Where.ge #20 April-May Issue

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Now in Georgia Dinner in the Sky www.dinnerinthesky.ge

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your essential guide to Georgia

#20 April-May 2019 Publisher: George Sharashidze Editor in Chief: Katie Ruth Davies Executive Editor: Maka Bibilashvili Contributors: Katie Ruth Davies Maka Bibilashvili Sofia Bochoidze Samantha Guthrie Amy Jones Gabrielle Colchen Thea Morrison Lisa Maier Tony Hanmer Nini Dakhundaridze Ketevan Kvaratskheliya Mariam Merabishvili Photographers: Irakli Dolidze Designer: Ani Loladze Logo & Design Concept: Kevin Loftus Sales: Sofia Bochoidze Maia Tsereteli Mano Kutchukhidze Sesili Tikaradze Georgia Today Address:1 Melikishvili Ave. TEL 229 59 19 www.georgiatoday.ge

The Easter celebration, with its unique religious and ethno traditions, makes spring really special in Georgia. Our Svaneti-based correspondent Tony Hanmer will tell you more about Easter, which in Georgian is “aghdgoma”, simply meaning ‘resurrection’ as it commemorates the rising from the dead of Jesus Christ. Georgians greet one another on the day with the phrase, Christ is risen! And answer, Risen indeed! - Kriste aghsdga! Cheshmaritad aghsdga!

From May 15, tourists and local residents can enjoy George Sharashidze a completely new dining experience in the sky! Yes, Publisher, WHERE.ge the world renowned ‘Dinner in the Sky’ is now available in Georgia, on the territory of the Bioli Resort in Kojori, 10 minutes up the rolling hills from Tbilisi. And soon, Dinner in the Sky, a Belgian success story in the skies of more than 70 countries with more than 12 years’ exclusive experience, will be available in other locations throughout Georgia beyond the capital.

We look forward to Dinner in the Sky, featured on the cover of this Where.ge April-May issue, becoming one of the top new attractions and a must-go place in Georgia for tourists, expats and locals alike.

After La Cité du Vin in Bordeaux, France, the ‘Georgia- Homeland of Wine’ exhibition opened on March 10 at the Terrada House in Tokyo, Japan, welcoming visitors until May 7 to a showcase organized by the National Wine Agency and Association ‘Georgian Wine’ in partnership with Sony music communication and TOPPAN. Find out more about it inside.

Also check out the latest museum exhibitions, which Georgian brands the stars are wearing, and the best places to entertain your kids during your stay.

This issue of WHERE.ge, as per our well-loved tradition, also hosts famous Georgians and expats who are eager to share with you their best recommendations in each of the WHERE.ge sections - Go, Stay, Eat, Drink and Buy. And below, you can also find my personal choice for each of them:

In partnership with the Georgian National Tourism Administration

Khevsureti

Wyndham Grand Tbilisi

Dinner in the Sky

Chelti Winery

They Said Books

6 Mariam Kvrivishvili Head Georgian National Tourism Administration

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Maia Tsereteli Vice president McInerney Hospitality International Georgia

72 Sogol Davari Rali Co-Founder Dinner in the Sky

92 Ann Mirianashvili Chief Marketing Officer Winery Chelti

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Nincho Jibladze Editor-in-Chief OK! Magazine Georgia

WE FLY TO MORE COUNTRIES THAN ANY OTHER AIRLINE

● AMERICA ATLANTA BOGOTÁ BOSTON BUENOS AIRES CARACAS CHICAGO HAVANA HOUSTON LOS ANGELES MIAMI MONTREAL NEW YORK PANAMA SAN FRANCISCO SÃO PAULO TORONTO WASHINGTON DC ● EUROPE AALBORG AMSTERDAM ASTRAKHAN ATHENS BADEN-BADEN BAKU BARCELONA BARI BASEL BATUMI BELGRADE BERLIN BILBAO BILLUND BIRMINGHAM BOLOGNA BORDEAUX BREMEN BRUSSELS BUCHAREST BUDAPEST CATANIA CHISINAU CLUJ COLOGNE CONSTANTA COPENHAGEN DNEPROPETROVSK DONETSK DUBLIN DUBROVNIK DUSSELDORF EDINBURG EKATERINBURG FRANKFURT FRIEDRICHSHAFEN GANJA GENEVA GENOA GOTHENBURG GRAZ HAMBURG HANOVER HELSINKI IVANO-FRANKIVSK KAZAN KHARKIV KHERSON KIEV KOŠICE KRASNODAR LEFKOSA LEIPZIG LISBON LJUBLJANA LONDON LUXEMBOURG LVIV LYON MADRID MALAGA MALTA MANCHESTER MARSEILLE MILAN MINSK MOSCOW MUNICH MUNSTER NAKHCHIVAN NAPLES NICE NOVOSIBIRSK NUREMBERG ODESSA OSLO PARIS PISA PODGORICA PORTO PRAGUE PRISTINA RIGA ROME ROSTOV ROTTERDAM SAINT PETERSBURG SALZBURG SAMARA SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA SARAJEVO SIMFEROPOL SKOPJE SOCHI SOFIA STAVROPOL STOCKHOLM STUTTGART TALLINN TBILISI THESSALONIKI TIRANA TOULOUSE TURIN UFA VALENCIA VARNA VENICE VIENNA VILNIUS VORONEZH WARSAW ZAGREB ZAPORIZHIA ZURICH ● AFRICA ABIDJAN ABUJA ACCRA ADDIS ABABA ALEXANDRIA ALGIERS ANTANANARIVO ASMARA BAMAKO BANJUL BATNA BENGHAZI CAIRO CAPE TOWN CASABLANCA CONAKRY CONSTANTINE COTONOU DAKAR DAR ES SALAAM DJIBOUTI DOUALA DURBAN ENTEBBE FREETOWN HURGHADA JOHANNESBURG JUBA KANO KHARTOUM KIGALI KILIMANJARO KINSHASA LAGOS LIBREVILLE LUSAKA MAURITIUS MAPUTO MARRAKECH MISURATA MOGADISHU MOMBASA MORONI N’DJAMENA NAIROBI NIAMEY NOUAKCHOTT ORAN OUAGADOUGOU SEBHA SEYCHELLES SHARM EL-SHEIKH TLEMCEN TRIPOLI TUNIS YAOUNDÉ ZANZIBAR ● ASIA ABU DHABI ADEN AHVAZ ALEPPO ALMATY AL-QASSIM AMMAN ASHGABAT ASTANA AQABA BAGHDAD BAHRAIN BANGKOK BASRA BEIJING BEIRUT BISHKEK COLOMBO DAMASCUS DAMMAM DHAKA DOHA DUBAI DUSHANBE ERBIL GUANGZHOU HANOI HO CHI MINH CITY HONG KONG ISFAHAN ISLAMABAD JAKARTA JEDDAH KABUL KARACHI KATHMANDU KERMANSHAH KHUJAND KUALA LUMPUR KUWAIT LAHORE MADINAH MALE MANILA MASHHAD MAZAR-I-SHARIF MOSUL MUMBAI MUSCAT NAJAF NEW DELHI OSAKA OSH PHUKET RIYADH SAMARKAND SANAA SEOUL SHANGHAI SHIRAZ SINGAPORE SULAYMANIYAH TABRIZ TA’IF TAIPEI TASHKENT TEHRAN TEL AVIV TOKYO ULAANBAATAR YANBU ● TURKEY ADANA ADIYAMAN AĞRI AMASYA/MERZİFON ANKARA ANTALYA BATMAN BİNGÖL BODRUM BURSA ÇANAKKALE ÇORLU DALAMAN DENİZLİ DİYARBAKIR EDREMİT ELAZIĞ ERZİNCAN ERZURUM ESKİŞEHİR GAZİANTEP HAKKARİ HATAY IĞDIR ISPARTA İSTANBUL İZMİR KAHRAMANMARAŞ KARS KASTAMONU KAYSERİ KOCAELİ KONYA KÜTAHYA MALATYA MARDİN MUŞ NEVŞEHİR ORDU GİRESUN SAMSUN SİİRT SİNOP SİVAS ŞANLIURFA ŞIRNAK TOKAT TRABZON UŞAK VAN

turkishairlines.com

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Where to Go for Spring Fun . . . e c i o h C y M

Mariam Kvrivishvili Head of the Georgian National Tourism Administration

TusheTi Georgians and guests equally admire this hidden gem - stunning landscapes combined with valuable rich cultural heritage and the hospitality of local people.

Another highlight of the journey is the tricky road you have to pass to get there, a definite adrenaline rush! I’m always happy to meet people that have yet to discover the magic of Tusheti.

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Racha If you long to breathe fresh air, drink water from crystal clear springs, and discover small colorful lakes hidden in deep forests or alpine meadows, you must head to Racha, one of the most untouched regions in the country. No visit to this region is complete without tasting some of the local delicacies, smoked ham (lori), accompanied by the exclusive wine of Khvanchkara.

svaneTi Whether driving or flying to this region, your journey will be just as pleasant and can be compared to time travel as you arrive in a world of medieval towers, where catching gold flowing down-river using sheep wool is still practiced by the locals. Dramatic nature, the UNESCO world heritage site of Ushguli – one of the highest settlements in Europe, the Svaneti Museum of History and Ethnography, local cuisine: these are just some of the highlights that make the region exclusive not only in the country, but in the world.

samTskhe-JavakheTi A kingdom of lakes: this is a region that greets you with a new color every time you go back. A visit to Poka Monastery will introduce you to a world of authenticity, amazing you with the sophisticated handicrafts and souvenirs created by the local nuns. The “Turquoise village” of Gorelovka will wow you with its colors, leaving you with the desire to come back for more. It can be easily said that this region has the widest range of architectural monuments, from cyclopean sites to cultural heritage of the 19th century.

khevsuReTi Once you get to the Datvijvari Pass and climb to the viewpoint, you’ll get the feeling that you are about to discover something new and extraordinary. And just half-an-hour’s drive from this place takes you to a fairytale setting: Shatili, a unique Medieval complex of early modern fortresses and fortified dwellings. Take your own tent and set it up along the banks of the River Arghuni, or choose to overnight in one of the fortresses designed as a guest house. Be sure not to miss a visit to another Khevsureti landmark, the Mutso fortress.

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Okatse Waterfall Is Waiting for You! Okatse Waterfall is an ideal place for adventure lovers, so make sure you don’t miss out while here!

The nearby Okatse and Martvili canyons have new features this year, too, with the floor of the hanging trail having been made transparent, so adding an extreme element to the adventure, and the side fencing replaced with stainless steel, upping safety! Martvili is also to get its own zip-line this year!

More about Okatse and Martvili The Okatse Canyon Natural Monument is located in Khoni Municipality, Gordi village. Here, you will find yourself suspended 780 meters above the historical Dadiani forest, on a hanging walkaway. The tour ends with a beautiful panoramic view of the canyon, and visitors are able to take photos using an installed smartphone camera.

The Agency of Protected Areas has big news for tourists coming to visit in 2019!

Soon, one of the most popular eco-tourist destinations, the Okatse Waterfall in Khoni municipality, Kinchkha village, is to be officially opened to visitors.

Okatse Waterfall is 20 km from Georgia’s most popular destinations, the Prometheus Cave and Martvili Canyon, and is one of the biggest cascades in Georgia as well as one of the most distinguished natural monuments in the country’s Protected Areas.

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For the new season, the Agency of Protected Areas has set up new eco-tourist infrastructure, including viewing platforms, a visitor center and trails.

The Martvili Canyon Natural Monument visitor center can be found just outside Inchkhuri village, after which you’ll be able to explore a 700-meter stone loop-trail, along the path taken by the Dadiani royal family before you. There are two bridges and three viewing platforms to enjoy sights of the forest-enveloped canyon from, and 30 steps of a historical limestone staircase built for the kings to walk down to the river.

The Okatse Waterall falls in three cascades: the first waterfall is a drop of around 25 meters, the second 70 meters and the last approximately 35 meters.

Visitors shouldn’t miss out on a 300 meter-long rafting tour on River Abasha, with beautiful views of the rocks, caves and greenery.

The waterfall is located several kilometers from Okatse Canyon at the point the river enters the canyon, and in getting there you will follow a trail that passes through beautiful nature and landscapes.

We Create Memories

www.nationalparks.ge

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Georgia By samantha Guthrie Gelati Monastery is located near Kutaisi in western Georgia. Founded in the year 1106, the distinctive green-roofed church is a masterpiece of the Golden Age of medieval Georgia. It is characterized by facades of smoothly hewn large blocks, balanced proportions and blind arches for exterior decoration. The monastery, one of the largest medieval Orthodox monasteries, was a center of science and education and the Academy it housed was one of the most important centers of culture in ancient Georgia.

Mtskheta is a town approximately 30 minutes north of Tbilisi. The beautifully restored Medieval city was once the capital of Georgia. UNESCO praises Mtskheta for its historic churches as outstanding examples of medieval religious architecture in the Caucasus which demonstrate the high artistic and cultural level attained by the ancient Georgians. Mtskheta is easy to reach by public transport or taxi from Tbilisi, and has several good cafes and restaurants to compliment your cultural tour.

Georgia currently has three sites on the UNESCO cultural World Heritage list – Gelati Monastery (1994, 2017), Histori-

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cal Monuments of Mtskheta (1994), and Upper Svaneti (1996).

Upper Svaneti is a world apart. The remoteness and isolation of the region has preserved its unique characteristics. It is, says UNESCO, an exceptional example of mountain scenery with medieval-type villages and tower-houses. The village of Chazhashi still has more than 200 tower-houses, which were used both as

dwellings and as defense posts against the invaders and opposing local clans. The village of Ushguli is also in Upper Svaneti – considered by many measures to be the highest altitude year-round inhabited village in the world!

Georgia also has several entries on UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity:

The most recent addition to the intangible cultural heritage list is chidaoba, added in 2018. Chidaoba is a traditional form of wrestling historically practiced in Georgia.

The sport is popular among Georgian men of all ages, but especially school children.

It combines elements of wrestling, music, dance and special clothing. Chidaoba

traditioned from a combat method to a spectator sport in the late middle ages.

Tournaments are frequently held today throughout the country, on festivals and special holidays.

And if all that wasn’t enough, there is also a tentative UNESCO cultural heritage sites

The ancient Georgian traditional qvevri wine-making method is practiced throughout Georgia. A qvevri is an egg-shaped earthenware vessel used for making, ageing and storing wine. Winemaking in villages is a communal, family-oriented process. Wine generally ferments in a qvevri for five to six months, but sometimes for much longer. Georgia has the longest unbroken tradition of winemaking in the world, dating back 8,000 years.

The “living culture of three writing systems of the Georgian alphabet” is also on the intangible heritage list. The evolution of Georgia’s written language has produced three alphabets – Mrgvlovani, Nuskhuri and Mkhedruli. All three alphabets coexist due to their different cultural and social functions, reflecting Georgia’s diversity and identity. The two oldest alphabets are used primarily by the Orthodox Church, while Mkhedruli is used by everyday Georgians.

Georgian polyphonic singing was added to the list in 2008. The seamless blending of different voices, tones, and pitches rings like a bell – you hear polyphonic singing in Georgia today everywhere from formal concerts, to churches, to a casual dinner with friends. UNESCO warns that traditional Georgian music is now threatened by a rural exodus.

list, which indicates the properties that the Georgian government intends to consider for nomination at some point.

These sites are: Alaverdi Cathedral (2007), Ananuri (2007), Colchis Wetlands and Forests (2007), David Gareji Monasteries and Hermitage (2007), Dmanisi Hominid Archaeological Site (2007), Gremi Church of Archangels and Royal Tower (2007), Kvetera Church (2007), Mta-Tusheti (2007), Nikortsminda Cathedral (2007), Samtavisi Cathedral (2007), Shatili (2007), Tbilisi Historic District (2007), Uplistsikhe Cave Town (2007), Vani (2007), and Vardzia-Khertvisi (2007) – plenty to explore!

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The Tbilisi Balconies By katie Ruth Davies

Tbilisi’s traditional houses, found especially in the Old Town, Sololaki and Avlabari districts, with their wooden and wrought iron balconies, are undeniably beautiful and one of the capital city’s best known historical features. Many of the houses date from the 19th century, with earlier examples having been destroyed by multiple foreign invasions.

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While much has been done by official bodies to remake and renovate the buildings and balconies in the most touristic areas, head into the back streets and less popular areas and you’ll see some real classic gems of woodcraft.

Sadly, many of these “hidden” balconies are in a serious state of disrepair: you’ll see weathered beams, peeling paint and apparently dangerous structural issues.

Due to the high cost of restoration, many beautiful balconies have already been lost to demolition, and others are at risk.

Fortunately, efforts are ongoing to protect and preserve these architectural treasures, and it is hoped that Tbilisi’s traditional balconied houses will remain part of Tbilisi’s architectural heritage for many years to come.

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poland in Georgia By ketevan kvaratskheliya

Poland and Georgia have kept friendly relations for decades, taking root back at the beginning of 19th century, when members of the Polish nobility settled in Georgia after the 1831 Polish uprising against the Russian Empire.

Georgia, distinguished for its hospitality, welcomed the guests with pleasure. But it goes without saying that the Poles left an incredible legacy in Georgia, and those wonderful architectural works that embellish the streets of Tbilisi today serve as examples of this: they contributed to the cultural development of Georgia and brought a new life to arts in the country.

Rustaveli Theater

There are some important Polish names that certainly deserve mention.

Aleksander Szymkiewicz, a Tbilisi-based Polish architect, did an incredible job to enrich the Georgian capital with the fascinating buildings of the Supreme Court of Georgia, Conservatoire, the Caucasian Silk Station (now the State Silk Museum), Andreoletti’s house, the Rustaveli Theater, Tbilisi Funicular and many others. All of the named buildings are of crucial importance and are outstanding in their sophisticated design, made through a wonderful mÊlange of baroque and classical styles. Szymkiewicz also headed the construction of multiple private houses and designed the Batumi Gymnasium. The Polish architect headed classes of architecture and art at the Tbilisi State Academy of Arts for many years.

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Tbilisi Supreme Court building

Brothers Kirill and Ilya Zdanevich, the Polish futurist painters, are another two remarkable figures in the Georgian

history, as they were the ones who discovered and introduced self-taught painter Niko Pirosmanashvili (Pirosmani)

to a wider audience. Today, Pirsomani is recognized and admired worldwide and his masterpieces are exhibited in the most prominent museums along with the paintings of Picasso and other famous artists. But the triumph

Zigmund Valishevky is a persona who made a substantial contribution to the Georgian arts, working alongside the renowned Lado Gudiashvili and David Kakabadze on paintings on the walls of Qimerioni, the most

Pirosmani and Margarita

The Zdanevich brothers with their uncle

Ilia Zdanevich and Pablo Picasso

The Henryck Hryniewski Hall at the National Library Restaurant ‘Qimerioni’ in Rustaveli Theater

of Pirosmani is without doubt the result of the hard work and a lot of effort from the Zdanevich brothers.

outstanding art cafĂŠ of decadent artists in the early 20th century, which brought together the leaders of the times.

Valishevsky was also actively involved in collecting the works of Pirosmani.

Henryk Hryniewski, a Polish painter and illustrator, decorated the walls of the Georgian Bank of Nobility Office, currently the first building of the National Library of Georgia, creating a fascinating atmosphere there. He also participated in various cultural projects of the time. Hryniewski regularly produced illustrations for the Georgian press and contributed to the creation of the iconostasis of the Kashveti Church of St. George. The famous artist fell victim to the Soviet purges, shot in 1937 in the wave of repressions. The Hall of Polish Art and Literature named after Henryck Hryniewski was opened in the first building of the National Parliamentary Library of Georgia in November 2018.

Located nearly 70km from the capital of Georgia, in the vicinity of Akhalkalaki village, the former summer residence built

by Polish engineer and architect Vasili Bolgarsky in 1885, has been inspiring painters and filmmakers, regardless of their age, for decades. The Bolgarsky Mansion included a park, a farm with a wine cellar, grape press and qvevri wine storage vessels. Unfortunately, the destructive Soviet system took the property from the owners and turned it into an army base and an orphanage. It came to be completely devastated over the years and it was only in 2000 that the decision was made to give new life to the mansion, and the renovation works to launch the Art-Villa Garikula started.

Today, Garikula is a perfect place for gathering for all those interested in the arts. It hosts the annual Fest I Nova contemporary art festival.

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New on the Tbilisi Art Scene The capital city is already a hot-bed of cultural delights, but this year we are seeing even more offerings for the culture-vultures among us in both new museums and temporary exhibitions. Check out the latest below but know this is only scratching the surface of what Tbilisi has to offer! Enjoy!

unTiTleD GalleRy Opens in Tbilisi

hosted Georgian, Armenian, and Azerbaijani artists.

kOlGa Tbilisi phOTO

Back in 2018, The Guardian named Tbilisi one of the top 40 most attractive destinations in the world. It’s beyond doubt that Georgian food and its hospitality have a lot to do with it. But it’s also undeniable that Tbilisi is becoming more and more chic and contemporary art culture is the needed cherry on the top.

On March 30, the Untitled Gallery opened in Tbilisi. The location of the gallery is 17 Ivane Machabeli Street – in one of the most charming historical buildings in Tbilisi. The goal of the gallery is to bring the contemporary artists of the South Caucasus together and popularize them to a wide audience while connecting people and art.

Untitled Gallery promises lots of interesting future projects, workshops, artist talks, presentations and other social activities to support peace, sustainability and minority right in the region.

At the opening, Untitled Gallery

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On May 5-12 the Georgian National Museum is to host Kolga Tbilisi Photo 2019. At the Tbilisi History Museum ‘Karvasla’ there will be three exhibitions: Graziano Arici’s Exhibiiton ‘Tales of Venice’ (Curator: Tina Shelhorn), Vigen Vartanov’s exhibition ‘Immersion into the World of Images’ and ‘Tales of Istalnds’

by Kate Mello, Osamu James Nakagawa, Studio Marc Räde, Sanne De Wilde/ NOOR (Curator: Tina Shelhorn).

previous relationships in one space, including clothes, accessories, and photo and video sources. The visitors of the Museum of Broken Relationships also have an opportunity to share their own stories with others.

The unique collection of the museum aims to provoke feelings of understanding among individuals and serve as some kind of therapy for those who have experience break-ups.

For the three months, Georgian visitors will have a chance to discover the exhibits of the global collection of the museum and add their personal items to it.

museum Of bROken museum Of RelaTiOnships Recipes in Tbilisi cOmes TO Tbilisi From April 11 to June 15, the Betlemi 10 exhibition hall is hosting the Museum of Broken Relationships which was first launched in Zagreb, Croatia, in 2006.

The concept of the museum is to bring together items connected to

Guests and locals food enthusiasts have something new to sink their teeth into in Tbilisi with the Museum of Recipes on Ingorokva Street.

Georgian cuisine is very eclectic and It integrates hundreds of recipes and as such there are multiple books and

GiORGiO De chiRicO exhibiTiOn Opens aT naTiOnal GalleRy The National Gallery in Tbilisi is hosting an exhibition of the works of Giorgio de Chirico, known as the founder of metaphysical art movement.

the Italian Embassy, the exhibition will run until May 27. Located on Shota Rustaveli Avenue, the gallery is open Tuesday - Sunday from 10 am - 5.30 pm.

Tbilisi aRT faiR (Taf) 2019

other printed materials dedicated to the rich gastronomy of the country.

A huge number of recipes have been lost over the years and the founders of the Museum of Recipes had this fact very much in mind while working on the creation of the exhibition hall. As a result, they present a museum with the aim to collect and preserve folk and authorial recipes and present their stories to a wider audience.

Maia Kavtaradze, one of the founders, stated that guests will have a chance to explore ancient and modern recipes by famous chefs and amateur cooks. The recipes will be exhibited printed on paper or engraved on wood. The museum will also provide digital versions in different languages. Kavtaradze has also noted that publishing a book, integrating recipes of non-professionals who just enjoy cooking and creating new specialties, is among the plans for the near future.

The interesting feature of the Museum of Recipes is its showroom, which gives tourists a chance to cook particular dishes on site. They can also attend master classes of professional chefs.

The project has been implemented with financing provided by TechnoPark.

Entrance is free.

The Museum of Recipes welcomes visitors daily from 12PM to 8PM.

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TAF is an international contemporary art fair with a focus on the area bordered by the Black, Caspian and Baltic seas.

De Chirico’s metaphysical paintings are considered to have profoundly influenced the surrealist movement.

He portrayed architecture, gardens, gateways, railway stations and various other city structures in a unique bright light, with sharp shades and clear colors.

The Italian artist and writer was born in Greece in 1888, before founding the metaphysical art movement in the years before world war I. The exhibition ‘Esoterico de Chirico.

Traveler between two Worlds’ will display 15 of his artworks in Tbilisi. Organized by the Georgian National Museum and

These countries offer rich and vibrant emerging art scenes, underrepresented in art fairs. TAF is a place for collectors, curators, journalists and art professionals to discover under one roof selected artists and galleries. TAF’s deliberately intimate format allows attendees to create continuous and personalized relationships throughout the fair and beyond.

The second edition of TAF will take place on May 17-19. TAF showcases Georgian and international galleries, independent artists, curated exhibitions, performances, workshops, artists and professional talks, and many other events within the modernist pavilions of ExpoGeorgia and across the city of Tbilisi.

TAF is a unique occasion to discover, within a friendly format, emerging art scenes from the Caucasus, Eastern, and Central Europe and the Middle East!

Discover TAF, discover contemporary art!

Shopping and Entertainment City

Tbilisi, Kakheti Highway , 2 AI. Tvalchrelidze st

News ZeG Tbilisi sTORyTellinG fesTival seT fOR June

By Gabrielle colchen change, and Coda Story, an awardwinning non-profit newsroom that specializes in storytelling innovation.

The ZEG Tbilisi Storytelling Festival will hold its first edition at Fabrika hostel from the 20 to 22 June.

The festival is organized by Impact Hub Tbilisi, an international network providing space to individuals, entrepreneurs and organizations focused on driving

According to ZEG creators, “in a world that keeps changing faster and faster, the ability to change and craft a better and more powerful narrative has never been more important.”

ZEG is a Georgian word that means ‘the day after tomorrow’ and the festival will bring together master storytellers from all over the world, uniting writers, thinkers, filmmakers, entrepreneurs, designers and artists who will share

their experiences and discuss how to be more impactful storytellers and how to shape narratives for the future. This will happen through two and a half days of creative salons, in-conversation sessions, and workshops that are open to the public. People will also enjoy networking times, food, drinks and performances.

It is an major opportunity for those who believe in the power of storytelling and for those who want to drive change.

More information and tickets are available here: http:// tbilisistorytelling.com/who-we-are/

newsweek publishes aRTicle abOuT GeORGia

By Thea morrison music—with the first ever Tsinandali Cultural Festival in September 2019.”

The American edition of Newsweek has published an article about Georgia, calling it “Europe’s new cultural hub.”

When speaking about the capital of Georgia, Tbilisi, the article mentions that cobblestoned streets, medieval churches and history are everywhere.

The article reads that Georgia is one of the most attractive destinations for experienced travelers in 2019.

“Georgia, that former Soviet satellite, seems more emboldened than ever to embrace its European roots: the capital, Tbilisi, is already being buzzed about as ‘’the next Berlin.” And some 70 miles away, on the outskirts of Kakheti, the revived cultural mecca of Tsinandali is coming into its own,” Newsweek writes.

