The Vault
Ground floor, stone-vaulted · sleeps 2 · the courtyard and the olive
$95$120
The terrace
Douma · 1,050 m · twenty-five minutes from the sea
Up the roadfrom the sea.Snow on the wall,the stove lit.
Six rooms, twelve beds, breakfast from the village.
Maria answers within the hour, nine to nine
The road
Altitude1,050 mTemperature6 °C
Twenty-five minutes, and eight degrees.
The drive, in four stops.
- The sea, at the bottom.0 m
- Tannourine's cliffs.620 m
- Douma's square.1,050 m
- The gate.1,050 m
The house
Built in 1890 by Elias's great-grandfather; the vaults held the wine and the winter.
The olive is older than the house.
The terrace was the threshing floor.
The Vault
Ground floor · sleeps 2 · the courtyard and the olive
$95$120
The rooms
Six rooms, both prices, and whether they are free.
The Garden room
Ground floor, its own door · sleeps 2 · the garden and the lane
$100$130
The Terrace room
First floor · sleeps 2 + sofa bed · the terrace and the valley
$125$160
The Loft
Under the roof · sleeps 2 · the valley, both ways
$110$140
The Family suite
First floor, two rooms · sleeps 4 · the valley and the courtyard
$180$220
The whole house
Twelve beds · from $700 a night · the kitchen and the terrace
$700$850
The walk
- Through the gate.
- The courtyard.
- A room on the valley.
The season
The same house, twice a year.
What a day is
- Breakfast on the terrace at eight.
- The monastery walk before the heat.
- The sea at Batroun by two.
- Dinner at the long table.
- The stars from the wall.
- The stove lit at seven.
- Snow on the courtyard, the road cleared by nine.
- Laklouk's snow thirty minutes up.
- Soup at the stove at one.
- Cards by the fire.
What is on in Winter
What is on in Winter
From $120 a night in SummerFrom $95 a night in Winter
From $120 a night in SummerFrom $95 a night in Winter
| Month | Day | Night | Snow days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6 °C | 0 °C | 5 |
| Feb | 7 °C | 0 °C | 4 |
| Mar | 10 °C | 3 °C | 2 |
| Apr | 14 °C | 6 °C | 0 |
| May | 18 °C | 10 °C | 0 |
| Jun | 22 °C | 14 °C | 0 |
| Jul | 24 °C | 17 °C | 0 |
| Aug | 24 °C | 17 °C | 0 |
| This monthSep | 22 °C | 15 °C | 0 |
| Oct | 18 °C | 10 °C | 0 |
| Nov | 12 °C | 5 °C | 0 |
| Dec | 8 °C | 2 °C | 2 |
The road
The road is open all summer; the last ten minutes are narrow — take them slowly.
Chains are sometimes needed above Tannourine in January; we send the day's road advice on WhatsApp at eight.
The weekend
The table
Breakfast is from the village. So is dinner, if you ask by four.
- Breakfast 07:30–10:00 · included
- The village dinner · $25 a person · ask by four
- Cooking with Hala · Saturdays 11:00 · $35 · included for the whole house
The sky
What the sky does on your night.
- The night
- Sun 1 Nov · 22:00
- The moon
- Half moon, 57%
- Up at ten
- The Pleiades, rising over the valley
- At night
- 5 °C
Sunday 1 November — a half moon at 57%; the bright stars stay, and the Pleiades rise over the valley, from the wall.
Drawn from the bright star catalogue for Douma, 34.2° north. The moon’s phase is real; the planets are not shown.
The valley
What you do, and how far it is.
The monastery walk at dawn
On foot2 h
Included · Lara’s map at the desk
Ask about thisCooking with Hala
On foot2 h
$35 · included for the whole house
Ask about this
Laklouk's snow
30 minA morning
From $15 · sledges at the gate
Ask about this
The Sunday souk
On footAn hour
Included
Ask about this
- Beirut80 min
- Batroun25 min
- The airport95 min
- Laklouk30 min
- Byblos40 min
Chains are sometimes needed above Tannourine in January; we send the day's road advice on WhatsApp at eight.
The hosts
Elias
The host
The road is fine. Come after the rain.
Hala
The host, the table
Breakfast is from the village. So is dinner, if you ask by four.
Maria
Their daughter, the WhatsApp
Send me your arrival time. I'll be at the gate.
Built in 1890 by Elias's great-grandfather; the vaults held the wine and the winter.
The olive is older than the house.
The terrace was the threshing floor.
The whole house
Twelve beds, one table, one number.
- Six rooms
- Twelve beds
- The kitchen
- The terrace and the long table
The book
The proof of a guesthouse is a second stay.
Karl
Two nights, every October. Same room.
Lara
I stopped taking photos here. That's the review.
Tony
My parents, my kids, the whole terrace. Three weeks in August.
Dima
Twelve of us, one table, snow in the courtyard. We're doing it again.
Guests who came back · 41% — sample
Three ways it costs less
Sunday to Thursday
A stay that runs Sunday to Thursday is fifteen per cent less. No code, no minimum beyond one night.
The third night free, in winter
Three nights or more between November and March and the cheapest of them is on us.
The whole house on weekends
No minimum beyond two nights in summer; three on a winter weekend, because the stove takes a day to warm the vaults.
Ask
Check-in is 15:00 to 20:00, and later by arrangement — send Maria your arrival time and she will be at the gate. Check-out is 11:00.
Yes, and it is from the village: bread at six from the bakery in the square, labneh, the garden's fig or quince depending on the month, eggs, olives, coffee. Served 07:30 to 10:00 on the terrace in summer and by the stove in winter.
Yes, if you ask by four o'clock — Hala cooks for the table, $25 a person. Ask later than four and the answer is the two places in the square, which are good.
Yes. The Family suite is two rooms and sleeps four, and there is a cot on request at no charge. The courtyard has a fountain and no pool.
Small dogs in the Garden room, which has its own door onto the lane. Tell us when you book so nobody is surprised.
There is a wood stove in the vaulted living room, lit from November, and central heating upstairs. Power is twenty-four hours. Bring one warm layer more than you think, because the stone holds the cold in the morning.
Fibre, throughout. The Loft has the desk and the best signal, which is why people who work take it.
In the square, two minutes' walk. The lane is for unloading — bring the bags up and then move the car.
In US dollars. Thirty per cent holds the dates, by bank transfer or Whish; the rest on arrival, cash or card.
Free to seven days before. After that the deposit is kept, and if we fill the room we return it.
A Friday or Saturday night needs two nights. Midweek, one is fine. The whole house is two nights, and three on a winter weekend.
Yes — all six rooms, twelve beds, the kitchen, the terrace and the long table. $850 a night in summer, $700 in winter, and cooking with Hala is included.
Open most of the winter. Chains are sometimes needed above Tannourine in January and February; we send the day's road advice on WhatsApp at eight in the morning, and if the road is closed we say so rather than let you drive up.
Only with their written yes, each time. If you would rather not be photographed, say so at the gate and nobody will ask twice.
- Directions
- Douma, the lane behind the church · 1,050 mDirections
- Check in
- 15:00–20:00, later by arrangement
- Check out
- 11:00
- Phone
- +961 6 000 000
