How to spend it on . . . Batroun, northern Lebanon

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My family is Lebanese but they lived abroad because of the civil war and then moved in 1992, shortly after it ended. About 10 years later, my mother bought a piece of land in the then sleepy town of Batroun, along the northern coast of Lebanon. She had been holding on to a dream, which she started when she experienced B&Bs in the UK, to open her own guest house. Bet al Batroun (“House of Batroun”) opened in 2013 with just three rooms; now there are five. Since then, guest houses in Lebanon have mushroomed, many adopting the moniker “beit,” but she effectively started that trend.

Now, if I go home to visit family, it’s Beirut in the winter, when the guest house is closed, but the rest of the time it’s Batroun. The place my mother created feels supremely cozy and comfortable: the house is built in the traditional Lebanese style around a central liwan, an open space with two front arcades. She is a sociable hostess and we often have drinks with guests in the common areas so you meet new people every day. Arriving there gives me an instant feeling of utter peace, even though the city is now bustling and beginning to catch up with its neighbor to the south, Byblos.

Batroun has become the new place to be despite how debilitating the country’s financial crisis has been. It’s green, with lots of Levantine architecture: beautifully restored stone-fronted houses with painted shutters and balconies flanked by bougainvillea blooms in bright reds and pinks. I think people need that escape. When you arrive, it is as if nothing has happened: there are restaurants, bars and beach clubs full of life. The Lebanese are famous for their perseverance. We get on with life even though things around us are falling apart.

In the mornings I will hit White beach, the same beach I’ve been going to for 10 years. It’s really no frills, just a pebble shoreline with plastic loungers and a restaurant in a basic concrete building. It is very easy to get into the sea: there is a bit of sand and then you are in deep, clear blue water. The restaurant is owned and run by brothers, with the freshest fish and great service. If I arrive before 11 in the morning, I will have a super strong Turkish coffee. If it’s after 11am, I’ll order a beer: an Almaza, the traditional Lebanese beer, or a Colonel, brewed locally in Batroun. Here’s the routine: you take your little table and they serve you the beer along with carrot sticks in lemon juice and my favorite sandwich, thermos, a small plate of lupins soaked in water with salt on top. I’ll sit there in the blazing sun, nothing but blue in front of me and the sound of the sea. Two hours like this and all the stress is gone. It prepares me for the rest of the trip.

Go in a swimsuit as some of their tables are in the sea and you can be up to your knees in the water

You cannot visit Batroun without going to Jamal restaurant. It is an institution, you have to book in advance as it is very popular. The restaurant is in its own small cove, on the seafront. You go in a swimsuit since some of their tables are in the sea and you can be up to your knees in the water while eating fresh fish. This year we had the usual, a starter of kabis malfouf – pickled cabbage leaves stuffed with nuts – grilled whiting and raheb, a dish of grilled eggplant. And there is a richer dessert, tamrieh – Fried filo pastry rolls with a delicious and creamy semolina filling, sprinkled with sugar.

You can also have lunch on what is called “La Route des Vins” – the whole mountainous landscape around Batroun is full of wineries that do tastings and many of them also offer food. for me they are the best ixsirwhich has beautiful gardens, and Atibaia, whose wines my aunt’s husband stocks himself when he comes to Lebanon. He is a big wine aficionado and says that he is one of the best he has tasted. One of my favorites involves a ride quite high in the mountains. Is called September, and is run by a young couple who have created La Table de Sept, a small restaurant at lunchtime with impressive views. It is about 950m high and it feels like you are sitting on top of the world. There are a limited number of tables, which makes it very intimate, a kind of round table with a menu of the day paired with their own wines.

I always buy arak, the anise-flavored alcohol from Lebanon, when I’m at home. Coteaux de Botrys makes a delicious one called Arak Kfifane. And I’ll get spices for Batrouniyat, or one of the artisan bakers and shopkeepers that you will find in the winding cobbled streets of the old town. so i can do my labourthe traditional Lebanese breakfast of flatbread topped with za’atar – a paste of thyme, oregano and sesame seeds. if you mix za’atar with a lot of olive oil, you have the taste of Lebanon.

To get my dose of culture, I’ll head to the Rachana mountain road to see the sculptor’s work. Anachar Basbous, who built a museum for his work. You can also see his sculptures from the road, it is part of the landscape. And a must-see for architecture fans is a half-hour drive north to the outskirts of Tripoli to see the Rachid Karami International Fair, designed by Oscar Niemeyer but left uncompleted in 1975 after the civil war began. It is supposed to be closed to the public, but they allow curious tourists inside these huge grounds with extensive gardens and unfinished architectural structures. It is a beautiful modern ruin.

I like to end the day with sunset drinks at Bolero. I will sit at a low table with a rosemary cocktail and watch the sun set over the sea. The last time I went, the whole sky was these crazy shades of bright pink to pale pink with turquoise blues. You keep taking photos, but you never capture what’s right in front of you.