Butlers Beach Club — Restaurant in Batroun

The venue boasts a commendable location, strategically positioned near the highway in northern Lebanon, not far from the city of Batroun. They offer an electric cart service to transport guests from the entrance to the beach, where an array of comfortable tables and chairs are available. The service, albeit courteous, is noticeably slow. The DJ requires a considerable amount of time to play invigorating music; initially, the music was exceedingly monotonous, only improving after 10:00 PM when livelier tunes finally emerged. Unfortunately, by this time, a significant portion of my friends had already left, disheartened by the earlier dull atmosphere.

The food, while decent, is exorbitantly priced. A bottle of gin, which typically costs $25, was outrageously marked up to $128. Our modest consumption of some snacks and soft drinks, along with the gin, culminated in a staggering bill of $462. The pricing is egregiously inflated, posing a severe detriment to tourism. In numerous other countries with far superior infrastructure (such as roads, cleanliness, and service) — like Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Kazakhstan, and even Dubai — the maximum expenditure per person, including excellent food and beverages, would be approximately $40. Adding insult to injury, the valet parking demanded an additional $5.50 as a fee. In many countries, parking is complimentary when dining at a restaurant.

In Lebanon, it seems exploitation is rampant, extending beyond just the banks and political system. I intend to boycott all restaurants and pubs this summer and strongly urge others to do the same to compel these establishments to reevaluate their prices and cease their...

The beach club itself is absolutely beautiful, amazing setting, great design, and the atmosphere had so much potential. Unfortunately, the service and management completely ruined the experience.

We were seated in front of the pool, where we were initially told we could sit. A few minutes later, the hostess came over and, in front of everyone, told us we had to move because the spot was “booked” for someone else. We were already settled, and instead of handling it discreetly or apologetically, she made it awkward and public. Out of politeness, we didn’t argue, but it felt extremely disrespectful. We paid $100 to be there, not to be treated like we’re in the way.

Then came the bill, and the waiter had the nerve to ask me directly, “Do you want to leave a tip?” I had actually planned to tip in cash, but after that question, I changed my mind completely. There’s a way to treat customers, and this isn’t it.

Not even a manager, came to explain or apologize. For $50 per person, which is more than most beaches worldwide, you expect at least basic professionalism. This place seriously needs to train its staff and rethink how it treats guests.

Such a shame that a beautiful place is being dragged down by...

Extremely disappointing experience at Butlers Batroun. The management and staff were unprofessional from start to finish. We tried calling all day to make a reservation, but no one ever answered. We ended up walking all the way to the beach club in the summer heat just to request one in person.

When we arrived, the hostess was unfriendly and unhelpful, offering no alternatives for our requests. We specifically booked 5 day beds but were given 5 lounge chairs instead. We decided to make it work, but on the day of our visit, we saw an entire section of day beds remain empty all day. Staff claimed they were fully booked until sunset, yet we stayed past sunset as one of the last groups there and the beds were still empty.

Despite requesting to be moved should a cancellation occur, the team offered no assistance. To make matters worse, this was by far the most overpriced beach club we visited during our entire stay in Lebanon, making the poor service even more unacceptable. The lack of communication, bad attitude, and overall indifference from the staff made for a frustrating experience. Would...