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Couched in the comforts of boutique plushness and nestled in the heart of Ashrafieh, the land’s historic multicultural heritage is captured in the picturesque Albergo Hotel, a refurbished Ottoman house located in the charming and traditional old quarter of Ashrafieh on Abdel Wahab el Inglisi Street. The Albergo Hotel, literally meaning the hotel in Italian, is a world in-between two worlds and the only deluxe boutique hotel in Beirut, preserving the Lebanese style and soul, reflecting a multifaceted country, at the crossroads of the Orient and the West.

The mansion, a stunning piece of architecture reminiscent of the 30’s, uncovers a three-arch heritage house typical of Beirut’s elegant dwelling. Opening its doors on May 25 1998, The Albergo is a converted city mansion with 33 rooms. The building is a delightful mix of oriental and Art Nouveau and that European-Oriental fusion is present internally throughout. The bedrooms offer a bold blend of East and West. The opulent carpets mix with the European furnishing, Aubusson tapestries, Persian carpets, and Louis XIV dressing tables to Damascene wood ceilings and individually decorated rooms, all remain teasingly concealed behind yellow stonewalls.

Located in an enclave in the midst of a residential area, the Hotel Albergo is the only Relais & Chateaux hotel in the country, synonymous with luxury, ageless charm and culinary delight. Parakeets squawk at you as you pass through the foliage to the foyer. With its velvet-lined couches and walls studded with curious ephemera, the decor is as sumptuous as a 19th-century academic’s study. On the ground floor, the lobby reveals itself with a collection of rare books as old pictures of Lebanon adorn the walls, depicting a nostalgic beauty of the land of the Cedars.

The tiny Art Deco lift takes you to the rooftop terrace where calm reigns and lush leaves sway, oblivious to the rhythms of the city. A swimming pool bordered by a hanging garden and surrounded by the scent of fig and orange trees, with unexpected views of Beirut, the sea and the Lebanese mountains, lies still.

This hotel is a visual delight with its blasts of rich colors, Ottoman chandeliers, Oriental rugs, Damascus wooden furniture and rich details in every nook, taking you far from the bustling city into a well of calm. A beautiful hotel mixing East and West, with its ochre-colored façade it reflects the beauty and warmth of old Beirut, and is a great example of how to beautifully preserve those emblematic buildings that lie silent awaiting to be revived again.