Guesthouses

What a guesthouse is in Georgia

A guesthouse is usually a family home with a few rooms set aside for guests. The family lives there too, and you see their life - the yard, the garden, the animals and the kitchen.

Georgian hospitality is at its clearest here. To a host, a guest is sent by God - a saying that often works quite literally.

Who it is not for

If you need complete privacy, room service or a large bathroom, you may not enjoy a guesthouse. You live to the family's rhythm, and that is not comfortable for everyone.

In that case we look for a hotel or boutique in the mountains and arrange a guesthouse dinner separately - so that you still get the experience.

Svaneti: Mestia and Ushguli

In Mestia there are guesthouses in the centre and in the villages on the outskirts. The centre is convenient; the village is quieter and more authentic - a tower outside the window and a rooster in the morning.

In Ushguli, one of the highest inhabited villages in Europe, a guesthouse is the only choice. Comfort is simple, but the morning view of Shkhara makes up for everything.

A Svan table will certainly have kubdari, chvishtari and Svan salt. Some hosts will introduce you to Svan singing as well.

Kazbegi and Khevi

In Stepantsminda and the villages nearby - Gergeti, Sno, Juta - there are many family guesthouses. The main assets here are the view and the khinkali.

The villages are a few kilometres from the centre, and some are close to the start of hikes. Juta, for example, is the trailhead towards the Chaukhi massif.

Some guesthouses stay open in winter, but heating and the road need checking especially. We confirm this before booking.

Tusheti: summer only

In Tusheti the road is open only in the summer months, and only by jeep. The rest of the time the villages are almost empty and the guesthouses are closed.

In some houses electricity comes from a solar panel and hot water from a wood stove. That is not a flaw - that is Tusheti.

Tushetian cheese, kveri and mutton are the basis of the table. Places are few, so for July and August booking early is better.

Racha

Racha is less known, and that is exactly why it is valuable: quiet, forest, a river and hosts who still greet tourists as something new.

Rachan lobiani and Khvanchkara - the semi-sweet wine made here - are the two main stories of dinner.

Guesthouses in Racha are smaller and more family-like. English is heard less often, and our phone translation is especially useful here.

Kakhetian villages

In a Kakhetian village a guesthouse is often a marani too: the family makes its own wine, and at dinner you are poured wine drawn from the qvevri.

Dinner in the yard under the vine, bread baked in the tone oven and mtsvadi - that is the picture many people take home from Kakheti.

During the harvest, in September and October, some families invite guests to join the grape picking. We arrange this in advance.

Mountain Adjara

A few hours from Batumi, in the mountains of Adjara, there are wooden houses in the valleys, with forest and rivers. It is a good continuation of a seaside holiday.

Adjarian khachapuri is here in its homeland, and local honey and cheese are an ordinary part of the table.

The roads in mountain Adjara are narrow and steep in places. So we recommend a transfer with a local driver.

Dinner at the host's table

At a guesthouse dinner is often a shared table: the host, other guests and you. The dishes stand together, and everyone helps themselves.

There is a lot of food - often more than can be eaten. That is a sign of hospitality, not an expectation that you will finish it all.

If you prefer to eat separately, we tell the host in advance. Hosts are usually understanding.

Wine, chacha and toasts

The table often has house wine or chacha, and the host will make a toast. It is part of the Georgian table, and a glass or two is the best ticket into conversation.

If you do not drink, decline politely - that is entirely acceptable. You can join a toast with water or juice too.

Chacha is strong - often over forty per cent. If you have a hike the next day, bear that in mind.

Room and comfort

A guesthouse room is simple: a bed, a wardrobe, sometimes a table. In new or renovated houses the room is modern; in old ones, more rustic.

The linen is clean, but colourful and often handmade. In some houses you will find a rug, an icon and family photos in the room.

If you need a particular bed - two singles or one large - we confirm it in advance. Not every house has both.

Bathroom: shared or private

In old and small guesthouses the bathroom is sometimes shared between two or three rooms. In new guesthouses each room more often has its own.

If that matters, we look only for private bathrooms. In the mountains, especially in Tusheti and Ushguli, that narrows the choice.

With a shared bathroom a morning queue is normal. Getting up early often solves the problem.

Half board

In the mountains and villages a guesthouse usually offers half board: breakfast and dinner. Lunch you often eat on the road, or they pack something for you.

Whether dinner is included or separate is stated in the suggestion. There is often no other restaurant in the village, so we always book dinner.

For an early start on a hike, we ask for breakfast and a packed lunch the evening before. Hosts usually do this.

Vegetarians, diets and fasting

Georgian cooking has many vegetarian dishes: lobio, pkhali, aubergine with walnuts, khachapuri. A vegetarian will not go hungry in a guesthouse.

Vegan or gluten-free food is harder but possible if we tell the host in advance. We always write down and translate allergies for the host.

On fasting days some families fast themselves, and the table is meat-free. We tell you in advance if your visit falls in such a period.

