How To Spend Valentine’s Day If You’re Single?

I announced yesterday the start of my collaboration with Nisrette from Smarter Life Tips & Tricks.

Since it’s Valentine, and we know that a lot of you are celebrating it alone, so we decided to tackle the subject of how to spend this holiday when you’re SINGLE.

Who said you need to always have someone special for Valentine’s Day? There are a lot of things that you can do and make it a day/night to remember!

Here’s a list that we compiled:

1- Organize a secret admirers gifting (such as Secret Santa)

Where you and a group of friends draw names then deliver items like chocolates, flowers and teddy bears to each other, that way everyone can have a Valentine!

2- Plan a Singles’ Valentine’s Party :

 

A great Valentine’s Day isn’t exclusive only for couples. This year let the couples have their own customized celebration, and get together with your favorite friends for a party at home, pub or night ( You can check www.lebtivity.com where you will find many singles’ Valentine’s Day suggestions).

3- Pamper Yourself

This Valentine’s Day, devote time to yourself. You don’t need another person to make you feel special. You can do it all on your own! Get a massage, a facial, or a mani-pedi.  You will feel sexier and more relaxed.

You can choose to treat yourself at the Spa of Phoenicia Hotel .

Devoted to beauty, rejuvenation and relaxation, SPA Phoenicia specializes in Balneotherapy, Thalassotherapy, Thai Relaxing Therapy and Ayurvedic Medicine. Exquisite body treatments use the healing power of nature to stimulate the metabolism and circulation while cleansing, purifying and toning the body.

 

You can also try the massages and scrubs at Think Pink Lounge in Mansourieh.

They have multiple types to choose from: Hot Stones, Relaxing, Slimming, Reflex foot massage, back and face massage…

4- Plan a Week-end with your friends

Since Valentine’s Day is on Saturday, you can plan to spend a week-end with your friends who are single too, away from the noise and enjoy the peaceful nature, or visit historical places.

One of my favorite getaways is to plan a road trip to Deir El Kamar and stay the night at Mir Amin Palace hotel in Beiteddine. You’ll be mesmerized by the beauty of the palace, the tranquility of the area, and enjoy a night of oriental music at Le Serail.

Another option is for the ski lovers, you can definitely head to Faraya/ Kfaderbian, stay the night by the fire at Terrebrune Hotel sipping your favorite wine and enjoy a ski day the next day.

Bedroom – Type 1

If you prefer the view of the ocean, you can head to Jbeil or Batroun, there are a lot of nice places to discover. Waking up to the sound of the ocean, and have the clear blue view in front of you, will be so rewarding!

If you want something really relaxing, you can head to Bhersaf and enjoy a wellness retreat at Zenotel, where you can revitalize your mind, body and soul.

 

No matter what you choose to do on Valentine’s Day, make it an unforgettable week-end/night, enjoy it to the maximum maybe it will be your last single valentine’s party and you will find your soul mate.

If you think that we gave you a useful tip for celebrating single’s Valentine Day share it with us when u celebrate it.

For every single in this world Happy Singles’ Valentine Day! Let’s Celebrate 😉

Batroun… On a Sunny Day!

I don’t work on Saturdays and when the weather is good, I like to spend the day the right way!

Road-trips are my thing and if I have a good companion, I enjoy them more…

When I woke up this Saturday, the sun was shining so bright, as if it was calling me to go after it and what is the sun without the beach? ==> My destination was to one of the oldest cities in the world: Batroun!

The name Batroun derives from the Greek, Botrys. Historians believe that the Greek name of the town originates from the Phoenician word, bater, which means to cut and it refers to the maritime wall that the Phoenicians built in the sea to protect them from tidal waves.

I parked my car and took a walk in the old souk, I never knew that the town boasts so many historic churches, both Catholic and Greek Orthodox. I visited two of the most attractive churches, St. Stephan Cathedral and Lady of the Sea Church. I wanted to see the St. Georges Cathedral from the inside, but it was closed.

St. Georges Cathedral

St. Stephan Cathedral

As we walked further, we passed by the fishing port

As we were walking towards the Lady of the Sea Church, we passed by a calm and friendly street

A breathtaking view captured us when we reached the Lady of the Sea Church

 

We were captivated by the beautiful sight of the blue waters and the ancient Phoenician wall that was built for protection from tidal waves

Batroun is one of the cities that I always admire no matter how many times I visit.

Have you been to Batroun Lately?

A Joyous Week-end!

I have bought a deal from Scoopcity for Mir Amin Palace a while ago, and on purpose made the reservation in November, because it’s my birthday and I always wanted to spend my birthday in this magical palace!

