Smallville Hotel

Top choice in Beirut


Sophie the superhero is your host at this strikingly original hotel with an exuberantly contemporary design, all reds, whites and quirks. There's plenty of fun in the decor, red bow-tied staff and outrageously colourful street-side bar, but rooms offer serious comfort and style. We actually prefer the spacious standard rooms to the two-room suites; both offer fine views from floor-to-ceiling windows with balconies.

The rooftop pool and bar is a highlight but often books out for noisy parties at weekends. The hotel is very close to the National Museum, near the up-and-coming Badaro bar-and-restaurant zone, and within walking distance of Achrafiyeh.

Breakfast is an extra US$22 per person.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Beirut attractions

1. National Museum of Beirut

0.15 MILES

Located on the former Green Line, this is Beirut's major cultural institution. Its impressive, magnificently displayed collection of archaeological…

2. MIM

0.25 MILES

Under the St Joseph university, this atmospheric and beautifully designed museum presents an extraordinary collection of exquisitely selected and…

3. Horsh Beirut

0.5 MILES

The large and verdant Horsh Beirut could be the city's version of Central Park, but opening hours are irregular to the point of arbitrary, and it’s manned…

4. Beit Beirut

0.84 MILES

Conceptualised as a museum dedicated to the memory of Beirut, Beit Beirut started off as the stately home of the Barakat family in the 1920s and was then…

5. Sursock Museum

1.1 MILES

This privately owned contemporary-art museum is housed in a 1912 mansion located in one of Achrafiyeh's most attractive streets. After a major facelift…

6. Sursock Palace

1.13 MILES

One of the last remaining Beirut manor houses from the Ottoman era, Sursock Palace stands behind high gates across from the Sursock Museum (the Sursock…

7. Mohammed Al Amin Mosque

1.39 MILES

Now the city's major landmark, this huge, striking amber-coloured blue-domed mosque near Martyrs Sq was opened in 2008 and has four minarets standing 65m…

8. Maronite Cathedral of St George

1.42 MILES

The neoclassical facade of this late 19th-century cathedral, next to the Mohammed Al Amin mosque, was inspired by the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in…