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The article also compares Tsinandali to Spain’s Bilbao, adding “what Bilbao did for art, Tsinandali will do for classical

“And mostly, one would assume, they love that Tbilisi is nowhere near overrun with tourists. They dine in its cafés and party at its late-night raves—fueled, no doubt, on chacha, the heavy-duty grape brandy beloved by locals,” the article reads.

Read the entire article here.

cnf GRanTs euR 870,000 TO GeORGian naTiOnal paRks By samantha Guthrie

The Caucasus Nature Fund (CNF) has pledged to spend EUR 870,000 on three national parks in Georgia over the period of 2019 to 2021.

The three parks targeted for the new investment are: Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park, Mtirala National Park near Batumi, and the Pshav-Khevsureti National Park. The project will develop

visitor infrastructure in the parks, install surveillance equipment and conduct monitoring of the protected areas, and increase wages and improve living conditions for park rangers.

The new agreement was officially signed on Wednesday, April 3, at the administrative office of the Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park.

CNF is a conservation trust fund created to safeguard the Caucasus eco-region, one of the most biologically rich and diverse areas on Earth. It provides grants to the protected areas of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, and builds the government’s capacity to sustain the parks for future generations. Initially established in 2007 by the German Government (BMZ), the KfW Development Bank,

Conservation International, and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), today it counts among its sustaining partners Georgian entities including Bank of Georgia, TBC Bank, and ProCredit Bank Georgia.

CNF has been working to provide funding and support for nature conservation in Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia since 2008. In February 2017, the Fund

allocated EUR 240,000 to Georgian nature conservancy from 2017 – 2019.

The bulk of that funding went towards operational expenses relating to the functions and activities of the Lagodekhi Protected Areas. Specifically, the grant covered increases in salaries for staff in the Protected Area, including park rangers, infrastructure development, construction and renovation parking lots, and much-needed biodiversity monitoring activities carried out in the Lagodekhi Protected Area.

Many of Georgia’s protected areas are neglected by visitors, both international and domestic, due to a lack of infrastructure that makes it difficult to access and enjoy the natural attractions.

CNF focuses much of its work on infrastructure development, as well as

motivation of key staff through trainings and increased resource provision.

The new tranche of funding continues CNF’s commitment to regional nature conservancy through supporting nine government-designated national parks and protected areas across Georgia. CNF also supports six national parks and protected areas in Armenia and three in Azerbaijan.

The grant complements the five year ‘Enhancing Financial Sustainability of the Protected Area System in Georgia’ program, which kicked off on February 28. The project is funded by the Global Environment Facility through the UNDP, implemented by the Caucasus Nature Fund and partners directly with Georgia’s Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture. CNF will work closely with the Agency for Protected Areas to secure long-term financial sustainability and improve management of parks and protected areas through modernization.

The project’s goal is to conserve globally significant biodiversity in twelve protected areas in Georgia, and will introduce innovative financing schemes, build the capacity of relevant staff members, and improve biodiversity indicators.

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Discover Lechkhumi By samantha Guthrie

Lechkhumi is an area in northwestern Georgia that is part of the RachaLechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti region. The small, picturesque region is rarely on the radar of tourists, or even local Georgians, but there is so much here to discover!

While tourist infrastructure is not yet very developed in Lechkhumi, it can make a great day trip from Kutaisi. It is approximately an hour and a half drive from Kutaisi to the town of Tsageri, the area’s central municipality and a great place to start your visit. There are a few guest houses and cafes in Tsageri, a quiet mountain town situated around a stunning river valley, with steep pitched hills all around. From Tsageri, you can easily visit the ruins of the medieval fortress of Muris-Tsikhe, which is believed to have been where 6th-7th century Christian theologian Maximus the Confessor was exiled and died. The nearby Monastery of St. Maximus still commemorates his life.

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One of the most interesting sites in the region is the Khvamli Caves – a 2000meter limestone massif pockmarked with sinkholes and caves, straddling the border of the Tsageri and Tsqaltubo municipalities.

The main cave, called Tekenteri, can be entered only through the hollow of a large beech tree. Khvamli is the resting place of the treasury of the kings of Georgia, according to Medieval records. Locals also believe that here is where the mythical Prometheus was chained, subjected to eternal torture by a bird of prey.

Just a few kilometers away from Tsageri, within hiking distance if you have an experienced guide, is the village of Kulbaki, where Green Lake sits. Green Lake has a trout farm where visitors can catch their own lunch!

Famous Georgian poet Lado Asatiani was from the village of Bardnala, in the Tsageri Municipality. Here you can find his house museum, a charming cottage that often hosts poetry readings and public lectures.

A 45-minute drive north from Tsageri is the village of Lailashi. Although locals dispute whether the village technically falls within the borders of Lechkhumi or Racha, everyone knows it as the home of the Bible of Lailashi – a unique Hebrew Bible from the 10th century, discovered in the 1940s in the Svaneti region.

Lailashi also boasts local springs that have been diverted into a tourist-friendly attraction. The springs gush ice cold mountain water into a small man-made tiled pool. The pool overlooks an incredible valley, and is surrounded by concrete platforms that, in the summer, are crowded with visitors. It’s a favorite stop among Russian and Georgian tourists, who bring empty plastic bottles to fill with spring water that pours from mountainside faucets.

Lechkhumi is one of Georgia’s undiscovered beauties, with plenty more secrets to uncover. Plan your trip and make your own discoveries!

Escape with Your Kids While in Tbilisi While not yet boasting as extensive a scene for youth as other cities, the number of places and activities on offer in Tbilisi is growing- especially as the warmer weather approaches!

Check out our top picks below.

escape ROOm “apaRTmenT 33” This Escape Room takes you on a detective journey in an authentic Soviet era apartment. You will get total 1979 immersion and 60 minutes to investigate the disappearance of the main character.

Ideal for 10-16 y.o. (accompanied by adults) and from 16 y.o plus.

Teams of 2-5 players.

Instructions and clues are available in Georgian, Russian, English.

Ticket: 20 GEL Apartment 33 67 Belinski Str. 55749 36 83 12:00 - 23:30

museum Of illusiOns Get ready to check out a space where you can laugh, scream, take pictures

you to overcome. Test your intelligence, test your skills and compete in solving logic puzzles within 60 minutes.

and do many other things that are usually forbidden in museums.

Not your typical museum, at the Illusion Museum, visitors can find out about human vision, perception and science through attractive and entertaining installations, and enjoy a gaming room and souvenir shop where visitors of all ages can play, compete, learn something new and buy original gifts.

The museum collection consists of more than 70 exhibits based on knowledge of science, mathematics, biology and psychology. You can find information and explanations next to the exhibits in Georgian, English and Russian.

10 Betlemi Str. 596 04 74 74 10 AM – 10 PM

escape ROOm

Flee imprisonment on a pirate ship or dive into the magical world of Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean or Treasure Island in the specially designed sets with a plot full of challenges for

A board game area is also available, plus a private Playstation and table football zone.

It can simultaneously accommodate 20-25 people, some of whom can take quests (10 people), while others enjoy the chill-out or game zone.

Missions: Pirates of the Caribbean Angry fate took over your crew, your ship was boarded and you were thrown into a cell. Find a way to get out and save your team.

Treasure Island Finding a treasure map, you decide to go and explore. But you’re not the only one looking for treasure. Who will be smart enough to reach it first?

Harry and the mystery of the dungeon (Coming Soon) Voldemort needs the Philosopher’s Stone to return to the world. The stone was divided into 3 parts and hidden underground in Hogwarts. You need to urgently put the pieces together and hide them under the protection of the Magic Mirror!

VR quest: interstellar (Coming Soon) Humanity is in danger! Get out of the space station and unravel its secrets.

Are you ready for a real sense of flying, moving objects with telekinesis, destroying obstacles with a laser and soaring in weightlessness? Let’s go!

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Teams of 2-5 players.

Ticket: 20 GEL per person.

Advance booking required.

Instructions and clues are in Georgian, Russian, English.

11:30 AM - Midniight 551 11 55 66 https://escaperoom.ge

expeRimenTORium kiDs’ science museum

Who said museums and science are boring?

The scientific museum Experimentorium turns kids’ understanding about science and museums upside down. Enjoy around 80 exhibits showcasing the laws of physics, biology, mathematics and anatomy, all of which kids can touch and examine for themselves.

Become a scientist — who knows, maybe tomorrow you’ll discover the new laws of physics! Measure the decibels of your voice, sit on nails and lift a friend in the air, hold the power of lightning in your hands, draw on sand and even get to feel like a rock star behind a drum kit — all exhibits are interactive and safe, allowing kids to experience it all firsthand.

Experimentorium, the most unusual museum in Tbilisi, welcomes

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group excursions, experiments, celebratory events and birthdays.

17 P. Ingorokva Str. 322 47 57 37 10 AM – 8 PM

mTaTsminDa paRk & bOmbORa Theme paRk Located 770 meters above sea level and stretching over a territory of more than 100 hectares, Mtatsminda Park combines shops, restaurants and noisy attractions with serene places where one can fully relax. The rides on offer in Bombora theme park come in three zones: Kids’, Family and Extreme, from busy bees, rollercoasters, a ghost house and trains, to water fun ideal on hot summer days. There are also gaming and shoot-out sections for those inclined, and children can get their faces painted for an extra charge.

For the rides, buy a card at the entrance and top it up on the spot (or at booths in the park itself). Rides start at 1.50 GEL.

For food and drink, several stands serve simple fare around the park.

Where.ge recommends the creperie (on Bombora ‘high street’) and the gooey ponchiki donuts in the Funicular Restaurant Complex.

HOW TO GET THERE: Drive up from Liberty (Freedom) Square or take a taxi.

Take the 124 bus from Leonidze Street (Liberty Sq.).

Ride the Funicular from Chonkadze Str. WANT MORE? Try the contact zoo ‘Zootopia’ on the third floor of Tbilisi Mall, get bouncing off the walls at the Trampoline Center in Gldani, go ape in the two-floor Ria Ria in Galleria Mall, Liberty Square (pricy but with a lot of climbing and gaming options for various ages to enjoy!) or get walking and climbing up at Lisi Lake.

And if all else fails- check out what’s on at the cinema, with one central and two suburban modern cinema complexes offering regular shows in English. Get info and tickets on tkt.ge or biletebi.ge.

A Tour through the Heart of Tbilisi’s Old Town By amy Jones

I meet my enthusiastic tour guide Nutsa on the edge of Old Town on Baratashvili Street. The busy street is quickly replaced by quaint old houses and beautiful courtyards within a few minutes. “These houses used to belong to one family until the Bolsheviks arrived,” Nutsa tells me, “now they are separated into flats.”

Nutsa Tskimanauri, Cultural and trekking guide Hidden amongst the crumbling facades of Tbilisi’s old town lie many clues and stories that tell of the city’s historical importance.

Taking a tour around old town, you will visit different centuries of history: from Bolsheviks uprising to Soviet suicide, examples of gothic architecture to Armenian-Georgian churches abandoned to become rubble.

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Georgia’s Soviet legacy is visible around every corner in the old city, even in the decaying buildings. As we walk towards Puri Square, we walk into the dusty entrance halls of some of the apartment buildings. The light streaks the beautifully designed iron staircases, built at the end of the 19th century, and now slowly decaying in the dusty light. In some entrances, faded and chipped frescos of cherub angels serve as a reminder of grander

days gone by. The Soviets didn’t believe in protecting such things.

From Puri Square, we visit a 19th century old wooden house on Betlemi Street. The colorful stained-glass windows are now a popular attraction for tourists in old Tbilisi and are, as such, well-preserved in comparison to the neighboring neglected buildings.

Although the government is making small efforts to restore the old buildings in Old Town, progress is slow. Carefully restoring buildings is a sensitive and expensive task.

We visit the Mognisi Church. Built in 1751, the church has been neglected due to an ownership dispute between the Georgian and Armenia diaspora. “When I used to come here as a child, the door

was still painted green. It wasn’t like this,” Nutsa tells me. “Now it’s just being left to decay.”

However, some buildings in Old Town are still well-kept. The Writers’ House is a grand example of how many buildings in Old Town would have once been. The white-brick mansion designed by German architect Carl Zaar and built in 1903, is a brilliant blend of Georgian and European architecture. Inside, it is easy to imagine the era’s top Georgian writers and artists discussing political affairs and literature within its wooden interiors.

Like many of Tbilisi’s buildings, the Writers’ House also tells a sad story. Here, Georgian poet Paolo Lashvili famously committed suicide due to the restrictive regime by shooting himself on the building’s second floor whilst the Writers’ Union meeting was being held downstairs.

After the Writers House, we visit the gothic German elementary school, another building that has been well-preserved. Its church-like towers and red-brick facade tower impressively over the street. “Many people call it Hogwarts,” Nutsa tells me, and it’s easy to see why.

The German school is not the only school hiding historical secrets. We also visit the N50 Public School on Geronti Kokodze Street. Children head home from their school day as we make our way onto the second-floor balcony. Here, there is a large sculpted Soviet mural. The caretaker guides us through the significance of the imagery in Georgian. The mural tells the Earth’s story, from Adam and Eve to the future, a fitting end to our tour around the old city.

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Famous Georgians Abroad By lisa maier

Georgia, despite being a rather small country, has generated a wealth of famous and talented people. Tbilisi is gradually transforming itself into a spot for up-and-coming artists, musicians and filmmakers, but there are many talented and famous Georgians who chose instead to fulfill their dreams abroad and who have since gained international recognition.

Check some of them out below.

paaTa TsikuRishvili

he founded the Synetic Theater (https:// synetictheater.org/), where he works on mainstage productions while also running an educational studio for children and adults on his visionary approach. He has won several awards and had the honor, together with his wife, to be named 2014’s Washingtonian of the Year.

movie ‘LOL’ alongside the famous actresses Demi Moore and Miley Cyrus.

Yet it wasn’t until he had established a solid career in Hollywood that Georgia got to enjoy his talent in the movie ‘Tbilisi, I Love You’.

DaviD kOma

GiORGi aGiashvili

Paata Tsikurishvili is an innovative, award-winning, international artistic director and educator, currently living in Washington D.C. Tsikurishvili, together with his wife Irina, went to the United States in hopes of realizing his personal dream of bringing a new style of physical theater to America.

The couple, with Georgian theatricality packed into their suitcases, set to combining their Georgian background with influences from their new home and came up with a new concept of theatrical art.

While growing and supporting the local artist community, Tsikurishvili started fusing classical elements of drama, movement, dance, pantomime and music. In 2001,

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Giorgi Agiashvili, also known as George Finn, was born into a family of writers and filmmakers in Tbilisi in 1990. Surrounded by his artistic and filmmaking family, he soon knew that he wanted to be part of this industry. He moved to Los Angeles, California, at a young age and started his career from there. One of his breakthroughs was the role of ‘Chad’ in the

David Koma, who is currently living and working in London as a fashion designer, was born in Tbilisi and at the age of eight, moved with his family to Saint Petersburg in Russia. Fascinated by fashion, Koma started sketching designs in his early childhood. He showcased his first collection at the age of 15 after studying Fine Art in Saint Petersburg. Later, he moved to London to study at Central Saint Martens, the University of Arts, in the

British capital. In 2011, he received a BFC Newgen Catwalk Sponsorship after showing his first full collection at the London Fashion Week. His designs, which he himself describes as “strong,” “sculptural” and “feminine,” are all but worshipped in the fashion world. He has worked for renowned fashion houses Harvey Nichols and Bergdorf Goodman, and in 2015 became the Artistic Director of the French designer ‘Mugler’. Koma also runs his own successful label ‘David Koma’ (http://www.davidkoma.com/), which is worn by celebrities like Jennifer Lawrence and Taylor Swift.

Russia, she did several fellowships at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. Her television debut was a role in the world renowned series ‘Cold Case’.

Since then she has played a variety of roles in TV shows, among them ‘Melrose Place’, ‘Smallville’ and ‘Revenge’.

worldwide in famous art galleries. Today, the 27-year old artist, living and working in New York, is also experimenting with installations and multimedia video works. (http://levan.gallery/)

ninO kiRTaDZe

levan sOnGulashvili

elena saTine

“This is just the beginning of the road to infinite space, where, I feel at an intuitive level, everything is possible, yet I have no idea… nothing is impossible,” Songulashvili stated after one of his paintings was sold at the renowned Sotheby’s auction house.

Elena Satine, daughter of a famous opera singer, was born in Tbilisi. At the age of five she joined the Georgian pop group Nergebi, a Mickey Mouse Club-like ensemble of child performers. After touring through Eastern Europe with Nergebi, she branched off on a solo career. Satine snuck away while accompanying her mother on a business trip to New York to audition for the Professional Performing Arts School and got accepted right away.

She moved to New York to study and graduated from the PPAS at age 16. After further studies in the United States and

His road to success can be traced back to his early childhood in Tbilisi, where he first started painting. At the age of 19, after a solo show in Georgia, he was invited to Germany as part of an art project.

Songulashvili is the first Georgian artist to have got a Master’s degree with honors from the New York Academy of Art (founded by Andy Warhol) in painting, besides which he has won several scholarships and art prizes. His works, consisting of large-scale canvases in different nuances and transitions of black, white or sepia, have been exhibited

Nino Kirtadze is an academy-award winning film-maker and actress born in Tbilisi in 1968. At the age of 29, she moved to France, where she is living and working still. She studied literature and for her script of the full-length film ‘Monday,’ she won the best script award from the Georgian Union of Cinematographers.

She is internationally respected for her sensitive and compassionate approach to difficult issues and her intense visuality.

Her documentaries often put a very controversial subject in the focus of the plot to create an accent of underlying human drama. Kirtadze’s films have won international recognition and awards at festivals worldwide. She became known as an actress in the Oscar-nominated movie ‘A Chef in Love’ by Nana Djordjadze.

She also worked as a war correspondent for French news agencies during the troubles of the 1990s in the Caucasus, reporting on Chechnya and other armed conflicts in the region.

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Events Calendar TheaTeR Tbilisi OpeRa anD balleT TheaTeR 25 Rustaveli Ave. April 23 RODIN, HER ETERNAL IDOL A ballet by Boris Eifman Music: Maurice Ravel, Camille SaintSaëns, Jules Massenet Sets: Zinovy Margolin Costumes: Olga Shaishmelashvili Light: Gleb Filshtinsky, Boris Eifman Start time: 20:00 Ticket: 140-180 GEL

April 25, May 11 ROMEO AND JULIET Sergei Prokofiev Ballet in Two Acts Based on the tragedy by William Shakespeare Libretto, choreographic version and staging by Mikhail Lavrovsky Start time: 19:00 Ticket: 10-100 GEL May 2 LA TRAVIATA Giuseppe Verdi Musical Director- Zaza Azmaiparashvili

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Director- Laurent Gerber Scenographer- Massimo Bellando Randone Costume Designer- Ester Martin Choreographer- Nina Ananiashvili Start time: 20:00 Ticket: 10-150 GEL May 4 FROM EASTER TO ASCENSION GALA CONCERT The 14th International Festival opening ceremony Participants: Iano Alibegashvili, Giuseppe Gipali, The Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theater choir and orchestra Conductor: Attilio Tomasello Start time: 19:00 Ticket: 10-150 GEL May 17, 18 LA FILLE MAL GARDÉE Premiere Ballet in Two Acts Music by Ferdinand Hérold and Peter Ludwig Hertel Choreography and staging by Nina Ananiashvili and Alexey Fadeechev Conductor: Papuna Ghvaberidze Start time: 19:00 Ticket: 10-120 GEL May 31 KETO AND KOTE Victor Dolidze’s opera Tbilisi State Opera and Ballet Theater Musical Director- Revaz Takidze Director- Ioane (Vano) Khutsishvili Set, Costume and Lighting Designer-

Giorgi Alexi-Meskhishvili Choreographer- Iliko Sukhishvili Start time: 19:00 Ticket: 10-150 GEL

RusTaveli TheaTeR 17 Rustaveli Ave. May 14 MARIAM ALEKSIDZE GALA TEN YEARS IN CHOREOGRAPHY Extracts of contemporary ballets and choreographic performances Start time: 20:00 Ticket: 7-25 GEL

GabRiaDZe TheaTeR 14 Shavteli Str. April 20 RAMONA Revaz Gabriadze Directed by Revaz Gabriadze English Subtitles Start time: 20:00 Ticket: 20, 30 GEL April 21 STALINGARD Revaz Gabriadze Directed by Revaz Gabriadze English Subtitles Start time: 20:00 Ticket: 20, 30 GEL

FASCINATING SHOW “A SHOW SEE TBILISI!” “A“AFASCINATING FASCINATING SHOWTOTO TOSEE SEEININ INTBILISI!” TBILISI!”

APRIL: 23 MAY: 7, 14, 21, 29 JUNE: 4, 11

APRIL: APRIL: 23 23 MAY: 7, 14, MAY: 7, 14, 21, 21, 29 29 JUNE: 4, 11 JUNE: 4, 11

INFO & TICKETS: WWW.MUSICAL.GE +995 551 56 00 33

INFO INFO & & TICKETS: TICKETS: WWW.MUSICAL.GE WWW.MUSICAL.GE +995 +995 551 551 56 56 00 00 33 33

20:00

AT MUSIC AND DRAMA STATE THEATRE

20:00 20:00 AT MUSIC AND DRAMA

182 AGHMASHENEBELI AVENUE

AT MUSIC AND DRAMA STATE THEATRE STATE THEATRE 182 AGHMASHENEBELI AVENUE 182 AGHMASHENEBELI AVENUE

April 23 Animated documentary film REZO Directed by Leo Gabriadze Start time: 20:00 Ticket: 15 GEL

May 24, 25 LUARSAB Based on Ilia Chavchavadze’s story “Man is the man?!”

Start time: 20:00 Ticket: 15 GEL

mOvemenT TheaTeR 182 Agmashenebeli Ave. April 20, May 31 ASTIGMATISTS Directed by Ioseb Bakuradze Start time: 20:00 Ticket: 10-15 GEL April 25 DIVINE COMEDY Directed by Ioseb Bakuradze Start time: 20:00 Ticket: 10-15 GE April 24, 25 THE AUTUMN OF MY SPRINGTIME Revaz Gabriadze Directed by Revaz Gabriadze English Subtitles Start time: 20:00 Ticket: 20, 30 GEL

shalikashvili TheaTeR

Exhibition RED TERROR AND GEORGIAN ARTISTS The exhibition showcases artworks by Dimitri Shevardnadze, Petre Otskheli, Henryk Hryniewski, Richard Sommer, Kiril Zdanevich, Vasily Shukhaev, Elene Akhvlediani, Lado Gudiashvili, David Kakabadze, Ucha Japharidze, Aleksandre Bajbeuk-Melikov, Korneli Sanadze and more.

museum Of illusiOns 10 Betlemi Str.

museums GeORGian naTiOnal museum simOn Janashia museum 3 Sh. Rustaveli Ave.

37 Rustaveli Ave. May 3, 4 THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA Based on Ernest Hemingway’s novel Start time: 20:00 Ticket: 15 GEL

Exhibitions: GEORGIAN COSTUME AND WEAPONRY OF THE 18TH-20TH CENTURIES NUMISMATIC TREASURY EXHIBITION STONE AGE GEORGIA ARCHEOLOGICAL TREASURE NEW LIFE TO THE ORIENTAL COLLECTIONS

May 10 HOST AND GUEST Based on Vazha Pshavela’s poem Start time: 20:00 Ticket: 20 GEL

In the framework of the celebrations of the European Year of Cultural Heritage in Georgia the Georgian National Museum presents the exhibition WISDOM TRANSFORMED INTO GOLD

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museum Of sOvieT OccupaTiOn

Discover the Museum of Illusions Be brave enough to jump into an illusion created by the Vortex, deform the image of yourself in a Mirror Room, be free in the Infinity room, resist the laws of gravity and size ratio, and take selfies in every possible pose. Enjoy the collection of holograms, and discover optical illusions.

Tickets: 17.5 GEL, for children (ages 6-18): 11 GEL, children (under 5): free, students: 13 GEL, family (2 adults + 2 children): 39 GEL.

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Bela Berkemer-Makharadze- violin Uwe Berkemer- piano Special Guest: Nina Berkemer- violin and vocal In program: Azarashvili, Bach, Berkemer, Brahms, Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Piazzola, Vivaldi and more…

Start time: 19:00 Ticket: 10-25 GEL

GalleRy The naTiOnal GalleRy 11 Shota Rustaveli Ave. Until February 26 (2020) GRAND MASTERS FROM THE GEORGIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM COLLECTION XIX – XX CENTURY The exhibition showcases the works of Georgian painters: Gigo Gabashvili, Mose Toidze, Valerian Sidamon-Eristavi, Alexander Tsimakuridze, Aleksandre Bazbeuk-Melikov, Dimitri Shevardnadze, Sergo Kobuladze, Irina Shtenberg, Mikheil Bilanishvili, Felix Varlamishvili and Tamar Abakelia.

Until May 27 Georgian National Museum and Italian embassy in Georgia present the exhibition ESOTERIC DE CHIRICO. A TRAVELER BETWEEN TWO WORLDS The exhibition showcases 15 artworks of Giorgio de Chirico between 1920-1970, clearly presenting that even his most “natural” artwork hints at the surrealist world.

music Tbilisi cOnceRT hall 1 Melikishvili Ave May 18 BEL SUONO Piano trio The show includes Vivaldi and Queen, Glinka and Brahms, Beethoven and Strauss, Game of Thrones and Rossini.. and other original and best musical works in the unique BEL SUONO arrangement!

Start time: 19:00 Ticket: 20-100 GEL

April 25 PIANO RECITAL OF GIGLA KATSARAVA Program: Ludwig van Beethoven, Alexander Scriabin, Alexander Scriabin, Edward Grieg, Sergei Rachmaninoff Start time: 18:00 Ticket: 10 GEL May 4 DINI VIRSALADZE Amazing Jazz Night in Tbilisi!

Start time: 19:00 Ticket: 10-40 GEL

Tbilisi sTaTe cOnseRvaTOiRe 8 Griboedov Str.

naTiOnal aRchives Of GeORGia

April 20 COMPETITION OF MUSICIAN-PERFORMER The Georgian Competition of MusicianPerformers is quadrennial, and consists of three rounds and the following four specialties: piano, solo-singing, strings and wind instruments.

