How Kfarmatta Turned Olive Groves Into Pool Rentals
A village of pine forests and olive groves in Mount Lebanon has built a tourism micro-economy around private pools and chalets. Local landowners have converted farmland into rentable getaways, drawing visitors from Beirut and beyond during the summer months.
Drive thirty minutes south of Beirut into the hills of the Aley District, and the road begins to wind past pine groves, terraced olive trees, and gates that open onto something newer: backyards rebuilt around private swimming pools. Kfarmatta , a small village in Mount Lebanon Governorate whose name means "Village of Matta" in Syriac, has quietly become one of the country's most booked summer destinations. Reports put the number of private pools and resort chalets in the village at close to 200, most of them carved out of land that, until a few years ago, produced olive oil and citrus. This shift did not happen by accident. Lebanon's economic crisis, the loss of disposable income, and the cost of seaside resorts in Jiyeh and Damour pushed travelers inland, looking for cheaper, quieter, family-friendly options. Owners in Kfarmatta saw the demand and converted parts of their farmland into rentable plots with pools, gazebos, and barbecue setups. Many built two or three small chalets behind the family home and listed them on Instagram, Facebook, and Airbnb. What a Day Costs in Kfarmatta Pricing has settled into a recognizable pattern. A reported daytime stay of nine hours runs roughly $100 on weekdays at venues like The Escape, while longer 24-hour bookings move to $150 on weekdays and $200 on weekends. Other operators in the village, including Opulent Private Pool, Lamar Private Pools, and Blue Waves, list similar weekday rates at around $100 per booking. Venus, a restaurant-pool combination, charges by the person rather than by the chalet. Cost is what keeps the bookings coming. A family of six can rent a private pool with full privacy for the price of two day passes at a coastal resort. For many Lebanese households still navigating the post-2019 currency collapse, the math is straightforward. From Olive Groves to Booking Listings Kfarmatta sits inside a landscape that was, for most of its modern history, agricultural. It is one of the more important olive oil produci