I was in Beirut for 10 days back in March. Been meaning to write up on it.
Overview:
The capital of Lebanon, the population is slowly approaching 2 million. Situated on the coast with snow-capped mountain ranges as the backdrop, the setting is pretty spectacular. Make sure to try get a glimpse as you fly into the airport. There is no public transport to the city from the airport so a taxi is necessary. It's 9km from the city and shouldn't be more than $20. Taxi drivers will try to rip you off - I paid $50 but was too jaded after the long flight to care. Main languages are French, Arabic, English - most people seem to have a decent grasp of all three. You can get by with just English without any major difficulties.
The city itself is kind of bizarre. The army is everywhere, there are bullet-ridden buildings, mosques, churches, synagogues and the highest density of high-powered cars I've seen anywhere. It's an interesting city fo' sho'.
Public transport does not exist but shared taxis are cheap as chips. Ask for 'Service' and you'll pay about $.50 to get anywhere in the city.
Accommodation:
I stayed in Gemmayzeh, the christian area in East Beirut. In a place called Saifi Urban Gardens
http://www.saifigardens.com/ to be precise. It's $50 for a private room. There is an arabic language school and the bar/cafe gets packed at night with a mix of locals and foreigners, I'd say 70% locals. Hamra seems to be the other popular place to stay. Both are decent areas for nightlife. For those 'balling on a budget', hostel options are pretty limited, but Saifi does a bed in a dorm for $18 per night.
Sightseeing:
Lebanon is small enough that you can base yourself in Beirut and head for other spots on a day trip. I visited Tripoli (north), which is a world away from Beirut, far more 'arabic', conservative middle-eastern feel, but definitely worth a visit.
Honourable mentions to Baalbeck - Massive Roman Temples and birthplace of Hezbollah. You can buy Hezbollah t-shirts off the vendors outside the temple!
Byblos - Small harbour with old souk around 50 mins north of Beirut. You can get a minibus here from 'Cola' (main bus station/roundabout) return for around $2 return.
Also visited Jeita Grotto.
Safety:
Crossing the road is a fucking nightmare. If there are rules of the road, they are wholeheartedly ignored. Common sense here.
Lebanon receives a lot of negative press, and Syria's problems seem to be spilling over a bit. I was told by locals that the atmosphere was tense, but I was oblivious/ignorant of it. The army is everywhere which may make you feel uneasy. That said, I didn't see so much as a fist-fight when I was there.
Girls/Nightlife
While I wasn't blown away by the quality, there is a healthy sprinkling of beautiful women in Beirut. When you get a top-quality Lebanese chick, they are hard to beat. Similar in appearance to other Arab women, their features are somewhat softer and pack a bit more junk. They do appear materialistic - smartphones/Louis Vitton bags etc - and a lot of local guys bitched to me about them. However, don't let that put you off, they like foreigners!
Day game: American University Beirut (AUB) campus near Hamra, also Corniche in that area. Downtown - quality chicks go here to shop/be seen/ drink in overpriced cafes. Always, always, always open in English. Beirut does not get many tourists and the locals are always intrigued by foreigners. Ask for directions and 9/10 times she'll ask you where you're from, what you're doing there etc. I found that they respond well to playful/cocky game. I was told that ONS are not that common, but they definitely happen. Most young people live with their parents so logistics are key. As a foreigner she knows that you have a hotel/apt which further increases your value.
Night game:
Gemmayzeh: This is where I stayed so predominantly went out here. More of the small/hipster bar scene with many of the bars sparsely populated. Nightlife gets going around 9/10ish when happy hours are prominent. Decent place to pre-game.
Hamra: Hamra street is a great place for a pub crawl, only walked down it so can't give bar names but it seemed a rowdier/younger/drunker crowd than Gemmayzeh. Bars are located close to each other so long taxi trips are not needed. Also some clubs in this area - Uberhousen was the only one I was in - $22 cover charge and $6 for local beer. Decent techno music and you can smoke inside. Difficult to game chicks as it was so loud.
Monot: Where most of the 'super' clubs are but I never visited it so can't comment. Goes on all night by all accounts.
Flag tip: Head to Gemmayzeh for happy hour then head for a street called 'Mar Makil' - it's a small strip of around 7 bars with a bottle shop in the middle. Everyone buys cheap bottles here and stands around chatting outside. Kind of artsy but the chicks here are more liberal. Open anyone and everyone. I found the local men were excellent wingmen. Chicks will be very interested if you're foreign. Bottle of local beer is around $2 and place is busy until around 3am thurs-sat.
Tourists: Thankfully few and far between, some study at arabic schools and you get some journalists covering Lebanon, Syria or the ME. Standard is poor.
Conclusion: Beirut is a great spot, with some stunning women and decent nightlife 7 days a week. I'd say it's even better in summer when the beach factor comes into play. Still pretty cheap and relatively untouched by tourist in recent years. Get there before Ryanair/Easyjet/ Civil War do/does!
Mar Makil below.
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but don't even bother visiting for women. There are no bars in Damascus and you can't go to a club unless you bring the girl that you're with. Your chances of hooking up are effectively impossible, especially a ONS. It's a shame because there are very pretty women in Damascus, and many of them are not covered up and wear jeans, etc. Regardless, the culture is too reserved and conservative for any hooking up to be expected. 