And to make my week-end even better, I got the opportunity to have the Renalut Captur for a test drive from Bassoul Hneine! How awesome can it get? 😉

I passed by Bassoul Hneine on Saturday morning, was well received by their team in the new, revamped showroom in Sed El Bauchrieh, had all the instructions about the crossover and was ready to go!

Passed by my friend M. whose birthday was also a while ago, and off we went for the most pleasant, and peaceful ride ever!

We weren’t very sure about the way we need to take, but we weren’t frustrated, because the new Renault‘s satellite navigation system with touch screen was to the rescue! I entered our location and our destination, and we were guided all the way!

There wasn’t much traffic that day and in no time we arrived to the magical palace, just in time to rest a bit and watch the sunset fade away…

Then we enjoyed an exquisite dinner in their Arabic restaurant. We so wanted to enjoy the rest of the night in their Cave, but we were both drained and sleepy, we missed it!

Then woke up early to catch the amazing weather and have a stroll next to the palace, admiring the wonderful nature…

Afterwards, we sat outside, under the sun to get some vitamin D and enjoy the Lebanese breakfast

We got lucky to have the sun shining during this period, the palace was crowded with people and our stay was really relaxing. It was very hard to say goodbye to this amazing palace, that will always keep me dreaming of the next visit…

Carpet Swimming Pool

The way back to Beirut, was also very smooth, the Captur is certainly a distinctive compact SUV.

As the Captur is based on the Renault Clio, there’s plenty in common between the vehicles. The front end is especially impressive, with a gigantic diamond badge dominating the whole front end of the car. The side features the same sort of character lines as the Clio, with the lower door trim creating the impression of an arched back. The back is strikingly similar to that of the Clio Sport Tourer (the new one), but the cut of the rear quarter glass is much more dynamic.

The Captur achieved a 5-star rating at the 2013 EuroNCAP tests. Between its standard safety equipment it has three-point seat belts, two airbags, cruise control, speed limiter, ESC, ABS and audible and visual seat belt reminder warnings

The Renault Captur is a comfortable car, economical and easy to drive. Love the look of it and the two-tone color schemes available are stunning.

How do you like to spend your week-ends?

Do you share the same passion for Mir Amin Palace?

Did you get the chance to check the Renault Captur?

A Vivid Indian Night With Le Royal Hotels

I was invited last Friday to enjoy a charming and exotic Indian night at Le Royal Hotels and Resorts in Dbayeh. The event was in collaboration with the Embassy of India in Lebanon.

We were welcomed warmly, all the ladies we wearing beautiful sarees and were introduced to our table, that was right by the pool and facing the amazing bollywood performances by Gurukul, who flew in especially for the evening!

Two chefs, Chef Rubal and Chef Arjun came specially from New Delhi to prepare the sumptuous Indian buffet.

I have been attracted to the Indian culture a while ago, when I had the pleasure to meet a dear friend V. She used to narrate to us a lot of details, which captured me and always made me wanna know more about this unique culture.

And this dinner was a step further, where I had the chance to taste their food and enjoy the distinctive folk Indian dances.

It was a wonderful and charming night, thank you Le Royal for making it happen!

 

What I wore for the Indian night

Black shorts jumpsuit from Vestiti – Jdeideh

Suede Bordeaux Heels from Nine West

 

Have you ever been to an Indian Night?

Do you like Indian food?

Lebanon Water Festival 2014

Almost two weeks ago, I attended the Press Conference announcing the Lebanon Water Festival 2014 in the presence of his excellency the Minister of Tourism.

This is the third season of the Lebanese Water Festival, and it’s gonna be an eight-week series of activities and seaside shows highlighting the country’s wealth of water sports.

“The water festival has become one of Lebanon’s recognized festivals after just a few years of success,” said Tourism Minister Michel Pharaon. We hope [the] 2014 festival will also bring together our main cities along the shore and enlighten our summer.”

Lebanon Water Festival offers a unified platform for promoting the county’s various recreational water activities by offering discounted group classes for sports like surfing and kite boarding throughout August and September. Weekly competitions, mostly among amateur athletes, also dot the schedule and have brought in crowds of spectators to an array of sports that organizers believe have until now gone on under the radar.

This summer’s lessons include water skiing, stand up paddle, kite boarding, apnea (or free-diving), training and underwater photography. Over the next eight weeks, the festival will also hold some semi-professional-level events, such as water ski shows, free-diving in the north, sailing regattas and an underwater photography competition, which has in the past attracted professionals from abroad.

Festivities will wrap up with four different encompassing water shows, two in Tyre and two in Dbayeh.

 

The first event of the festival will be in Jounieh. It will be an International Jet ski race at Hayali Bay in Jounieh on August 10th. The event starts at 3 p.m. and will be a  great way to spend a Sunday on the sea.

Will you be joining the festival?

