10 BEST BEACHES WITH SWIMMING POOLS LOCATED IN BEIRUT, LEBANON

Lebanon's coast is home to various pebbled, sanded, and rocky beaches, each of them offering different shades and clarity of blues. Most people usually opt to travel a couple of hours out of Beirut if they plan a beach day, but some people (like me) are sometimes too lazy for the 1 or 2-hour ride this demands. Lucky for us, Beirut has its own variety of beaches. I won't lie here, the quality of the sea near Beirut isn't the most desirable, which is why all the beaches on this list also have pools, this way you can linger in the sun in the water of your choice. The best part: all of these are located a short ride from any of the city's central areas

+Due to the ongoing economic crisis in Lebanon, establishments follow different lira conversation rates. Where 1$ used to equal 1500 Lebanese lira, most businesses will now equate it to 4500 L.L or follow this website’s rate. If you’re somehow paying in US$, the prices haven’t changed.

1.sporting club

Sporting

EL-MANARA

Sporting has been around for ages (since 1953) and is here to stay. It's one of these places that you either love or despise entirely, and despite its relatively recent renovation, it still has an old Beirut feel to it - which I think is why the people that love it do. I've been going there with my family and friends since I was 5. Now that I'm writing this post, I remember this is where I learned to swim, in Sporting's upper big pool facing the sea. Sporting has two big swimming pools: the one facing the basketball court is ice-cold, the one closer to the sea is a bit warmer and has a bit of seawater in it. There's also a small pool for kids as the place is very family-friendly. The venue itself is pretty big, which is probably one of its main appeals as it provides diverse options for sitting with different views of the sea. As for food options, I personally like them, but a lot of people don't. Try their lemonade and hot dog; that's what I usually have. They also organize many events at their location, like sunset yoga, or decks on the beach, if you're into that sort of thing.

 

Hours: Monday/Sunday 09:00 - 19:00

Pool day pass price:  20$ on weekdays, 30$ on weekends

Number: +961 1 742 200

2.LONG BEACH

LONG BEACH

EL-MANARA

Where Sporting will remind you of old Beirut, Long Beach is old Beirut. I wouldn't necessarily call this a beautiful place to go to and enjoy the sun at-; the facility is pretty run down - but they have the necessities: working pools, fairly new mats, and reclining chairs. Apart from that, everything is old, including the reception sign, the gym equipment, and some of the water rides, made in concrete à la 1960s. The place is aged, and that's where (I think) its charm stems from. I wouldn't necessarily recommend going to Long beach on an every week basis, but visiting there once is bound to be fun, or at the very least, interesting. If you're a tourist, I recommend speaking to the older people that work there; they have some cool stories about how Beirut used to be and the golden days of Long Beach, which used to own Beirut's biggest pool.

 

Hours: Monday/Sunday 08:00 - 19:00

Pool day pass price:  35,000 L.L for adults, 10$ for kids, on any given day

Number: +961 1 742 496

 3.AUB beach

AUB BEACH

AL-MANARA

The American University of Beirut (AUB) has its own beach. It's not big or fantastic, but it's a nice cozy little piece of heaven in the heart of Ain Mreisseh's beachfront. There's a sandy beach volleyball court, an infinity-ish pool, the sea, and it's pretty convenient and sweet. I wouldn't, however, recommend going there if you're not an AUB student, alumni, or going with someone that is somehow affiliated to AUB (works there or studied there), because the given price is kind of expensive for a normal pool day pass, although I'm sure you could talk your way out of it if you really wanted to.

 

Hours: Monday/Sunday 010:00 - 19:00

Pool day pass price: AUB student: free // AUB alumni: 8$ // if you're going with an AUB student or alumni or faculty staff: 13$ // if you're going and you don't know anyone: 20$ 

Number: +961 1 350 000 ext: 3205

4.POOL D'ETAT

Pool detat

HAMRA

Hamra Urban Garden's rooftop is one of Beirut's affordable hotels with a pool. Pool D'état facility is huge by Beirut standards, and it contains a lot of trees, which makes you forget that you're in the middle of the city. Although this is an adult-only place during the night, the day features a kids pool with a fountain, so it's still very family-friendly. And although there is no option to swim around in the sea since this is located in one of Beirut's popular neighborhoods, it's still an option that many Beiruties know of and opt for.

 

Hours: Sunday-Thursday: 10am-1am, Friday-Saturday: 10 am-2am.

