Review: A Family Getaway in Batroun!!

When you have lovely weather and sunny weekends it means you should go out and make the best out of it!! 1 of my favorite destinations (after Jbeil) is Batroun...but if you are heading from Beirut than it's relatively a bit far (requires around 1hr & up to 1.5hr in traffic). Thus, I'd recommend a family weekend getaway for an ultimate rich, entertaining, fun, educational & unique family experience!!! 
Sharing with you ours...

Well...first of all we love road-trips!!! Luckily our kids sleep on the way making it more feasible and doable!! So try to leave the house a bit early (around 10:30-11:00 am) to enjoy some not-to-be missed sightseeing around the area!! 

Day 1: Family Fun things to do in Batroun!

We reached the north @ 12:30 & our first destination was... Deir el Nourieh - Hamat!!
We spent an amazing spiritual hour, soaking in all of these beautiful images!!! The clean spots, the green nature, the trees, & the breathtakingly view of the shores...what a beauty!!
Tip: Visiting the OLD church is a Must!!! However, heads up... going back up the stairs while carrying your kids could be tiring.

1 of the best view in Lebanon!

Where to stay!

2:00 pm: it was time to check-in our hotel...(you have lots of tempting options for great family hotels & resorts). However, this time we chose San Stephano Resort - Batroun
Our room was located in Block B-2nd flr...It was ready & clean, with a cold bottle of water, towels & beach towels neatly folded on the bed, toiletries in the WC & my requested cake was ready in the fridge (which was super delicious and spot on!) 

Note: We had an incident with room next door, we called & informed the management & they quickly resolved it!! Lovely staff...

Spacious room. Flat screen TV. Towels. kitchenette (Microwave - Kettle - electrical oven - Fridge & kitchen utensils)!! Table and chairs on the balcony with hanging on cloth wires... Kid's pool & playground available..Pebbles & rocks on the beach so keep your kids non-slippery shoes on!

On previous visits we have tried
AquaLand (which is right next to San Stephano & you can access the beach via them)...

I heard rooms are renovated since our last visit! They have a huge Olympic pool along with a small kiddo one... Amazing view!

Batroun Village Club: Located in kfarkholoss (not on the beach side) however, we had a great family weekend...Lots of activities, amazing view, secluded quite area & lots of green & open space for the kids!

Suitable for ALL: Indoor & Outdoor swimming pools - Billiards & ping pong tables - Basketball / Football/ Tennis & Squash courts...Indoor playground (total mess & needed renovation) & outdoor one was tiny! mini suite (1 bedroom with an LCD TV - WC - a living room - tiny kitchenette (kettle- microwave & mini fridge) a semi private balcony with an incredible view!

The rest of the day!!

By the time we had our swimsuits It was almost 3:30 pm!!! Weather was a bit chilly for an afternoon swim in the pool so instead we opt for the beach and playing in the playground! By 6:30 we were ready for our dinner!! Once again you have lots of options right across the hotel!!  First We enjoyed a quick, full, and good priced meal @Pizza Napoli!! 

2 medium sized pizzas + 2 drinks & kid's juice + 1 plate fries: $33

After dinner we indulged ourselves in watching the beautiful sunset, eating our yummy cake & finally a night walk around the hotel!

Ending our amazing Day 1

Day 2... Sightseeing!!

Well, the next day we started early..First I enjoyed my boost of energy coffee & donuts from Dunkin' Donuts while we sat @ the bay... watching the waves hitting the rocks under us, ships, fishermen, and simply enjoying it all!

Then it was exploring time!! We parked our car & took a walk in the old souk!! Being a Sunday morning most of the shops were still closed yet walking in the narrow alleys and old calm & friendly streets was just good enough for us! 

We enjoyed exploring 2 of the most attractive and historic churches: St. Stephan Cathedral & Lady of the Sea Church.. Not to mention the sea port, fishermen, and of course: 1 of the important archaeological sites in Batroun: The Ancient Phoenician Wall (which was built for protection from the tidal waves).

I mixed the images from both of my visits once seeing Batroun @ night & another during the daylight! both were just Amazing and lovely experience!

Then we went back to the hotel for one last quick swimming and playing time for the kids...Hotel was fully booked so we couldn't enjoy an extra late check-out!! Our exciting journey wasn't over yet, so we took our shower, dressed, packed & were ready to go by 12:30!
During our last visit we had lunch @ this time before we went on with our plans!

You just can't spend time in Batroun without enjoying a good seafood meal!! Lots of tempting options but Our pick was Le marin restaurant!

Great location, food & amazing food! Our meal was: Fattoush - Homous - Fries - fried crab & calamari- Provencal shrimps & Calamari - Bizreh & soft drinks: $55

This time however we had different NEW Plans!! Our last destination was visiting DOUMA village! Once again, kids had their nap time in the car while we enjoyed the incredible mountain views till we reach our sweet destination!: It was as if we stepped into a totally different world! the old houses of this quite & calm village, the friendly people, old shops, authentic in every way!

A beautiful OLD town with its authentic souk, alley & old people!

After our long road-trip, new explorations, and sightseeing it was time to eat!! We headed back down & drove along the sea side road till we reached Amchit @Chez Zakhia: we enjoyed a mouthwatering seafood meal with a great view right above the water

Cost for Our usual menu (same one we always order): $55

There you go...A perfect fun family weekend getaway in & around Batroun City!! As I previously said, lots of other options & places you can choose to visit and explore... but this was how we did it!!