Start time: 18:00 Ticket: 5-15 GEL

40 Pekini Str. MERAB ABRAMISHVILI’S EXHIBITION

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April 21 VIOLINS AND VOICES

May 7 JAZZ TRIO: JOEL FRAHM, DAN LOOMIS, ERNESTO CERVINI Start time: 20:00 Ticket: 10-40 GEL

silk facTORy sTuDiO

I Killed The Devil [ge], Goat Ripper [az] - Ildaruni [am], Guest / Last Year Winner: Every Dog Has Its Day [ge] Special Guest: Psychonaut 4 Start time: 19:00 Ticket: 15-25 GEL

59 Kostava Ave. May 3 ARTBAT/ MARC ROMBOY / 9EYE Start time: 22:00 Ticket: 40 GEL

alibi aRena Upper Phonichala May 4 BEER FESTIVAL

May 4 DECODER: BLACK COFFEE / TADE / RATI Start time: 23:30 Ticket: 30-50 GEL

sOunDs Of GeORGia

May 31 R.O X KONOBA Line Up: R.O x Konoba, Danielli, Endorphins Start time: 23:30 Ticket: 30 GEL

12:30 SHENDAME (Tornike Kipiani) 14:00 Bedford Falls 16:00 Dagdagani 18:00 Frani 20:00 REGGAEON 22:00 5’nizza 00:30 Sumo, beRose Start time: 12:00 Ticket: 30 GEL

elekTROweRk 2 Monk Gabriel Salosi I Turn May 4 Stefan Biniak Start time: 23:30 Ticket: 25 GEL

4Gb The Center of Space Constructions, Saguramo May 17, 18, 24, 25 4GB- ELECTRONIC MUSIC FESTIVAL Start time: 22:20 Ticket: 150 GEL

spacehall 1 Tsereteli Ave.

uhban 164 Agmashenebeli Ave. May 11 W:O:A METAL BATTLE CAUCASUS 2019 - FINAL CONFIRMED BANDS:

-SING AND DRINK Mini concerts in the cozy atmosphere of Old Tbilisi, a mix of traditional Georgian music of different genres: folklore, a capella, guitar, and Georgian pop and city songs every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday Start time: 17:00 Ticket: 24 GEL Venue: April 26, May 3, 10, 17, 24, 3110 Erekle II Sq., Tekla Palace Hotel, April 20, 27, May 4, 11, 18, 25New Tiflis, 9 Agmashenebeli Ave., Wine bar ‘Wine Station’ April 24, May 1, 8, 15, 22Corner of 2 Turgenev Str., and 37 Javakhishvili Str., deep yard, April 25, May 2, 9, 16, 23, 30Europe Square, 2 D. Megreli Str., Hotel “Nata

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Listing: Georgian Travel Agencies TRipplanneR.Ge TEL 591 7 12345 info@tripplanner.ge www.facebook.com/tripplannergeorgia/

Tripplanner.ge is a new C-90; M-35; Y-95; K-25; page for those who are fond of travelling.

It will help C-15; M-35; Y-100; K-20; tourists to independently discover interesting information about Georgia, tours, sights and seasonal offers, all on one page.

Get package tours, transfer services and plan your trip, all of which can be purchased online. Innovative page “trip planner” is a system that does a complete calculation to give customers a full range of information about routes, kilometers, sights, prices, and the contact details of tourist groups, guides and other additional services on offer.

TRavel cO 9 K. Apkhazi Str., 128 Aghmashenebeli Ave. TEL 557 59 14 08 (whatsapp, viber), 593 40 06 01 (whatsapp, viber) www.travelco.ge info@travelco.ge reservation@travelco.ge FB – TravelCoGeorgia Instagram - travelcogeorgia

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vOyaGe TOuRs GeORGia 8 G. Kartozia Str. TEL 229 95 55 Fax: +995 32 2299444 Web: http://voyagetours.ge Email: Tbs@voyagetours.net

villages to the local people of Ushguli, Tusheti and Kakheti (wine region) to modern and luxury venues and resorts, their diversified products allow you to immerse yourself in rich and alluring ways of life. Professional multilingual guides will take care of the logistics, high qualified service and be on hand to add a unique ‘Explore twist’ to your trip while ensuring that your pleasure and responsible tourism remains at the very core of each adventure.

TRavel cOmpany ‘yOuR GROup’ Voyage Tours Georgia offers all type of travel services throughout Georgia, selected and tailored by experts to create perfect holidays: adventures, leisure trips and events.

From group walking and trekking tours in the Caucasus Mountains to cycling trips and wine yard voyages in the most authentic areas of our ancient country. The agency also offers family adventure holidays, trips for solo travelers and much more. Passion and experience are at the heart of their ethos and they pride themselves on expertise as one of the most professional and trusted travel companies in Georgia.

They create exciting itineraries that will take you off the beaten track to fully experience the culture of each unique region of the country. From the remote

34 I. Chavchavadze Ave. TEL 577 03 05 44, 243 143 incoming@yourgroup.ge

livinG ROOTs TRavel TEL 599480086 tamara@travellivingroots.com www.travellivingroots.com

Culinary and wine tours.

Living Roots Ranch offers horseback rides from 1 hour to multi-day treks.

GeORGia hOliDay 12b A. Kazbegi Ave. TEL 200 04 45 www.georgiaholiday.com info@georgiaholiday.com

RusTaR Online

Omnes TOuR

fly TRavel

7 Ts. Dadiani str.

TEL 593 09 78 78 gm@rustaronline.ge www.rustartourism.com

4 Abesadze Str. TEL 293 34 00 www.omnestour.ge info@omnestour.ge

41 Dolidze Str. TEL 272 97 24 www.flytravel.ge info@flytravel.ge

TuRi.Ge

TRawellin

aDJaRa TOuR

42 I. Abashidze Str. TEL 242 50 05 www.turi.ge info@turi.ge

4 I. Nikoladze Str. TEL 229 20 90 www.trawellin.ge inbox@trawellin.ge

3 V. Vekua Str. TEL 247 87 78 www.adjaratour.com info@adjaratour.com

aGassi TRavel

lOcalhOsT GeORGia

GeORGianTRavel buReau

116 Tsereteli Ave. TEL 215 87 77 www.localhost.com.ge david@localhost.com.ge

2 Mtskheta Str. TEL 222 29 41 www.gtb.ge info@gtb.ge

apG GeORGia

vicTORya TRavel

6 Pushkin Str. TEL 2430444, 2434006 E-mail: tours@apggeorgia.com

112 Agmashenebeli Str. TEL 230 52 50 www.victoryaltd.com victoryaltd@gmail.com

7 Dadiani Str. TEL 577 04 48 80 www.agassitravel.com

visiT GeORGia 4a Ingorokva Str. TEL 292 22 46 www.visitgeorgia.ge vg@visitgeorgia.ge

inTeRcO TRavel 14 I. Abashidze Str. TEL 229 43 43 www.interco.travel info@interco.travel

caucasus TRavel 22 Peritsvaleba Str. TEL 298 74 00 www.caucasustravel.com Georgia@caucasustravel.com

newkaZ 5 Janashia Str., Old Tbilisi TEL 230 96 20 www.newkaz.ge info@newkaz.ge

vecTOR TRavel GeORGia 47 Kostava Str. TEL 595 48 22 33 www.vector.travel info@vectorge.com

maGellan 86 T. Tabidze Str. TEL 230 90 06 www.magellan.ge info@magellan.ge

capTain plus

GeORGian hOliDays 116 Tsereteli Ave., Didube Plaza TEL 218 45 39 www.georgianholidays.com info@georgianholidays.com

GeORGia 4u 11 Machabeli Str. Tel 577 95 97 95 Web: www.georgia4u.ge Email: georgian4u@gmail.com F: @georgia4u

2 Mari Brose Str. TEL 242 40 40 www.captain.ge captain@captain.ge

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Listing: Casinos pRincess casinO baTumi 33 M. Abashidze Str., Batumi TEL 422 22 60 20 http://princessbatumi.com

and raffles featuring cash or prestigious prize winnings. There is a parking lot in front of the casino. Princess Casino Batumi is open 24 hours, 7 days a week.

euROpe-beT 12 Melikishvili Ave. TEL 247 14 71

ambassaDORi 17 Shavteli Str., 0105, Tbilisi, Georgia TEL 211 21 21 info@ambasadori.casino

Princess Casino Batumi is the ideal place for quality recreation and hospitality in a luxurious and cosmopolitan environment of an International Princess Casino Chain working in the best traditions of the European gaming business which include a high level of service.

The casino is located in one of the biggest modern and most touristic cities in Georgia, taking up part of the first floor of Wyndham Batumi Hotel in the heart of the city: when the lights of downtown switch on, the spirit of entertainment comes alive…

Enjoy world-popular gambling games such as American Roulette, Blackjack and Poker as well as high technology slot machines.

Princess Casino offers an innovative program for slot machine players, ‘Players Club,’ giving you the chance to earn points towards gifts and unique benefits.

Princess Casino regularly offers an entertainment program, shows and an open buffet for players.

With a dedicated team of PR and entertainment professionals, the Princess Casino Batumi offers a variety of draws

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GRanD 48 Vaja-Pshavela Ave. TEL 239 96 52 Casino Ambassador is an elite gambling club based on the idea of a premium-class casino. It includes a unique approach to each customer and high-class service. The refined design, comfortable environment and perfect service that will be found in the Ambassador is a continuation of the hotel “Ambassador Tbilisi” concept. The Casino offers guests an unlimited amount of entertainment and relaxation 24/7 for both men and women.

When high bets are drawn, when the concentration is at its peak; when comfort means more than just luxury, club “Ambassador” will open its VIP-apartments for youthree apartments of different color, exclusive furniture, relaxation zones, bathrooms and, of course, a professional table.

Prize money for weekly chess tournament is 64,000 GEL Prize money for the weekly Saturday raffle is 120,000 GEL

aDJaRabeT Old Tbilisi, Merab Kostava, near subway «Technical University» TEL 271 10 10, 236 43 60

shanGRi la casinO Tbilisi River Mtkvari Right Embankment, Near the Bridge of Peace TEL 220 07 01

casinO iveRia

casinO iveRia

Republic (Rose Revolution) Sq. TEL 240 22 45

1 Ninoshvili Str., Batumi TEL +995 4222 25 362, +995 4222 25 363

casinO Jewel 29 Shota Rustaveli Ave. TEL 260 00 00

gaming industry in Georgia. Offering 35 gaming tables, including all the traditional and modern casino games, it also boasts 295 slot machines and 80 electronic Roulette stations. With an average crowd of around 2,000 guests a night, many coming from the surrounding states, the Casino Adjara gambling halls create a unique gaming atmosphere that cannot be felt in many other Casinos in Europe.

casinO inTeRnaTiOnal 40 Rustaveli Str., Batumi TEL +995 422 23 00 23

welmOnD casinO 2/4 Shavsheti Str., Batumi TEL +995 422 242 020

To grasp the full feel and essence of Casino Jewel, you will be greeted by its dedicated hostesses, who will show you around and get you into the vibe of the place. First and foremost, Casino Jewel prides itself on personalized service, which means giving personal attention to everyone who enters to explore the Casino.

casinO aDJaRa 26 May Sq. TEL 233 55 19 Casino Adjara opened its doors in 1998 and became an immediate hit in the

eclipse casinO 1 Lech and Maria Kaczynski Str., Batumi TEL 557 11 00 00

peace casinO 2/21 Vazha Pshavela/Ninoshvili Str., Hotel Sheraton, Batumi TEL +995 557 77 00 00

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Tips for Your Hotel Search in Georgia . . . e c i o My Ch

Maia Tsereteli Vice President of McInerney Hospitality International Georgia Travel encompasses experiences that either stay positively in our minds or that fade away, leaving no special impression. Georgia is by itself a destination with which most fall in love at first sight. You encounter people that speak an extremely different language, live on the crossroad of Asia and Europe and are neither Europeans, nor Asians. I recently heard an interesting idea that you cannot surprise Georgians when it comes to food, dance and music‌and it gives lot of insight into what Georgia is all about. Georgian dances, Georgian polyphony and Georgian culinary traditions are very special in character and bring lot of simplicity, yet also complexity together.

I love hotels that carry these special experiences and have a touch of luxury as well. Stay at any of the hotels below and really feel Georgia!

RaDissOn cOllecTiOn TsinanDali esTaTe GeORGia Travel back through time to an era of aristocracy in the atmospheric winery and residence of Prince Chavchavadze’s family. Be surrounded by splendor as you wander the garden, the cellar and then sit to drink and dine. The rooms, which would have been standard fare if not for the location, make for an inviting stay.

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pORTa caucasia kaZbeGi Nestled down at the Kavkasioni Gorge near the Russian border and overlooking Mount Kazbegi, the Porta Kavkasia Hotel is a great refuge to find yourself in luxurious rooms, dine on Villeroy & Boch porcelain and other expensive tableware and taste a great selection of Georgian and European dishes. Enjoy views of Kavkasioni Gorge and feel that you are part of a small country that survived epochs and centuries, still Christian, still alive, still energetic.

besT wesTeRn ciTy cenTeR hOTel If you know Tbilisi, then you also know Vake and its prestigious cafĂŠ and restaurant line on Abashidze street. The only thing that was missing there was a good international chain hotel and here it is: nice and modern, with a beautiful terrace and restaurant named Mrgvali Bagi, that might not mean a lot for foreigners, but is a special name for Tbilisi residents that love the circular park with the statue of the Little Prince. The hotel guarantees excellent quality, with rooms full of sunlight and equipped with all you need for your comfort, at a moderate price.

kinG GORGasali hOTel Old Tbilisi, with its great views and locations, brings you to the past of Georgia’s history and culture. Hotel is boutique, but still carries the royal feel in its interior and expensive furniture. Named under the founder of Tbilisi, the King Gorgasali Hotel boasts an excellent terrace offering unbelievable views of the Old Town. Excellent Georgian restaurant Sormoni offers home dishes made using home recipes.

wynDham GRanD hOTel A 5-star example of top hospitality about to open down on Liberty (Freedom) Square, Wyndham Grand offers spacious rooms with excellent views of the city and the funicular. The hotel is enriched with two lounges, one on the ground floor & the Sky Lounge on the top floor. A magnificent restaurant on the 9th floor will have a casual fine dining concept that combines the best of Georgian hospitality and a great selection of wines and spirits.

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TOp 5

cOncepT hOTels in GeORGia By amy Jones

With its mix of traditional, Soviet and modern styles and fusion of East and West, Georgia is quickly becoming a hot tourist destination. In 2018, over 4.7 million visitors flocked to Georgia - an increase of 17% compared to 2017. Those who wish to experience Georgia’s rich history and culture and roam its ancient lands now have many options of where to stay. As Georgia develops, more and more concept hotels are opening around the country. From wine hotels to design hotels, and historical hotels to hotels that have won international awards, guests are sure to find a great night’s sleep in Georgia.

The family hOTel, Tbilisi With eclectic design and large rooms, The Family Hotel is one of the finest hotels in Tbilisi. As The Family Hotel is not located directly in the center of Tbilisi, it enjoys a quieter neighborhood and the luxury of a large garden. Every room is equipped with an ensuite bathroom and some rooms even offer kitchenette facilities. The spacious family rooms are perfect if you are visiting the capital with your family.

fOlk bOuTique hOTel, Tbilisi The Folk Boutique Hotel leaves an impression before you even enter the building. Set in a large garden, the architecture resembles stacked wooden boxes. Inside, the hotel is exquisitely designed. From its reception room lined with wine bottles to the decorative headboards in the bedrooms, attention to detail is visible around every corner. The heart of the hotel is its cozy bar where guests can relax and enjoy a glass of Georgian wine after a day of exploring Tbilisi’s historic streets.

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eThnO hOme, Tbilisi The antique blue grammarphone and silver French horn in the entrance hall of Ethno Home in Tbilisi are a taste of what is to come as you step into the welcoming hotel.

Located in the heart of the city center, Ethno Home is just a few hundred yards from the Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theater and Rustaveli Theater. Built in the 19th century, the interior design reflects the history of the building. Ethno Home only hosts 4 guests at a time which ensures you are treated as a very special guest by the attentive staff.

hOTel eRekle ii, Telavi Did you ever dream of staying in a home that once belonged to royalty? Built in the 19th century, Hotel Erekle II is a converted chateau and former home to King Erekle’s 24 children.

Today, the hotel is wrapped by an exquisite carved wooden balcony and surrounded by a walled garden. The unusual combination of Persian, Arabic and Georgian design has created a frenzy of colors and textures that work in harmony to create an idyllic retreat in Telavi.

G.vinO ciTy wine hOTel, Tbilisi G.Vino City Wine Hotel is a boutique hotel dedicated to Georgia’s ancient wine making legacy and the world of natural wine. With a beautiful tiled exterior courtyard and large minimalist rooms, guests are sure to have a unique stay.

A highlight of g.Vino City Wine Hotel is the restaurant. Chefs create signature dishes based on Georgian flavors, scents, textures and ancestral cooking techniques. Their expert sommelier will guide you through Georgia’s winemaking tradition and ensure your glass is never empty.

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LM Club Hotel By ketevan kvaratskheliya

LM Club Hotel is the perfect choice for visitors who are searching for a combination of healthy and relaxing vacations in the center of Tbilisi. It is a small and comfortable hotel, which first opened its doors to visitors in October 2017. Despite quite a short time in existence, LM Club Hotel has managed to gain a lot of popularity. Modest at first glance, it offers a great variety of sport and relaxing facilities.

The hotel comprises 18 spacious and elegant rooms with simple dĂŠcor. All come with private bathroom, satellite TV and free Wi-Fi. In addition to this, they are equipped with a special air-conditioning system which allows visitors to regulate the room temperature. Slippers, bathrobes, hairdryers and free toiletries are present in every room. Safes, located in the wardrobe, make the stay more secure for guests.

Aside from all the abovementioned outstanding features, LM Club Hotel is also distinguished for its location right in the city center, 100 meters from Marjanishvili Square.

A great variety of bars, restaurants and shops can be found a very short distance from the hotel.

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New Hotels wynDham GRanD

The tagline of Wyndham Grand is “refined accommodation,” and that’s exactly what you can expect at their new location in Tbilisi. The hotel is on Liberty (Freedom) Square, within walking distance of Tbilisi’s most popular tourist attractions.

The eight-floor hotel was designed by Georgian architect Paata Jgarkava, with a distinctive glass dome and a geometric lattice. It has 161 guest rooms and suites, including the luxurious presidential suite. It has the standard amenities you would expect from a 5-star hotel - fitness center, spa, indoor pool and sauna. Even for non-guests, the stylish rooftop bar and restaurant (creatively named’Freedom’) serves European and Georgian cuisine, and fun cocktails. The best part, of course, is the view.

Wyndham also offer conference and event facilities.

ZeG hOTel Zeg is one of the many clever, useful words in Georgian - it means “the day

The attention-to-detail also continues in the bedrooms, which are comfortable and spacious. However, the crowning glory of Veranova Hotel is the roof terrace - the perfect place to end an evening looking over the skyline of Tbilisi. after tomorrow.” This adorable 4-star hotel (27 Kote Apkhazi Str.), in fact, may make you want to extend your stay until, at least, zeg. Located on the main thoroughfare of Old Tbilisi, Hotel Zeg puts you at the heart of the city’s charm, which continues inside the property with elegantly designed rooms.

The vibe is high end, modern, playful. A fun place to stay comfortably within walking distance from most tourist attractions. Most rooms have great views of the city.

hOTel aDamO Found on the edge of Mtatsminda Park, Hotel Adamo is a boutique hotel offering you a unique experience in Tbilisi. The curved building makes the most of the panoramic views across Tbilisi, which can be enjoyed whilst eating a meal at the hotel’s restaurant. After a long day exploring the historic streets of Tbilisi, you can relax at the on-site wellness spa with a massage, or sit with a glass of Georgian wine at the stylish wine bar.

veRanOva hOTel A new hotel has opened on the slopes of Mtatsminda Hill in Tbilisi, adding style to the popular Tbilisi neighborhood. When staying at Veranova Hotel, you can expect luxury. The airy hotel lobby has plush sofas and copper lighting and, of course, a bar to enjoy a glass of Georgian wine.

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Lifferent Hotel & Spa By ketevan kvaratskheliya

The concept of the “five-star hotel” is so well-established in society today that it has become something of the mainstream, losing its sparkle of “something special” for travelers. Such travelers now look for unorthodox environs and personal touches and find what they want in relatively small, but luxury boutique hotels.

Lifferent Hotel & Spa is a property which guarantees guests a wonderful stay.

Located on the top three floors of a multifunctional building in one of the most prestigious districts of Tbilisi, Vake, the hotel boasts just six rooms, each with its own private elevator- making visitors feel special and exceptionally secure.

Not all the ‘treasures’ of Lifferent Hotel & Spa may be obvious at first glance.

However, it actually offers numerous services necessary for a pleasant stay, first and foremost a rooftop swimming pool – a wonderful opportunity to relax and check out the landscapes of Tbilisi, distinguished for an extraordinary fusion of history and modernity.

The hotel’s premium-quality Spa offers a great variety of treatments using exclusive Korean brand products, making it one of the best ways to have an unforgettable journey into the world of body and facial care, and to un-shrug the stresses of travel and escape the city bustle. Lifferent Hotel & Spa guests can enjoy a massage, test a

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great variety of cosmetology therapies, from RF face-lifting to mesotherapy around the eyes, and keep fit in the property’s gym.

The founders and designers of the hotel

have put a lot of effort into creating a sophisticated atmosphere that is suited to all tastes and types of visitor: a beautiful mélange of classical and ultra-modern. The French style spacious rooms, painted in pastel tones and equipped with modern

facilities, make the environment even more comfortable and luxurious.

Lifferent Hotel & Spa is exceptional in concept, as it manages to be integrated with the multifunctional building and at the same time guarantee a calm and relaxing stay in the center of the capital city. In addition, the hotel offers airy two-room apartments, ideal for long stays or family trips.

The welcoming staff of the hotel is ready to assist 24/7.

Past guests of Lifferent Hotel & Spa have shared their pleasant experiences on various tourist websites. Alina from Ukraine posted her review on the worldrenowned booking.com and noted the outstanding beauty and comfort of the hotel, as well as its interesting design.

“The hotel is very beautiful and comfortable, and has an interesting design. The rooms are equipped with all the necessary facilities. Everything looks new and comfortable: furniture, bathrobes, slippers… The rooms are spotless, as they are cleaned well.

Lifferent Hotel & Spa has a wonderful location in the heart of the city, close to the major tourist destinations. The Spa center of the property deserves a separate marking,” reads her post.

Lifferent Hotel & Spa is certainly a go-to destination for those travelers looking for a cozy, calm and sophisticated environ in a central location.

Lifferent Hotel & Spa 29 Chavchavadze Avenue, Tbilisi TEL 215 80 15

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Interview with Debra Sivertsen By ketevan kvaratskheliya

Radisson Blu Iveria Hotel, one of the most distinguished five-star hotels in Tbilisi, meeting all guest needs with immaculate service and guaranteeing a pleasant and secure stay, has recently welcomed a new General Manager, Debra Sivertsen, who came to Georgia from South Africa.

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Where.ge sat down with Sivertsen to find out more about her path from continent to continent, and her upcoming plans. we asked her what had made her travel so far from home to continue her career in Georgia.

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“I was born in Cape Town, South Africa, and have lived there for all my life,� she tells us. “I had worked for the Radisson Hotel Group before, and rejoined the team in 2013 to run the Radisson Blu Hotel Waterfront in Cape Town. My husband and I had been wanting to travel

overseas and discover the world beyond South Africa. He even gave up his position to follow me here. Even though moving to Georgia was not among my original plans, when I asked the Group to allocate me to Eastern Europe, I was positively amazed with the country,” Debra says. we were interested to learn more about her husband’s eagerness to give up work for the sake of his wife.

“So many people say ‘Wow!’ when they hear about our choice. But we’re very much a modern couple with a modern global outlook,” she says with a smile.

“But it was our goal to move overseas, and it was exactly my work that was able to give us this opportunity.”

Debra explains that she is actively involved in a number of initiatives for promoting women in leadership, diversity and inclusion. “There is huge number of females working in low positions in the hospitality industry. However, we at Radisson Blu aspire to increase this number and show the world that women are able to work in high positions and at the same time be wonderful wives and mothers. That’s why, I’m an ambassador of the company in this direction.” we asked Debra to share her impressions about Georgia.

“If anybody asks me how I see Georgia, and specifically Tbilisi, I tell them my new hashtag: #BestKeptSecret,” she tells us

with a laugh. “Georgia and Tbilisi are beautiful and not enough people know about it. So, besides promoting women in leadership, diversity and inclusion, for me it’s about being an ambassador to promote the country.”

that it’s all about motivating the team. Face to face communication and motivation are paramount. The staff needs to understand that they are important. For me, as the leader, recognizing the staff is extremely important,” Debra says.

“Tbilisi is beautiful for a number of reasons. First of all, people here are fantastic, incredibly friendly and so open to help. Everybody speaks or at least attempts to speak English to you. It matters a lot, because it is certainly crucial for foreigners. Secondly, the beautiful nature, which reminds me very much of my homeland Cape Town. And obviously, the biggest thing is the gorgeous food. All the dishes on the table are exceptionally delicious. It’s a must to eat everything. So, for me, Georgian people, nature and food are the #BestKeptSecret!”

“In terms of developing the hotel, we have a brand name which is internationally recognized. When you start to have a footprint of a brand in the country, it means you attract more tourists to the country, in recognition of the brand. We recently launched a new brand, Radisson Collection, which is the part of the Radisson Hotel Group, in Tsinandali. It greatly contributes to the strengthening of the brand. And of course, the excellent quality is the key way to maintain the identity and popularity of the hotel,” she notes.

we next asked the new General manager about her strategies in terms of management and how she plans to develop the Georgian branch of the Radisson blu hotel and raise the bar on the global scale.

“I think I’m a little bit of a different General Manager to what is expected in general.

My background is human resources. I studied human resources, specializing in psychology, and I’m very proud to say that I never studied hotel management, but instead grew the necessary experience through multiple years and by permanently striving for development, I now understand

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As the final question, we asked Debra sivertsen about her views regarding the tourism potential of Georgia.

“In my short time here, I’m not had time to take in the full scope of the potential of Georgia, but for me, increasing accessibility and developing the means of transport is vital. The fact that the Air France has launched direct flights is a major step forward. Increasing the number of direct flights is certainly very significant, as once the people are here, then all the great attractions that will mesmerize the tourists will become known beyond the borders, and Georgia will be a #BestKeptSecret no more!”

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WINE PALACE HOTEL THE HERO OF GEORGIAN HOSPITALITY

Wine Palace is a 4-star hotel located in the center of Tbilisi, within three minutes’ walk of the Technical University Metro Station. The major concept of this place is Georgian wine and hospitality.

Georgian painters worked the interior and as you enter the lobby, the wall paintings will be the first to grab your attention and even the decor shows wine elements. The owner thinks that when guests enter the Wine Palace, they should feel the ambiance and diversity of the Georgian wine and cuisine culture, but the hotel is exceptional for many reasons, from its highquality customer service and special offers, to the free wine tasting and gifts from the owner.

Wine Palace has four floors and 33 rooms. The majority of rooms have balconies and great views over the capital city. All are equipped with Free Wi-Fi, Satellite TV, an international phone and safes.

• • • •

Standard Single Standard Double Standard Twin Deluxe Double

But wait- there’s more! Wine tasting is available on the ground floor of the hotel, which includes a variety of wine, cheese and freshly baked bread. This is a great chance to see the process of unique Georgian wine and Chacha (vodka) making, bread baking in Tone and to enjoy the cheese of the different regions of the country. At the end of the wine tour, guests get a labelled bottle of red or white wine as a gift from the hotel.

Outdoor tours are also on offer for visitors, with qualified staff able to plan personal trips and transfers for guests. Since it is now the winter season in Georgia, you might be interested in visiting one of the winter resorts or continue your wine adventure into the Kakheti region – the cradle of Georgian wine.

Address: 31, B. Kvernadze Str. Tbilisi TEL: +995 322 33 88 08, +995 555 35 55 55, +995 577 75 55 55 www.winepalace.ge Email: info@winepalace.ge Facebook: #HotelWinePalace

Listing: 4 & 5 Star Hotels in Tbilisi The Tbilisi hotel market reflects the city’s image as the corporate briefcase of the region and it comes well equipped with five-star offerings, as well as with a new breed of lower priced options for travelers on a budget. Offering 24-hour service and modern standards, the best hotels are most commonly located in the heart of the city. Hotels list their prices in Euros, Dollars or Lari, though in most cases your bill will be calculated in the local currency using the current exchange rate and payment is possible by credit card (VISA or MasterCard). The majority of Tbilisi hotels can arrange transportation services to and from the airport for their clients on the basis of prior agreement.

