no peaches in this Georgia
The view from our room at Hotel Tsiga in Gudauri
why Visit Georgia?
When we mentioned our trip to Georgia to other people (and even when you google it) what comes up most often is the peach state in the southern part of the United States. We never heard of this Georgia either prior to moving to the United Arab Emirates and after visiting, we can’t recommend it enough. Beautiful landscapes, four seasons, nice people, delicious food & so much to do!
Georgia was initially going to be the location of our very small (read: just the two of us) destination wedding; Omarion happened and the world took yet another turn so we ended up staying home & got married in Dubai…but since we still had the non-refundable plane tickets on FlyDubai, we made good use of them!
This was our first time visiting a post-soviet country and our first time in the Caucasus region. The Caucasus is at the intersection of Asia and Europe. We would be remiss if we didn't discuss the elephant in the room -being in a Caucasian country as a Black couple. As Americans, we assumed Caucasian is white. Now, we weren’t fully wrong there, but this trip changed our perspective of the word Caucasian because Georgians actually come from a very diverse history that is different from what we know of the white folks in America. Coincidentally, one of the main roads through its capital city is named after George W. Bush and there are statues of Ronald Reagan in the city as well. This comes from the United States protecting them from Russia during the Cold War which we found interesting since these presidents weren’t the most loved by Black folks in America. The historic protection of the US military caused an enthusiasm within the Georgians we met once they heard we were American, skin color aside.
Georgia is a 3-hour direct flight from Dubai, & is located just south of Russia, with the Black sea to one side and Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Turkey on the other. If you know anything about the Silk Road, you can imagine the rich history that this place must've seen over the years. You'll find Persian, Mongolian, and of course many Soviet influences in your travels throughout the country.
Georgia follows the Orthodox calendar which celebrates Christmas on January 7 ( along with Russia, Ethiopia, Greece & others…) so although our trip was from December 31st to January 7th, it still fell before Orthodox Christmas. This meant we were able to enjoy all the Christmas festivities, markets and Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas Is You on repeat.
We stayed for one week but Georgia is definitely still worth visiting even if you only have 3-4 days. With our expat home, the UAE, becoming more popular as a travel destination for Americans- we highly suggest that new visitors check out our Top 10 Reasons to visit Georgia when visiting the UAE if you have the extra time.
Driving Routes & suggestions:
The view as we ascended the mountain from the Gergeti Trinity Church in Kazbegi
We recently discovered how much we LOVEEEEE road tripping in other countries whenever it’s possible. Renting a car in Georgia was super affordable so we had the car for our entire trip. Here is a list of all the routes we took, and which routes we do and do not recommend:
Tblisi to Kazbegi (about 2 hours)
We drove during a snowstorm and at night. You will want to make sure you leave early enough so you’re not doing night driving on the mountain. If we could do it again we would have left earlier in the morning when traffic is lighter and well before sunset.
Kazbegi to Gudauri (about 1 hour)
Not too difficult. It’s on the way down from Kazbegi but there are sharp turns and narrow roads so be careful and stay alert. If you have driven on tight narrow mountain drives- you might be okay.
Gudauri to Telavi (about 3 hours)
You’re much better off driving back to Tbilisi and then heading to Telavi, so we do not recommend this trip. In the winter time, you will experience everything from icy roads, possibly snow, rocky/gravel roads, and very sharp turns etc. so unless you rent an SUV and are a very confident driver, definitely drive from Telavi back to Tblisi (or simply use one of the organized tours to take you to and from Telavi and then if you want, you can still use the car for the remainder of your trip.)
Telavi to Tbilisi (about 2 hours)
Easy scenic beautiful drive. We made one stop along the way at Ujarma Fortress which is pretty nice and gives Game of Thrones vibes.
WHAT TO DO IN TBLISI
The Peace Bridge is the glass structure located in the center of the picture
Tblisi is the capital city and there is a lot to do here, places to eat and sights to see. You could spend about 4-5 days here if you don’t have much time to venture around the rest of the country. But if you have time-make sure you explore beyond Tblisi. Here is what you should check out in the capital city:
Freedom Square- Basically the downtown area of the city and a good place to purchase sim cards once you arrive.
