Six Hotels To Book For A Gorgeous Georgian Getaway
From brutalist urban beauties to contemporary spas set amid soaring cedars, these are the Georgian boltholes to book for a culture-rich trip
16 March, 2023
It
surely won’t be for much longer that travellers have to
clarify they’re going to “Georgia, the country, not Georgia, the US
state known for its peaches” – only to be met with a blank stare. A
historic melting pot, set at the crossroads of Europe and Asia,
between the Caucasus Mountains, the Black Sea and the Caspian, the
country emerged from the collapsing Soviet Union as an independent
state in 1991. Since then, it has seemingly pressed fast-forward,
propelling itself to a position as one of the world’s most
compelling creative hubs, while continuing to champion its rich
cultural heritage and unique cuisine. (Not for nothing do Georgians
have a specific word that translates to the feeling of having eaten
well beyond the point of comfort – “shemomedjamo”.)
With a new wave of urban boutique stays, mountain lodges and
buzzy hostels having sprung up to meet demand, now is the time to
discover this under-the-radar destination for yourself. Whether
you’re considering a long weekend in the capital, Tbilisi, with its never-sleeps breed of energy,
a hiking adventure in the rugged north, where eagles swoop between
ski resort cable cars, or a complete recharge on the palm-fringed
beaches of the south, these are the best boltholes at which to base
yourself. And the peaches? As good, if not better, than the ones
they’re eating in Atlanta.
Six gorgeous Georgian hotels to visit
hotel
Rooms Kazbegi
Stepantsminda
The breakfast spread at Stepantsminda’s newly refurbished, 155-key
Rooms Hotel Kazbegi is as epic as the views through the
floor-to-ceiling windows, while its pine-clad wellness area – all
vintage ski posters and Caucasus-facing poolside lounge chairs –
takes mindful R&R to new heights. Set in a Soviet-era
sanatorium in Georgia’s rugged north-east, a three-hour drive from
Tbilisi, the contemporary, rustic-luxe bolthole makes a great base
for winter ski adventures or, year-round, for exploring ancient
churches and crashing waterfalls on horse-riding or hiking
expeditions. Spend evenings grazing on Georgian and international
comfort classics in the hotel’s sprawling lounge-restaurant,
browsing the design-forward shop, playing a game of pool in the bar
and doing some stargazing from the balcony of your
Gstaad-chalet-chic room.
hotel
Stamba Hotel
Tbilisi
A 140-key member of Design Hotels serviced by a staff of 500,
“boutique” is something of an oxymoron when describing this
brutalist wonderland set in a 1930s publishing house in the
capital’s buzzy Vera district. In the lobby, the printing equipment
from which Georgia’s first communist newspaper once emerged is
still in place, now sprouting a jungle of foliage. Red neon
illuminates a labyrinth of bookshelves – just a fraction of the
property’s 84,000-strong curated book collection – and contemporary
art abounds. Guest rooms, at 52sq m each, feature exposed
brickwork, a huge bed with buttery tan leather headboard, bar,
coffee machine, white sofa, retro, flokati-covered chair, desk and
freestanding copper bathtub. Elsewhere in the hotel, you’ll find
the destination Café Stamba all-day diner, sustainable SpaceFarms
hydroponics project, an ethical coffee roastery, bean-to-bar
chocolatier, design shop, sewing atelier and Tbilisi Photography & Multimedia
Museum – the first institution in Georgia dedicated to the
contemporary image in all its forms.
hotel
Fabrika Hostel
Tbilisi
The amenities at this uber-cool crashpad on Tbilisi’s historic,
street art-studded Ninoshivili Street bely the “hostel” in its
name: think contemporary black-and-white photography on the dorm
and private bedroom walls, five-star-hotel-worthy mattresses,
powerful showers and a fully loaded breakfast buffet that includes
artisanal breads and pastries and homemade yoghurts and jams. Set
in a repurposed Soviet-era sewing factory, the multihyphenate urban
space has been an integral part of the city’s creative scene since
its 2016 inception, hosting an ever-evolving programme of events,
exhibitions and workshops, including craft sessions hosted by women
Ukrainian refugees. The pièce de résistance, though, is the huge
courtyard out back, lined with artists’ studios, galleries, cafés
and independent shops such as Flying Painter. Opened in 2016 as a
collaborative project between three Georgian artists, the atelier
sells industrial-luxe streetwear, accessories and one-off gifts,
many made out of quirky vintage fabrics.
The House Hotel Old Tbilisi
Tbilisi
Nestled in the heart of Tbiisi’s historic old town, amid
medieval churches and traditional houses, this 17-bedroom boutique
stay is set in a 17th-century building once on the verge of
destruction, its facade a profusion of typically Georgian
decorative wooden balconies. Sustainably rebuilt using salvaged red
bricks, wood and stone, the hotel embodies an artful blend of
European and Asian styles, with interiors characterised by antique
rugs, custom-made furniture, brass accents and a bespoke wall mural
by native artist Musya Qeburia. The hotel’s all-day-dining Blue Fox
restaurant is a destination in its own right. Settle down in its
courtyard setting to savour a menu of seasonal Georgian dishes
paired with wines that come from the owner’s vineyard in Kakheti –
with an old chimney found in the basement repurposed as the wine
cellar. A concierge service is on hand to arrange day trips and
outings, including wine, architecture and local fast-food tours
(cheesy khachapuri is to Tbilisi what pizza is to Naples).
hotel
Rooms Hotel Kokhta
Bakuriani
The futuristic-looking Rooms Hotel Kokhta was designed by
Georgian architect Levan Mushkudiani, its angular silhouette in
stark contrast to its more traditional neighbours in the Borjomi
district resort of Bakuriani – around a three-hour drive from the
capital. Offering ski-in, ski-out ease during the winter and an
expansive rooftop on which to sip cocktails on balmy summer nights,
the 95-room property makes a super-stylish springboard for
explorations in the surrounding mountains. Interiors marry natural
materials and metal sculpture, with a pastel-toned palette
punctuated by open fireplaces, hand-carved furnishings and
terracotta objets d’art. In keeping with its sister hotel, Rooms
Hotel Kazbegi, the all-day menu is worth lingering over, with
dishes such as oyster mushrooms in bazhe (walnut) sauce and
in-house-smoked duck topped with garlic and matsoni (local
yoghurt). Local sights to check out include Borjomi Sulphur Pools,
where you can take a therapeutic dip surrounded by dense pine
forest, and Mtsvane Monastery, which, having been abandoned for
more than 200 years, was restored to use in 2003.
hotel
Boulevardside
Batumi
Georgia’s second-largest city, the Black Sea port of Batumi is a
beguiling blend of Belle Époque architecture, café-lined boulevards
and green spaces, including the 111-hectare Botanical Garden,
established in 1012 by botanist and geographer Andrey Krasnov. With
its sea-facing pool deck and bar, private beach and 21 spacious
rooms arranged across two floors, Boulevardside is well placed for
water babies who want to be close to the action – Batumi Beach is
just a stone’s throw away. Many of the rooms come with Black
Sea-facing balconies and all offer A/C, free WiFi, robes, slippers
and big bathrooms stocked with ample bath products. While breakfast
is provided, there’s no restaurant. Try Ambassadori, for superb Italian fare, or Kalakuri (108
Pushkin St), for traditional Georgian recipes and live music.
Dive into our spring issue:
- Shop Vol. 40: Visionary
- Discover more Visionary stories
- Why we’re heading to Stepantsminda,
Georgia
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