There are several world brands operating in Georgia including Marriott, Sheraton, Radisson Blu and Holiday Inn which play host to thousands of guests throughout the year. All are distinguished by their remarkable architecture and interiors. A variety of exhibitions, conferences and official events are often held in the hotels and, over the next four years, six more global brands are expected to enter the Georgian market. High-end hotels usually host guests participating in the cultural, business and political life of the country. Tbilisi is a business city and occupancy rates reflect that. The average price for a night in such a hotel costs around $120-250.

The bilTmORe hOTel Tbilisi 29 Rustaveli Ave. TEL 272 72 72

The Biltmore Hotel Tbilisi is ideally situated within the historic and cultural district of the Georgia’s capital city. Close to the east bank of the Mtkvari River, this hotel is suitable for both business and leisure travellers. The immaculately restored grand lobby echoes the nostalgia of a bygone era, resonating the glamor and prestige of the social elite.

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cOuRTyaRD Tbilisi 4 Freedom Sq. TEL 277 91 00 Perfectly located in Freedom Square in the heart of the city center, this hotel is within walking distance of the Georgian National Museum, Rustaveli Theater, and the State Opera House - not to mention a host of galleries, gardens, and other attractions. Modern and comfortable hotel rooms feature plush bedding, high-speed Internet access, climate control, and other amenities; many offer views of Tbilisi city center. Additional hotel perks include a fitness center and Jacuzzi, and a heated indoor pool. You can visit the hotel restaurant, Brasserie Freedom, for all-day dining. and Freedom Square views.

Tbilisi maRRiOTT hOTel 13 Rustaveli Ave. TEL 277 92 00 www.marriott.com Once you enter its grand atrium-style lobby adorned with crystal chandeliers,

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you’re greeted with renowned Georgian hospitality. Overlooking the Main Avenue or patio, the 127 luxury hotel rooms and suites feature a safe, mini-bar, individual climate control and broadband internet.

Whether your trip entails business or leisure, enjoy galleries and theaters all within walking distance of the hotel.

Marriott Hotel in Tbilisi is well-known as a spacious event venue. Offering first-class catering, there are 6 meeting rooms and a ballroom able to accommodate 200 guests. Dine in Parnas Restaurant for an elegant meal or have a light snack at Parnas Café & Lounge. Visit the Fitness Gym for a workout or relax in the sauna.

PORTA CAUCASIA KAZBEGI HOTELHOTEL PORTA KAZBE Feel atCAUCASIA home in Caucasus

Feel at home in Caucasus

Porta Caucasia,meaning ‘Gate to the Caucasus’ is a freshly The name of the four-star hotel “Porta Caucasia” greatheart of Kazbegi. launched hotel locatedhas in the newly-established 4 star hotel in the heart of Kazbegi and its surroundings have been offers Kazbegi alpine style sophistication and elegance.

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Porta Caucasia is the perfect place to stay if you’re interested in

hotel stands out forvisiting its exquisite interior and this region.tasteful It is unusual to find such comfort and support creates a peacefulhigh andinrelaxing atmosphere mountains, but you will befor amazed to discover the highqualityofservice thismaterials hotel provides. guests. A combination earthy and ecofriendly manufacturing makes this beautiful hotel ideal The hotel stands out for numerous reasons. Paying attention to for all tastes. detail, the interior is manufactured by Villeroy &Boch, as is the furniture, which is wooden and ecofriendly. Luxury and taste merge to create a great sense of ambiance. Each room is well equipped, offering all the important facilities. Private bathrooms come with THE HOTEL OFFERS: top-of-the-range toiletries. * 33 Deluxe and Suite rooms with excellent

panoramic views over the Mkinvartsveri and Kuro Mountain Caucasia has pioneered the creation of a privatetoonline host you * World Porta Class Service rward * Georgian and European restaurants with ing foease azbegi platform for bookings and reservations, allowing of contact k K o o ia L s a unique and delightful cuisine Cauc * Spa &with Beauty Salon and Sauna hotel staff. at Porta * Wine Shop by Winery Khareba

World-famous Georgian Winery Khareba is the founder of Porta

Address: 2 Tergdaleulebi St., Stepantsminda (Kazbegi), Georgia Caucasia are wine tours inside FB: the@PortaCaucasiaKazbegi hotel on the ground Tel: +995 322 and 25 77there 70 Mail: info@portacaucasia.com

floor.

THE HOTEL OFFERS: The hotel has Georgian and European cuisine represented in two restaurants within the hotal, featuring delicious dishes, made using * 33 Deluxe and Suite rooms with excellent locally produced products. The wine is something particularly worth panoramic views over the Mkinvartsveri and Kuro Mountain mentioning, asKharebaWinery presents varieties of wine in both * World Class Servicerestaurants. There is also a terrace and lounge on the top floor. rd to rwa * Georgian and European restaurants with oking fo aucasia o L unique and delightful cuisine Porta Caucasia is ideal for couples, families, rleisure Cholidays, * Spa & Beauty Salonbusiness and Sauna at Po ta trips. * Wine Shop by Winery Khareba

The staff can plan trips according to your personal interests: try their

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Alpine2 Tour on Mount Kazbegi, with equipment(Kazbegi), and personal guide Address: Tergdaleulebi St., Stepantsminda Georgia provided.

If you info@portacaucasia.com are more into history and culture, take advantage Tel: +995 322 25 77 70 Mail: FB: @PortaCaucasiaKazb of their Culture Tour, which includes a visit to various historical sites, including Gergeti Church and several Chateaus.

Kazbegi is close to Gudauri resort and the hotel offers affordable transfer services.

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Address: 2 Tergdaleulebi St., Stepantsminda (Kazbegi), Georgia Tel: +995 322 25 77 70 Mail: info@portacaucasia.com FB: @PortaCaucasiaKazbegi

RaDissOn blu iveRia hOTel

Executive guest rooms. Inside every guest room, elegant interiors detailed with many original features offer comfortable living.

The spacious feel is enhanced by high ceilings and tall windows, in keeping with the original architecture of the former Adjara hotel. The outstanding living and dining area, with elegant designer wallpaper and rich African wood flooring, provide a sanctuary in which to relax and entertain.

1 Rose Revolution Sq. TEL 240 22 00

mosque, synagogue, cable car and more.

There are many cafes, bars, restaurants and other fun and relaxing places nearby.

Whether you’ve come for business or pleasure, you’ll leave with a sense of the beauty that surrounds the city’s central hotel, Radisson Blu Iveria, Tbilisi. The hotel offers a variety of dining options, an open terrace and outdoor pool, a topfloor bar and pool and a Spa. Travel anywhere you want to go in Tbilisi from the metro station which is just 300 meters from the hotel.

Metro station - 300 m.; Tbilisi Railway Station - 5 km.; Tbilisi International Airport - 19 km

hOliDay inn 26 May Sq. TEL 230 00 99 www.hi-tbilisi.com

hOTels & pRefeRence hualinG Tbilisi Tbilisi Sea District TEL 250 50 25 The hotel is only a five-minute drive from the East Point Shopping Mall while Tbilisi Saint Trinity Cathedral (Sameba) is a 15-minute drive from the hotel.

42 K. Apkhazi Str. TEL 272 46 14, 275 44 95 www.shardenvilla.ge

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Address: Agmashenebeli Ave.140B TEL 224 41 44 www.cityavenue.ge

The Hotel has 22 classic modern and classic rooms. A number of the rooms have balconies, wonderful views on Narikala, the Temple of Metechi and the River Mtkvari. All the rooms are ensuite and offer hairdryers, flatscreen TVs, a safe, a telephone and a mini bar.

shaRDen villa

Hotel Sharden Villa is a modern boutique style Hotel located in the historical center of Tbilisi near Meidan. You will find it surrounded by the top sightseeing spots of Old Tbilisi: the ruins of Narikala, Metechi Church and Sioni temples, Abanotubani, a

ciTy avenue hOTel

This magnificent 21-storey glass building used to be the symbol of the city during the Soviet era. Following its transformation, Holiday Inn Tbilisi can accommodate guests in 270 Standard, Business and

to stay

All rooms are air-conditioned and come with a 48-inch flat-screen TV with international channels. The private bathrooms include free toiletries, slippers, bathrobes and a hairdryer, a bath tub and separate shower cabin.

emiGRanT hOTel 6 Vashlovani Str. TEL 293 54 52, 599 02 66 44 Email: Hotel@emigrantboutique.ge

A stay in this hotel is both comfortable and convenient, as you can walk around the city, see all the important places and feel the grandeur of Tbilisi in all its value!

The boutique-style hotel has three floors with a total of 10 rooms. Since opening in September, Emigrant has been taking very good care to assure all its guests a comfortable vacation in a harmonious synthesis of modernity and history.

hOTel wine palace 31, B. Kvernadze Str. TEL 233 88 08, 555 35 55 55 www.winepalace.ge Email: info@winepalace.ge Facebook: #HotelWinePalace

vinOTel 4 E. Akhvlediani Ascent TEL 255 58 88 www.vinotel.ge Housed in a historic building that represents a monument of cultural heritage, the boutique Hotel Emigrant is located in the heart of the city and features a unique design.

The entrance door of the Hotel is included in the list of 100 Best Modern Doors, as acknowledged by UNESCO. The building also houses the memorial apartment museum of Ekvtime Takaishvili, a prominent Georgian public figure.

Tbilisi Concert Hall is a 3-minute walk away, as is the Tbilisi State University, Tbilisi Zoo and Tbilisi Circus. Vere Park is on a parallel street, in just a few steps away, and only 50 meters from the Hotel the famous Rustaveli Avenue begins, leading you to Liberty (Freedom) Square, past some of the key sights of the city: Tbilisi Opera and Ballet State Theater, Rustaveli State Drama Theater, shopping malls, fashion and souvenir shops, museums, cinemas and numerous dining possibilities and other attractions. The Hotel is 11 miles away from Tbilisi International Airport and the nearest railway station is just 1.5 miles away.

Hotel “Wine Palace” is located in the center of Tbilisi, behind the Sports Palace, only 2.3 km from Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theater. The nearest metro station is just a 3-minute walk.

Where.ge is glad to introduce very special hotel in its Stay section this issue. Vinotel is a boutique hotel located in the old town, on the left embankment of Mtkvari River, 10 minutes from freedom square, near Sameba cathedral and the Presidential residence. World Luxury Awards recently awarded the hotel in two categories: ‘The Best Small Hotel in Eastern Europe’ and ‘The Best Boutique Hotel in Georgia’. It offers small quantity of rooms, including luxury suites featuring a hamam and fireplace, unique superior rooms, stylish semi-mansard rooms and a cozy top-view room. The location is superb for travelers interested in local food, city walks and old-town exploring.

to stay

The hotel fully meets the highest European standards. 33 comfortable rooms- standard and deluxe – come decorated in the highest artistic style (hand-painted walls, a delightful combination of classic and romantic styles) and are equipped with Free Wi-Fi, satellite TV, an international phone and safes.

“Wine Palace” provides guests with breakfast served in a nice dining room, while delicious Georgian and European dishes can be ordered for dinner.

The hotel also offers a fully equipped conference room for 70 people.

Hotel “Wine Palace” has a unique wine cellar which stores about 100 brands of Georgian wine, as well as home-made wine. For hotel guests, wine tastings and national dishes are arranged. Guests can also book a tour to the regions through the hotel.

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bORJOmi likani hOTel 16 Meskheti Str., Borjomi, Georgia Tel 229 22 92 Website: www.borjomilikani.com E: info@borjomilikani.com

Luxury 5 star Hotel Borjomi Likani is located 177 km away from Tbilisi (the capital of Georgia) in the middle of the coniferous park in Borjomi city, famous of its naturally carbonated mineral water from springs in the Borjomi Gorge of central Georgia. Hotel Borjomi Likani is located on the former territory of once popular Sanatorium of 4th deparment in Likani. Guests from all over the USSR used to gather here to spend time with family and friends and receive the benefits of the Health procedures offered, due to the curative effect of the Borjomi water.

The famous Summer Palace of Russian royal Romanovs’ Family resided on the territory of the hotel is another reason for the guests to visit Borjomi Likani complex.

The palace is under renovation today and soon will open its doors to all the guests.

The Borjomi Likani Hotel features 151 comfortable rooms with stupendous view to the surroundings and modern amenities.

Additional services: Spa & health Center, bars and restaurants, conference hall, kids club, weddings and entertainments.

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GOlDen Tulip bORJOmi hOTel 48, 9 April Str. Borjomi TEL 288 02 02, 591 02 80 82 E-mail: info@goldentulipborjomipalace.com www.goldentulipborjomipalace.com

Golden Tulip Borjomi Hotel is managed by French International hotel chain “Golden Tulip,” which belongs to “Louvre Hotels Group”.

Golden Tulip Borjomi is one of the most attractive historical buildings in Borjomi, located just steps away from the popular Borjomi Mineral Waters Park. It was built in 1892 by the Consular of Iran in Russia, Mirza-Reza Khan, as a house with Spa Treatment and is nowadays considered a Unique Cultural Monument of the 19th Century.

Golden Tulip Borjomi Hotel features 17 comfortable guest rooms including 2 Suites, 2 Classic singles and 13 Deluxe Double Rooms.

Hotel services include Restaurant “Arfaye”, the Garden Café, Lobby Bar, brand new Fitness Room, Spa: Steam, Sauna, Jacuzzi, Bucket Shower and 1 exclusive treatment room.

to stay

museum hOTel 8/10 Vakhtang Orbeliani Str. TEL 224 49 99

Museum Hotel Orbeliani is an appealing name, suggesting the hotel’s history as it is located in a historical residence of an old noble family Orbeliani, well known in high society of old Georgia.

The architecture and interior design of the boutique hotel are unique, as is its service.

The hotel is distinguished for its intimate atmosphere and idiosyncratic style; always upscale and combining historic 19th century details with chic elegance.

Museum Hotel Orbeliani is located in the heart of Tbilisi, just 100m from the Dry Bridge Flea Market and within a walking distance of Rustaveli Avenue, Narikala Fortress and the ancient sulphur baths.

Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theater is 600 m and Freedom Square is 700 m away.

Tbilisi International Airport is only 18 km from the hotel. The Hotel offers car hire and provides transfer services.

Enjoy on-site gourmet Georgian-Persian restaurant ‘’Sirajkhana,’, a roof top lounge bar Mixology 810 with an incredible city view and café ‘’Museum’’ with a beautiful, cozy terrace on the ground floor.

The TeRRace bOuTique hOTel 7 P. Kakabadze Str. TEL 299 90 01

Stay in the Heart of Tbilisi City.

Ideally located in Old Tbilisi, King Gorgasali is few steps from Shardeni Street, where you will find the top cafes, bars and restaurants. You’ll be just a 4-minute walk from Europe Square and Metekhi St. Virgin Church.

King Gorgasali offers elegantly decorated rooms with memorable views and modern decor.

The exquisite design and timeless elegance of The Terrace boutique hotel can be found in the heart of Tbilisi’s historical center. Providing a unique blend of personalized attention and essential elements for an unforgettable city break, the Terrace Hotel’s team is committed to providing an exceptional experience to each and every guest. The spacious feel is enhanced by high ceilings and tall windows with original architecture overlooking one of the best views in the city for an authentic local experience.

The property also boasts a Georgian restaurant, Sormoni, a wine spot with sommelier service, khinkhali show room and a terrace with an amazing view. Enjoy the cozy lobby bar and memorable historical exterior to make your stay extra special.

Tbilisi laeRTOn hOTel 14 I. Kurkhuli Str. TEL 255 66 55 Email: info@laerton-hotel.com

hOTel kinG GORGasali

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The top floor “Elioni Veranda” has a stunning view and there are indoor and outdoor terrace areas to sit down and relax in. The Lobby Bar is a large bar and dining area with the high-quality leather sofas, comfy chairs and marble-topped tables, along with a decorative fireplace area. Guests are sure to find some their taste on thee international menu with Georgian delicacies and a wide selection of Georgian wines.

For mind and soul to unwind as well as the body, a visit to our spa is the optimum way to relax. Swimming pool, Sauna, Jacuzzi, relaxation and treatment rooms are at every guest’s service.

aRT bOuTique hOTel 33 Tabukashvili Str. TEL 255 22 55 arthoteltbilisi@gmail.com

There are 26 rooms, a meeting room and rooftop restaurant with 360 degree views of Tbilisi. The restaurant offers Georgian & European cuisine.

3 V. Gorgasali Str. TEL 222 50 80

hospitality, especially for making guests feel at home, for which Georgia is famous.

TBILISI LAERTON HOTEL is a luxury boutique hotel located in the heart of old Tbilisi. The mission of Tbilisi Laerton Hotel is to provide international and local clientele in Tbilisi high quality hotel accommodation, together with exceptional service. The unique advantages of the hotel are a near perfect central Tbilisi location in an increasingly popular area, some exceptional views from the hotel over the hills around Tbilisi, very high specification rooms and facilities, and a focus upon

to stay

Art Boutique Hotel is a 4 star hotel, located in the heart of city Tbilisi with 30 modern different type of rooms with balcony and beautiful views of the city.

Rooms equipped with a mini bar, coffee and tea facilities, safety deposit box and TV with cable and satellite channels.

Hotel has the bar-restaurant, free Wi-Fi. Transfers and tours are provided upon request.

Art Boutique Hotel’s main priority is to make guests feel comfortable and safe for 24 hours.

Art Boutique it is not just a 4 star hotel, it is a symbol of Georgian hospitality.

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nO12 bOuTique hOTel 12 Khodasheni Str. (near Leselidze) www.No12hotel.com @no12hotel TEL 255 22 12

Tiflis palace 3 Gorgasali Str. TEL 200 02 45 www.tiflispalace.ge Email: reservation@tiflispalace.ge

Attentive professionals with a passion for hospitality are always ready to assist our guests, guaranteeing you the best experience of Tbilisi.

beTsy’s hOTel 32-34 Makashvili Str. TEL 293 14 04 info@betsyshotel.com www.betsyshotel.com

If you’re planning to visit Tbilisi for pleasure or business and want to enjoy the quiet neighborhood of the charming Old Town, this 12-room hotel is the place for you. The comfortable, air-conditioned rooms offer warm-colored interiors with traditional elements of decor. The personalized service is what the hotel is all about.

No12 Boutique Hotel offes: • Excellent location – in the heart of the Old Town but on a calm back street; nice design reflecting country-specific architecture • Comfortable, cozy, clean rooms, most with magnificent views • Buffet breakfast with a ‘Modern Georgian’ menu • Friendly and helpful hosts happy to advise you where to eat, what to see, how to get there.

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Tiflis Palace is a luxurious boutique hotel, located in a very heart of Tbilisi, in the legendary place of the city’s foundation. It is surrounded by the best picturesque and breathtaking views available in Tbilisi as well as in the immediate vicinity of the most popular tourist attractions and the widest choice of restaurants, cafes and galleries.

The hotel’s architecture reflects the ancient style, traditions and history of Old Tiflis and Maidan Square, emphasizing its unique location.

The interior of Tiflis Palace is a perfect combination of discreet luxury, calm colors and modernity, with a light touch of oriental style characteristic of the old town.

Tiflis Palace meets the modern requirements of international hospitality standards and features elegantly designed rooms and suites equipped with all necessary facilities; comfortable beds with antiallergy linen and orthopedic mattress, conference and banqueting facilities, and the best culinary venue.

to stay

Betsy’s Hotel is an exquisitely decorated boutique hotel overlooking the center of Tbilisi. Our hotel’s stylish and inspirational character comes from twenty years of opening the doors to many visitors from across Georgia and abroad. The staff makes every stay unique with Georgian warmth and intimacy. The atmosphere is quiet and comfortable. Once you set foot in Betsy’s lobby and take in the spectacular view of Tbilisi, you’ll find yourself in a different world.

The exceptional combination of the hotel’s Georgian and foreign identity has produced a lively and graceful atmosphere in a unique environment. Betsy’s Hotel is a center of Tbilisi social and business life.

ROOms hOTels Tbilisi 14 M. Kostava Str. TEL 202 00 99 www.roomshotels.com

Rooms Hotels is a young and independent lifestyle hotel brand based in Georgia that has quickly emerged as the premier leader of distinctive hospitality experiences in the region.

The first Rooms Hotel opened its doors in summer 2012, in Georgia’s remote region, Kazbegi. This was followed by the Rooms Hotel Tbilisi in autumn 2014.

Located in Vera, a charming and historic quarter of the capital which has long been associated with artists and intellectuals.

The former publishing house has been refurbished into a modern innovative design hotel infusing the old cultural and visual heritage of its environs. It’s now a hotspot for local and international creatives in search of inspiration.

The hotel proudly lives up to all earned appraisals. Rooms Hotel Tbilisi has breathed new life into the bohemian neighborhood of Vera, attracting creatives and artists with its unique brand of design-led hospitality. The aesthetics are chic and comfortable, defined by rich tones, natural materials, and plush textures. The Bar Room and the Kitchen restaurant draw in guests and visitors for handcrafted cocktails and modern casual dining with

contemporary dishes, creating a social meeting space that defies the standard hotel definition. Elegant and inviting, the eight categories of guest rooms are spread over five floors, fully booked during significant city events, including the Tbilisi and Mercedes-Benz Fashion Weeks.

Located on the fifth floor, the Terrace Queen and Terrace King rooms stream in all the sunlight through their floor-to-ceiling windows. You’ll be fascinated by their cozy private terraces overlooking the hotel’s courtyard garden.

Best Western Kutaisi as a place to stay.

We also recommend tasting Imeretian cuisine in the on-site restaurant!

fabRika 8 Ninoshvili Str. TEL 202 03 99

besT wesTeRn kuTaisi 11 Grishashvili Str. TEL 219 71 00 www.bwkutaisi.com

Until 2016, Kutaisi couldn’t boast any well-known names in its list of hotels. But quite recently one of the oldest cities in Georgia, an important transport hub and home of UNESCO Heritage Site, got its first brand hotel: a Best Western. Overlooking the white waters of Rioni River and the locally famous White Bridge, the hotel is located very centrally. Old Town, with its choice of traditional restaurants, can be reached on foot, and the famous Gelati and Bagrati monasteries are reachable by car in 15-20 minutes. The other attractions of Imereti region are within a 1 or 2-hour drive. A classic design, international level of comfort and Georgian level of sincere hospitality are the main reason to choose

to stay

The big cultural success since 2016, Fabrika is a perfect example of gentrification on the left bank of Mtkvari River.

Hostel and suites, co-working space, shops and ateliers, food joints and bars are united in a conceptual space that used to be a sewing factory in the Soviet period.

Every night, even on Mondays, the inner yard is full of people hanging out, drinking beer or wine, and chatting into the small hours. On the weekends, there are usually concerts or DJ sets of local musicians in one of the resident bars or even in the yard. Such events usually bring together crowds of hundreds from all over.

maRiOnn hOTel 9 Al. Tsurtsumia Str. TEL 224 26 26 www.hotelmarionn.com Hotel Marionn is located in the heart of Tbilisi’s old Avlabari district. The modern building blends in perfectly with the historical features of the area. The hotel offers fully equipped rooms with flat-screen TV, a minibar, a desk, a safe and a wardrobe. Free Wi-Fi and 24/7 video security throughout the hotel.

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hOTel pORTa caucasia kaZbeGi 2 Tergdaleulebi Str., Stepantsminda (Kazbegi), Georgia TEL 225 77 70 Mail: info@portacaucasia.com FB: @PortaCaucasiaKazbegi Feel at home in Caucasus

are wine tours inside the hotel on the ground floor.

The hotel has Georgian and European cuisine represented in two restaurants within the hotal, featuring delicious dishes, made using locally produced products. The wine is something particularly worth mentioning, as Khareba Winery presents varieties of wine in both restaurants. There is also a terrace and lounge on the top floor.

Porta Caucasia is ideal for couples, families, leisure holidays, business trips.

Kazbegi is close to Gudauri resort and the hotel offers affordable transfer services.

Porta Caucasia, meaning ‘Gate to the Caucasus’ is a freshly launched four-star hotel located in the heart of Kazbegi.

Porta Caucasia is the perfect place to stay if you’re interested in visiting this region. It is unusual to find such comfort and support high in mountains, but you will be amazed to discover the high-quality service this hotel provides.

The hotel stands out for numerous reasons.

Paying attention to detail, the interior is manufactured by Villeroy & Boch, as is the furniture, which is wooden and ecofriendly. Luxury and taste merge to create a great sense of ambiance. Each room is well equipped, offering all the important facilities. Private bathrooms come with top-of-the-range toiletries.

Porta Caucasia has pioneered the creation of a private online platform for bookings and reservations, allowing ease of contact with hotel staff.

World-famous Georgian Winery Khareba is the founder of Porta Caucasia and there

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Rooms 28 Standard (14 front & rear view) 2 Deluxe (1 front & 1 rear view) 1 Standard Triple (corner view) 2 Junior Suites (front/corner view) Connecting Rooms (for families) Meeting room Room with Disabled Access • Spa & Beauty Salon • Sauna • Wine Shop by Khareba Winery • Terrace & Lounge • 24/7 Transfer service • Alpinism Tours • Cultural Tours

meRcuRe Tbilisi OlD TOwn 9 Gorgasali Str., Tbilisi Old Town TEL 200 60 60 The 4-star Hotel Mercure Tbilisi Old Town is managed by Accor Hotels Group, the world’s leading hotel operator and market leader in Europe. The hotel features

to stay

conference room, gym & spa, The Old Town Restaurant & Garden and Sky7 Terrace & Lounge Bar which offer a perfect combination of international and Georgian cuisine. Hotel is located in the very heart of the

ibis sTyles Tbilisi cenTeR 4 G. Tabidze Str. TEL 200 24 24

ibis styles Tbilisi center is the second hotel in Tbilisi managed by Accor Hotels Group.

Hotel has 119 rooms in total, lobby business corner and The City Roof Bar on the fifth floor which offers variety of Asian and Georgian dishes. ibis styles located in the city center is a non-standardized economy and design brand aimed at all those who are looking for “the best of the best”.

The Family ConCierge 24/7 - your personal Travel manager!

Beyond georgian hospiTaliTy

Exclusive complimentary services provided for The Family guests: Recommendations on tested travel destinations, where to stay and what to eat ● Not the typical tours but exclusive places for extraordinary experiences Oriented on people with special interests in Georgian culture and ethnic traditions ●

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Find out more about The Family Concierge: www.thefamily.ge +995 577 76 36 85

hOTel OlD Tbilisi 27 K. Tsamebuli Ave. TEL 277 38 40 www.hoteloldtbilisi.ge

casTellO maRe hOTel & wellness ResORT, TsikhisDZiRi TsiIkhisdziri, Adjara TEL 0422 21 28 28

Hotel “Old Tbilisi” is a renovated 4-star hotel within walking distance of the old town. This is an extremely characteristic, quite and lively area a short walk from all sights is surrounded by the extraordinary beauty of churches, buildings, shops and monuments.

The hotel has 37 comfortable and well-equipped rooms which provide lovely views of the old part of Tbilisi, overlooking the River Mtkvari. It also boasts a cozy restaurant with open terrace offering Halal, Georgian and European cuisine.

There is a conference hall with high quality equipment.

