Rooms Kazbegi: Mountain House Chic in Georgia

Usually when I talk about my visit to Georgia, it’s prefaced with- “the country” because it isn’t until relatively recently that it became widely known or written about in America. 

We flew to the Georgian capital of Tbilisi via Moscow, then drove 3 and a half hours straight north near the Russian border to the Kazbegi region along the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range. We stopped along the way at various landmarks- medieval castles with fairytale like-towers, look out points, and the Russia-Georgia Friendship Monument .  Our 3.5 hour drive was a great introduction to Georgia and it’s beauty! Another thing synonymous with Georgia is...good food! The hearty fare- cheese breads and meat stews will fill you up after a day of activities taking in the mountain fresh air.  

Where to Stay: Rooms Kazbegi

Before Georgia achieved independence, the building was actually a Soviet Run sanatorium that was left abandoned for decades.  So, architecturally speaking, the Rooms Hotel embraces post-soviet aesthetic- a rectangular, if not, dark, structure with boxy minimalist rooms, and carefully placed Soviet posters throughout the common areas, giving way to a little nostalgia, all while bringing European Mountain House chic.  We happily spent hours on the deck looking at the mountains while the fog came through.  We loved this hotel.  

Gergeti Trinity Church

A mild but steep hike to the Gergeti Trinity church built in the 14th century.

Eat

Georgian food is perfect to indulge in during a cool night after a day of outdoor activity. Georgian comfort food like cheese breads, vegetable-heavy dips for spreading, hearty stews and potatoes will leave you satisfied (and stuffed!) On our way back to Tbilisi, we stopped for lunch at a vineyard- Georgian wine will leave you impressed!

Trekking

There is so much off-grid trekking to do in the area for all skill levels for just a few hours or multi-day with starting points in nearby remote villages not far from Rooms Hotel.