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Chateau des Oliviers

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  • 4km south of Tripoli
     Beirut, Lebanon
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HobWahid
HobWahid
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4 out of 5
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Chateau des Oliviers (Villa Nadia)

  • February 3, 2005
  • Rated 4 of 5 by HobWahid from Damascus, Syria
Chateau des Oliviers (Villa Nadia)

Located just about 4km to the south of Tripoli and set among a set of olive trees, Chateau des Oliviers is more than just a hotel, it is an experience and its owner, the decidedly rotund Nadia, is the main act. The "Chateau," designed and decorated by Nadia herself about 30 years ago, is a large house decorated with some of the most eccentric pieces possible. Suits of armor, Mameluke-style chimneys, and paintings of naked women smoking water pipes are just a few of the things that adorn her walls. As you walk around, although the place does have a certain charm to it, looking at the pieces on display, you may be surprised when Nadia tells you that she was once a designer of haute-couture dresses in Paris before retiring to return to Lebanon to build a house for her and her two sons. When the sons left the house, one to Chile and the other across the street, Nadia decided to open her doors to guests and soon gained a reputation for having one of the most atmospheric places to stay in all of Lebanon.

Upon arrival, you may be forgiven for thinking that the villa has been completely shut down. The vines and grass are overgrown and an abandoned old car sits in the driveway. Nadia will tell you that she refuses to leave the house anymore, and thus has no use for the car. I, though, stood at the door for a good 10 minutes ringing the bell and was just about to give up when a plump, old woman appeared at the door. She said that she was in the garden and that she couldn’t hear the bell. I could immediately tell that this was going to be an interesting experience. Looking around the place, it seemed that nobody had stayed here in a good 10 years, but Nadia insisted that she had two guests just the day before. Granted it was winter, but the fact that Nadia couldn’t even remember where she put the keys (they were under the couch) left me with a few doubts about just how many people had passed though here recently. The advantage of all this, though, was that the rooms were seriously discounted, $75 for a double. All of the rooms are nicely furnished, with hot water and heat and balconies that overlook the garden.

After settling in, I soon found myself in a chair next to Nadia watching Mexican soap operas as she regaled me with tales of years past. In 1983, at the height of the Civil War, Yasser Arafat had made Tripoli his base and Villa Nadia became the base for foreign reporters, such as Jim Clancy from CNN. According to Nadia, she would have 30 or so reporters at one time, all sleeping on couches, and she was mother to them all.

Those days are gone now, and the only thing she worries about are the Syrian soldiers next door… "They’ll eat all my food!"

From journal Lebanon: Playground of the Middle East

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