Hotel and wellness resort Castello Mare is located in a magnificent place with tropical plants on the territory of Tsikhisdziri, 17 kilometers from Batumi, the capital of Adjara, Georgia. Directly on the Black Sea coast, this place is familiar to many visitors as the resort Tsikhisdziri, where, until 1991, it functioned as the hugely popular sanatorium “Nauka”.

hOTel khOkhObi 7 Abano Turn TEL +995 706 130 130

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Hotel “Old Tbilisi” is perfect for business, leisure or romantic breaks. It offers you high standard 24/7 room and concierge service.

Enjoy high quality service, a comfortable and cozy environment, hospitable staff, 24/7 reception and security service, free parking, transfers and tours throughout Georgia.

The restaurant, conference hall and almost all rooms have terraces with fabulous view over the river and Tbilisi city, making your stay in hotel “Old Tbilisi” magical year-round.

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Located in the very heart of Old Tbilisi, in one of the most beautiful and ancient districts called Abanotubani, Hotel Khokhobi can be found right next to the famous Sulphur Baths.

to stay

With its fully equipped 24 rooms overlooking the city and the small streets of old town, you will feel the heartbeat of Tbilisi city.

Its smiling and welcoming staff stand ready to help you anytime, as representatives of the world-renowned Georgian hospitality.

The variety of views from our beautiful balconies and windows underlines the diversity of our city: small streets with historical buildings, churches, mosques, and tiny houses with beautiful colorful balconies- you are guaranteed lasting and beautiful memories.

Though it is the most-visited district, guests will not be disturbed as they enjoy the relaxing and quiet atmosphere of the hotel.

Come and feel the heartbeat of Old Tbilisi!

ambassaDORi hOTel 17 Shavteli Str. TEL 243 94 94 The story of the first ever Georgian hotel brand Ambassadori Tbilisi began in 2004 with the construction of a 7-room hotel.

Demand for more rooms increased by the day. In 2013 a new building was added to the old one. Then we decided to expand again and a high class hotel was built with the projects of Italian architects and designers, next to the old “Ambassadori.”

The new five star Ambassadori hotel, with 121 rooms, beautiful terraces, magnificent views, comfortable rooms and service with high standards creates an unforgettable experience for guests and the bars and restaurants of the hotel have been made as prominent as the first restaurant was back in the day.

Listing: Hotels in Mountains BORJOMI

cROwne plaZa bORJOmi 9 Baratashvili Str. TEL 222 12 21

the Tsars’ times for the curing quality of its waters. The hotel resides in the beautiful pre-alpine area, carrying the name of the well-known mineral waters of Georgia.

The hotel offers outstanding comfort and luxury to its guests, in one of the most famous cities of Georgia. You will have a holiday experience beyond your expectations in our Deluxe rooms and Design Suites, with stupendous view to the surroundings

bORJOmi palace 17 Gamsakhurdia Str. TEL 243 00 31, 243 00 32 The Crowne Plaza Borjomi is situated in the heart of Borjomi, a picturesque Georgian spa and resort town well known for its artesian natural springs. The hotel is conveniently located just a few minutes’ walk from the entrance to the famous Borjomi Park, very well placed to welcome both leisure and corporate travellers and represents a haven for those looking to relax, rejuvenate or have a quiet meeting.

The architecture of the building outside ideally fits the surroundings and blends in with the nature around it.

bORJOmi likani hOTel, spa anD healTh cenTRe 16 Meskheti Str. TEL 229 22 92 Borjomi Likani Hotel, SPA and Health Centre is the best luxury retreat in this famous area of Georgia, known from

Featuring a shared kitchen and dining area, Alma-Ata Hotel is located in Borjomi’s city center. Free Wi-Fi access is available throughout. The property is a 10-minute walk from both the Mineral Water Park and Borjomi Plateau.

Each room comes wth a flat-screen TV, air conditioning and satellite channels.

Featuring a shower, private bathrooms also feature a hairdryer and free toiletries.

naTali 20 R. Vepkhvadze Str. TEL 591 00 25 85 Natali Hotel is located just a minute’s walk from Romanov Palace. Free Wi-Fi access is available. Each elegant room provides guests a flat-screen TV, a balcony and a fridge. Featuring a shower, the private bathroom also comes with a hairdryer. The on-site restaurant serves home-style Georgian cuisine.

BAKURIANI The Hotel has all the necessary equipment to make you feel comfortable and rejuvinated. Excellent room service and broadband internet is available in each room. There is a swimming pool for free use, a breakfast buffet included in the price and a full range of Spa treatments at an extra charge. Enjoy dinner in the roof-top restaurant.

alma-aTa hOTel 6 9 April Str. TEL 599 48 77 92

to stay

villa palace 1 Tsakadze Str. TEL 597 90 11 44 A deluxe hotel located in the heart of Bakuriani, close to ski jumps and chair lifts. Featuring comfortable accommodation and convenient facilities, excellent service and serving the best Georgian and European cuisine, it is guaranteed to make your holiday unforgettable any season of the year!

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hOTel cRysTal Near Didveli Funicular Railway TEL 595 46 14 61 Hotel Crystal is located within walking distance of Didveli funicular railway outside the village and is surrounded by mountains and forests. This is one of the most beautiful gorges in Bakuriani.

The hotel is done out in modern style, the wood and stone completely in tune with the character of the mountain resort, creating a luxury and magnificent atmosphere.

center and hires out ski equipment hire as the area is popular for skiing and horse riding. You can also engage in cycling and hiking.

mGZavRebi Near Mitarbi turn TEL 599 89 51 51

Crystal has a large protected yard with a playground and parking space for 30 cars.

villa mTashi 23 K. Tsakadze Str. TEL 599 20 24 52 This hotel offers a children’s playground and a ski school, free private parking on site, and rooms with balconies and satellite flat-screen TV. There is also a kitchen equipped with a dishwasher, microwave, toaster, refrigerator and kettle.

Villa Mtashi features free Wi-Fi. Towels are provided.

Ski equipment hire is available at the property and the area is popular for skiing. Guests can enjoy various activities in the surroundings, including horse riding and hiking.

ORbi palace Near Didveli TEL 597 50 51 34 These air-conditioned apartments feature a balcony with mountains views and a flat-screen TV. Orbi Palace has a Spa

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The hotel is suitable not only for recreation for families, but also for young people who love sports and enjoy being close to nature.

euROpe hOTel bakuRiani 62 Kostava Str. TEL 593 98 60 33 Europe Hotel Bakuriani is located 500 m. from Kokhtagora Hill, and the closest ski ropes are 100 m. away. Free Wi-Fi and free private parking are provided.

All bright rooms feature a flat-screen TV and come with private bathrooms that have showers, a hairdryer and free toiletries.

The on-site restaurant serves various Georgian and European dishes. Guests can have a drink or a snack at the bar.

The Hotel offers a sauna and horse riding tours. Other facilities include a 24-hour reception and a tour desk.

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new DiDveli Didveli TEL 593 79 44 22 Located in a quiet green area of Bakuriani village, surrounded by mountains and forests, Didveli offers ski-to-door access and ski storage. Didveli ski slopes are 200 m. away. The hotel offers free Wi-Fi and neutrally decorated, air-conditioned rooms that come with a flat-screen cable TV and balcony. The private bathrooms offer a bath or shower and a hairdryer. Didveli has a bar and café serving local cuisine and a breakfast buffet. There is also billiards, a shared lounge area and free parking.

aRT villa 12 April 9 Str. TEL 593 30 44 55 Art Villa Bakuriani is located in a historic building in a quiet green area close to the winter ski resort. It offers ski-to-door access, ski storage and full board: breakfast, lunch and dinner. Free Wi-Fi is available. The simply decorated rooms come with satellite TV and DVD player. The private bathrooms offer a shower and free toiletries.

Some rooms have balconies.

eDelweiss 19 Mta Str. TEL 599 50 63 49 Edelweiss is a 5-minute walk from the Bakuriani Train Station and offers a café serving Russian cuisine and a free shuttle service to the Bedveli ski slope, 3 km. away. Free Wi-Fi and wooden floors are standard in all rooms and suites at The Edelweiss. All accommodation types are spacious and come with a private bathroom stocked with bathrobes and slippers.

KAZBEGI DISTRICT

hOTel pORTa caucasia kaZbeGi 2 Tergdaleulebi Str. TEL 225 77 70

Rooms Hotel Kazbegi is a stunning timber-clad retreat perched high in the spectacular Caucasus Mountains. The former Soviet resort has received an innovative restoration that provides a distinctive hospitality experience in the breathtaking setting of the mountain range that divides two continents.

GUDAURI

hOTel GuDauRi maRcO pOlO

Porta Caucasia Kazbegi is located in Kazbegi, 24.1 km from Gudauri and 40.2 km from Vladikavkaz. The hotel has a terrace and views of the mountains, and guests can enjoy a drink at the bar. All rooms include a flat-screen TV with satellite channels. Some rooms feature a seating area. Every room comes with a private bathroom equipped with a shower, bathrobes, slippers and free toiletries.

There is a 24-hour front desk, hairdresser’s, and gift shop at the property.

ROOms hOTel kaZbeGi V. Gorgasali Str., Kazbegi TEL 271 00 99, 240 00 99

views feature central heating, a flat screen TV, toiletries and other modern amenities.

hOTel GOOD auRa Gudauri TEL 577 50 30 11 Hotel Good Aura is situated in 10 minutes from the first ropeway and features large windows framing the surrounding views.

Its modern design provides for maximum comfort and a pleasant relaxation.

Gudauri TEL 220 29 00, 591 11 19 00, 220 29 01

new GuDauRi

Featuring a fitness center and a spa area with an indoor pool, this hotel is situated in the Gudauri ski resort. Each room has a flat-screen TV and ski equipment hire is available. The rooms at Hotel Gudauri are decorated in neutral colors, and come with a minibar and a work desk. Bathrobes and toiletries are provided in the private bathroom.

With a mid-mountain location in the newly developed part of Gudauri ski resort, the New Gudauri apart-hotel offers a true click-n-go access to the new ski lift.

hOTel caRpe Diem GuDauRi Gudauri TEL 577 21 07 70 Hotel Carpe Diem Gudauri represents a modern and elegant hotel centrally located 100 m. from the central ski lift. The 52 comfortable guest rooms with beautiful

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Vartsla Mountain TEL 577 24 52 45, 577 24 20 12

SVANETI

lileO hOTel 9 Z. Phaliani Str. TEL 599 55 03 66 Lileo Hotel is surrounded by ancient towers, picturesque mountains and local attractions such as the Museum of Mikheil Khergiani and medieval Svanetian house.

Lileo hotel is not just a hotel, it is converted and fully renovated Svanetian house which belonged to the ancient family of Niguriani, whose descendants are now the

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owners and the managers of the hotel.

That’s why every visitor immediately feels himself to be the most welcomed guest here, who is met and hosted with the legendary hospitality of Svanetian people.

your convenience and come with a private bathroom with a bath or shower, with slippers, free toiletries and a hair dryer provided. Views of the mountains, garden or town are featured.

RiveRsiDe mesTia hOTel

hOTel TeTnulDi

22 B. Kakhiani Str. TEL 599 41 46 10

9 Margiani Str. TEL 599 73 25 25

Riverside Mestia boasts a sun terrace and ski storage space. Free private parking is available on site.

Hotel Hatsvali offers accommodation 8 km. from Mestia, next to a ski lift. The hotel has a sun terrace and ski-to-door access, and guests can enjoy a meal at the restaurant or a drink at the bar. Free private parking is available on site. Each room is equipped with a flat-screen TV with satellite channels. Certain rooms include a seating area for your convenience. A terrace or balcony are featured in certain rooms. Each room has a private bathroom fitted with a shower.

banGuRiani

chubu hOTel mesTia

10 R. Margiani Str. TEL 596 11 26 26

17 E. Parjiani Str. TEL 599 80 00 27

Hotel Banguriani is surrounded with ancient Svanetian Towers, castles and historical sights. An ancient Orthodox Church and the renovated Svaneti Museum of History and Ethnography are near the hotel and from each room you can enjoy wonderful views, beautiful landscapes, towers built of medieval age stone and the mountain Banguriani after which the hotel is named. Guests are provided a comfortable environment by polite, hospitable and qualified personnel.

This hotel is located 300 meters from Mestia center and overlooks the picturesque Caucasus Mountains. Free parking is provided.

OlD seTi hOTel 11 Japaridze Str. TEL 551 31 91 94 Located in the city center of Mestia, next to Seti Square, Old Seti Hotel features a garden, free Wi-Fi and 24-hour front desk.

Mestia Museum is a 10-minute walk away.

hOTel Daeli 2 Betlemi Str. TEL 551 20 73 23 The hotel offers a terrace and ski storage space and guests can enjoy the on-site restaurant.

The rooms are equipped with a flat-screen TV. Some rooms include a seating area for

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Renovated to suit the modern tourist, this hotel is the largest in Svaneti, with stunning views of Ushba’s twin peaks side by side, and out over Mestia. It has its own large restaurant, fireplace and bar, standard and deluxe rooms in single and double sizes, and offers many kinds of cultural and sports activities in any season.

hOTel svaneTi 5 Queen Tamari Str. TEL 599 57 28 50 Hotel Svaneti is a three-floor building with a remarkable façade design, a combination of traditional Svan architecture with modern elements. Hotel Svaneti combines comfort, a cozy atmosphere, dramatic views of the Greater Caucasus and medieval towers of Mestia. Here you can find a perfect mix of European standards and traditional Georgian hospitality.

haTsvali Mountain Hatsvali TEL 598 18 85 55, 595 05 49 39

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GuesThOuse DaviD ZhORZhOliani 3 Seti Deadlock, next to Str. George Church TEL 599 34 49 48, 591 926 723.

The guesthouse of the Zhorzholiani family Seti in the center of Mestia offers clean and cozy rooms in a quiet environment.

Guests will be treated to traditional dishes and offered lunch boxes for trekking tours.

The hosts will do their best to make you feel truly at home.

GuesThOuse DaTa 26 Ushba Str. (TEL 591 71 11 74, 595 63 51 61 Guesthouse Data is located 100 meters from the center of Mestia. The hotel has a beautiful view of the old towers, snowy peaks and all the important places and cultural monuments of the town.

GuesThOuse ushba 7 Queen Tamari Str. TEL599 55 52 17 A guesthouse with terrace, Ushba offers pet-friendly accommodation in Ushkhvanari. The inn has ski-to-door access and a ski pass sales point, and guests can enjoy a meal at the restaurant. A flatscreen TV, as well as a laptop or computer, are provided. Certain rooms include views of the mountains or garden.

GuesThOuse DODO JapaRiDZe 12a G. Japaridze Str. TEL 599 19 06 82 Our guesthouse is located in the heart of the town from which you get amazing views to the center. It offers transfers to Mestia from different points of Georgia. In addition, a variety of tours can be organized throughout Mestia either by car or by horse.

sana

desk, BBQ facilities, a garden, and luggage storage.

svan hOuse 15a V. Goshteliani Str. TEL 595 15 15 89 Svan House offers free private parking on site. A terrace or balcony are featured in certain rooms. All rooms include a private bathroom. Free Wi-Fi throughout the property.

Caucasus. Located in the heart of Mestia, the capital of Upper Svaneti, this friendly family-run hotel provides comfortable accommodation.”

ROZa’s GuesT hOuse 17 Vittorio Sella Str. TEL 599 64 14 55

hanmeR GuesT hOuse Iskari, Etseri TEL 599 62 97 89 Guaranteed to make you want to stay longer (or at least come back for more!), this guest house is the ideal place to rest your head after long days hiking and exploring the local area, with those stunning mountain views right on your doorstep (and out of your window!).

Renovated, hot showers and a filling breakfast are yours to enjoy. Try the homemade bread and cheese and be sure not to miss Tony’s fascinating stories and photos about Svaneti.

4x4 car and driver available for pickup/ drop off and tours anywhere in the region, the only village shop is theirs and offers most needed supplies, and they’ll teach you to cook Georgian specialties, too!

6 Ushba Str. TEL 599 85 55 27, 591 71 15 16

ninO RaTiani’s GuesT hOuse

Hotel Sana features a shared kitchen, a shared lounge area, free private parking, and free Wi-Fi in the rooms. Rooms come with towels and linens, heating and a private bathroom with a shower. Other property facilities include a 24-hour front

Rated the best in Mestia by Lonely Planet, it describes itself as “the ideal base for exploring the ancient culture, stunning landscapes and untouched nature of the

1 J. Khaptani Str. TEL 599 18 35 55

to stay

Roza Shukvani and her family are the souls of kindness, and in a few years her guest house has shot up the charts to become one of the best from a wide range in Mestia. Great food, lots of space, help with everything which Mestia and its environs have to offer as far as culture, tours and sports go, including their own ancient Svan watchtower for exploration.

DaTO RaTiani’s GuesT hOuse ‘villa lileO’ Ushguli TEL 599 91 22 56 Dato and his wife Nanuli and family have years of experience hosting guests from all over the world and looking after them superbly in comfort with great food. They are able to offer tours on horse-back, vehicle help or guides on foot for the many trails in and around Ushguli, as well as running its amazing main museum and hosting their own Svan tower, too.

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Exclusive Restaurant Guide . . . e c i o h C My

Sogol Davari Rali Co-Founder of Dinner in the Sky

DinneR in The sky Everyone can have dinner in any ordinary restaurant, but not many people can have Dinner in the Sky! The franchise fine dining restaurant is available in 70 countries and recently added a Sky table in Tbilisi to the proud list! Guests can enjoy an amazing 360-degree view while sitting on a platform which is 50-meters up in the air, enjoying a fancy four-course menu accompanied with unlimited wine! Is there any better selfie opportunity? It’s a must-go for anyone who wants to transform an ordinary night to a magical memorable moment!

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biOli hall Located in the Bioli resort, only 10 minutes’ drive from the center of Tbilisi, it has the best view and weather you can ever dream of. The menu is organic, super healthy, and at the same time mouthwatering! It’s a place you can sit for hours and relax. The owner, Dr. Tamaz, has put a lot of effort into Bioli and the whole team is so nice and friendly!

Tsiskvili TskneTi A Georgian restaurant with traditional Georgian dance and songs, an ideal choice for tourists interested in Georgian food, wine, and culture. I love the barbeques there.

maspinDZelO One of the oldest restaurants in Tbilisi, a must-go for budget travelers who want to enjoy delicious traditional Georgian food. It also has live music at night. You need to try their Khinkali for sure!

sevsamORa Everyone has been to Mtskheta, and if not, they should, because that’s where the two rivers fall in love and become one! Sevsamora is a very nice restaurant in Mstkheta with an amazing balcony with a view of the rivers and Jvari Monastery on the hill. You need to try their Chef’s Special made from veal and pomegranate and onions. Amazing!

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5 New Cafes & Restaurants in Tbilisi Something new seems to open every week, proving that Tbilisi has its arms open to diversity and new tastes.

Check out the latest below.

cafe mRGvali baGhi This café is situated just off ‘Round Garden’ (or UN Square) in the Best Western hotel. The designers chose crisp colors and smart decor for their restaurant, whose friendly and professional staff serve delicious food in a cozy and trendy environment. They also have a street-side terrace for people who wish to eat outside.

The menu is composed of a variety of fancy Georgian and international dishes and they have a large choice of alcoholic beverages. The prices are not low but it is a nice place to try. They even offer live music on occasion.

92 Barnovi Str. 555 53 95 11 12 AM - 11:30 PM

hObnOb baR & ResTauRanT Hobnob is a stylish new restaurant in central Tbilisi, tucked away on Akhvlediani St. (formerly Perovskaya), near Rustaveli metro.

The menu is an interesting blend of Georgian dishes, creative appetizers, and a pizza, burgers, and fries section. They also have a full bar and an extensive cocktail menu. Hobnob has a bit of everything, and, as its name would suggest, is a great place to socialize.

The Perovskaya area has plenty of options for a night out. We suggest starting your night here with snacks and a drink or two, before moving on to the late-night haunts further down the road.

7 G. Akhvlediani Str. 555 41 48 20 3 PM - 11 PM (midnight on Fridays&Saturdays)

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fORk Located in Tbilisi’s residential Saburtalo neighborhood, Fork has the atmosphere of a friend’s backyard - but with better food!

The restaurant has a casual vibe, with plywood-walled interiors and mismatched chairs. They specialize in organic Georgian wine, lush, fresh salads, and European dishes, and have plenty of delicious vegetarian options.

Fork also offers a vegetarian business lunch menu - 8 GEL for a light three-course lunch!

30 Kazbegi Ave. 598 58 81 41 12 PM - 11 PM

muhuDO A new kid on the Zandukeli block, this small restaurant offers “fast” falafel, handmade with love and attention to excellence!

The decor is fresh and the service friendly. This locale and its offerings are already proving to be a hit with local falafel lovers!

M. Zandukeli Str. (Up from Rustaveli Metro)

kuZcO Tbilisi finally gets another Mexican restaurant. Before Kuzco, the options were quite limited and nearly always disappointing. Now there is another option - the brand spanking new restaurant and bar Kuzco.

Tucked inconspicuously in a little garden between clinics and beauty salons off Heroes’ Square, stepping into Kuzco feels like going through a portal. The decor is Chicano-chic, with somewhat incongruous, yet very cool, colorful stencils on the walls and ceilings. Try the fresh made salsa with a set of snappy pork tacos!

35 Kostava Str. 555 56 19 90 12 PM - 2 AM

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The Sky Is No Longer the Limit!

The world’s most unique dining experience, now available in Georgia!

What is ‘Dinner in the Sky’? It is a Belgian success story in the skies of more than 70 countries with more than 12 years’ experience. A flying dinner table suspended from a crane. An exclusive experience, 50 meters high in the sky. Dinner in the Sky is based on two golden words guiding all their activities: Exclusivity and Safety.

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Concept - This is a surrealist story of the kind Belgium loves so much.

In May 2006, Hakuna Matata, a communications agency specialized in gourmet pleasures, and The Fun Group, a company specialized in amusement park installations deploying cranes, joined forces and made a child’s dream come true: a flying dinner table baptized the Dinner in the Sky which served as the venue for 22 Young European Restaurant Owners to don their white chef’s hat. In

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past years, Dinner in the Sky has crisscrossed the skies of 70 countries… In all European countries as well as in also in Dubai, the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, India, South-Africa, Brazil, Mexico, Canada and China.

Over time, they have arranged thousands of events in cities ranging from Paris to Las Vegas, as well as in Sydney, Cape Town, Dubai, Bogota and Sao Paulo. All these events were unique, one of a kind. They

were incredible dinners, of course, such as the event organized in the skies above Monaco for Prince Albert, with France’s most highly ‘starred’ chef, Joel Robuchon, in command, but they also introduced new creative concepts such as a Beach Bar in the Sky, an Opera in the Sky with Lesley Garrett singing at the Tower of London, an Internet Café in the Sky for Nokia in Las Vegas and a Poker Match in the Sky at the Grand Prix Moto of Jerez.

The steel support structure of Dinner in the Sky fulfills the requirements of Standard 4112 of 1983, confirmed by TUV Rheinland. This obsession with safety is one of the reasons why Dinner in the Sky is now operating in over 70 countries and has gained official authorization from the toughest countries, including France, Canada, Australia and Israel.

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Another important issue within Events in the Sky is innovation. This leads to develop a great many concepts allowing people to live their dreams. Innovation is why Meeting in the Sky (www.meetinginthesky. com) was launched, which gives companies the opportunity to organize a product presentation, a conference, a concert or a meeting for up to 30 guests at 50 meters altitude! Marriage in the Sky (www.marriageinthesky.com) offers couples the opportunity to get married just as they would in church- with a priest, witnesses, family members, friends and an organ, but in the clouds, among the angels and at 50 meters above ground. This platform can also be used for Swing in the Sky, which gives golfers the incredible experience of playing their swing from 50 meters in the sky!

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Everything can be envisaged, and this perfectly illustrates that Dinner in the Sky is not offering a mere product, but an exclusive experience that can be customized by each and every client.

Georgia is the first country in the region presenting Dinner in the Sky for the public and, compared to other countries, the cost is relatively low. ‘Dinner in the Sky’ is a tourism product and has been honored with many international tourism awards for its unique restaurant concept in the gastronomy category. It plays such an important role in the tourism industry that in every country, the ministries of tourism and local authorities have chosen to partner with Dinner in the Sky. Dinner in the Sky will be one of the top new attractions and a must-go place in Georgia for tourists, expats and locals alike. Dinner in the Sky will be operating at the amazing Bioli Resort in Kojori, 10 minutes driving from Tbilisi, from May 15th. Dinner in the Sky will be available in other locations too, including Tbilisi and other regions.

To stay up to date, visit their website www.dinnerinthesky.ge or contact them +995 555552800

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Eastern Easter

By Tony hanmer

Georgian having been primarily Orthodox Christian since the early 4th century (around 337), with the 3rd oldest national church after Armenia and Rome, it should be no surprise that the great Christian

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holidays are observed here with particular fervency. All the more so given its history of countless invasions over centuries by Muslims from all sides, followed by the catastrophe of being forced into the atheist

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USSR. All of which included attempted forced mass conversions from Christianity to either Islam or atheism, and mass martyrdoms as well, as the Georgians usually refused even unto death.

The Eastern (Orthodox) and Western (Catholic/Protestant) church calendars do differ at some points. Christmas and New Year for the former is currently 13 days behind that of the latter, while Easter dates vary for both by a more complicated system, sometimes coinciding, sometimes not. This year, Western Easter is on April 21, and Orthodox Easter on April 28.

The church worldwide also recognizes the period of Lent, which is the 40 days preceding Easter. It may be observed in various ways, usually connected with fasting from something; here, the fast is technically quite strict, prohibiting meat, fish, eggs/dairy and olive oil and all products from or containing them, and supposedly alcohol (although this last item is too important for Georgians, historic originators of wine, to fast from).

Easter itself, then, is made all the more joyous by the lifting of the fast and a return to more… uninhibited eating.

Easter is “aghdgoma” in Georgian, simply meaning resurrection as it commemorates the rising from the dead of Jesus Christ as recorded in the 4 New Testament Gospels, the main event and point of Christian history. As Russians do, Georgians greet one another on the day with the phrase, Christ is risen! And answer, Risen indeed!

(Kriste aghsdga! Cheshmaritad aghsdga!)

The Good Friday ritual food is eggs boiled with powdered madder root, possibly with red onion skins as well, which turns them dark red, symbolizing Christ’s blood on the day he was crucified.

Saturday features a night service in Orthodox churches, going over into Sunday so that from midnight onward the actual beginning of the main Easter

day is observed and rejoiced over. Holy fire ignites a candle in advance at the main Georgian church in Jerusalem, and is brought from there to here to be included in the celebration.

Georgians also visit their dead around Easter, at their graves, and feast there, despite the church being and speaking against this tradition which is far older than Christianity, a reminder of the truly ancient customs here. This is not supposed to be a mournful event, but a happy one, reconnecting with one’s departed and reminding them and oneself that, because of Christ’s resurrection, there is hope that believers in him will be reunited in the afterlife. Graves were also an alternative place at which to pray when most churches in Georgia were closed in the Communist period.

In short: Easter in Georgia, one of Christianity’s two main yearly holidays, is a highlight of life in the calendar, a reconnecting not only with faith but also with family alive or dead. If you find yourself here during this time, it is good to know what is going on and what is expected to do and happen, regardless of your own beliefs.

Tony Hanmer has lived in Georgia since 1999, in Svaneti since 2007, and been a weekly writer for GT since early 2011.

