Sporting Club Beach — Attraction in Ras Beirut

I’ll start by saying there is a very beautiful view here, which made our visit somewhat enjoyable despite our experience. We visited Sporting Beach Club with very high hopes — it’s a well-known spot in Beirut, and the name itself was very appealing. We had also read that the club offered a basketball court, tennis court, and racquetball court. Since it was my daughter’s birthday, she was especially excited to play basketball and racquetball with her siblings, so we decided to splurge on the $50 per person entrance fee.

Upon arriving, we did find a basketball court, which seemed promising — but we quickly noticed that cars were parking in the court area. After walking around for 20–30 minutes, it became clear that this same space was being used for basketball, tennis, racquetball — and parking — all in one.

I asked the front desk about facilities and was told the basketball court/parking lot was it. I spoke with Nasha, the manager, and he repeatedly assured me that within two hours, the entire parking lot would be empty and the kids could enjoy “the basketball court.” However, the parking lot remained full — so much so that it was hard for us to even exit when we finally decided to leave. I’ve attached photos to show the situation.

While I understand this may partly have been a mismatch in expectations, the manager’s attitude was extremely disappointing. He was rude and dismissive and did not take into consideration the experience of his guests. I explained that it was my daughter’s birthday, and that we had been there less than an hour, and politely asked for a refund. Instead of understanding, he insisted we had been there longer — even claiming that he had seen us bring in a birthday cake (which we did not). The conversation became absurd at that point.

We decided to make the best of it, moved our seats to the oceanfront, and enjoyed some frozen yogurt. In the end, we stayed for a total of 2.5 hours. I won’t even touch on the lack of service- I had to flag a waiter down just for bottled water.

I will never go back here again. I would not recommend this club...

I am updating my rating to 4 stars from 3 and here are the pros and cons

I initially used 3 starts since I was trying to be neutral as I was not clear about a recent event whereby a person of color was refused entry based on that status alone. ( if true then no stars and place should be shut down is only option). i do not have the facts. However sporting Managemeent have explained the reasons and whether you believe it or not they have either learned their lesson or as they said were misunderstood about the reason for denial. So that event apart.

Pros -Authentic no flash. -Good pool options. -Sea option -As a lap swimmer I appreciate the large sea water pool. -Management were quick to respond to 3 star rating asking what they can do to improve (see recommendations below) -I learned how to swim here so a bit of nostalgia (-;

Cons -Service is so so -Pricey -Since this is a sports club (sporting club hint hint) there should be more done for those that come to train such as Roped up part of the pool for laps maybe in the morning. Institute early bird pricing for the those that come for the sport and only stay a short time (pay full and if you leave before xx:xx am you get x% back) not too complicated logistically For example pay lbp 30,000 if you leave by 10:00am you get...

POSSIBLE HIJAB DISCRIMINATION OR JUST AWFUL HOSPITALITY!

When we first entered we sat on the tables by the sea. We were ignored for a good time until I called one of the waiters and asked for the menu. The waiter went and spoke to a guy that seems in charge, then this guy came to us to say that they stopped taking orders on these tables and we have to go inside (closed terrace).

We went ahead and went inside, it was the same bad service. We were ignored again although we directly asked for a table for three. Eventually, we helped ourselves to a table that was empty and no one said anything. After a while, a waiter approached us and said the table is reserved, although it doesn't say reserved on it. After that we just decided to leave. As we are doing so, we saw that people were actually seated and served on the tables by the sea. What is the difference between us and the people who are welcomed and served? They are not Hijabis whereas my mom is.

Honestly, after reading reviews describing how this place treats women with hijab and workers with color, I am not surprised anymore. I will boycott and won't be visiting again although it was a regular place for me and my friends every time I...