Located on the hill above Beirut, this is a very nice quiet place to stay. Away from all the traffic and busy city center. Air and temperatur is better than down the hill.
Staff is friendly and hotel is quiete, don't aspect to much from the kitchen... there are better place to eat.
Internet is free of charge and works well.
A good place to stay after a busy day

I stayed at the Al Bustan for a couple of nights - friends were having their wedding party there. 25 minutes drive from Downtown Beirut, the Al Bustan is well positioned in the mountains to give fabulous views.

My room was comfortable and larger than average. The hotel in parts is dated but has character which I prefer to the homogeneity of Holiday Inn, Ibis, Intercon etc. The pool is a decent size, breakfast was good and all of the staff I met were friendly and helpful.

Just concluded my 5 day stay in Lebanon (first time for me) and here are my words on the Bustan hotel. Firstly, I was told this was a 5-star hotel and to be honest was disappointed from the get-go. It cost about $270 US/ night for a standard room with an ocean view - pics included - and for that money I expected more than just a 3 star hotel.
The thing is everything seems stuck in the 80's. From the service to the amenities, it just seems past it's prime. It knows it needs a makeover, it just has a problem replacing those old jeans for a newer model. Not to be romanticized, the service was a bit of a let-down as well.

Breakfast
Simple, not too complicated and had all the essentials. Keep in mind the orange juice is not fresh, but from concentrate. The omelets were always oily. But the croissants were delicious. And try the zaatar/ cheese manaeesh. It's kind of like a cheese pizza without the tomato sauce.

Room
Firstly, the complimentary water and fruit basket was not replaced after day 1. Furniture was dirty, they replaced old sheets with ones not clean. Room-telephone was not working. Tv did not have one clear channel and internet was desperately slow. Finally, I asked them to shift the two singles into one queen on first day of arrival but this was only done on day 3. There are some pictures I've not included to show the state of the room. Get in touch with me if you wanna see them and I'll send them to you.

Location
The view and the location was outstanding, mountain air really does wonders. But as I mentioned before, even our hotel pick-up was full of drama. It was raining and while going up the mountain at night it stalled about 5 times. No hard shoulder, just tight mountain roads and their 91 cadillac was fighting to cope.

Overall
I wouldn't stay here again. It was a nice experience but too overpriced for what you receive in return. I would much rather pay the $700 and enjoy the Hotel Grand Royal 10 minutes away. Now that's a 5* hotel at standards I'm used to.

All-in-all, a zebra with spots ain't no zebra; and the bustan is no 5* hotel. Thanks for reading :)

The al-Bustan is one of the best hotels I've ever stayed in. Situated in Beit Mary, on the mountain above Beirut, it's a deluxe hotel with a spectacular view across the city to the sea. The rooms are fine, the restaurant is excellent, the staff helpful and competent. For some, staying outside of town (it's a 10 or 15 minute ride into the city) will be a negative, but for others that will be a feature. (Especially if there's a war on.) The al-Bustan is an elegant refuge, and a treasure.