He runs the “Svaneti Renaissance” Facebook group, now with nearly 2000 members, at www.facebook. com/groups/SvanetiRenaissance/ He and his wife also run their own guest house in Etseri: www.facebook.com/hanmer.house.svaneti

The red eggs will be pitted against one another in a battle of pushing to see which will break which. In each family, the person with the fewest broken eggs is the winner. Paska, another ritual food, is a delicious tall bread-cake baked in a cylindrical paper form with raisins and spices, to be found and enjoyed only at this time of year.

Wheat seeds are planted ceremonially in their own special portable “garden” a week before Easter, around Palm Sunday, and will have sprouted green stems for Easter, symbolizing resurrection.

Chakapuli, a delicious lamb stew layered with tarragon and sour tqemali plums, is another traditional Easter food, although this one may also be made, ordered or eaten at any time of the year.

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F(e)ast! How to Resist at a Georgian Table

By Tony hanmer countryside everywhere here is beautiful, and if you are fortunate enough to be at a good altitude, even midsummer can be cool enough to exercise in. A small start is better than no start at all, and one can go up from there in terms of duration and force of exercise. Habits take time and determination to form.

To put it mildly, Georgia is… not known for being a country of restraint when it comes to both eating and drinking.

However, as seems to be the case in France, the possibly wild excesses in both general amount of food and in quantity of animal fats on offer are balanced with equal proportions of healthier items, such as vegetables, herbs, tomatoes, red wine and garlic. These all have countering good effects on one’s digestion and on the consumption of the less healthy foods.

But being in a country where a proper feast can have 5 layers of plates on plates, easily 20 or more different dishes completely obscuring the groaning table they are on, and a duration of many hours can nonetheless strain one’s usual eating habits. What to do?

Pacing is important at the supra (the Georgian feast). Typically, what one sees on the table at the beginning is not even the whole story, as hot dishes usually are added some time after the point when the uninitiated diner has already given in and indulged to satisfaction.

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The event can last for hours longer than one cares to see food. Restraint is called for! And there is nothing to say that you HAVE to eat all the meat or animal fat on offer; Georgian vegetarians, even, do exist, along with vegetarian restaurants and dishes. But not only at the supra is restraint useful: in general it is. It may be a matter of training one’s mind to resist, and reminding oneself over and over again that this is of great benefit.

The real secret to losing weight seems simply to be: use up more energy than you consume. Of course, usual diet, body type, genes and metabolism all play interlocking roles. But exercise will go a long way to removing the calories one has taken in. Walking, running, joining a fitness club, hiking, bowling, horse riding, swimming: in Tbilisi or the other cities, or in the countryside, one must avail oneself of the opportunities to be found, formal or not. If nothing else, a regular brisk walk of 20 minutes or more, several times a week, will go a long way in helping the heart and in burning off weight. It is not so much a case of finding the time as of making it, prioritizing it. The

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If you need an exercise partner or group for motivation and mutual support, it is worth finding one, matching your schedules and exercise possibilities, as well as cheering each other on. This not so much a matter of a crash course to get down to one’s desired weight, followed by bingeing later on and despair at the resulting gain, a swing up and down: more a change of lifestyle. The positive effects, in feeling better mentally and physically, knowing that you are doing yourself a service, extending your lifespan, reducing the strain on your heart and joints, are huge. In a country where speed is not nearly as much of the essence as it seems to be in the West, and where really healthy local organic produce and healthy dishes from it are still easy to find everywhere to boot, the opportunity is there to do yourself a favor with lifelong results.

Tony Hanmer has lived in Georgia since 1999, in Svaneti since 2007, and been a weekly writer for GT since early 2011.

He runs the “Svaneti Renaissance” Facebook group, now with nearly 2000 members, at www.facebook. com/groups/SvanetiRenaissance/ He and his wife also run their own guest house in Etseri: www.facebook.com/hanmer.house.svaneti

Where To Buy Organic Want to buy delicious fruit, vegetables, spices and sauces which have come straight from the villages but are made carefully, with love and following hygiene norms? Want to help support farming communities and do your bit for Georgia? Check out some of the options below.

GemOvani weekly aGROmaRkeT

aGROhub

Centrally located, this little known store offers pure organic products: fruits, vegetables, greens, honey and dairy products, as well as delicious bread and cereals prepared with a variety of recipes. Many of the products are grown in Marneuli.

3 Kakabaadzebi Brothers Str. TEL 298 80 13 OPEN 10 AM- 8 PM

The perfect place to taste and buy traditional, Georgian food, homemade and produced by more than 70 local farmers.

Organizers say, “We want to take advantage of the local market and, more importantly, to support the restoration of Georgian traditional methods of production as well as the popularization of genetically Georgian products. Products produced under the ‘Gemovani’ label are unique and should be recognized worldwide. That is why, after the local market, the number one plan is to enter the international markets,” the Gemovani director said. Grab the moment and get organic shopping this Saturday!

AgroHub guarantees high quality and natural products in a civilized environment not so dissimilar to your familiar supermarket. The staff are friendly and the service great and the food, as you may well imagine, organically delicious!

sOpliDan.Ge

M. Gelovani Ave.; Axis Towers on Chavchavadze Ave. TEL 244 07 07 OPEN 9 AM - 10 PM

sunflOweR healTh fOOD sTORe

Karvasla (Shardeni), 8 Sioni Str. TEL 591 49 00 00 www.fb.com/Gemovani/ OPEN Every Saturday 3 PM to 10 PM

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A little costly but worth its weight in gold- order fresh, quality products straight from the village and have them delivered to your home. Meat, dairy, honey, nuts and fruit and vegetables, all clearly labeled and easy to buy. Free delivery if you spend more than 30 GEL.

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Listing: Georgian & Mixed Cuisine in Tbilisi laDuRée GeORGia

salObie bia

veRikO

21a I. Abashidze Str. TEL 577 38 00 00, 2 22 83 83 info@laduree.ge

14 Machabeli Str. TEL 299 79 77

1 Petriashvili Str. TEL 591 33 22 77

Ladurée, the legendary Parisian tea salon, with a history of more than 150 years, has finally opened its doors in Tbilisi. Located in one of the most prestigious districts of the city, Ladurée gives true sweet-lovers a chance to discover various delicious pastries from the French ‘boulangerie’ and enjoy a full assortment of exclusive macaron flavors, prepared in only one place in the world according to a secret recipe.

Salobie Bia offers traditional Georgian meals. It’s a beautifully decorated place, surrounded by paintings, old furniture and modern objects.

chveni 8 Tchorokhi Str. TEL 555 71 00 67, 555 67 03 09

Veriko restaurant is a new project in Wine Factory#1 offering Georgian cuisine under the leadership of talented chefs. Comfortable terrace overlooking the garden of the Wine Factory and a large room with soft armchairs and air conditioning. A compact menu with traditional dishes of Georgian cuisine.

veRis Duqani 1 Petriashvili Str. TEL 595 92 59 15, 591 39 32 32

Step into the bakery and emerge yourself in a luxury Parisian atmosphere that is both cozy and pleasant.

Ladurée has made a dream come true for all macaron lovers in Georgia.

Go and enjoy delicious, soft macarons, pastries, viennoiseries as well as other delights from a French menu!

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A Georgian kitchen and cozy atmosphere, Chef’s room (multifunctional), open space hostel, Japanese style. Cheni is open from 12:00-01:00.

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Veris Duqani with Geogrian cuisine is a unique establishment from Tbilisi-based restaurateur and TV presenter Keti Bakradze boasts a menu masquerading as one you’d find in a classic duqani.

(Duqani is traditional Georgian eateries).

Tbili siO

meGRuli ODa

Tiflis veRanDa

1 Petriashvili Str. TEL 599 63 38 11

2nd km., Marshal Gelovani Ave. TEL 251 73 27, 599 18 38 97

3 Gorgasali Str. TEL 200 02 45 www.tiflispalace.ge Email: tiflisveranda@tiflispalace.ge

The restaurant offers delicious Megrelian cuisine. Megruli Oda is available for banquets, wedding parties, birthday celebrations and other events.

G.vinO Description: Tbili sio is a unique wine bar/ Cafe located in the center of Tbilisi, in the old, ‘secret garden’ It has both options for sitting: inside - cozy and beautiful winter garden setting and outside beautiful old trees and special table swings; The general atmosphere is very calm, with soft background music and relaxing setting; The menu options are suited for everyone: vegetarians, wine lovers, and craft beer enthusiasts.

aRT hOuse Tbilisi Rike Park TEL 557 51 50 52

6 Erekle II g.vinotbilisi TEL 293 21 21

Restaurant Tiflis Veranda is a combination of classic restaurant and lounge style summer terraces.

Inspired by wine and tapas bars in Europe with their casual setup, delicious local food, diverse local natural wine offer and happy staff, g.Vino aims to support small local wine producers and help them save some rare Georgian grapes. All our staff are new to the industry. Take the example of our cooking team, with a lady who used to prepare amazing food only for her family Check out how home-made food really tastes.

TashRe Art House Tbilisi has a special, cosy atmosphere, with a harmonic music, interesting art interior and friendly staff.

Beautiful terrace, where you can enjoy an amazing panoramic views of Tbilisi is perfect for a romantic date or even for a family happy hours.

88 Beliashvili Str. TEL 514 15 55 88 Restaurant Tashre is a place where the best, natural dishes of Megrelian cuisine, prepared by a high-class chef, meet the true spirit of a feast.

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It offers exquisite dishes of local and international cuisine, exclusive deserts and brand cocktails, and high-quality service against a background of great music.

Only here, surrounded by breathtaking views of the city’s most important historical and cultural monuments, can one feel the real spirit of Tbilisi.

Tiflis Veranda is ready to serve its guests daily from 11AM to 2AM.

meGRuli sakhli 13 Mosashvili Str., 13 Atoneli Str. (Dry Bridge) TEL 591 03 43 43 Megruli Sakhli offers a wide range of Megrelian dishes including Gebjalia, Bujenina, Elarji, Ghomi, Kuchmachi and Kupati.

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ankaRa sTyle ResTauRanT 116 D. Agmashenebeli Ave. TEL 555 51 51 34

Going up the stairs to the first floor, you will find a cozy lounge with traditional Georgian food such as khachapuri.

Freshly baked on the first floor of Ankara, this is a simple dish enjoyed by many.

That’s not all; they also make a big selection of pizza on this floor! Sitting and enjoying Turkish coffee with such a mix of culture around you is a must-have experience.

Going to the top floor you will be greeted by the robust aroma of meat being grilled and spices being used as they make their famous succulent kebabs. With many other meats also being barbequed to your taste with perfection.

A Turkish restaurant with four floors of flavor, a main dining hall, a whole floor dedicated to children, a floor for traditional Georgian food and a floor where the tastiest meats are barbequed to perfection.

Ankara Style Restaurant serves Halal food.

Starting off, you walk into a beautiful building with a big selection of food to your left and a selection of treats and sweets to your right, all for a very reasonable price. The main courses are served in the main hall but can be enjoyed on any of the four floors. One level down from the ground floor is where you’ll find a dedicated space for the children: leave them and be sure they will be safe having fun (TVs with live CCTV footage of the play area can be found on all floors). A variety of children’s meals can also be bought on this floor, such as burgers.

The ground floor or main hall is where you can buy the main courses, prepared freshevery day, with selections changing throughout the week, but grounded in the roots of Turkish cuisine. On the sweet side there is a lot to choose from, from the most delectable chocolate to hazelnut desserts.

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keTO & kOTe

healthy dining experience in Tbilisi that serves only village-grown, non-GMO and seasonal products.

Dinehall 28 Rustaveli Ave. TEL 200 16 16

D. Toradzis Str. TEL 555 53 01 26 Keto & Kote is one of the most charming restaurants in Tbilisi, named after a famous 20th century Georgian movie. Ask for a table on the terrace or in the garden under the grapevines and enjoy a view of Tbilisi at night and tasty Georgian cuisine.

café leila 18 Shavteli Str. TEL 555 94 94 20 Cafe Leila is a pescetarian (some fish options available on the menu) and a

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At Dinehall, there is high quality delicious fresh food on the menu as well as hospital service. Dinehall combines five venues in one – cafe, restaurant, bar, wine cellar, patisserie, and art gallery.

Dinehall believes that less is more. To be able to serve the best of the best, they offer a limited and unique menu of fine international dishes prepared with a twist. In Dinehall Art area, they host various famous painters and art exhibitions. Conveniently located on Rustaveli Avenue, Dinehall is a modern and trendy venue with lots to offer.

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Tiflis meiDani 6 Rkinis Rigi Str. TEL 599 25 06 25, 322 75 10 38 OPEN 11:00 am – 12:00 amFacebook: / tiflismeidani Mail: tiflismeidani@gmail.com

restaurant menu aims to preserve the distinctiveness of the Georgian recipes, its tastes and spicy flavors, creating a fusion of a contemporary approach and breathing new life into often ancient Georgian dishes.

Although Tiflis Meidani restaurant can accommodate 120 guests, it is equally able to offer a cozy dining experience for a small group of friends. There are nightly Georgian song performances every day and traditional Georgian dance shows five days a week from Tuesday to Saturday.

khaRchO 18 L. Gudiashvili Str. TEL 544 44 45 44 Tiflis Meidani Wine Restaurant offers a unique atmosphere to drink and dine in in the very heart of the Old Tbilisi. The

Restaurant Kharcho is the first restaurant of its kind in Georgia with a small menu mainly focused on simple Georgian

appetizers and Kharcho dishes and traditional desserts. Restaurant Kharcho gives a nod to the old Georgian traditional recipes while giving them a modern twist.

The cuisine there expresses the purity, freshness and simplicity associated with the regions of Georgia.

Art House OPEN 12 pm – 12 am

pOmeGRanaTe Café & Restaurant Vaké Park (entrance from Abashidze Street), Tbilisi TEL 598 93 59 47 11 Am – 11 PM brotseulebi@gmail.com www.facebook.com/brotseulebi Set amid the picturesque gardens of Vake Park, Pomegranate Café & Restaurant offers a serene environment and fine dining experience for small and large groups. The restaurant offers delicious regional cuisine from different regions of Georgia.

Reservations welcome.

publica 18 L. Gudiashvili Str. TEL 544 44 45 44

modern twist, the dishes showcasing Georgia’s finest produce.

Art House OPEN 6 pm – 12 am

l’ eclaiR De Génie 12 Taktakishvili Str., Tbilisi TEL 551 99 11 55 Fb: L’ Eclair de Génie/Georgia

vinOTel 4 E. Akhvlediani Ascent TEL 2 55 58 88 www.vinotel.ge

PUBLICA is the latest hip place in Tbilisi for delicious New American food, great cocktails and a convivial New York Americana atmosphere. Breaking with convention, the restaurant was designed to be lively, inclusive and approachable.

Publica is the ideal spot for any occasion.

Art House OPEN 12 pm – 2 am

bRasseRie buveTTe 18 L. Gudiashvili Str. TEL 544 44 45 44

Brasserie Buvette is a contemporary French restaurant, known for its chic Brasserie cuisine. The menu features updated Brasserie classics with a market-driven

Vinotel Restaurant is one of the most popular eateries in the city. The place is exceptional for its great menu with Georgian raw material prepared in a European style. Whether you’re into fine dining or want a romantic date, this is the place for you.

Every evening the classical Fazioli piano and a professional Georgian live trio entertain our guests in the restaurant. There is a space for 40 inside and 30 on the spacious terrace, with heating and cooling systems, a 20-seat historic hall, Georgian wine cellar, with a professional tasting table for 20 guests hosted by Vinotel’s wine expert.

A classic business hall is available for meetings and business lunches for 20 people, equipped with all modern technologies. The restaurant features several chambers each with a different style where you can sample exceptional wines with Georgian cuisine.

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Nestled on a quiet and charming street of Taktakishvili, find yourself in eclair paradise! With cozy surroundings and industrial architecture, L’Eclair de Genie is a combination of French and Georgian tastes, offering lots of classical flavors and savory tastes. Legendary Chef Christophe Adam is not just a confectioner, but also a Createur Gastronomique, combining his artistic powers to make both sweet and savory products. The character of his dishes, the simplicity and the effectivity are sure to make this a “must-visit” place.

The kiTchen ResTauRanT 14 M. Kostava Str. TEL 240 00 99 Rooms Hotels Tbilisi’s culinary vision is driven by a deep respect for the country’s national bounty, combined with a passionate interest in worldwide gastronomic trends. The contemporary dishes with a classic twist have quickly become a favorite amongst the local foodies. At ‘The Kitchen,’ every dining experience is a

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khasheRia 23 Abano Str. TEL 272 11 57

modern retelling of diverse culinary traditions, as told by the new guard of Georgian chefs. Local farm-to-table style draws inspiration from New American cuisine.

baRbaResTan 132 D. Agmashenebeli Ave. TEL 294 37 79 Barbarestan is a cozy restaurant with 70 seats in two halls and 2 private

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rooms for 10 people in the wine cellar.

In Barbarestan you can enjoy homestyle cuisine, the distinctive feature of which is the fact that many items on the menu are unfamiliar to metropolitan gourmets!

Of course, the basis of the menu is made up of traditional dishes, but the taste of even the classic, local, authentic foods is markedly different from that to which we are accustomed in Tbilisi. The chef uses only Georgian bio or village products and all food is prepared using old family recipes borrowed from renowned feminist Barbare Jorjadze’s cook book.

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Khasheria is the perfect place to cure your hangover with the best Georgian antihangover cuisine.

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Exclusive Drinks Guide

. . . e c i o h My C

Ann Mirianashvili Chief Marketing Officer of Winery Chelti

chelTi wineRy The Chelti Winery takes visitors on a journey that flows through one of Georgia’s warmest appellations, rewarding the traveler with powerful and historic experiences of the Georgian winemaking culture along with breathtaking views of the Kakhetian Slopes and Caucasus Mountains.

Chelti Winery is a place to enjoy the finest vintages of the world’s oldest winemaking country, nested in the heart of Kakheti. Guests can dine in a restaurant that combines traditional Kakhetianstyle cuisine combined with European dishes to create a unique gastronomic experience of Georgia. Chelti Winery proudly served its wines at the British Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and entered the TOP 30 wines from around the world!

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ResTauRanT meama Meama is a unique restaurant right in the heart of the old district of Tbilisi. The restaurant offers Premium Georgian wine and uses old Georgian recipes to delight customers with a vast selection of traditional Georgian dishes. Visitors to Meama will enjoy the Old Tbilisi atmosphere, exclusive decor and modernized Georgian cuisine with selected premium wines.

8000 vinTaGes A combination of wine shop and bar, equipped with a private wine cellar, 8000 Vintages creates the perfect atmosphere for wine tasting, having all its wines hand-picked by a special sommelier committee. The company continues its support of smaller wineries and allows their products to reach wine lovers easily.

wine GalleRy Wine Gallery, at 39 Tsinamdzgvrishvili Street, is a must-visit place for every wine-lover, offering a selection of almost all kinds of Georgian wine. Wine Gallery also operates its own wine-cellar where you can taste wine carefully chosen by sommeliers. The Wine Gallery’s unique design delights wine-lovers with an exotic and exquisite atmosphere.

siTiO Sitio is a small boutique wine shop and bar with a special design and very cozy atmosphere. Offering a wide range of the best Georgian wines alongside friendly service, Sitio is a great place for a wine tasting extravaganza.

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Project ‘Georgia Homeland of Wine in Tokyo, Japan

“Georgia, is the birthplace of wine. We present the Georgian wine, its history, culture, nature and the charms of the country” – states the website of Georgia Homeland of Wine, serving as a promotion for the exhibition carrying the exact same name, happening in Tokyo, Japan.

center and will welcome visitors until May 7. The exhibition brings together unique archeological artefacts and latest Warpsquare technologies to bring to life Georgian culture and winemaking history, enabling visitors to travel to the ancient homeland of winemaking through interaction.

‘Georgia- Homeland of Wine’ opened on March 10 at the Terrada House exhibition

The project ‘Georgia – Homeland of Wine,’ organized by the National Wine

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Agency and Association ‘Georgian Wine’ is being implemented in partnership with Sony music communication and TOPPAN. Numerous promotional events have already taken place: • Famous British journalist and wine writer Andrew Jefford read a lecture in Tokyo on the importance of Georgian wine. Jefford has been to Georgia a number of times

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and is a significant figure in the tight circle of Georgian wine experts. “Who would say no to Georgian wine?” he asked.

“Georgia is the homeland of wine and has an 8000-year history of winemaking!”

• A presentation was held in the headquarters of Tokyo Marine Holdings, the biggest insurance company in Japan, to discuss the potential Georgian wine has on the Japanese market, with renowned sommelier Azusa Segawa in attendance to talk about the unique traits of Georgian wine.

Head of Tokyo Marine Holdings and Director of Sony, Shuzo Sumi, and the famous TV reporter Hitoshi Kusano shared their impressions about their visits to Georgia and the representative of the Georgian Embassy in Japan, David Goginashvili, introduced the history and culture of Georgian wine, the investment climate and Georgian-Japanese relations.

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• Exhibition posters were placed on the walls of the five Tokyo subway stations The

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posters offer basic information about the project, Georgia, and its phenomenal

Ohashi, highlighted that the Georgian winemaking method is unique in a presentation about Georgian wine given to Japanese wine professionals. The event was attended by up to 120 guests, among them local wine experts, members of the Japanese Sommelier Association, and representatives of restaurant and trade chains.

Ohashi underlined the diversity of Georgian grape varieties which contribute to the taste and uniqueness of Georgian wine.

“Georgia is truly the first producer of wine and therefore deserves respect. The diversity of varieties is also interesting. All this is new to us [Japanese] and I want us to learn more about Georgian wine: this is an ancient historical knowledge that is completely new to us,” Ohashi said.

• A presentation about Georgia’s tourism potential was held for the representatives of Japanese tourist companies at Terrada Republic / TMMT Hall, Tokyo.

Representative of the Embassy of Georgia to Japan David Goginashvili spoke about Georgian wine, history, culture and gastronomy to representatives of Intourist Japan, Toyota Tsusho Corporation, Turkish Air & Travel, Latera International, Europe Express, and others. After the presentation, business meetings were held between representatives of the Georgian and Japanese sides, where future cooperation plans were discussed.

wine. The five subway stations carry over 770,000 passengers daily.

• At the ‘Georgia- Homeland of Wine’ exhibition, Wine Master of Japan, Kenichi

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The implementation of the Georgia-Homeland of Wine project started in 2017, at the Bordeaux Center for Wine and Civilizations, France, and involved a scientific study, based on which the scientific community recognized Georgia as the homeland of wine.

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Georgian Wine Abroad By ketevan kvaratskheliya

Wine is one of the paramount parts of the diverse and colorful culture of Georgia.

8,000 years of winemaking history, and the exceptional grape varieties, found in vineyards sprawled across the different regions countrywide, are considered the real treasure and one of the most important features of Georgia’s national identity.

Georgia is distinguished for its ancient winemaking method using the egg-shaped

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earthenware clay vessel called qvevri, which has been listed as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

by UNESCO.

to Georgia who seek to discover the roots of Georgian viniculture. The wines of Georgia are often introduced to the wide audiences at international exhibitions.

With a number of remarkable features and a mesmerizing taste, Georgian wine has blazed a path internationally and strongly established itself on foreign markets around the globe. It fascinates wine enthusiasts and attracts numerous travelers

Exports of Georgian wine exceeded 86 million bottles in 2018, demonstrating a promising future. Exports have greatly increased to Europe, yet a number of Asian countries have also expressed interest in Georgian wines.

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Since March 15, Georgia has been successfully showcasing its wines and viniculture in the Terrada House Tokyo, Japan, within the framework of the project ‘Georgia-Homeland of Wine’. The large-scale project, which was first launched in 2017 at the Bordeaux Center of Wine and Civilizations in France, is ever-changing and aims to present Georgia, the country’s viniculture and other parts of its culture to different countries in the very best way, through offering various interesting and entertaining activities and presentations for visitors.

2019, judged exclusively by Japanese female wine experts.

And for the first time in the history of Georgia, Georgian wine from the Chelti

Winery was named among the world’s 30 best wines at one of the most significant international competitions of Europe ‘MUNDUS VINI’, taking place in Dusseldorf, and seeing the wine receive four Gold and one Grand Gold medals.

Along with the general triumph of Georgian wine, there are particular local companies which have gained incredible success beyond the borders of their homeland and left their ‘footprint’ internationally. One such company is the Chelti Winery, a family-owned company founded in 2001 in the region of Kakheti.

The founders had the importance of the quality of their products very much in mind when starting the business. Thus, they put a lot of effort into planting the new vineyards and equipping the winery with advanced technologies and a team of professionals.

Years later, their work has showed a wonderful result, as the Chelty Winery was the only Georgian company sent to the Royal Wedding in the UK in 2018.

Royal weddings, which carry a crucial importance and are often named not only weddings of the year, but also weddings of the century, saw the Saperavi of Chelti served on this special day.

Chelti Reserve 2008 was also awarded the Diamond Trophy in a prestigious international wine competition Sakura

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Georgia’s Natural Mineral Waters

By Gabrielle colchen

Georgia’s natural mineral waters are a specificity of the small Caucasus country and a must-try for visitors. They have a plethora of healing properties which Georgians and guests have been enjoying for centuries. Here is our choice of the top five places to visit if you want to get a taste of their magic.

nabeGhlavi The Nabeghlavi spring was discovered in 1905 by local shepherds, and its water was found to have a special taste and certain curative properties, cleansing the body of harmful substances and enriching it with needed minerals. The spring is

bORJOmi This is among the best-known resort towns in Georgia, popular for its mineral water and mountain air. The mineral springs there were accidentally found by some Russian soldiers at the beginning of the 19th century. The mineral springs have curative powers and can help particularly with health problems related to digestion.

Access to the single fountain in Borjomi Park will sent you back a mere 2 GEL, and

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you can fill up as many bottles as you want of the warm, mineral magic before (or after) exploring the gorge.

Borjomi is also one of the most famous brands of bottled mineral water in Georgia, the bottling of which is a major source of income for the area since Borjomi is the most exported water in the country. Note- what you get in the bottle tastes very different to what you get at the spring itself!

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located on the territory of health resort Nabeghlavi in western Georgia and can be visited free of charge. It is a sodium bicarbonate naturally sparkling water and people can drink it daily without issue.

shOvi Shovi is an alpine health resort in the Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti region in northern Georgia. It was built in 1923 and 16 different water springs have

been discovered there to date. These are used for treatment of different diseases such as anemia and respiratory and urinary illnesses. The mountainous climate is also perfect for a healthy retreat from the urban bustle. People can enjoy a stay at the famous Sunset Shovi Hotel among others.

TskalTubO

Tskaltubo is a balenological resort in Georgia’s Imereti region in west-central Georgia. It is famous for its radon-carbonate mineral springs, whose natural temperature enables the water to be used without heating. The water is particularly helpful for circulatory, nervous, muscularskeletal, gynaecological and skin diseases. The 4-star complex of Tskaltubo SPA Resort opened in 2011 and there are also

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other hotels and guest houses in the town which can comfortably accommodate you while you enjoy the waters. It can also be interesting to visit the abandoned sanatoriums which lost their function after the fall of the Soviet Union.

saiRme The Sairme health resort is located to the south of Kutaisi in a beautiful mountainous area surrounded by a deciduous and evergreen forest. There are four springs that differ in their chemical composition and medicinal treatment qualities- take along a cup and bottle and give them a try after reading the health information in the hotel brochure or visiting the local health center and spa, which provides visitors medical consultations. The diseases that can be treated by the waters are urinary calculus diseases, gallstone diseases, metabolic disbalance and gastrointestinal diseases.

