Country club in Rashaya

Monte Santo, a restaurant and motel development in Rashaya, West Bekaa, opened its first phase, last week.

Works on Monte Santo, which refers to the ‘sacred mountain’ of Jabal el Sheikh, began in 2012 by Wissam Assaf, an expatriate who worked in the US hospitality industry for over 20 years.

The first phase, which cost $1 million in investments, includes a four-star organic food restaurant, and a 1,000-guest wedding venue. The second phase would include another restaurant to host up to 400 people, a lobby with a coffee shop and a wine cellar. It will also have a winter indoor ballroom, a gym, a pool, and other facilities. The development would include a ten-room motel with landscaped gardens.

The project is built on a 7,000 square meter plot, and will have a 3,000 m2 built-up area, when completed, within four years. The total investment in the development will reach $5 million, part of which was provided through Assaf’s personal financing, while the rest was secured from a Kafalat subsidized loan.

“We believe that this project has a high value as it enhances the development of the region,” Assaf said. He said that they are collaborating with the Ministry of Tourism and the Darb El Jabal organization to put this project on the rural and health tourism map.