Next, by taxi or with map on foot and with sunscreen in hand, head over to the recently reopened Sursock Museum. Housed in one of the rare remaining Italianate-style mansions from the early 1900s, the museum houses more than 800 works of Lebanese and international modern and contemporary art.

While in the neighborhood, check out the attractive tableware and home accessories at the playfully named The Silly Spoon; furniture, lighting, and more decorative items at Over the Counter; and a cold press and souvenir bottles of local neroli and rose hydrosols at reputable organic shop A New Earth.

Green juice at the ready, get onto the mat. There are no excuses—Union Square Yoga, one of Beirut’s top studios, is just a few blocks away. In 2005, Danielle Abisaab left her career in architecture to “temporarily” teach within the budding Beirut yoga community. More than a decade later, the studio that she founded in the heart of chic Ashrafieh has an extremely devoted sangha and offers classes like pop and rock vinyasa, jivamukti yoga, aerial yoga, plus dance and music workshops. Indefatigable Abisaab, or Yoga Holic as she is known on social media, also works with refugee teens to teach them yoga asanas and breath work.

Photo: Courtesy of Zawya

What goes with wellness? Wine, of course. On the way back to Baffa, stop by Zawya for a glass, or bottle, of wine. This new shop serves only Lebanese wines, from small- and medium-size wineries.

Friday night is the night for seaside dining at Lux. Think: Mediterranean specialties like grilled octopus; white fish carpaccio; and seasonal, organic salads and sides. Cocktails are the way to go, and the DJ will get you warmed up for subsequent drinks and dancing at the weekly summer Decks on the Beach party at venerable institution Sporting Club.

Saturday

On Saturday morning, enjoy the tasty homemade Lebanese breakfast at Baffa House, but don’t overdo it . . . there will be samples galore at the Souk el Tayeb (literally “good market” in Arabic), Lebanon’s first farmers’ market. Created in 2004 by former journalist and food activist Kamal Mouzawak and held every Saturday at the Beirut Souks from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., this market is an indispensable stop not only for the food, but also as evidence of the traditions and hospitality that unite the region’s otherwise fractured communities.