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Varazi Beer Garden: A New diMark on the Gourmet Map By mariam merabishvili

In the late 1950s, between Old Tbilisi and the Vake-Saburtalo districts, the Varaziskhevi slope was built up the hillside.

History is kept in the cobbles and surrounding buildings, yet a new addition proves the ability of modern to met and compliment old.

The Varazi Beer Garden restaurant was designed by Georgian architect Nugzar Dvalishvili, and represents a new style building in the center of the capital. And it has fast become the favorite address for gourmets.

Varazi Beer Garden offers a total comfort zone for those who value the best the Georgian-European cuisine and the world’s most prominent brands (Krombacher, Weihenstephan, Harp, London Pride, Black Cab, Hacker Pschorr, Stella

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Artois and Lefei). This restaurant is for those for whom service quality and space to rest and unwind at any time is important. Whether you go for lunch, to watch a football match on the big screen with friends, to taste a variety of dishes in the evening, have a birthday party, corporate party or other event, the restaurant will be able to organize any meaningful day and host you with dishes guaranteed to make the day even more memorable.

Varazi Beer Garden’s team of cooks boasts many years’ experience and have created a diverse menu based on Georgian and European cuisine, guided by one main principle: the unique tastes must meet the highest quality standards.

Each ingredient is important to the Varazi Beer Garden team. Ingredients are

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brought from Italy for desserts, and even the flour and sea salt are imported. The Calf Menu is one of the most outstanding choices for which the newly opened restaurant already has loyal guests.

The merits of a carefully planned interior mean that Varazi Beer Garden is as ideal for fun as it is for a quiet business meeting.

A balanced color spectrum and light shining through stained glass increases the feeling of coziness.

When visiting Varazi Beer Garden, the greenery is perhaps the first thing you’ll note, bringing the outdoors in. This is a garden where, during warm days and cold, you can enjoy a fresh green environment. And parking will not be a problem!

Listing: Where to Drink in Tbilisi easy wine 7 Bambis Rigi, Tbilisi TEL 596 60 00 20 E-mail: info@easywine.ge OPEN 12 PM - 00:00 AM

EASY WINE is a wine bar-restaurant located in the historic part of Old Tbilisi.

Everything is at your disposal for you to discover your taste: • Wine from every corner of Georgia • Tasting Dispenser • Sommelier • EASY BOOK (Alcohol Handbook of Georgian Production) • Apparatus Testers When you want to: know more about Georgian wine, introduce your foreign guests to the great diversity of Georgian wine, discover your taste in drinks, be aware of your drink’s chosen and which food creates the right blend of taste, have a cozy atmosphere for meetings and gatherings, you know exactly where to go – EASY WINE is waiting for you!

G.vinO 6 Erekle II Str. TEL 293 21 21 Located in the heart of Tbilisi Old Town, g.

Vino represents all that inspires us from our travels to the wine bars, tapas bars and restaurants of Spain, Italy and France. We aim to provide friendly and knowledgeable service, serve great tasting ecofriendly wine from small local producers and offer a selection of wine-friendly local food. Most of the wines you will find at our bar are made using unique and ancient Georgian traditional technology which counts over 8000 years and has been included in UNESCO as a world heritage.

A meal here might be a board of artisan cheese and cold cuts, one or two small plates for one person or several items shared with friends or your neighbor at the bar, always with bread and a great wine.

tarts. Pin Pon aims to provide fresh, delicious and healthy options in a creative way. Fancy something other than tea or coffee? No problem. What about some Melon Vodka? Their lemonades are made freshly and change each season. Right now, they are offering Gluhwein and cocktails based on champagne- like French 75 or apperol - spritz. We should admire their Saperavi from Kakheti and Georgian craft beer. The interior is sweet and cozy, painted by the owner himself.

haRD ROck cafe 1 Petriashvili Str. TEL 240 14 01

pin pOn café 22 I. Chavchavadze Ave., 13 L. Asatiani Str. TEL 599 98 77 40 Pin Pon is a paradise for coffee lovers. If you are fond of Flat white, Filter, Aeropress or cold brew coffee, otherwise hard to find in Tbilisi, then Pin Pon is the perfect spot for you. Hot drinks come with delicious homemade cookies- cocoa balls or lemon

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Located in the heart of Tbilisi city. Take in our unique interior design, which features classic memorabilia from music’s greatest talents, while you discover your favorite menu item and sip on one of our refreshing signature drinks. Stop into The Rock Shop® before you go to pick up a commemorative Hard Rock Cafe souvenir.

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Wine Route in Georgia Drive out into the regions and you’ll be sure to see the brown road signs marking the way to the nearest Wine Route features- from small family holdings to large Chateaux; don’t miss out on your chance to delve deeper into Georgia’s 8,000 year tradition of winemaking.

chaTeau ZeGaani 1 Al. Chavchavadze Str, Zegaani TEL 0322 10 30 44, 595 225 552 E-mail: info@chateau-zegaani.com Online Shop: www.chateau-zegaani.com

pool, horses, dogs, music, a billiards room, wine cellar, and tone oven.

Teliani valley winiveRia châTeau meRe Vardisubani village, Telavi TEL 595 99 03 99, 595 99 03 90, 595 99 03 94 A wine cellar, restaurant and hotel, Château Mere is very popular in Georgia and wine cellar Winiveria is the part of the unified concept. This is one of the best small wine cellars in Georgia, producing high-quality wines: Rkatsiteli, Kindzmarauli, Kisi, Khikhvi and Mtsvane Kakhuri.

Tourists can pick and press grapes, taste wine, make Churchkhela, barbeque meat, make Khinkali, and bake bread in a ‘tone’ oven. Sightseeing visits around Kakheti are also available. The hotel also offers a

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3 Tbilisi Highway, Telavi TEL 577 50 02 57 One of Georgia’s largest wine producers, Teliani Valley’s wine factory is located along the right-hand side of the main road to Telavi. The factory is equipped with everything needed to welcome guests -

from modern machinery to a traditional wine cellar, tasting hall and a small hotel.

The company produces PDO wines: Tsinandali, Manavi, Mukuzani, Khvanchkara, Kindzmarauli, Tvishi, etc. as well as red, pink and white table wines, traditional Qvevri wines, chacha (Georgian grappa) and brandy. Various types of tours are available throughout the year.

You can visit the factory and taste five types of wine at any time of the year, and in autumn, guests have the opportunity to participate in the harvest.

schuchmann wines GeORGia Kisiskhevi village, Telavi TEL 593 48 73 74

Schuchmann Wines Georgia is located in the village of Kisiskhevi, on a hill 1.5 km from the main road. The company owns a hotel and a wine cellar built to resemble a medieval castle and featuring a large

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veranda and tasting and conference rooms. A traditional wine cellar, equipped with Qvevri, stands next to a modern wine factory. This company is one of the country’s most experienced and successful in terms of wine tourism. It was founded by a German wine enthusiast infatuated with Georgia, Mr. Schuchmann, who brought together one convenient infrastructure: the wine cellar, restaurant and hotel.

Schuchmann Wines produces high-class white and red wines according to Kathetian and European methods.

kinDZmaRauli wine cellaR Kvareli TEL 249 74 77

Kindzmarauli Wine Cellar is located in the heart of extensive vineyards in the micro-zone of famous Kindzmarauli. The factory was built in 2003 and is one of the leading companies, equipped with the state-of-the-art technologies where visitors can see the production process, harvest area planted with more than 420 ancient Georgian grape varieties, taste both new and aged wines, and visit a Chacha distillery plant. Kindzmarauli Wine Cellar’s assortment includes 23 brands of premium quality wine, of which three - red dry ‘Kakheti Kingdom,’ dry white Kakheti Kingdom and red naturally semi-sweet ‘Kindzmarauli Original’ are the exclusive brands of the company.

Twins wine hOuse Napareuli village, Telavi TEL 2424042, 551 74 74 74

Twin brothers Gamtkitsulashvili founded “Twins Wine House” in 1997 on the basis of their family-run wine cellar, hotel and restaurant. The company produces several varieties of wine – Rkatsiteli, Kakhuri Mtsvane and Saperavi according to the traditional Kakhetian method – in Qvevri.

They offer a variety of services to their visitors including wine tours and museum excursions. Guests can visit the old wine cellar and new production, the Qvevri and wine museum, take part in grape picking during harvest, attend the grape pressing process in the 18th century winepress, see the process of vodka distillation from Chacha, bake bread in a ’tone’ oven, make Churchkhela and taste wines directly from Qvevri: red wine – “Sun of Qvevri” Saperavi and amber wine – “Sun of Qvevri” European.

châTeau mukhRani Mukhrani village, Mtskheta TEL 595 99 13 14/16 Château Mukhrani is located 25 minutes’ drive from Tbilisi and occupies the estate of Prince Mukhran-Batoni’s Palace. Basic sightseeing of the palace and its cellars, with a main tunnel connecting the palace to the winery. The cellars of Mukhrani Palace have been completely renovated.

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The Tourism Department of Château Mukhrani offers diverse wine tours to guests – from walking in the vineyards to visiting the historical palace of MukhranBatoni and modern winery. Château Mukhrani produces classic white, rosé, red and fortified wines as well as Chacha from following varieties: Goruli Mtsvane, Chinuri, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Rkatsiteli, Muscat, Tavkveri, Shavkapito, Saperavi and Cabernet.

wine cellaR laGvinaRi Bakurtsikhe village, Gurjaani TEL 577 54 60 06 This wine cellar is located in the village of Bakurtsikhe and has been producing wine since 2011 by local traditional method in Qvevri from different grape varieties, including grapes from Kartli and western Georgia - Tsitska, Tsolikouri, Krakhuna, Aladasturi, Otskhanuri Sapere, Goruli Mtsvane, Chinuri, Rkatsiteli and Saperavi.

Saperavi and Rkatsiteli vineyards are grown approximately two kilometers from the wine cellar over 4 ha of land. A beautiful view of the Alazani Valley and the Greater Caucasus Mountain range can be enjoyed from the wine cellar. Traditional Georgian dishes are available on advance request.

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wine cellaR kakhuRi 1 Tbilisi Highway, Telavi TEL 599 10 70 35 Kakhuri is located on the main road of Telavi on a territory housing a demonstration vineyard, a wine-tasting room and an ethnographic corner. Visitors will be able to participate in the grape harvest, bake bread, and make wine and Churchkhela.

The company produces several varieties of PDO and table wines: Tsinandali, Mukuzani, Kindzmarauli, Saperavi, Rkatsiteli, Mtsvane Kakhetian, etc., as well as Chacha.

khaReba Kvareli TEL 293 50 73, 599 80 85 39

Gvirabi (which means tunnel in English) is carved in the rock of the Caucasus Mountain Range. The tunnel was opened in 1962 for the World Wine Congress. In the beginning, it belonged to the government and wine from the entire Kakheti region was stored here. Nowadays, it is the Winery Khareba cellar, used to age wine. The constant temperature - 12-14 degrees, with around 70% humidity all year round, creates the ideal, natural conditions for wine to age in French oak barrels, as well as to store bottled wines for extended periods.

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The tunnel consists of two main parallel tunnels and 13 smaller perpendicular ones.

The total length of the entire tunnel is 7.7 km.

The entrances to the long parallel tunnels have their own functions: the first is for tourists and is used for wine tours, while the second belongs to the industrial part, where the company stores and ages its finest wines in French oak barrels and steel tanks.

In 2011, special tour facilities were created around the wine tunnel: a big recreational park, which includes the river and old Qvevries, as well as a Georgian water mill, traditional Georgian bakery Tone, a Chacha (grappa) distilling facility, a traditional Georgian marani (wine cellar) with the Satsnakheli (Georgian traditional wooden grape press) and other cultural sites.

The tourism complex also includes wine tasting for more than 30 varieties of the best wines produced by Winery Khareba, as well as many other activities tourists can take part in: distilling Chacha, baking Georgian bread, making Chuchkhela, grilling meat (Georgian barbeque), and harvesting and pressing grapes in the Satsnakheli.

alaveRDi mOnasTeRy Alaverdi village, Akhmeta TEL 596 10 04 34

The wine cellar of Alaverdi Monastery is one of Kakheti’s most distinctive cellars.

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Located within the monastery territory, on the site of the historical wine cellar (8th-10th centuries), it was recently rebuilt.

The cellar includes a classical wine hall, a large 6th century Qvevri warehouse, an ethnographic corner, a tasting room, and a souvenir shop. Traditional white and red Qvevri wines produced in the Alaverdi Monastery wine cellar include Rkatsiteli, Mtsvane Kakhuri, Kisi, Khikhvi, Saperavi and Chacha.

vinOTel 4 E. Akhvlediani Ascent, Tbilisi TEL 2 55 58 88 www.vinotel.ge

Wine-curious visitors can order a special wine tasting from Vinotel’s wine expert, who will give you a tour of their in-house redbrick wine cellar and a solid introduction to the Georgian wine culture.

The historical arched, brick wine cellar offers an exceptional selection of the best Georgian wines, including natural wines from small exclusive artisan wineries and industry leaders. Wines are kept at optimum conditions thanks to the natural properties of the cellar, combined with the recently added cutting-edge German technology.

“Dear Beno, on behalf of the group of Masters of Wine who visited Georgia, and for myself, I’d like to extend my deepest gratitude for the kindness…”

Lisa Granik, Master of Wine

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Exclusive Tips for Shopping Lovers

. . . e c i o My Ch

Nincho Jibladze Editor-in-Chief of OK! Magazine Georgia

inGOROkva INGOROKVA is a luxury womenswear label, established and designed by Georgian creative director Tamuna Ingorokva, that enjoys national and international recognition with a widespread client base. Ingorokva continues to fuse sensibilities of the modern day and represents new ways of a timeless look inspired by modern culture and art.

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keTi chkhikvaDZe fashiOn hOuse The brand KETI CHKHIKVADZE was founded in 2003. It took part in KFW and GFW, also for 12 seasons its collections were shown in TRANOI, Paris.

DRy bRiDGe One of the best places to buy old, unique Georgian household items and accessories; very special items that you cannot find anywhere else, which traders bring from their own homes. It is a must-shop place for tourists.

chubika Nino Chubinishvili is a Georgian designer whose designs are where fashion crosses art. Chubika creates high fashion items also wearable, easy and smart clothes.

Leather goods: footwear, bags, belts, badges, bracelets, jackets, dresses.

Luxury Items: unique pieces, wedding dresses, jewelry.

Gia JapaRiDZe George (Gia) Japaridze is a merited Georgian sculptor and artist. The diversity and variety of his work includes large bronze sculptures erected in Georgia,Russia, Italy, USA, The Netherlands and Azerbaijan, as well as small bronze, copper and brass statues created using different styles and techniques- plasticine and clay, toreutics, blacksmith and goldsmith crafts, paintings and drawings. His work undoubtedly speaks not only about great talent from a deeply refined taste and educated and sharp mind, but also the mere quantity of the artwork is surprising and speaks of his love and dedication to his craft.

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Buy & Drink: The Best Café-Stores in the Capital By katie Ruth Davies Keeping up with the latest trends, Tbilisi also has its fair share of café-stores, with grabbing a coffee just an excuse to browse the book or art-and-craft shelves. Check out our favorite drink-and-shop stops below.

pROspeRO’s bOOks & caliban’s cOffee

known and loved for its great choice of books about Georgia and the Caucasus in different languages, a lot of different

TEL 292 35 92 9:30 AM – 8 PM

ZeRO effecT Zero Effect is a café and store built around the concept of zero waste. “The aim of creating Zero Effect is to create space in Georgia where people will join other countries of the world in beginning to think about their negative impact on the environment.” The business aims to introduce the idea of a zero-waste lifestyle and expose customers to natural, ecofriendly products. It is located in central Tbilisi’s Vera neighborhood, near Rustaveli metro station. The prices at the café are quite affordable, particularly considering the rarity of a plant-based foods café in Tbilisi. Zero Effect surprises guests with creative dishes like acai bowls and vegan fried “eggs.” It is one of very few vegan

This cafe-bookshop is as colorful as its name. One of the oldest foreign-owned hangouts in Tbilisi, Prospero’s Books remains popular with both tourists and expatriate residents.

Founded by Peter Nasmyth, a Brit who came to Georgia in the 1980s and knows the country from A to Z, Prospero’s Bookshop and Caliban Coffee is well-

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literature in Georgian, English, Russian and German, guidebooks and study books, board games and photo albums, and, of course, a cozy coffee shop.

34 Shota Rustaveli Ave.; 1 Vaja-Pshavela Ave. (in the building of National Archive Center); 32-34 Makhashvili Str. (inside of the building of Betsy’s Hotel)

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restaurants in the city and really fills a niche in its neighborhood. The shop sells many local, handmade products like cosmetics

and textiles, along with a popular ‘takeaway kit’ with reusable cutlery for when you order meals to-go!

26 S. Janashia Str. TEL 551 37 43 43 10 AM – 11 PM

kiwi veGan cafe Ideal for backpackers, those on a budget and those who love vegan food! It’s a simply-furnished affair with walls painted with animal-loving images and messages to encourage the best in human nature.

You get a good mix of locals and foreigners going there and the atmosphere is hostel-style laid-back and welcoming.

The staff are friendly and multi-lingual and the food is cheap and filling: we recommend the Tofu Sandwich & Fries, Falafel Wrap, and large Vegan Pizza! And there is a wide choice of teas and reasonably priced wines and cocktails.

vegan supplies that they don’t stock!

6 Ivane Machabeli Str. TEL 514 00 01 75 12 PM – 11 PM

sTamba café & sTamba’s bOOks Within the industrial-cozy-sophisticated Stamba hotel complex, you’ll find a

popular café and, right next to it, a smart book shop which caters to many tastes, all aspects of which were designed and influenced by the warehouse renovation trend originating from Brooklyn.

Like in Brooklyn, a hipster coffee place is a must, and Stamba Hotel follows up on that perfectly. Bright, tall windows from the warehouse are incorporated to flood the seating area with light, even allowing the

They also sell vegan sausages and tofu and can recommend where to buy any buzzing tourists on the street to catch a glimpse of the happenings inside. The gigantic hall, in which the cafe operates, is divided into three sections: two smaller ones to grab a drink at, and the biggest area reserved for the delicious fusion cuisine this place is fast becoming famous for.

The bookshop is housed a cozy space with a floor-to-ceiling window looking out onto the street. The walls are lined with shelves and there is plenty of space to browse. The venue regularly hosts authors, presentations and book launches.

14 M. Kostava Str. TEL 202 11 99, 577 47 87 88 11 AM – 8 PM (Bookstore)

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5 Georgian Writers You Can Read in English

By Gabrielle colchen

There is a plethora of fascinating Georgian writers yet to have their works translated into English, and it’s a pity because Georgian literature is well worth reading! But things are changing, with much thanks to the 2018 Frankfurt Book Fair, at which Georgia was Guest Country catching the eagle-eye of publishers hungry for something new. We’ve picked out some of the most recently translated Georgian books you can read in English.

The DicTaTORship Of pOeTRy

BY ZURAB RTVELIASHVILI (available at: https://francisboutle.co.uk/ products/the-dictatorship-of-poetry/)

many Georgian artists who have radically influenced the course of Georgian literature. The Dictatorship of Poetry proves that, despite the poet being avant-gardist and experimental, he can depict the socio-political problems of his time.

According to him, today’s reality means living in a world dominated by labels and special societal codes which he wants to get free from through his poetry. His language goes beyond the norms.

The liTeRaTuRe expRess

BY LASHA BUGADZE (available on Amazon) French and English and his plays have been performed across Europe.

If you’re interested in poetry, you should read this collection of translated poems by a famous contemporary Georgian poet, performer and human rights activist. He emigrated to Sweden in 2010 and the collection gathers poems from before and after his departure. The author is one of

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Lasha Bugadze, a Georgian novelist and playwright, was born in Tbilisi in 1977.

His works have been translated into

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His novel was translated into English by Maya Kiasashvili and is a reflection on literature and unsuccessful authors. It counts the story of writers who are invited to a seminar aboard a cross-Europe train.

The authors are mediocre and have trouble communicating with each other.

They are described as inward-looking and largely disinterested in their fellow travelers’ works.

DaGny, OR a lOve feasT

BY ZURAB KARUMIDZE (available on Amazon)

He wrote Dagny, or a Love Feast directly in English and it was published in the United States in 2014. The novel recounts the real-life story of Dagny Juel, a Norwegian writer best known for her romantic liaisons with a number of artistic figures, who was murdered during a trip to Tbilisi in 1901. As the title indicates, the first story goes along with another focusing on religious mysticism and eroticism. The reader will encounter surprising themes throughout the book.

The eiGhTh life

BY NINO HARATISCHWILI

all The wORlD’s a sTaGe

BY BORIS AKUNIN (available on Amazon)

Zurab Karumidze is a Georgian writer and culturologist, born in 1957 in Tbilisi.

He is an intellectual writer of short stories and novels as well as philosophical essays and historical books.

This is one for those who are patient, as it is in the process of being translated and will soon be available online through amazon and bookdepository.com.

Boris Akunin (real name Grigori Chkhartishvili) was born in Georgia but lived the majority of his life in Moscow. Since 2014, he has lived in England, France and Spain. He is a writer of detective and historical fiction and is also an essayist and literary translator.

Nino Haratischwili is a Georgian writer who was born in Tbilisi in 1983 and moved to Germany in 2003. She currently lives in Hamburg. This is her third novel, first published in German and then translated into other languages, including French, Spanish and now English.

The story takes place in Moscow just before the beginning of the First World War. It describes the adventures of a detective, Fandorin, whose mission is to investigate Elisa Altaïrskaïa-Lointaine, an actress who is known to be a threat to her lovers. But then the detective falls in love with the artist too…

This book will take you on a journey with six generations between 1900 and the present day. The story mainly takes place in Georgia and the author gives an interesting taste of the Georgian culture throughout history. Don’t be scared by its 950 pages: this book is full of adventures and is a guaranteed page-turner!

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Trading in Old Tbilisi By mariam merabishvili

Tbilisi, in a country famously at the crossroads of Europe and Asia on the Old Silk Road, has for hundreds of years been a meeting point for trade. Not much remains of the old trade centers, but the locations can still be visted today: on Bambis Rigi, Sirajkhana, Kharazkhana, Darabkhana, Blacksmith’s Street, Rike, Wine Slope, and the Middle Market, which, as the Tbilisians say, “was full of fish tied at the belly, hazelnuts and sugarcane”.

Tatris Moedani was the main market in Old Tbilisi. Traders came from all over and sold everything: sugar, flour, vegetables, fruit, fish, wine, vodka, Persian carpets, Khilaband, Papakh, Chikhtikop, Bagdad, Daraia dresses and Shirvani roses.

The market also had a place for charcoalburners, who collected the charcoal in the

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existing forests around Tbilisi, then loaded donkeys and brought them down to Tbilisi to sell.

morning and brought them to the market to sell. Besides fresh, salted fish was also sold there.

One of the oldest markets in Tbilisi was the Rostom Market, located where now we have Erekle II and Sioni streets, known for the “Little Chorsu” trade in cereals and flour. The Parcha (material- cotton, wool and maud) traders were found in Bazazkhana. Hay was sold on Buxus Square (present day Rike). There were also stables for camels, horses and donkeys.

Tbilisi was the biggest customer of wine.

It’s said that annually over 350 thousand containers came to the city. Stands trading wine and vodka were called Sirajkhana and wine traders –Sirajs.

The current Shardeni Street housed the pot-makers who traded with the Parcha traders. The goldsmiths were scattered along Silver Street. The water traders were called Tulokhchebi and transported water in containers made from bull hide.

Fishmongers caught their wares at Godori and Paceri on the Mtkvari River in the

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The first Sirajkhana was located on the left bank of the Mtkvari River in Old Tbilisi and followed the long slope from Metekhi bridge to Avlabari. The taverns and cellars located there were supplied with wine brought from Kakheti. This was the biggest wine market in Old Tbilisi, known as the Big Sirajkhana. The Little Sirakjhana was located in Kala, near Tatris Square.

A Siraj was not just a wine trader, but also a wine master. They had assistants called

Pishqar, or wine Dalal. Pishkars had a great deal of confidence, and were often sent out to trade.

In autumn, Sirajs went from yard to yard in Kakheti and examined wine, wrote whose wine they had tasted and what prices had been settled upon.

A Siraj visiting a land-owner aiming to buy wine in kakheti had to bring more than

one bundle of meat, as well as sugar-loaf, caviar and candies for the children. He also had to bring Kharaz boots, a Caucasian coat, and a tunic and Paraj for the land-owner. The gift needed to be enough that “two boys would struggle to lift it.”

The host in turn hosted his guest with great honor, immediately slaughtering pigs and sheep for a feast. The Siraj was to spend

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up to two weeks there. After purchasing wine, the buyer would bless the seller and tell him of the money “use it in joy and happiness” and bless the family’s good fortune.

Bringing wine from Kakheti took several days, brought on bull-drawn carts 15 - 20 at a time, lead by the Agalbash.

Photos: Behruz Huseynzade Collection

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Which Georgian Designers the Celebrities Are Wearing Today Blog by nini Dakhundaridze

If you want to know what’s unique about a culture, ask its tourists. Tourists see everything from a different perspective; taking notice of things that a local might pass by or take for granted.

This could very well be why chatting with first-time tourists in Georgia is something of a hobby of mine. Even though all those I’ve talked to give varied and impressive perspectives of how Georgian society and its culture can be seen with an outsider’s eye, at some point they all come round to the Georgian fashion, noting how formal and dressed up the Georgian’s appear, even if they have something very casual planned for the day, like going to the movies or grocery shopping.

It took me, a Georgian, quite a while to realize how seriously we Georgians take

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our fashion; how important and, weirdly enough, natural it is for us to dress up for any occasion.

It took the world even longer to see the Georgian importance to fashion. Since 2015, international society has seen Georgian designers and fashion brands rise from what seems like nowhere, straight into the wardrobes of numerous celebrities.

Balenciaga and Vetements would be the two brands most familiar to the eye of those even mildly interested in fashion or show business, since these labels are favorites of celebrities like Fergie, Kim Kardashian, Kanye West, Hailey Baldwin, Rihanna, Selena Gomez and others. In 2016, the famous Vetements $800 hoodie sold-out worldwide: everyone was wearing it, from Selena to Rihanna. However, don’t

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think that Balenciaga and Vetements had just one carpe diem moment three years ago and have now lost their fame – 10 days before 2019, Michelle Obama, on her Brooklyn stop for her book Becoming tour, was spotted wearing shiny Balenciaga boots. Balenciaga is a Spain-based fashion brand founded in 1917, the creative director of which is Demna Gvasalia, a famous Georgian designer.

Gvasalia is also the leading designer for Vetements.

David Koma is another famous fashion label. From Scarlett Johansson to Eva Longoria, many celebs have shown off their bodies in David Koma’s dresses. In 2018, models Doutzen Kroes and Sara Sampaio appeared in David Koma’s fashionwear at the British Fashion Awards.

The title of the brand comes from the very

name of the designer, David Komakhidze, who was born in Tbilisi and finished his MA in London, UK. David is now based in London and worked as the creative director at Thierry Mugler 2013-2017.