Narikala Fortress-We didn’t climb up but if you have time, you should! We just took photos from the outside and walked around the rest of the city.
Bridge of Peace- Beautiful pedestrian glass bridge in the city. Worth checking out and taking pictures of the city from. Watch out for hagglers trying to sell you things every 5 footsteps.
Caucasian Carpets Gallery- Amazing family owned shop to buy authentic Georgian rugs and carpets. A little pricey, but one of only genuine textile shops in town & recommended by all locals. Great souvenir to take back with you!
Old Town- Markets, food, beautiful old buildings. Great place to check out for sight seeing and lunch.
Bazari Orbeliani- New indoor market that just opened in town. Great place to buy souvenirs, eat and walk around. It’s within a 10 minute walking distance to Freedom Square.
Sulfur baths-This is one of the coolest experiences. So relaxing and refreshing. Melody went solo as this isn’t really Garvin’s thing. You have access to a a hot sulfur bath, a cold pool, showers, and sauna. Optional Kisi scrub for about 20GEL, (about $5.00) extra- I recommend getting one if you don’t mind having someone clean you like a newborn. At first, it felt a little weird, but the woman who did mine was great- it’s up to you if you want to be completely naked or not. The people are there to do a job, and clean you as they would back in the day so if you keep that in mind it does make it less awkward. All the spas are located in the same area right in the city. I went to Gulo’s which is supposedly the most authentic experience, its clean, basic and simple. One of the more luxury and most popular options though is Chreli-Arbano.
Tea House & Museum - We are tea lovers and this is a must visit if you are also. The proprietor walked us through a tea tasting as if it was a wine tasting which was a first for us. We only wished we had more time as we were coming up on our dinner reservations. Budget 45 minutes here if you can.
Gudauri
Freezing my arse off near the ski lifts in Gudauri
Gudauri is beautiful! Especially in the winter when most people come here to go skiing & snowboarding. We decided to try skiing for the first time; Garvin was not very enthusiastic about it but we both did pretty decent after a 2-hour lesson. They usually have 2 timing options- 10:30am and 2:30pm. We were actually driving out of the city on this day, so it was a good thing we picked the earlier timing. I wouldn’t recommend leaving the town after a ski lesson otherwise you might really be in for a driving adventure like we were. We booked our lessons in advance with Vagabond Adventures. The ski companies typically partner with rental companies for ski gear. Vagabond partners with a rental company called Aviator who were not very helpful and a bit rude so we wouldn’t recommend spending your money here if you can help it. Our actual lessons and instructor were great though…highly recommend skiing at least once in your life, especially in Georgia where it’s much cheaper to do compared to places like France or Switzerland.
telavi
View from the dinning room of Ibero Winery in Telavi
Telavi is a must visit in Georgia- especially if you like wine. It is by far the best wine we have ever had in our lives and we learned so much about it while we were there because it is actually the birth place of wine in case you didn’t know! Telavi is located in the Kakheti region along with Signagi. We decided to skip Signagi since we were told that it’s overly crowded and touristy. You will want to visit a few wineries and you should absolutely book a wine tour in order to do this. Some of the information we found suggested the same thing. At first, we didn’t understand why it was necessary and thought it seemed a little pricey, but after doing it-we highly recommend it and think it’s a great value for the money. The tour companies will pick you up from Tblisi and take you to Telavi and you can book a tour for 1-2 days. Essentially, they take you to a few wineries, spend the whole day with you, translate where necessary, and take you to visit major attractions in Telavi which is great. If you do have a car, you shouldn’t drive on the day you do the wine tour for obvious reasons. We were already in Telavi, so the company just picked us up from our hotel.
winerys in telavi
Us with the proprietors of the Ibero Winery
First things first, they will give you so much wine you will probably be lit after the first stop-they call them degustations however this is an understatement because it’s much more than a “tasting.” They basically give you a quarter of a glass for each type of wine- at the first place we had about 6 glasses of wine per person and a few shots of Chaha (the Georgian version of vodka). Our driver complimented us for being able to drink well and he mentioned that he often has to carry people fireman style and throw them in the van by the end of the night (LOL)…..so definitely pace yourself throughout the day as they will keep offering you wine but you can tell them when you hit your limit especially if it’s only the first or second place. Although we did well, there is no doubt that we were lit AF though by the end of it all. It was so much fun and you definitely should not skip the wine tour while in Telavi.
