Hotel 5-Star di Kakheti, Georgia

A little bit remote part of Telavi, but cosy and silent stay. The restaurant has rather good breakfast, for supper is also ok with the prices a little bit higher than the middle in Telavi, but only a little bit. Very romantic view on the opposite side of Alazan valley (be sure you booked the room to this side, the opposite one is nothing special). No local public transport, taxi drivers are coming quick usually. Good location to start the trip Gremi - Alaverdi - Shuamta and return back. Any taxi drivers are ready to do it, 60-70 lari (local currency, 1/3 of euro approximately). Two swimming Pools, one was useless (too cold in January), the other is mostly for couples with baby's, small and with high water temperature, too hot to swim. Reception staff speaks also russian and english, rather focused on your comfortable stay, no problem to communicate.

I had a nice stay with great amenities, beautiful grounds, a delicious breakfast, and a comfortable bed. However, the service upon arrival and check-in could be more welcoming, and the WiFi signal was weak.

Before coming to Georgia, I wasn't particularly interested in wine estates, but during my research, Tsinandali really caught my attention. I scoured Xiaohongshu for posts about the Tsinandali Estate, and now it's my turn to give back. 1. Everyone's impression of it: My chartered driver and guide, whenever I mentioned staying in Tsinandali, everyone would give a thumbs-up. For somewhat reserved Georgians, this seemed like the highest praise. This further solidified my decision to stay here for two days. 2. On Google Maps, you can see many accommodations with the 'Tsinandali' tag nearby, ranging in different price points. This vast land belongs to the same owner, including the museum, offering options for all budgets. After exploring on foot, the Tsinandali Estate is indeed the best, which I'll elaborate on later. 3. Regarding the service staff on this estate, don't compare the Tsinandali Estate to the usual Radisson hotel service standards. The 'aunties' working on the ground floor and the security guards here are mostly local elderly women and men. Perhaps this is the owner's care for former tenants. Aside from the younger staff, most of the older generation don't understand English, even simple words like 'water' or 'bye-bye.' But that doesn't diminish my positive feelings towards them. Things you can do here: 1. The hotel has a hidden room in the -1 basement. Go find it yourself; it's like Platform 4.1/3 from Harry Potter. 2. The hotel's lighting design is absolutely stunning. You could compile an album of the lights, I'm waiting for it! 3. The hotel offers Russian steam baths and wine baths + massages. Compared to five-star hotels in China, the prices here are definitely worth it. I tried to book on the same day but couldn't get an appointment. I bought a swimsuit and went to the steam room after swimming. You can see various massage and steaming services in the pictures. 4. The welcoming dog at the entrance – I wish someone would tell me its name. In the morning, I told it I was going to the museum, and it followed me closely, constantly looking back to make sure I was keeping up. It led me directly to the ticket office. It definitely understands Chinese! 5. You can book cooking classes here, masterclasses, and various culinary workshops. The prices are appealing, but they require a minimum of two people. 6. You can visit the museum and also enjoy wine. There's a free guided tour. Admission is 10 Lari, and with 3 glasses of wine, it's 25 Lari. If you chat with the old gentleman about what kind of wine you like, he'll let you taste them all, not limited to three glasses. I prefer sweet wine, and he let me taste a 2018 bottle. You can ask him to open it for you to take back to your room. Bought it, drank it, happy! 7. There are other vineyard tours available, requiring a minimum of 4 people and lasting about 3 hours. There are also specialized wine tasting courses. The prices are all reasonable; I've posted pictures, so you can take your time to look them over. 8. Most importantly, rooms 444 and 344 face the snowy mountains (no balcony). You can try to request these room types. The views from all rooms are great. I didn't want a room near the elevator, so I ended up with a corner room, but the view was unbeatable. The rooftop pool also faces the snowy mountains. There are loungers on the top floor; grab a bottle of red wine, and life feels truly worthwhile! 9. Oh, and hotel massages must be booked in advance. They offer excellent value for money.

Our opening in Georgia. Two times on May holidays. Live in different rooms. Two-room room with mountain view impressed especially. Rarely write positive reviews but it is one of the best hotel parks I have visited. The only minus is part of young staff, especially guys from the checkpoint at the entrance (in addition to bad manners, very weak English and lack of knowledge of Russian).

The hotel is located on a hill overlooking the sights of Sighnaghi. It's much more convenient if you have a car, but if not, the hotel can help you arrange a taxi for getting around. The facilities, views, and service are all top-notch.

Great family hotel!! Very friendly staff, warm pool, great atmosphere! Would love to visit again