Pool day pass price:  For guests of the hotel : free // weekday: 10,000 L.L. // weekend: 20,000 L.L. [source]

Number: +961 3 786977

5.Riviera Beach Lounge

riviera

AL-MANARA

I used to go there a lot when I was younger (surprisingly). I haven't been there in 3 years now, so I don't know if this place is still poppin', but I think it is from what I've gathered. This is where you go if you want to see and be seen and pop a few bottles of champagne while you're at it. It's more Las Vegas than Beirut, and if you're looking for a nice quiet day of relaxation by the beach, the live Dj at Riviera won't really align with you. There's a VIP area with jacuzzis and dedicated services, a pool where people prefer dancing and PDA to swimming, and tanning decks overlooking the sea. If you have kids, there's a separate pool area for families that's actually pretty nice.

 

Hours: Monday/Sunday: 10:00 - 18:00 

Pool day pass price: For guests of the hotel: free // weekdays: 24$ for adults, 17$ for children// weekends: 32$ for adults, 20$ for children.

Number: +961 1 373 210

 6.MADAME BLEU

madame bleu

AIN MREISSEH

Formerly known as La Plage, Madame Bleu is where the posh people of Beirut meet the sea or look at it from afar. The location is beautiful, the atmosphere is excellent, and the staff is amicable and professional. They also serve a variety of delicious fresh seafood. This isn't the place where you go alone, relax, and enjoy a good book, but it's also not the place where you go to show off and drink like there is no tomorrow. This is a solid in-between trendy spot considered one of the best beaches in Beirut, that is sure to please anyone interested in having a good time by the sun.

 

Hours: Monday/Sunday 09:00 - 19:00

Pool day pass price:  weekdays: 25$ weekends:35$ 

Number: +961 78 996 222

7.Coral Beach

coral beach

JNEH

   There's nothing that pops in mind when I think about Coral Beach. It's just a convenient place for relaxation. The sitting areas are enormous, there's a variety of swimming pools to choose from, and they even have a lovely small sandy beach to stroll around in. If you've ever been to an everyday-life beach resort, Coral beach is exactly what you'd expect it to look like. They also sometimes serve shaved flavored ice, and that's a huge plus in my book. 

 

Hours: Monday/Sunday 08:00 - 19:00

Pool day pass price:  Hotel guests: Free. Normal Guest: Weekdays: Adults[18.52$], Kids[10$] Weekends: Adults [23$], Kids [14$]

Number: +961 1 859 000

8.Kempinski Summerland

SUMMERLAND Resort

JNEH

This one has the same concept as Coral beach, but way more luxurious: there's a bridge in the middle of the pool - if that doesn't scream luxury, I don't know what does. It's also very family-friendly: the hotel organizes a lot of kids related activities. Summerland has a lovely view of Beirut's coastline. The facility itself is beautiful and very state-of-the-art-posh, guaranteed to please anyone looking for extra luxury in their fun in the sun, as long as you’re ready to pay for their pool day pass.

 

Hours: Monday/Sunday 09:00 - 19:00

Pool day pass price: weekdays: 50$ which includes a 25,000 LL coupon for food & beverages // weekends: 100,000 LL which includes a 25,000 LL coupon for food & beverages.

Number: +961 1 858 000

 9.Saint Georges Hotel & Resort

ST. GEORGE

ZAYTOUNA BAY

I go there for the view. There's something exceptional and cool about lounging by the swimming pool, surrounded by the tall glassed buildings of Zeitouna Bay, that somehow don't block your sun so that you can also conveniently tan. St.Georges has three adult pools and a children's pool/playground area. It hosts a rare surrounding that you won't get anywhere else in this city.

 

Hours: Monday/Sunday 09:00 - 22:00

Pool day pass price:  weekdays: Adults: 23$, Kids:20$ // weekends/Holiday: Adults: $27, Kids:23$.

Number: +961 1 370 741

10.Bain Militaire

BAIN MILITAIRE

AL-MANARA

The Bain Militaire (Central Military Club) was built by the French army during their mandate and later acquired by the Lebanese government. 'Hamem el Askareh' as it's called in Arabic, is free for any Lebanese army member and extended family members, but it's also open to the public. This is probably the biggest beach facility in Beirut, it has a lot of outdoor pools and an indoor one, and different beach accesses. The places include chalets that you can rent, a couple of restaurants and a basketball court. This is one of my favorite places in Beirut to swim in the sea (although that might not be such a good idea because pollution is a thing) and enjoy my time because it makes you forget you're in a city.

 

 Hours: Monday/Sunday 09:00 - 20:00

Pool day pass price:  10$ and above, it depends if you come with someone from the military, a family member of someone in the military, and their rank.

Number: +9611744351