Explore has heeded FCO advice not to go to the Bekka valley at the moment, so unfortunately we missed out on visiting Baalbek - however, we went further north to Tripoli instead, which, being predominantly Muslim, was a good contrast with the more Christian mountain regions. Our excellent tour guide also organised for us to visit a winery in our free afternoon, so we didn't miss out on the fantastic Lebanese wines. My advice would be to check the weather carefully before you go, as we weren't really prepared for walking in a foot of snow in the cedar reserves - but wet feet was a small price to pay for beautiful views and all those trees! Also, check the group size - ours was 20 people, which led to a very slow pace, queues, and lost that small-group feel that Explore is known for.

I was disappointed with The Lebanon having travelled extensively in the region. I was expecting the coastline to be beautiful but there is just too much development. Baalbeck and Anjar are impressive though. (LL - 5th January 2011)

This was a very enjoyable and varied trip and our guide Paul was knowledgeable and informative at all times. There were many varied historical sites to visit with Baalbek being the main highlight. The Lebanese people we encountered were all very friendly and seemed to be genuinely pleased that we were touring their country. The Lebanon may not be at the top of everyones travel list but I would definitely recommend it as a great experience. It is more 'westernised' than much of the middle east, although some may not necessarily see this as a positive. The only downsides to the trip would be that the hotel we were allocated on the first and last night (The Mozart Hotel in Beirut) was extremely noisey as there was a late night bar below the rooms! It was also on the main street so there were cars racing around until the early hours. Take some ear plugs but I doubt they will help very much. I have already contacted Explore regarding this and they have informed me they are looking into changing this hotel. Another issue I have raised with Explore is that this trip is advertised as 8 days. However we did not even arrive in Beirut until 10.30pm on the first day (followed by a sleepless night) and on the 8th day we actually flew out of Beirut at 7.30am, hardly what I would call full days. I would consider this trip a 6 days, 7 night visit. (I have also contacted Explore about this)  (LL - 14th May 2011)

Explore reposnse: There is usually a compromise to be made between hotel location, and facilities (in which we would definitely include sufficient peace and quiet to get a proper night’s sleep!).  Our customers like to be able to walk from a city hotel to sites and shops within the city, but we agree that this should not be at the cost of losing some well-earned rest.  As SJ says, we are indeed investigating alternative accommodation in Beirut to ensure that we offer the best possible experience there for our customers.  We understand the point about the way we calculate the number of days in a holiday, but this is an industry standard: so even if a flight left London at 11.50pm, and flew from the return airport at ten minutes past midnight, these would still count as days in the overall length of the trip. However we are always happy to give details of the flight timings before our customers confirm their bookings.

A very interesting quick trip to give you an idea about Lebenon and it's colourful history. Byblos was a definate hi-light, a small town with good restaurants and the most history I've seen crammed into a site by the harbour. I found the walk in the hills an unexpected delight. My only wish to make it a better trip would have been a night in Tyre ( I think it may be still classed as unstable, thus good reason it's not on the itinery). (LL- 4th December 2010)

This was my 13th trip with Explore. Lebanon is a fantastic detination. It offers history, culture, religion and fantastic stunning scenery.  It is very much a country which looks East as well as West.  This is a trip which I cannot recommend more highly. (LL - 11th September 2010)

Fantastic Bronze age,Hellenistic & Roman ruins! Beirut Museum stunning & a brilliant renovation job! People extremely friendly & a very safe place to visit! A country with so much history in the Levant, that it just cant be omitted! brilliant trip! (LL - 23rd October 2010)

The hotel in Baalbek was straight out of Agatha Christie. It was opposite the ruins and hadn't been updated since the 19th century when it was built - including the aged retainers- when I asked for a glass (to use as a toothmug) I was answered "Certainly, madam. Would you like it full or empty? There was antique furniture on the landings and each bedroom had a little pot-bellied stove to heat it. One bedroom was Kaiser Wilhelm's and another Charles de Gaulle. A wonderful experience. (LL- 24th March 2010)