I visited Zaitunay Bay this past Saturday, several months after my first visit, so I was able to see the place with all its newfound hype.
The last time I visited, the place was very new. We were among the few people there. This time, however, was different.
To say Zaitunay Bay is crowded would be stating the obvious. It would also be a gross understatement. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. After all, it’s the new “it” place in Beirut. People will get over it eventually.
Until then, here are some things I observed.
1 – Lots of Arab tourists. Taking poses on the boardwalk, taking pictures with yachts. Buses dropping them off and then picking them up when they’re done. The khalijis have apparently left their previous favorite Beiruti destination ABC and are not hitting the Bay.
Syrian men posing
Khaliji women walking
2 – Lebanese girls: you know those New York Times articles that talk about Lebanese girls walking on Zaitunay bay’s boardwalk in heels? They are actually true. My friends and I were sporting your regular everyday clothes. To say we were underdressed would be laughable. We were almost beggars compared to the girls with full makeup and designer clothes, coming to strut on the boardwalk. This isn’t a catwalk. This is a marina. You’re supposed to come here to have fun and not trip 23 times/meter while walking. But they gave us a pretty good laugh.
Guys, get your eyes off from the top portion of the picture.
They tripped so many times, it was as if we were watching the two stooges.
3 – Sturdiness: The place is very well-built and has many nice views of Beirut’s waterfront, as well as the Lebanese mountains. Do I think it’s enough for publications to gush about it? Absolutely not. It’s not a ground breaking project. If anything, it’s highlighting the shallow part of Beirut that I don’t particularly like. But for an hour or so, taking a walk around it is nice.
I invite you all for Sunday lunch on my yacht
The bay, edited with the iPhone app Camera+
You can see the Lebanese mountain Sannine in the background, the snow still visible
A Separate State of Mind | A Blog by Elie Fares 
What about the prices? :p
LikeLike
We decided the shock could be avoided :p
LikeLike
Looks like a nice place. It has restaurants and whatnot?
LikeLike
Yes it does. Most of them are not within our regular price range :p
LikeLike
you forgot to mention the unfriendliness of the waiters in most of the shops there.
LikeLike
We didn’t go to the shops. We saw some of the prices from afar and it was enough to keep us way away :p
LikeLike
That was a good laugh! 🙂 honestly i think it just looks “pretty” and most of the restaurants and cafes are ovrepriced as usual …the best time i ever had there, was an out-of-the-blue visit during the nighttime, when it was raining…without the people or the tourists…it was the best time to enjoy the walk under an umbrella…although in my opinion, It’s too short of a walk…
LikeLike
The prices are expected seeing as it is where it is and this is Lebanon. But yeah, it’s a small place for what it wants to be (it’s more like a cove then a bay :p) and it would definitely be nicer when there aren’t that many people.
LikeLike