It’s the closest thing Beirut has to it’s own version of La Voile Rouge, that St. Tropez beach club that defines the Cote Azur summer. Located on the eastern-end of the famed Corniche, this cool beach café and lounge is a social hub for glamorous Middle Easterners and the occasional Hollywood celebrity. Located next to the opulent main restaurant, formerly known as Café d’Orient, the terrace space is actually a concrete embankment along the Mediterranean strewn with cool white-cushioned sofas, teak sun loungers and oversize umbrellas. <br /><br />The oceanfront café is arranged around a large swimming pool and swim-up bar with afternoon DJs during busier summer weekends. There’s also a pier-front tanning ledge for those demanding a bit more social space, but beware as they are always occupied by a crazy collection of bikini-clad singles. The spot is one of the best for be-seen lunches, summertime tanning and late-afternoon soirees attracting a cool mix of Beirut’s sexiest. <br />
Tips
If arriving during busy summer weekends, try to arrive before 11am to find the best loungers closest to the pool or the pier.
Last Word
Perhaps the poshest place to tan in the entire city, La Plage is a dining and lounge masterpiece popular with Beirut social-climbers and blue blood aristocrats.
