Communal Hotel Kutaisi

Style

For the quaint hearted

Setting

On the Rioni

In the storied old quarter of Georgia’s sun-blessed city, Communal Hotel Kutaisi resides in a charming 19th-century townhouse. The characterful interiors nod to Kutaisi’s artistic and literary heritage, and the restaurant’s shared dining table continues local traditions of breaking clay-oven-baked bread together by candlelight. Cross the nearby Rioni river and you’ll be following in the legendary footsteps of Jason and the Argonauts, or work on your golden tan by the hotel’s pool – no fleeces needed, unless venturing into the Caucasus Mountains.

Facilities

Rooms

10, including four 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 GEL30 (US$10).

Also

The restaurant, pool, and ground-floor rooms are accessible for guests with some mobility.

Free Internet Access

Pool

On-Site Restaurant

At the Hotel

Courtyard, and free WiFi throughout. In rooms: air-conditioning, smart TV, Roberts radio, minibar, De’Longhi coffee machine (in suites), tea-making kit, pool towels, and locally made bath products.

Our Favourite Rooms

Expect individually styled interiors and alternative layouts from each room and suite at Communal Hotel Kutaisi, which follows the original floor plan of the 19th-century house to every last antique-filled nook and cranny. A polo-playing pattern adorns the walls, headboard, and lampshades of one room; artworks depicting Caucasian wildlife hang in another. To soak up some folklore, ask for the suite with the clawfoot tub – it stands under a frieze of the legendary Jason (the Greek hero famously retrieved the golden fleece from Colchis, an ancient kingdom now thought to be in western Georgia).

Poolside

Nicknamed Georgia’s ‘city of eternal sunshine’, Kutaisi is blessed with relatively balmy year-round temperatures – making the hotel’s outpool pool a hot commodity, especially once summer rolls around. There are striped deckchairs and sunloungers to bask on, and tasselled parasols for shade.

Packing Tips

Bring some sturdy boots to tackle the various hiking trails just outside Kutaisi, and a copy of Tony Anderson’s 'Bread & Ashes' documenting his travels from the Caspian to the Black Sea.

Also

The Communal Hotel group has equally swish stays in Tbilisi, if you’re considering a twin-centre trip with time in the Georgian capital.

Children

All ages are welcome, but little Smiths aren’t especially catered to.

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

The cosiest table is by the original ceramic fireplace (you’ll also have a close-up view of the old Kutaisi maps on the walls).

Dress Code

There’s no need to go full chokha, donning a bohemian blouse or folk-themed jewellery will do.

Hotel Restaurant

Dishing up Western Georgian cuisine for breakfast, lunch and dinner (plus weekend brunch) from its traditional clay oven, the Doli restaurant draws on Imeretian and Mingrelian flavours and generations-old recipes. Start with the kvari cheese dumplings, then share the gobi (which translates as ‘friends’ bowl’) – a large, rustic pot filled to the brim with a mixture of Georgian classics and topped with as many spoons as you might need.

Hotel Bar

Tucked into the Doli, the hotel’s bar supplies diners and poolside loungers with jugs of homemade lemonade, fruit-filled kompoti, and chilled bottles of craft beer. The wine list favours local vineyards (including some which follow the ancient winemaking method using terracotta amphora buried underground to ferment) and unusual labels from small Eastern European producers.

Room Service

Breakfast can be ordered up to the room, but you’ll need to dine at the Doli for other meals.

Planes

Flights from Budapest, Vienna, Athens and more touch down at Kutaisi International, which is just 30 minutes away by car, and the hotel can help with private transfers on request. Otherwise, fly directly to Tbilisi International and make the three-hour drive to Kutaisi.

Trains

A regular shuttle connects Kutaisi airport with Kopitnari train station in under 30 minutes; those travelling from Tbilisi can take the daily rail connection to Kutaisi and arrive within four hours.

Automobiles

Free-roaming farm animals, changeable weather conditions and questionable signage are just a few reasons why driving in Georgia shouldn’t be undertaken lightly. There’s no parking at the hotel either, so we’d recommend letting an experienced local take the wheel.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

Communal Hotel Kutaisi is a five-minute walk from the White Bridge (inscribed with famous lines of Georgian poetry) which crosses the Rioni river into the city centre. As the ancient capital of Georgia, and now a Unesco City of Literature, Kutaisi is brimming with artistic institutions to visit – including the Meliton Balanchivadze State Professional Opera and Ballet Theater and David Kakabadze Kutaisi Art Gallery. One of Kutaisi’s most iconic artworks can be viewed from the street (4 Varlamishvili Street, to be exact): the large-scale With Love mural painted by Ukrainian artist Sasha Korban of an elderly local, Dali Doghonadze, who still bakes cheese-filled khachapuri bread near Gelati Monastery. Mornings are best spent perusing the vibrant stalls at the Green Bazaar, an indoor farmers’ market selling fresh persimmons, marigold bouquets, spices, cheeses, second-hand books and other lovely things. Pick up some churchkhela (strings of candied nuts) and wander over to Kutaisi Park, passing the dazzling golden animals of Colchis Fountain and Soviet-era Kolkheti relief (depicting scenes from the Jason and Medea myth) en route.

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. .