Dalood is coming to be an important word in the fashion world. What started off as a

Famous for his surrealist collection, George Keburia has been a fashion trendsetter since 2010, when he founded a fashion label under his own name. In autumn 2017, Keburia was selected among six global designers to showcase their SS2018 collection during the Milan

ANOUKI is a Georgian ready-to-wear, shoes and accessories brand based in Tbilisi. Jessie J wore sparkly ANOUKI on her tour.

cult boutique in Moscow, simultaneously commercializing new Georgian designers, is now a fashion trend worn by Queen Rania of Jordan. Queen Rania appeared wearing the Tbilisi-based label in early February this year. Later, Kendall Jenner was spotted at the NYCFW 2019 wearing Dalood.

Fashion Week, participating in the Vogue Talents x Swarovski Project by creating a special piece with Swarovski crystals.

Currently, George Keburia is based in Tbilisi. His sunglasses, which have been described as “late-80s prom chic,” have been seen on A-list celebrities from Gigi Hadid to Solange Knowles.

happening so fast that I’m pretty sure the day after this article is published a newcomer in Georgian fashion will emerge and I will be left wishing I’d covered them as well. But, that’s the kind of guilt I can learn to live with.

Eloshi is widely recognized for its classic chic look. Fashion icon and supermodel Gigi Hadid knew it well, seen rocking the Eloshi look at NYCFW 2018. The Eloshi brand was founded by Georgian fashion designer Lela Eloshvili in 2012.

While talking about sunglasses, we can’t forget Nikolo Brega, an emerging Georgian designer making handmade bags and sunglasses, sunglasses that have been seen on Kylie Jenner.

Lako Bukia is a Georgian brand founded by a designer of the same name. Known for its stand-out uniqueness, Lako Bukia has been worn by such stars as Iggy Azalea and Kat Graham.

As time goes by, Georgia has more and more to say in fashion and design. It’s all

Mach&Mach is another Tbilisi-based brand, and even passing by the store can make your day a little brighter! Among others, Katy Perry was seen wearing Mach&Mach during her concert.

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Top Kids’ Clothing Stores in Tbilisi Looking to grab something ‘Made in Georgia’ for your little ones while here?

Then look at what we’ve picked out for you!

michelle This boutique store is made for little princesses, with ruffles, bows, frills and fluff the stuff of little girls’ dreams!

If you’re looking for a special birthday dress, have something important to celebrate, or just want to treat someone, head along to Michelle’s.

Dresses are a reasonable 120 GEL upwards.

Find it on the first floor of Kavtaradze’s City Mall 591 00 62 98

RkO

RKO is stylish and functional, natural and comfortable clothing and accessories brand for small children and babies.

Three young moms founded RKO to create beautiful apparel for the most important peo-

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ple in our lives – our children. Nostalgic for the times when their moms and grannies knitted and sewed clothes for them, the designers include this warmth and homey touch in all their collections.These are the kind of clothes you’ll want to keep for your grandchildren!

the owners say. “Today’s parents take a different approach. We encourage children to run barefoot, fall down and get back up independently. IT IS OK TO BE NAUGHTY – this is our mantra at Spilow.”

Spilow dresses and skirts, shirts and t-shirts, sweatshirts and hoodies are not just pieces of clothing. Spilow-wear is part of your kid’s great adventure.

94 V. Barnovi Str. 592 54 39 39 12 PM – 8 PM

spilOw Six spirited, naughty children inspired their three moms – Sopho, Ta s o a n d Marinka – to launch children’s clothing brand Spilow in 2016.

Designed and produced in Tbilisi, all products are made with colorful, natural materials for girls and boys between the ages of 2 and 13. The distinctive yet simple silhouettes of the garments complement children’s playful nature. Each Spilow product has its own concept and story, stimulating role play to help children use their creativity, develop their imagination and improve their dexterity.

“Growing up in the post-Soviet period we would often hear such lectures at home and at school: ‘Don’t run, you’ll fall down and get dirty!’ Grown-ups wanted us to play calm games, especially if we were dressed up,”

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4 Taktakishvili Str. 577 57 05 90 10 AM – 9 PM

mella kiDs Mella is a Georgian brand of children’s clothing and accessories which sells both readymade pieces and creates items to order with an online service which will be fulfilled in 7-10 business days. The only limit to your daughter’s perfect dress is your imagination! Pick from a variety of fabrics, buttons, lining and ribbons and let the designers go to work.

Galleria Mall, 3rd floor 2/4 Rustaveli Ave. 10 AM – 10 PM

Where to Buy Properties in Georgia macRO cOnsTRucTiOn Complex area: Digomi Edu-Experimental Agriculture; (next to Olimpic facilities), Tbilisi TEL 200 10 10

Real Palace company was founded in 2011. It has the necessary resources and experience for the implementation of construction works, from project development to commissioning. It is also an importer of high-quality building materials, guaranteeing a high-quality and affordable apartment.

Dux DDevelOpmenT 23 Paliashvili Str. TEL 250 00 32 Built to the highest standards in European residential developments, MAQRO Construction’s Green Diamond complex on the edge of Georgia’s historic capital Tbilisi combines both luxury and affordability for the discerning homeowner, or indeed investor.

pRemium baTumi 36 M. Abashidze Str., Batumi TEL 568 33 00 00

Premium Batumi is a construction development company operating in Batumi. We offer exclusive, premium class residential hotel type apartments.

Real palace 18 Pirosmani Str., Batumi TEL 514 67 47 47

whiTe sails

3 Lech and Maria Kaczynski Str. TEL 598 05 00 00 WHITE SAILS is a unique multifunctional complex with outstanding design and architecture. The complex is distinguished by an unbeatable location on the seaside in Batumi New Boulevard and offers modern, diverse and well-developed infrastructure. The project includes two high-class hotels and five 16, 18 and 20-storey aparthotels and is one of the biggest investments in Georgia.

emeRalD GROup 85 Paliashvili Str. TEL 555 20 00 02 Dux Development is the subsidiary of the Azeri Investment Company - ORI Group and is based on the experience of partners who have successfully implemented multiple development projects in the territory of Azerbaijan since 2007.

The mission of Dux Development is to implement development projects across the country and establish new standards in the field of construction, based on the requirements of the client and investor.

Over the years, Dux Development has established partnerships with companies representing leading European brands in the field of construction materials.

In order to meet the right standards and achieve top quality, the Company employees are regularly trained and introduced to new trends in the field.

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Emerald Group is a Georgian investment development company that builds residential apartments, hotels and multifunctional complexes.

The company is established by a professional team that has excellent experience in investment development, building houses where people can live in an aesthetically pleasing, comfortable and safe environment. Emerald Group aims to become a leader in the Georgian development market by introducing an entirely new standard of living, where projects are distinguished by original architecture and elegant design.

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Listing: Where to Buy Wine bRanD wine 48/50 Mtskheta Str. TEL 577 75 55 55

while launching the shop, and used traditional Georgian vessels and casks as the main decoration.

ReseRve 3, 9 April Str., Tbilisi TEL 599 31 33 44

Brand Wine also hosts various wine-tastings, where guests as well as locals have an opportunity to familiarize themselves with each type of drink and find out which is more suitable for each Georgian holidays and various dishes of the country’s delicious cuisine.

Wine is one of the biggest parts of Georgian culture. Well aware of this fact, Georgian businessmen and entrepreneurs operating in the country’s tourism industry, have been using the concept of wine to launch various wine shops, wine bars, and wine hotels. The rivalry is incredibly high in this respect and it may be difficult to choose the right place in which to start your wine journey. The Brand Wine shop should certainly be top of your list: a must-visit destination for true wine enthusiasts, opening up a path forward in the world of the genuine Georgian beverage.

Brand Wine is distinguished for its multiplicity of wines, as well as other alcoholic drinks, including chacha and sparkling wine, mesmerizing customers of all tastes.

With a stunning interior, authentic Georgian décor and wine-related ornaments, Brand Wine creates a small world of wine and offers a fascinating experience to customers. The founders of the shop had details very much in mind

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vinOTel 4 E. Akhvlediani Ascent, Tbilisi TEL 2 55 58 88 www.vinotel.ge

A new wine shop behind Parliament building offering more than 300 names of wines from small producers. Taste 48 wines and beverages stored at a constant temperature. Professional consultants will help you choose. Bring friends or associates for private degustation in our tasting room.

Daily: 11.00-20.00

chelTi wineRy Vinotel wine cellar shop is definitely worth a visit. You’ll find the widest selection of varietals from different regions. They carefully select only the best of the artisan and mainstream wines from around Georgia.

62/18 Vazha Pshavela Str. Wine plant ‘Chelti’: Shilda, Kakheti region TEL 577 44 44 55

The Cellar is oriented on natural family professional winemakers. It also offers its own wine production from vineyards at affordable prices, other professional small wine and cellar products, and exclusive offerings with tax free service.

All the wine is kept at 13-15 degrees

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Wine Company Chelti was founded in 2001. Located in the Kakheti region, in

Shilda village near Kvareli, the winery offers a 7m-deep wine cellar with a temperature that does not exceed 12-16 degrees throughout the year- ideal for wine storage.

Chelti wine is produced from grapes harvested from sandy-gravel soil, and Gunashauri grapes grown in clay-loam soil. The wine company also produces Dry White Wine, Saperavi Rose and Kindzmarauli Red Semi Sweet made from the Rkatsiteli variety. The company Chelti also produces premium quality Qvevri Wine.

Wine is produced according to classical and traditional methods as well as with advanced technologies which make it possible to control the wine quality at any stage of its making.

menabDe wineRy Shemokmedi, Ozurgeti, Guria TEL 593 33 23 17

The hotel offers five rooms to guests, while the new wine cellar provides tours in Gomi Mountain and to the coast, on request. The sea shore is approximately 30 minutes away and Gomi Mountain is about a 60-minute drive.

chaTeau aZnauRi Near Eniseli village and Gremi, Kakheti TEL 598 11 12 88

alaveRDi mOnasTeRy Village Alaverdi, Akhmeta TEL 596 10 04 34 The wine cellar of Alaverdi Monastery is one of Kakheti’s most distinctive cellars.

Located within the monastery territory, on the site of the historical wine cellar (8th-10th centuries), it was recently rebuilt.

The cellar includes a classical wine hall, a large 6th century Qvevri warehouse, an ethnographic corner, a tasting room, and a souvenir shop.

Traditional white and red Qvevri wines produced in the Alaverdi Monastery wine cellar include Rkatsiteli, Mtsvane Kakhuri, Kisi, Khikhvi, Saperavi and Chacha.

Chateau Aznauri is a first-class complex located in the vineyards of Kakheti.

It manufactures wines using the traditional Kakhetian method, in clay amphora (Qvevri) buried deep in the earth, where the wine ferments over several months at soil temperature. Chateau Aznauri boasts 14 Qvevri of a total 25 tons.

Javakhishvili cellaR Akhalsopeli, Kvareli, Kakheti TEL 577 06 89 40

wine cellaR kakhuRi 1 Tbilisi Highway, Telavi TEL 599 10 70 35

The cellar is located on 2.5 hectares of land, where you’ll also find a Gurian house “Oda” (traditional house in Guria), cellar “Nalia” (traditional building for corn harvesting), Gurian barn, verandas, special places for rest (cabana, bonfire, playing places for children), fruit and nut orchards, and high and low hanging grape vines.

Kakhuri is located on the main road of Telavi on a territory housing a demonstration vineyard, a wine-tasting room and an ethnographic corner. Visitors can participate in the grape harvest, bake bread, and make wine and churchkhela. The company produces several varieties of PDO and table wines: Tsinandali, Mukuzani, Kindzmarauli, Saperavi, Rkatsiteli, Mtsvane Kakhetian, etc., as well as Chacha.

to buy

The Javakhishvili wine cellar is the best place for family wine degustation and to get a taste of traditional Georgian dishes.

Here, you can enjoy a large wine cellar, two gazebos and a large wine shop. The cellar is big enough to host events.

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SERVICE HALL 9 APRIL PARK

RIKE

Tbilisi Map. Designed at the request of the Georgian National Tourism Administration for non-commercial purposes.

9 MARCH PARK

DEDAENA PARK

PUBLIC SERVICE HALL 9 APRIL PARK

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BOTANIC GARDEN

Dubai

Address Dubai Mall: A City Shopping Retreat in the Heart of Downtown Dubai Amongst many other reasons the majority of travelers put Dubai at top of their travel destinations list are the exclusive shopping, dining and spa experience, as well as world class attractions, several of which can only be found in Dubai.

‘Address Dubai Mall’ is an exceptional hotel which can offer all of these and even more in one place, as the hotel is uniquely located actually within the Dubai Mall, the world’s largest retail and entertainment destination, at the heart of Downtown Dubai and looking up at the world’s tallest tower, the Burj Khalifa, which is seen from most of the rooms and the swimming pool.

This elegant and stylish hotel offers guests a mix of traditional Arab hospitality and a contemporary environment.

Guests can enjoy ultra-modern hotel rooms, exceptional dining and an avant-garde wellness experience including a life-affirming treatment at The Spa at ‘Address Dubai Mall.’

ROOms anD suiTes Every benchmark in luxury hospitality is brilliantly redefined by the enchanting décor and lavish furnishings that adorn the rooms and suites at ‘Address Dubai Mall.’

Best-in-class amenities, from state-of-the-art mood lighting to touchpad switches, assure the superior lifestyle befitting its distinguished guests, while mesmeric views of the city’s finest sights, from Burj Khalifa

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dubai

to The Dubai Fountain, dazzle from a private balcony in every space.

Deluxe Rooms Intelligent design combines with plush carpeting and premium furnishings to evoke a delightful sense of regal luxury in the Deluxe Rooms. Each of these rooms features a pristine balcony for alfresco dining experiences.

Deluxe Burj View Rooms Similar to the Deluxe King Rooms, the Deluxe Burj View Rooms are additionally privileged with unique views of Burj Khalifa which can be enjoyed from a private balcony.

Premier Rooms The art of refined living is splendidly manifested across the vast and exquisitely furnished Premier Rooms.

Premier Deluxe Burj View Rooms Spectacular vistas of Burj Khalifa enhance the superlative charm of the Premier Burj View Rooms.

Club Rooms The Club Rooms combine the quintessential luxuries of the guest rooms and suites

dubai

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with the added privilege of exclusive access to the Club Lounge, where freshly prepared refreshments are served throughout the day in an elegant and refreshing atmosphere.

DininG Savor a continental breakfast complemented

by Moroccan tea and Turkish delights amidst the comforts of the lobby lounge at Karat. Admire the majesty of Burj Khalifa as you sample invigorating beverages from the pool deck at Cabana. Retreat to Cez for a sumptuous lunch that is both delicious and satisfying. Luxuriate in a new-age interpretation of the high life at Boutiq, while skilful mixologists prepare luscious libations to your liking. At ‘Address Dubai Mall,’ unique expressions of culinary talent impress all day across a variety of dining venues that capture the imagination.

Cabana Enjoy breakfast under the open skies from the comfort of a cabana or lounge bed, or raise a toast to life’s finer pleasures while the DJ sets the mood for an exciting

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themed dinner, all before spectacular views of Burj Khalifa

Karat From continental breakfast to traditional Emirati sweets, exotic tea blends to vibrantly flavored mocktails, Karat presents an eclectic variety of reasons to linger amidst the luxuriously inviting seating areas and captivating retail vitrines of the lobby lounge.

The spa The Spa at Address Dubai Mall is a tranquil, fragrant, luxurious sanctuary of relaxation and rejuvenation. Come, experience signature therapies and techniques that are infused with Western expertise and Eastern wisdom for a blissful effect.

Using the curative wonders of the Earth, our experienced professionals and exclusive therapies will leave your body and mind feeling wonderfully invigorated. nearby attractions: Burj Khalifa Dubai Mall Armani CafĂŠ The Dubai Fountain

dubai

129

Business Listing BANKS

opened its doors to smaller enterprises as well and now it provides corporate and investment banking services to legal

basisbank 1 K. Tsamebuli Ave.

entities with annual turnover exceeding

TEL 2921 921, 292 29 22

one million GEL.

www.basisbank.ge

TEL 226 50 00

As of December 2018, the Bank’s total

vTb bank GeORGia

www.pashabank.ge

assets exceeded GEL 327 million.

14 G. Tchanturia Str.

pasha bank Address: Saarbrucken Square, 0102, Tbilisi, Georgia

TEL 250 55 05

pROcReDiT bank

www.vtb.com.ge

21 Al. Kazbegi Ave. TEL 220 22 22 www.procreditbank.ge

Tbc bank 7 Marjanishvili Str. TEL 227 27 27

halyk bank

www.tbcbank.com.ge

74 Kostava Str. TEL 224 07 07 www.hbg.ge

PASHA Bank is a Baku-based financial institution operating in Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey, providing corporate

bank Of GeORGia

and investment banking services to large,

29a Gagarin Str.

medium and small enterprises.

TEL 244 44 44

PASHA Bank is a part of PASHA Holding

www.bankofgeorgia.ge

- a diversified investment group with

71 Vazha-Pshavela Ave.

interests in banking, insurance, property

TEL 224 49 49

development, construction, tourism and

www. nca.ge

other sectors.

The Bank has been operating in Georgia

libeRTy bank

since 2013. Through these years PASHA

74 Chavchavadze Ave.

Bank has been serving large and medium-

TEL 255 55 00

sized enterprises. In 2019 the Bank

www.libertybank.ge

130

finca bank GeORGia

TeRabank

3 Queen Ketevan Ave. TEL 255 00 00

sOcaR GeORGia peTROlium

Gpc

www.terabank.ge

24 300 Aragveli Str.

TEL 294 07 40

TEL 243 92 75, 243 97 77

www.gpc.ge

FUEL COMPANIES Gulf 34 Chavchavadze Ave. TEL 249 64 4 4 www.gulf.ge

www.sgp.ge

6 Sanapiro Str.

PHARMACIES

COMMUNICATIONS COMPANIES

evex meDical cORpORaTiOn

maGTicOm

40 Vazha-Pshavela Ave. TEL 255 05 05

7 A. Politkovskaya Str. TEL 217 00 00

www.evex.ge

wissOl Opposite side of Tbilisi

psp GROup

beeline 8 Gorgasali Str. TEL 220 06 06

International Airport

www.beeline.ge

TEL 218 46 28 www.wissol.ge 148/3 D. Agmashenebeli Ave.TEL 240 20 20, 218 51 11 www.psp.ge

aveRsi ROmpeTROl GeORGia

GeOcell

148 Agmashenebeli Ave.

3 Gotua Str.

TEL 298 78 60

TEL 277 01 77

3 Vl. Vekua Str.

www.aversi.ge

www.geocell.ge

TEL 291 07 27 www.rompetrol.ge

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CHAMBERS IN TBILISI icc 3/29 P. Kakabadze Str. TEL 298 81 76 www.icc.ge

GeORGian chambeR GlObal benefiT Of cOmmeRce anD GeORGia inDusTRy 7a P. Kakabadzr Str. 29 N. Shataidze Str. TEL 269 47 47 www.gcci.ge

TEL 250 00 01

alDaGi 3 Pushkin Str. TEL 244 49 99 www.aldagi.ge

ameRican chambeR The bRiTish Of cOmmeRce GeORGian in GeORGia chambeR Of 36a L. Asatiani Str. cOmmeRce TEL 222 69 07 www.amcham.ge

1 Tabidze 1 Building, 2 Leonidze Str., Regus office TEL 599 465 364 contact@bgcc.org.uk www.bgcc.org.uk

isRael-GeORGia chambeR Of business 4 Freedom Sq. TEL 299 70 35, 299 70 36

The chambeR Of cOmmeRce anD inDusTRy fRance-GeORGia 61 Agmashenebli Ave. TEL 222 69 40 www.ccifg.ge

132

aRDi 3 Vazha-Pshavela Ave. TEL 210 10 10 www.ardi.ge

Gpi hOlDinG 67 Kostava Str. TEL 250 51 11 www.gpih.ge

INSURANCE COMPANIES ic GROup 24 Mosashvili Str. TEL 220 88 88 www.icgroup.ge

imeDi l 9 Anna Politkovskaia Str. TEL 292 22 22 www.imedil.ge

GiDmeDi plus 3 R. Chkheidze Str. TEL 220 25 15, 291 32 19

Advanced Pediatric Care

The Right Pediatrician for your Child!

new hOspiTals 12 Krtsanisi Str. TEL 219 01 90

TODua clinic Comprehensive Healthcare for Infants, Children, and Adolescents

12. Krtsanisi Str.

Routine Check-ups, Immunizations, ะกounseling and Healthcare Packages

amc Tbilisi

24/7 On-Call Pediatrician and Home Visits

Hotline: 250 00 20

TEL 234 81 19, 234 28 30

11 D. Arakishvili Str.

kuZanOv clinic 5 Pekini Str. 24/7 Hotline numbers:

TEL 242 40 05, 555 40 20 20

Tbilisi:* +995 (32) 250 00 20 Batumi: +995 (32) 250 00 77

GeORGian-GeRman clinic meDhOuse

*Includes Gudauri, Svaneti and other regions

7 M. Abashidze Str. TEL 570 10 22 66, 568 05 03 03 Kyiv Odessa Lviv Tbilisi Batumi Almaty Astana

www.amcenters.com

caRaps meDline 48 Ljubljana Str. TEL 251 60 60

CLINICS IN TBILISI

DaviD TaTishvili meDical cenTeR

meDical cenTRe exTRa

7 Abuladze Str.

39 Chavchavadze Ave.

TEL 291 31 19, 291 32 42

TEL 243 43 10, 596 11 43 43

TEL 222 21 55

GeOswiss meDical cenTeR

chachava clinic

meDinvesT

5 Pekini Str.

TEL 295 33 11, 298 73 39

68 Chubinashvili Str.

44/5 Paliashvili Str.

meDihelp

38 Kostava Str.

TEL 236 33 64, 225 08 38, 225 18 90

TEL 225 19 60

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TOURISM INFORMATION CENTERS Tbilisi TOuRism infORmaTiOn cenTeR Pushkin Sq. TEL (+995 595) 215 86 97 Working days: Every day Working hours: 9:00 – 21:00

Tbilisi TOuRism infORmaTiOn cenTeR (Tbilisi inTeRnaTiOnal aiRpORT) Tbilisi International Airport TEL (+995 32) 231 00 07 Working days: Every day / 24/7

mesTia TOuRism infORmaTiOn cenTeR 7 Seti Sq. TEL (+995 5 51) 08 08 94 Working days: Every day Working hours: 10:00 – 18:00 (winter), 9:00 – 18:00 (summer)

kuTaisi TOuRism infORmaTiOn cenTeR 8a Rustaveli Str. TEL (+995 431) 241103 Working days: Every day

Working hours: 10:00 – 18:00 (winter), 9:00 – 18:00 (summer)

GORi TOuRism infORmaTiOn cenTeR 23a Kutaisi Str. TEL (+995 370) 270776 Working days: Every day Working hours: 10:00 – 18:00 (winter), 10:00 – 18:00 (summer)

mTskheTa TOuRism infORmaTiOn cenTeR 3 Arsukidze Str. TEL (+995 32) 2512128 Working days: Every day Working hours: 10:00 – 18:00 (winter), 10:00 – 18:00 (summer)

kvaReli TOuRism infORmaTiOn cenTeR 8 Rustaveli Str. TEL (+995 352) 221340 Working days: Every day Working hours: 10:00 – 18:00 (winter), 10:00 – 18:00 (summer)

siGhnaGhi TOuRism

infORmaTiOn cenTeR 10 Kostava Str. TEL (+995 355) 232414 Working days: Every day Working hours: 10:00 – 18:00 (winter), 9:00 – 18:00 (summer)

Telavi TOuRism infORmaTiOn cenTeR 9 Erekle II Str. TEL (+995 350) 275317 Working days: Every day Working hours: 9:00 – 18:00

bORJOmi TOuRism infORmaTiOn cenTeR Rustaveli Str. TEL (+995 367) 221397 Working days: E very day Working hours: 10:00 – 18:00 (winter), 9:00 – 18:00 (summer)

akhalTsikhe TOuRism infORmaTiOn cenTeR 1 Kharischirashvili Str. TEL (+995 365) 22 50 28 Working days: Every day Working hours: 09:00 - 18:00

134

ambROlauRi TOuRism infORmaTiOn cenTRe

baTumi TOuRism infORmaTiOn cenTeR

17 Vazha-Pshavela Str.

(Central entrance of Boulevard)

TEL (+995 439) 22 16 18

TEL (0422) 29 44 12, 577 90 90 91

Working days: Every day

Working days: Every day

Working hours: 10:00 - 18:00

bOlnisi TOuRism infORmaTiOn cenTeR

2 Ninoshvili Str., Batumi,

baTumi TOuRism infORmaTiOn cenTeR Ski-lift surrounding area TEL (0422) 29 44 10, 577 90 90 93

TEL (+995 358) 22 23 19

Working days: Every day

Working hours: 10:00 - 18:00 (winter),

TIME ZONE GmT + 4 cuRRency Georgian Lari (GEL). One Lari is divided

115 Sulkhan-Saba Str. Working days: Every day

ESSENTIALS

saRpi TOuRism infORmaTiOn cenTeR

into 100 Tetris.

emeRGency - 112 112 can be dialed free of charge from most mobile telephones and landline telephones in order to reach emergency services (ambulance, re and rescue, police).

Sarpi Custom House

Tbilisi inTeRnaTiOnal aiRpORT

TEL (+995 577) 90 90 93

TEL 231 03 41

TEL (+995 5 95) 08 82 19

kObuleTi TOuRism infORmaTiOn cenTeR

kuTaisi inTeRnaTiOnal aiRpORT

Working days: Schedule determined

1 Agmashenebeli Str.

by flights

TEL 0422 29 44 13

9:00 - 18:00 (summer)

kuTaisi TOuRism infORmaTiOn cenTeR (kuTaisi aiRpORT) Kopitnari settlement

baTumi TOuRism infORmaTiOn cenTeR (baTumi inTeRnaTiOnal aiRpORT)

Working days: Every day

TEL 0431 23 70 00

GeORGian Railway TEL 1331, 219 90 10

khulO TOuRism infORmaTiOn cenTeR

GeORGian naTiOnal TOuRism aDminisTRaTiOn

29 M. Abashidze Str.

4 SANAPIRO STR.

Batumi International Airport

TEL (+995 577) 90 90 15

TEL 243 69 99

TEL (0422) 29 44 14

Working days: Every day

Working days: Schedule determined

DialinG cODe:

by flights

+995 32

135

MARABDA HILLS Premium-Class Modern Apartments located in Upper-Vake, with Private Verandas and a three-floor Car Park.

Enjoy the Tbilisi panorama on one side of the residential complex and a recreational zone the other. A path and road from the residence leads to Turtle Lake just 900 meters from Marabda Hills.

This premium-class Emerald Development project kicked off in December 2018 and the underpinning is complete and the construction process is actively ongoing. The Marabda Hills residential house will consist of 57 five-star apartments with private terraces boasting an amazing panoramic view over Tbilisi City.

The project is set for completion by December 2020 The building will be constructed using the highest quality materials as well as Vileroy & Boch coverings and Mitsubishi elevators. The residence is to be equipped with fire protection and a security system. Thermal insulation and hermeticity are provided; heating and cooling systems centralized. The residents will be supplied with water through an autonomous filtering system. The elevator is to work smoothly with the UPS system. A three-floor car park will be arranged to provide comfortable parking.

Marabda Hills is luxury, a project designed with the technologies of upscale global brands. All tenants of the residence are to be served by a 24/7 concierge.

Marabda Hills is for those who want to take a break from the city noise near the city center, in a luxury apartment.

17 Ioane Shavteli Str., Tbilisi +995 32 211 21 21 , info@ambassadori.casino www.ambassadori.casino