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NEWS & SPOTLIGHT

Lebanon: NEWS & SPOTLIGHT

News: Luxury boutique hotel opens. Introducing Le Gray, Beirut.

Oct 2009. As stylish as the city itself, La Gray is a newly opened contemporary luxury property with interiors designed by Gordon Campbell Gray and Mary Fox Liton. Located in the historic heart of Beirut, the property has cool modern interiors, warm professional service and wonderfully spacious rooms and suites. Le Gray’s 87 spacious rooms and suites feature plasma television, complimentary Wi-Fi and iPod docking stations. The luxurious bathrooms include Aqua televisions, walk-in showers, and mosaic floors. Exciting panoramic views to the Mediterranean and Mount Lebanon can be enjoyed from the Hotel’s rooftop restaurant, bars and pool. Bar Threesixty with its magnificent views, the stunning rooftop restaurant Indigo on the Roof and the 17m chlorine free swimming pool and sundeck are just some of the many wow factors at Le Gray, Beirut. To help you unwind at the end of the day the hotel offers the PureGray Health Club & Spa - an intimate and luxurious sanctuary of calm and tranquillity with 6 treatment rooms. The hotel is located on the doorstep of the many small shops, cafes and restaurants making it an ideal base to stay in Beirut. For a contemporary luxurious experience in Beirut ask for Le Gray Hotel when requesting your tailor-made Lebanon Holidays.

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Corinthian Experience: The Grotto of Adonis – exploring rural Lebanon.

In the late spring there are few more rewarding or spectacular off the beaten track destinations in Lebanon than a visit to the Grotto of Adonis at Afqa. The place that in legend marks the last kiss of Adonis and Venus (Astarte) is a beautiful rural spot 45 kilometres east of Byblos. At Afqa, sacred grottoes are hewn into the mountains on every side. From the mouth of the grotto an enormous torrent of water shoots forward with enormous force from within the sheer sided walls of Jabal al-Mnaitri, then as the Adonis River, tears down the pools towards the sea. The force of the roaring water when in spate is truly spectacular. On the scenic drive to up through the steep sided valley of the Adonis River to Afqa you will pass small rural villages that are complete with attractive apples orchards and orange groves. Along the way stop at Mashnaqa, a splendidly isolated ancient altar of great beauty; and the temple of St. George the Blue, a structure that has its origins in Phoenician times. Afqa is easily accessible from Beirut as a day excursion. Please note that Afqa is at its most dramatic is spring. In summer and autumn the flow of the Adonis River can be reduced to barely a trickle.

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Destination Spotlight: Baalbek, Lebanon – one of Rome’s greatest legacies

Towering high over the plains of the Bekaa Valley, just over two hours drive from Beirut, the sheer scale and monumental proportions of the UNESCO listed ruins at Baalbeck never cease to impress. The temples are considered to be one of the most important Roman sites in the world, and were dedicated to the triad of Jupiter, Venus and Mercury. The site is entered via a monumental stairway, and then proceeds through the Propylaea and two impressive marble courtyards to the Temple of Jupiter – one of the largest temples ever built. This immense structure consisted of a cella in which the cult image of Jupiter Heliopolitanus was housed and was surrounded by a portico featuring 54 massive external columns. Six of these giants still stand. They are the largest Roman columns in the world, measuring over 22 metres high with a girth of 2.2 metres. To the south, the so called Temple of Bacchus is one of the most beautifully decorated Roman temples. The building is in a good state of preservation and while small in comparison to the temple of Jupiter, is still larger than the Parthenon in Athens. A further remarkable and well-preserved structure is the Round Temple, which is thought to have been dedicated to the goddess Fortuna, and was later converted into a church by the Byzantines. Baalbeck’s quarries lie to the south of the acropolis and contain one of the largest hand hewn stones ever quarried. Called the Stone of the Pregnant Woman, it is 21.5 metres x 4.2 metres in sizes and weighs an estimated 1,000 tonnes! Baalbek is an incredible site and one of the great highlights of any visit to Lebanon and the Middle East.

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Your Financial Protection: The air holiday packages offered by Corinthian Travel are ATOL protected by the Civil Aviation Authority. Our ATOL number is ATOL T7335. Where flights are not included your holiday is protected through our membership of the Travel Trust Association. We hold TTA membership number U6485. Please see Financial Protection or our booking Terms & Conditions for further information.