Sunday, June 4, 2017

Villa Paradiso Batroun - Paradise is in the details

Yesterday was the opening of Villa Paradiso, an old house in Batroun which was transformed into a venue, lounge and guesthouse. Villa Paradiso Batroun is the heir of the original one in Beirut which now serves as a private residence.  The poject is the brainchild of Remi Feghali (architect executive director at POD but also - full disclosure - a friend from my university days at AUB).
With every other hotel calling itself boutique or trying hard to give out a nostalgic charm, Villa Paradiso manages to do just that simply by being what it is - a renovated old house which is concept oriented as to its feel and the way it presents itself. In French they say "c'est complique de faire simple" (it is complicated to do something simple) and Villa Paradiso did exactly that - the communal breakfast room gives way to a balcony which is across the street from the neighbors yet manages to remain private and welcoming. The rooms are named after birds, and if you look closely at the wrought iron on the windows what does one see but birds in the naif shapes!
The patina of the walls is old-new, painted but not just so, the bed backseats are actually old doors, and the vintage refurbished armchairs in every room reminds us of our grandmother's furniture all while giving way to super modern shower stalls.
Again, this is a place that is one layer after layer of thinking yet eventually transpires as more than the sum of its parts in terms of conviviality and charm. Do feel free to check their Facebook page as they are accepting booking as it is!
When their selling line is "Paradiso lost and found", one can see that through the details.