Introducing: Zenotel

Zenotel in Bhersaf is one of the Middle East’s first wellness retreat and spa treated from  geomagnetic interferences. It transmits and creates amazing serenity, and offers a holistic approach to wellness with body therapies, nutritional detox programs and energy re-balancing.

Zenotel advocates locavorism. We believe in enriching locals’ lives and tapping into the goodness that the community has to offer. Not only do we encourage local tourism, but also engage with locals to source ingredients, mostly from organic suppliers.

 

This 26-bedroom wellness retreat is set on open grounds, complete with lush landscaping and private garden, enjoying uninterrupted views from Beirut to Jounieh Bay.

For wholesome goodness and balance nutrition, enjoy meals and drinks at the Earth Restaurant, the outdoor Zen Café, and the Pomegranate Bar.

The spa comprises a steam, sauna and two treatment rooms, an indoor counter-current basin and outdoor pool with saline water, benefiting smoother skin and avoiding body chlorine intake.

The serenity room and surrounding space is ideal for yoga, corporate and wellness retreats and workshops.

Zenotel is 24 km away from Beirut, in Bhersaf, Metn, and rises 900 m above sea level. Nestled between Brummana and Bekfaya, it is naturally inspiring with its invigorating climate, lush greenery, pine and linden trees.

 

For more information and details about Zenotel, visit their www.zenotel.me and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

You can also contact them on the following numbers 04 984 281/2 or send an email to info@zenotel.me.

 

Dairy Khoury Family Day!

I was invited on Sunday with my family and other bloggers/media to discover the Dairy Khoury goat farm in Mechmech.

It was a nice road trip, discovering a new area in Lebanon. We passed by Jbeil, then Annaya until we reached Mechmech.

We were well welcomed, took a small break and started our visit. We saw the small goats, then the females and the males. Each category is placed in a different area.

Selfie w 3anzi khalfi 😛

We saw how they feed the new-born goats, we also had a demonstration of an echo to a pregnant goat, to check that everything is going well during her pregnancy.

After the interesting tour of the farm and getting to know more stuff about goats and farming, it was time to relax and enjoy the nature.

We had lunch in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by green trees, and enjoyed the activities prepared for the day. There was a very talented saxophonists, playing lovely music, then he was followed by a band playing Arabic songs.

 

Meanwhile, kids were enjoying their time in nature swinging, they were amazed by a magician show, and they could also do horseback riding.

The food was so fresh and delicious, we got to taste the yummy labne baladyeh, the white cheese …

Thank you dairy Khoury for this splendid day, we discovered a new green area in Lebanon, and a nice goat farm 🙂

Warde now in Ghazir!

 

I have always been attracted to textile and fabric, I guess it’s because I always saw my mum sewing, knitting or crocheting.

When I got the invitation to Warde‘s new store opening in Ghazir, I got really excited and was looking forward to check the store.

When I reached the store on Ghazir highway, I was amazing by the artistic installation they had prepared, a huge sailing boat made of textile reflecting Warde‘s unique artistic spirit.

Coming in, there was a band playing nice classical music

The store consists on three floors whereby each floor offers a variety of choices to suit every taste and requirement.

Besides providing its customers with the finest in drapery and furniture fabrics, Warde also offers a wide selection of trimmings, fringes, cords, tiebacks, and tassels designed with the minutest attention to detail and made to match fabrics.

The wallpaper selection at Warde is a fast-growing component of their product range.

 

Check some of the pictures I took during the opening

 

Exploring Terrebrune Hotel!

Part of the Live Love Lebanon campaign, I’ll be discovering and sharing with you, nice new places in the different regions of Lebanon.

I decided one day, with my friend M, to go visit a peaceful and charming place in Lebanon, Fakra.

You might say that the way is long, and it’s too far, but the road trip is totally worth it!

We were heading to one of the most fascinating, attractive and relaxing hotels: Terrebrune Hotel!

Terrebrune Hotel is located near the Roman ruins of Fakra; it is no wonder that this hotel offers some of the most spectacular views of the area.

Common spaces and almost every room of this hotel benefit from this privileged location, making the stay at Terrebrune simply captivating.

Constructed in the 2004; the use of stone in construction does give the hotel an alpine look. Extensive wood, marble and stone merge in shades of warm and earthly colors, giving the hotel a strikingly distinctive look. 

We were received very warmly and had a tour in all the parts of the hotel. It has anything that you might need from restaurant, to gym and spa, swimming pool and a lovely garden.

The swimming Pool

The swimming Pool

Bedroom – Type 1

Bedroom – Type 2

Garden – Green Area

Garden – Green Area

I was in love with the place, it’s so cozy, comfy, friendly and welcoming.

If you’re searching for a quite and relaxing place in the mountains to run away from all the city noises, it’s definitely the place to be!

 

Have you been to Terrebrune?

Which is your favorite place in Fakra?