Language and communication

Village hosts speak Georgian and often Russian; English is more common among the young. In some houses a son, daughter or grandchild translates.

When language is a barrier, call us - we translate by phone. Before you arrive we send the host your details, so there is no need to explain.

A few Georgian words - gamarjoba, madloba, gemrielia - delight a host. We send them to you before the trip.

Payment

A village guesthouse often accepts cash only. A cash machine is rare in a mountain village, so you should bring money from town.

When we make the booking, the night's stay is usually paid in advance, and only extras remain on site - wine, a horse, laundry.

We tell you in advance how much cash to take, depending on the route. That simple advice spares you a lot of awkwardness.

Mobile signal and internet in the mountains

In Mestia and Stepantsminda mobile internet works well. In Tusheti, Ushguli and remote Racha villages the signal is weak or absent.

Some guesthouses have Wi-Fi, but the speed varies. If you need it for work, we check in advance.

Tell family at home that you may be out of contact for a day or two. We always have the host's phone number.

The host as a guide

The host often knows every path and sometimes takes you out personally or offers a horse. That is often the most interesting excursion of all.

A relative of the host can drive you by jeep to the next village or a lake. We agree the price in advance so there is no dispute on the spot.

For a serious hike a licensed mountain guide is better, and we arrange one separately. A host is good for a trail, not for a glacier.

Animals in the yard

In a village house a dog, a cat, chickens and often a cow are normal. In the morning the rooster crows - the village alarm clock.

Mountain shepherd dogs are big and sometimes loud. They are usually calm but guard against strangers. The host will tell you how to behave.

For children the animals are often the best part of the visit. Helping milk a cow stays with a city child for a long time.

Children at a guesthouse

A Georgian family welcomes a child especially warmly. Often the host's children or grandchildren play with the guest's child.

There is not always a cot, and the room is sometimes small. For a family we request two rooms or a large room in advance.

The yard often has an open terrace, steps or a fence on a slope. With a small child we check this beforehand.

Quiet and personal space

In a guesthouse the family lives there too, and it is not always quiet. The television, visitors, evening conversation in the yard - that is everyday life.

If you need quiet, we look for a guesthouse where the guest rooms are in a separate building or on a separate floor. Such options are often available.

Hosts generally respect a guest's wish to rest. A polite "thank you, I'm tired" is quite enough.

Etiquette

When entering a house people sometimes take their shoes off - follow the host's example. Respect for the head of the family helps the relationship especially.

You can decline food, but politely and with a smile. "That's enough, it was delicious" is the best formula.

A small gift from your country - sweets, a souvenir - is always appreciated, but not required.

Season and opening period

Many mountain guesthouses work only in season - from late spring to autumn. In Tusheti that is the rule; in Svaneti and Kazbegi, partly so.

In guesthouses that stay open in winter, the host often heats only a few rooms. So a winter booking always needs separate confirmation.

At the start and end of the season the villages are at their quietest. The weather is changeable, but the host has more time for you.

Booking by phone

Many of the best guesthouses are not on any online platform - they are booked by phone, in Georgian. That is one of the reasons we are useful.

We call, agree the date, the room and dinner, and confirm once more before you arrive. In a village a booking is sometimes forgotten.

If you are running late, we let the host know. In a village dinner is cooked on time, and that matters.

Checking quality

We choose guesthouses by guest feedback and our own visits. Cleanliness, hot water and the host's attitude are the three main criteria.

If a house has changed - new rooms added, or the family has left and someone else runs it - we check before suggesting it again.

After every stay we ask you how it went. Your answer affects the next guest's choice.

If something is not right

If the room is cold, there is no water or something is not as it should be, tell the host first - they often fix it at once. If language gets in the way, call us.

If the problem cannot be solved, we look for another guesthouse in the same village or nearby. In the mountains that is not always easy, but it is usually possible.

We record every such case and talk to the host. Sometimes that improves things for the next guest.

A route of guesthouses

Many travellers combine several regions in one route: two nights in Kazbegi, three in Svaneti, one in Racha. In each place there is a different family and a different table.

We arrange the whole chain: the guesthouses, transfers between them and the hikes. Hosts often know each other and will tell you about the next house.

A route like this is the most living way to get to know Georgia - from family to family, from table to table.

What we need from you

Dates, regions and number of guests, with children's ages. If you do not know the route yet, we plan it together.

What is essential for you: a private bathroom, dinner, hot water, internet. With that we rule out unsuitable options straight away.

Dietary restrictions and allergies - we write these to the host in Georgian, so there are no surprises at the table.

Price

A guesthouse usually charges per guest or per room, with or without dinner. Compared with a hotel it is often good value, especially with dinner included.

The suggestion shows the night, breakfast, dinner and transfer separately. On site, wine, a horse or a jeep may be added - we warn you in advance.

Our service is a separate line, and the host receives their full amount. For us that is a principle.