebanon issued a new circular with amendments on subsidized loans, and as a result the Housing Bank increased its the interest rate from 3% to 3.75% while lowering the payment period from 30 to 20 years and toughening the lending terms in general.

To give you an idea of how these amendments impacted the monthly payments, a loan of $250,000 used to cost ~$1,050 on the previous conditions, but currently cost ~$1,500 based on the new terms and rate (refer to their loan calculator). Needless to say, this 50% increase means that a lot of home shoppers now can no longer afford the apartments they were previously aiming for!

I, for example, have been searching for an apartment in Beirut for a while now and the new terms mean that I have two options, to either settle for a significantly smaller one in space, or simply look for one of the same size outside the city. The latter is unfortunately a deal breaker for me so I just decided to halt everything now in hope for the prices to go down maybe… I guess it is only logical for this to happen now that the demand is expected to take a hit.

Things are by the way also quite ugly now for people who are already engaged by contracts with real estate developers. Those usually pay monthly installments directly to the developers until the project is fully complete, and then apply for a loan to finance the remaining amount, but they definitely didn’t see a 50% increase on their future payments coming! And while people like me can simply stop searching, others who are bound with contracts can do nothing but go for the loan anyway or pull out of the whole thing and pay a certain penalty to the developer for doing so.

I’m not an expert in economics but things seriously don’t seem right with the new Housing Bank decision, I mean you can’t simply cut down the people’s purchasing power just like that. I just hope this isn’t an indication of the Lebanese Lira being in a bad situation now and I also hope these amendments are only a temporary measure. Otherwise, I guess the real estate market is expected to go into stagnation no matter how developers try to convince the public that it is a resilient sector!

February 15, 2018

Kempinski Summerland’s Floating Dinner For Valentine

Last weekend, I surprised my significant other with a getaway at Kempinski Summerland Hotel & Resort. Previously, I enjoyed their luxurious services with dinner at Candelabra, so I was enthusiastic about experiencing a one night stay in one of the rooms.

Needless to say, the service during our stay was impeccable, but what really stood out was the floating dinner we had in their private heated covered pool accompanied by your personal butler. I’ve previously seen a lot of Instagram posts of floating breakfast trays at Kempinski Summerland last summer but little did I know it was served all year long. I did not think twice about upgrading our experience the minute the Lady In Red suggested that wonderful experience.

For Valentine, Kempinski Summerland is also offering several packages, of which, a romantic one night stay and the exceptional floating dinner, a seafood dinner at Pier 78 with famous singer Manel Mallat and a set menu dinner with singer Paola Ibrahim at Candelabra. My recommendation? Surprise your loved one with something out of the ordinary!

You can get more information about their offerings here.

February 13, 2018

Beautiful Shoebox Apartment in Achrafieh

Check out this cool shoebox apartment up in Achrafieh up for rent on Airbnb that recently made it to dezeen.com. While 15 sqm are barely enough space to cater for a bedroom or a living room in some modern apartments nowadays, Lebanese architect and designer Elie Metni squeezed everything a person could need into a mini apartment of the same size.

To make it feel relatively spacious, the apartment was all painted white and fitted with custom made space saving furniture including a queen size bed and folding tables to keep the 2 meters wide room as neat as possible the whole time. A kitchenette and a bathroom are also available and separated by a glass door, in addition to an outdoor roof terrace overlooking Beirut.

Practically speaking, the apartment can sleep 2 people but accommodate around 5. You can read all about it on dezeen and if interested rent it through Airbnb.

February 12, 2018

25 Ideas for Valentine’s Day This Year!

It’s the same dilemma every year… February 14 comes and couples are clueless on what to do for Valentine, so here are 25 events from Lebtivity to help you plan better this year!

You can also check the full 2018 Valentine’s events in Lebanon here.

February 7, 2018

Gustave Bouchon – Liquor, Wine & Cigar Concept Store in Byblos

Last week I was in Byblos and a friend there took me to a new wine, and cigar concept store in town called “Gustave Bouchon“.

The reason I’m writing about the place is because it has a carefully curated and unique selection of liquors and wines to suit different drinking styles. I personally have little knowledge about pairing spirits with food and I know a lot of people who like me simply settle for whatever the waiters recommend at restaurants, or end up buying the same kind of wine at supermarkets because they can’t tell the difference between all the available ones. It is a rule of thumb for example to go for red wine when having meat, but then again red wine can vary in taste from dry to sweet and to really enjoy your mean you must pick the one that suits your food the most. So what I loved most about Gustave Bouchon is that they have a knowledgeable sommelier who’s specialized in pairing spirits and food, and can even suggest the right bottle for you depending on your drinking style, as well as the type of event/gathering you’re hosting or attending, and you can of course try whatever you choose before buying.

The palce also has a table that fits 10-15 people for those who would like to gather for some fine drinks. So you can choose the bottle you like and they will serve it to you along with bits and bites and a fine cigar if you’re a smoker, and they can offer several dining formulas (Sushi, French, or Italian) if you reserve ahead of time. The decor and setting of Gustave Bouchon make it ideal for group gatherings by the way, with decor inspired by The Austro-Hungarian Empire and bottles organized on shelves in libary style. The lighting and the vibrant bottle colors make it a really inviting place for passers by.

So in brief, if you’re looking to know more about spirits and food pairing or simply want to enjoy a fine drink, then I highly recommend you get the right partner(s) and go check out Gustave Bouchon. And if you’re lucky enough then you’ll probably meet the owner and he will tell you the story behind the store’s logo and slogan “The man the tale”.😉

January 31, 2018

Biel is Moving from Beirut Waterfront to Al Naher Area

It seems like Biel which has hosted countless exhibitions and events at Beirut Waterfront is soon moving to Al Naher area (The road that takes you from Emile Lahoud road toward Chevrolet/Alfa). My friend Amer Tabsh just shared some photos on Facebook showing the new location with construction works in progress.

I have no idea about the reason for the move but I guess Solidere has probably plans to build something else instead of it at the Waterfront. As for the new location, people are definitely going to be criticizing choosing Al Naher area, but the owners probably had no other choice knowing that lands of big areas are almost not existent in Beirut. Somewhere in Jnah could have probably been an alternative.

In all cases, people crossing Emile Lahoud road everyday better be prepared for the traffic Jam the new Biel will be causing during each event hosted there!

January 28, 2018

Top 27 Events of 2017 in Lebanon

When it comes to platforms that collect certain data, I have a thing for trying to get behind the scenes and get some relevant statistic. So last week as I was chatting with a friend form Lebtivity, I felt curious to know about the top events in the country by user interest, and she was kind enough to run a query on their website and provide me with this list.

So there you go, the top 27 events from last year ordered by user interest. And don’t ask why I chose to limit the number to 27! 😜

January 27, 2018

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Tag: Lebanon