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Armenia and Georgia

not-bono-ever said:
Oh a thought - I introduced the kids to Georgian food when we were in the Ukraine late last year- all they want now is more Georgian food - even over burgers. I don't know what it is about it , but they are gagging to go to Georgia this summer
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It is stunning stuff! It has all the elements kids like- eggs, cheese, pastry, tomatoey sauces. I mean how genius is Chkmeruli? Garlicky cheesy chicken.

I am hungry at the thought.
 
BassJunkie said:
We're taking our 5 year old daughter to Tbilisi for 4 nights next month, I'm hyped now having read this thread!
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Oh amazing! Matsiminda park, the experimentorium and the open air ethnographic museum all recommended for kids. And the sulphur waterfall. And the funincular railway. The big statue overlooking the city which I always want to call Katniss Dedi (that isn't the right name ;) ) is a long walk but great views and lots of running around space. Old Tbilisi- below the castle is the most beautiful bit. Mstkheta and one of the lakes is worth a day trip.
 
Manter - thank you - you've summed up in one paragraph what I've failed to glean from random googling over the last few months. We will be sure to make use of your recommendations.
 
Georgian Airways have started direct flights from Gatwick to Tblisi. 5 hour flight for about £300 return. This would've been good 6 months ago instead of my long stopover in Warsaw.
 
Thaw said:
Georgian Airways have started direct flights from Gatwick to Tblisi. 5 hour flight for about £300 return. This would've been good 6 months ago instead of my long stopover in Warsaw.
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Weird timings though. We are trying to decide whether we go by GA direct or do a Lufthansa via Munich and spend a few days there (we are flying with a 3 year old....)
 
Manter said:
Weird timings though. We are trying to decide whether we go by GA direct or do a Lufthansa via Munich and spend a few days there (we are flying with a 3 year old....)
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Nightmare arriving at dawn with a smol child - you would need to ensure you have booked a hotel for the previous day , otherwise you will have to wait until they let you in at 12.00 midday or whatever. Its great if you are footloose and fancy free and push on for a few hours and fill that time usefully , not so funny with you have a shattered child ( and I know)
 
We are flying out to Tbilisi two weeks on Saturday :eek: Fortunately with our friends who currently live out there but are in town right now, so we will all go and collapse at their apartment until we can check into our airbnb (their place isn't quite large enough for us to stay)

So three nights Tbilisi, then heading out to Tusheti with our friends, they are just enquiring with local travel agents how much for drivers and accommodation for the trip and have one quote already which seems decent. Basically a 4x4 is requisite to cross the pass into the region and even better a driver with it who knows what they are doing. Not so sure it will thrill the kids, but at least there's 4 of them to play together for the 3 days. I think plan is each day one of us takes turn to watch the kids paddle in a stream and throw rocks at each other while the others hike. I am trying to sell this to my daughter as a unique experience none of her mates will have had. *uploads lots of kids' films to tablet*

Then one night in wine country on way back to Tbilisi, then one night there when we'll probably just crash on our mates' floor, then train to Batumi. Just shortlisting some airbnbs there for three nights. Then probably airport connection coach to Kutaisi, our mates will join us there, we'll do some day trips (Kutaisi itself not that exciting my parents have told me) and we fly back after three nights.

So it's gonna be interesting...
 
Our mates who live out the said their friend went recently and said it was just awesome and she wasn't scared at all. I think it might be at its most manageable this time of year. But yes, still a leeeeetle nervous
 
Our final stretch is around Kutaisi, so have booked a place next to the famous monastery outside town, as I know the town itself isn't all that. Have also hired a 4x4 (only time we're driving in the holiday, as have been assured public transport/walking will be OK for the rest) for those three days, which we might well need to get to place, which has its address as 'Road to Gelati Monastery' ... it hardly cost any more than a normal car anyway. Just need to book Batumi apartment now. We were quite tempted by a flat with giant pink sofas, pink columns, blue underlighting around the edge of the ceilings and bedrooms with giant teddies and random-shaped giant photographic panels above the beds. Sadly it was a bit of a way out of town. I did consider that maybe there is a Taschen book in 'The World's Ugliest Airbnbs'.
 
Finally booked Batumi... a bit nervous with such a multi-centre holiday and hoping I haven't fucked up any booking dates. They *look* like they line up, and we're not arriving anywhere in the middle of the night, so if I have messed it up we'll have time to sort it out! :eek:
 
Crap... having held at cooler but still jeans-and-t-shirt weather it looks like Tusheti is going to be rain and possible single figure temperatures which is going to mean packing a whole separate winter wardrobe just for that bit. And not getting any starry night skies. I fear that stretch might end up four days holed up in a hotel in rainclouds. Ho hum.
 
In Batumi right now. It will be raining all day, ho hum.

Tbilisi was great, we ended up staying a week because mates had to cancel on Tusheti and we didn't want to go without them. Didn't mind too much, as I was equally excited and a bit worried about that stretch in terms of kids' ability to enjoy it, and we hadn't seen much of Tbilisi and its environs.

The food is nice but quite heavy, and it's difficult to find non-Georgian restaurants. We found some lovely ones, mind. Loads of Airbnb around, probably best way to stay.
 
Some redonkulously cheap flights going to George from Luton, at the moment.

I swore before I would never ever return to London Luton. 25 quid flights to Georgia, though.....

Which other towns and places did you really enjoy, Cloo?
 
Last day today... Staying above Kutaisi in the hills next to the Gelati monastery, which is truly stunning and very old. Flight back from local airport at 4pm.

Batumi is a very odd place, worth a short visit. We drove out through a smaller, rather tatty resort called Kobuleti, that gsv and I agreed had a lot of charm.

My parents had said Kutaisi isn't that interesting, but it too is rather attractive in a tumbledown way, and there's lots to see in the area. It helps to hire a car as we have for this stretch (ideally a 4x4, they're not much pricier than standard cars) or you can hire day trip drivers inexpensively.

The Prometheus caves are truly impressive, near here, and the cave city of Uplistsikhe near Stalin's birthplace Gori is awesome - around an hour from Tbilisi. You can fly direct to Tbilisi from Gatwick with Georgian airways, also not expensive and flight was fine, albeit arriving at a stupid early hour.
 
Bumpety bump.
I’m going to Georgia (Batumi) next week - it’s all last minute because I have to leave Turkey and re-enter. Found a cheap ticket and thought going to Georgia would be more interesting than Greece or Bulgaria again.

Any tips for Batumi? I’d love to see some countryside and villages - not really into cities.
 
miss direct said:
Just two days. Only going because I need an exit and entry stamp for Turkey.
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There is some nice street art. (And some really bad stuff!)

Beach, promenade, oligarch spotting, eating. There is enough to keep you entertained for a few days, though it's not my favourite place.
 
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