DAY TRIP: Saida
Less than an hour south of Beirut (depending on the traffic) is the ancient port town of Saida (also named Sidon), with a crumbling castle built by the Crusaders in 1228 that juts into the Mediterranean. The old souks are woven through this seaside town, with its inviting maze of tiny shops, peaked stone arches and buzzing daily life. Purveyors of handmade soaps, household goods, sweets, herbs, nuts and spices are all tucked into spaces carved of stone. Homes are stacked above shops and restaurants and children dart about playing games, yet there’s a very calm feel to this part of the old the city. Little has changed for centuries in the way artisans continue their work. Marwan Sharaf is well worth a visit; watch him make trays of glossy, jewel-like, nut-studded sweets rolled in rose petals and saffron threads. Just ask for directions – in the typical style of Lebanese hospitality, you’ll probably be escorted there.
Have a seafood lunch on the terrace at Saida Rest House, where the Mediterranean splashes against the rocks, or at Tawlet, for home-style cooking in stylish surrounds.
To round out the historic tour of Saida, visit Debbane Palace, a restored 18th-century Arab-ottoman house that depicts the old, rather grand way of life; the Audi Soap Museum, housed in a 13th-century building where soap was handmade for households and hammams; Khan el Franj (the Inn of the Foreigner), or Caravanserai – the 17thcentury limestone inn that accommodated merchants and their goods; and the 13thcentury Omari Mosque for its architecture.