I've put a posting on a Cyprus forum I visit regularly..... I've copied it here:
"Hi all,
We're back today from our mini-cruise on the Sapphire from Limassol to Lebanon & Syria.
Had a great time and although the Syria excursion was a bit long winded, we had a great time.
Thought I would share a few photos from our blog with you.......
http://www.cyprusstamps.co.uk/cyprusstampsblog/
It's our 3rd time in Beirut so we didn't take the organised excursion this time and chose to wander to the Armenian district in the morning and then into the Down Town shopping area around Star Square in the afternoon. When they started to rebuild it all a number of years ago, they discovered some ancient Roman ruins of a bath house underneath the rubble and so, have left it preserved in the centre of the main banking and government district buildings.
It's a fascinating city and a firm favourite with us."
Below is a more detailed account of what to expect.....
The Beirut tour is a brilliant day and should definitely be taken if you are a first timer. It usually starts off in Byblos (the oldest inhabited city in the world) and there are a couple of fabulous shopping streets. Next stop is the Lady of Harissa and St Mary's church, perched high on the mountainside above the town. From here you head to Jeita to the caves to see the stalagmites and stalagtites - passing through the bottom of the caves by boat and later after a packed lunch, walking through the upper caves. Last stop is usually around the Down Town shopping area and Star Square after a guided tour of the Roman ruins. They used to incorporate a night trip to the Casino in Junai but the ship we were on had extended the onboard casino room and no longer run the trip to the casino. The trip usually leaves the ship around 8.30am to 9.00am and returning around 5pm.
There's also about 3 fairly large Duty Free stores in the port authority area and free minibuses run regularly to and fro. Silk Cut cigarettes worked out at 10 euros for 200 and some cigs were priced at $1 and $3 for packs of 200
- Absolutely no incentive to give up smoking there then!!!
We missed out on the excursion last time we went to Syria so we made sure we went this time. The Cracs des Chevaliers is excellent but around 2hrs drive from the ship. The scenery is quite boring and a bit of a cross between Egypt and India for a mixture of extremeties of rich and poor, living side by side. We had a great time going round the castle and there are a lot of steps and some quite rough terrain in some places. Lunch was a boxed pack taken at a nearby restaurant. Sorry, forgot to add - toilet stops are holes in the ground (so, ladies - be prepared, dress accordingly and make sure you have loo roll and hand wipes on standby)...
The shopping around Latakia port is poor in comparison to Beirut and I would recommend if you see something in Beirut you fancy, get it there rather than waiting to see if you can find the same in Syria.
Please note: this isn't really an excursion that often gets sold by your tour operators. They tend to concentrate on Egypt and Israel. But, if you fancy it - you can check to see if it's running by looking on the Louis Cruise Lines website and, if you wait until a couple of weeks before you are due to travel to Cyprus for your holiday you will often find the prices will have reductions (except during high season). You can book online or you can visit the Louis offices on the seafront in Limassol (heading towards the Old Town).
CwB
