Communal Hotel Sololaki

Style

Tbilisi on the eye

Setting

Storied Sololaki

The clue’s in the name at Communal Hotel Sololaki, a deftly overhauled 19th-century townhouse where cosy nooks, garden-view terraces and a huge pine dining table invite leisurely Georgian breakfasts, congenial conversation, and general hanging out. The hotel – an endearingly retro mish-mash of art nouveau, art deco and mid-century modern trappings – lies on an unassuming side-street in Old Tbilisi, surrounded by cafés, indie boutiques and multitudinous mediaeval monuments.

Facilities

Rooms

13, of which three are suites.

Checkout

Noon, and check-in is at 3pm. Both are flexible, subject to availability and a 50% charge (until 6pm or from 6am respectively).

More Details

Rates exclude breakfast, but a buffet spread of local delicacies and made-to-order eggs is available for GEL40.

Also

Steep townhouse stairs and no elevator mean that Communal Hotel Sololaki is unfortunately unsuitable if you have mobility issues and/or use a wheelchair.

Free Internet Access

At the Hotel

Free WiFi throughout. In rooms: air-conditioning, smart TV with Netflix, radio, tea- and coffee-maker, minibar, free bottled water, hairdryer and locally made bath products.

Our Favourite Rooms

Drawing inspiration from the bohemian Sololaki neighbourhood and nearby botanical garden, the rooms and suites here all feature bright pops of colour and potted plants. The decadent Bathtub Suite adds (as the name may suggest) a free-standing clawfoot tub, accompanied by views of Mount Mtatsminda and the Tbilisi funicular.

Packing Tips

Nudity is the norm at the hot-spring bath houses in Tbilisi’s ancient Abanotubani district, but shrinking violets may wish to pack modesty-maintaining bath house briefs and bikinis for this authentic geothermal plunge. A Georgian phrasebook to help with ‘hello’, ‘thank you’ and ‘now, where did I leave my smalls?’ also wouldn’t go amiss.

Also

The Communal Hotel group has equally swish stays in Telavi and Kutaisi, if you’re considering exploring the wider country on a twin-centre trip.

Children

There are no specific facilities for Little Smiths at Communal Hotel Sololaki, where rooms have a maximum occupancy of two people.

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

Staff are on hand to hustle you tables at the best Old Tbilisi hotspots and restaurants-with-views.

Hotel Restaurant

Breakfast is served around a large communal table, with buffet Georgian specialities, an à la carte menu of cooked-to-order hot dishes, and tea and coffee on tap. There’s no restaurant here but guests in search of modern Georgian or Levantine cuisine should make for Craft and Weller respectively, both at Smith-approved sister stay Communal Hotel Plekhanovi, just across the river.

Hotel Bar

Retreat to the garden terrace with a Negroni from the trolley, and hit up knowledgeable staff for directions to Sololaki’s coolest new cocktail joints.

Room Service

None, but you can have breakfast brought up to your room if you’re not a morning person.

Planes

Tbilisi International Airport lies east of the city centre, a 30- to 40-minute cab ride from the hotel. A one-way transfer costs around GEL70 (US$25).

Trains

Transfers from Tbilisi train station cost GEL20–30 (US$7–10) one-way. Or you can hop on the metro to Liberty Square, a kilometre from the hotel.

Automobiles

Tbilisi’s reliable bus and metro networks mean city sightseers have little need for their own set of wheels. Cars are available to rent at the airport should you plan a multi-centre trip to one of Communal’s other Smith-approved stays.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

Cameras at the ready: the cobbled lanes of Old Tbilisi are full of eye-popping architectural surprises, each distinct style marking a different chapter in Georgia’s storied past. Crooked mediaeval clock towers and ancient city walls rub shoulders with brutalist Soviet-era apartment blocks, vintage scooters prop up collapsing Italianate mansions, and the domes of the Abanotubani bath houses undulate like desert dunes in a Persian fairytale.

The baths – sulphurous underground thermal springs – are bucket-list material. Choose from public or private, authentic or upscale, and book an exfoliating kisi scrub while you’re there. The bath houses are overlooked by the imposing Narikala fortress, an ancient Persian citadel that’s best reached by cable car from Rike Park or via the rather more challenging (but no less scenic) old Betlemi Street Stairs from Sololaki.

Even those with glutes of steel will likely opt to ride the funicular up to the Mount Mtatsminda viewpoint, for some of the best skyline views in town. Get higher still on Mtatsminda Amusement Park’s old-school Ferris wheel. Or, for something a little more down-to-earth, the National Botanical Garden of Georgia – all 161 hectares of it – lies in the nearby Tsavkisis-Tskali Gorge.

Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt

This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .