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.

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.

Read the story behind Stamba in Vol. 40: Visionary

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 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.

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.