We didn’t actually plan to buy a lot of wine to bring back with us because we didn’t save room for the extra weight. But we ended up purchasing 3 bottles of our favorite wines and other souvenirs duty free at the airport. I recommend doing this as you save on taxes and also won’t have to worry about the wine adding weight to your baggage if you buy anything else during your stay.
KAZBEGI
Kazbegi (also referred to as Stepantsminda)- is less than 15 minutes from the Russian border and hosts many mountainside hotels boasting jaw dropping views of nature. Below are some of the recommended attractions to visit.
The Gergeti Trinity Church (pictured left)- the best views can be seen from here as you’re atop one of the mountains surrounding Kazbegi. If you have a rental car, just start driving toward the church and you’ll see several 4WD van drivers waiting nearby to take tourists up the mountain. ProTip: it’s better that you do this early in the morning before the crowds.
Dariali Monastery Complex- This is also a really cool place with nice views. It’s not a steep drive and you can make this trip on your own even under the worse conditions as it’s right off the military/commerce road. You can also see the Russian border from this area which is cool. The drive here is one of the best in Georgia as well, looks very similar to driving in Ras al Khaimah, UAE in the winter time. Well… minus the snow of course.
Dariali Monastery Complex
Terek Valley View Point- You MUST stop at this view point which was even more beautiful than the monastery complex in our opinion. This was a stop on our way to Dariali Monastery Complex but it can be accessible on the way back as well. It’s equidistant between the complex and the Kazbegi town center. Highly recommend stopping here. If you do, tag us on Instagram to show us how it looks in the Spring, Summer or Fall. Oh, and PLEASE be careful! The views are amazing but there are no guardrails or safety signs so keep your head on a swivel.
Terek Valley View Point
where to stay
As you'll come to learn from reading this blog, Garvin is the picky one when it comes to places to stay. Melody is the one who can stay anywhere with four walls and a toilet whereas I prefer a bit of the niceties in life. Most people pick a hotel based on similar standards to where they live. It's me, I'm most people. Now I hear you: you might be the person who says "But you only sleep and shower in the room it doesn't have to be nice." By all means if that person is you, then you may take my hotel reviews with the largest grains of salt, like those big salt rocks that come in grinders for seasoning…those boulders of salt. But! If you are similar to me and like the nicer things in life while on vacation, then you'll enjoy what I have to say about where we stayed in Georgia. (Coming soon)
FOODS to try in georgia
Churchkhela (before it’s cut)
Kachapuri- This is hands down the best thing in Georgia. It’s like a combination of cheesy bread and a pastry. You can get it at any Georgian restaurant. They have different versions such as with herbs and without herbs. The best version of it is the Christmas Pie at a restaurant called Lamissi which may only be seasonal to the Christmas season.
Kinkhali- Dumplings with soup inside…also really good. They hold a lot of liquid so be prepared to slurp them up when you take your first bite. You can get beef, mixed meat, potato and more. Pro-tip: take a small bite out the bottom to air it out as they are piping hot!
Wine & Chaha- We’ve already mentioned the wine in Georgia…it is not to be missed. If you’re there around Christmas be sure to try glintwine ( mulled wine). And Chacha (the Georgian version of vodka)….drink at your own risk.
Tklapi- basically a healthier version of a fruit roll up. These can be found anywhere in a variety of flavors and they are really good.
Churchkhela- hardened nuts and fruit juice and great for if you’ll be hiking or need extra energy for a road trip (bonus point, they’re vegan). They’re really tasty, healthy and only contain about 3-4 ingredients.
Corn bread - not what you think when you order cornbread but a great hearty meal none the less. Think more mashed potato than blue box Jiffy.
Kharcho- Hearty beef stew often served with the cheesy corn bread. Delicious! We had this at the Esquisse Hotel in Telavi & highly recommend if you stay there.
Chicken Satsivi- Chicken served in a cold walnut and garlic sauce. A little different eating cold meat, but good and flavorful nonetheless.
Full review of restaurants coming soon.
