The great Lebanese summer

Dear readers,

My Monday newsletter is a special summer edition for you all. With temperatures hitting 30 degrees, I’m sure you’re all reading this with a desire to escape your desk and head to the cooler climes of the sea breeze along Lebanon’s famed coastline.

However, in Lebanon, the simple act of heading to enjoy a day at the beach is not that simple. As beautiful as they are, the country’s sandy shores sadly tell a wider story of years of poor regulation permitting illegal privatization that is blocking access to beautiful public beaches, as well as environmental neglect which is rendering the places we love to swim polluted and unclean. Plus, with the economy in crisis, and beach clubs charging up to $60, even going to sit on a sun lounger is becoming a pastime limited to the rich.

Public beaches

The first challenge is deciding where to go to enjoy a day in the sun. If you’re used to visiting public beaches, you may have noticed that access to the coastline has become increasingly complicated by illegal constructions, including that of houses. The most recent example of one of these obstructions is at Kfar Abida public beach where beachgoers have complained of a gate being built to block access to the popular and picturesque swimming pot. So who gated the public beach ? L’Orient Today’s Ghadir Hamadi has been taking a look. However, there are still many other options for you to enjoy a day out in the sun. L’Orient Today has put together a public beach guide to help you find the best sunny spot — from Akkar to Jiyeeh.

Pollution

The next challenge is finding a place to swim where the seawater isn’t polluted. Marine bacteriological pollution has been a constant problem in Lebanon due to the lack of functioning wastewater treatment plants, despite the millions of dollars that have been invested in them in the past 30 years. The good news though is this year pollution levels have dropped. The National Council for Scientific Research noted improvements in terms of bacteriology pollution. Sadly though the same cannot be said for microplastic pollution. Find out which beaches are the most and least polluted here, in Suzanne Baaklini’s article.

Private beach clubs

If having a dip with a Mexican beer and ambient electronic music speaks to you, then it sounds like a private beach club may be calling you ! But…at a price. According to Jean Beiruti, president of the Beach and Spa Owner’s Union, prices have risen « slightly » this summer. He told L’Orient Today’s Layal Dagher that the hike comes from the increase in electricity bills, salaries and rent for leasing part of the coastline from the State, now paid fully in fresh dollars. Click here to find a beach club that matches your budget.

Other summer activities: hikes, music festivals & historic sites

But listen - this country is still surely one of the best places on earth to spend your summer — despite the very difficult set of circumstances facing us. So, if you just need to — as Jaimee Haddad writes — « escape the generator engines and the droning hum of the city, with its relentless burn of fossil fuels and trash heaps » here is your ultimate guide to summer in Lebanon: a curated list of what Lebanon does best – history, nature, beach and music.

I’d love to hear what you get up to. If you have any recommendations, you think we should add to our summer guide, drop me an email: editor@lorientlejour.com

Enjoy folks, and stay safe,

Olivia Le Poidevin

Head of L’Orient Today