The Best Places to Stay in Georgia with Unforgettable Views

Long before the ‘forest bathing’ trend took off, Bioli medi-spa was taking advantage of the healing powers of thick woodland. Set on the verdant slopes outside Kojori, a 40-minute drive from capital Tbilisi, its modern, glass-fronted cabins on stilts are designed in harmony with the trees all around – communal areas have grassy living roofs, balconies put you eye-to-eye with leafy canopies, and Nordic Walking sessions get you out into nature.

Not all travel sights are on the ground – some are more celestial, as you’ll see when stargazing from this chic mountain refuge. While the clear-cut constellations are worth staying up for, the daytime views from the hotel itself – its hip, cosy and artfully unpolished rooms, glass-walled indoor pool and vast wooden deck – are just as head-spinning. Treks out to waterfalls, high-altitude villages and churches suit active adventurers, and keep those photogenic landscapes coming.

Another base in mountain-hugged Kazbegi, affordable Porta Caucasia serves up adventurer’s-dream views, even from the comfort of your breakfast-buffet table. A prominent wooden deck protrudes into the scenery, with a retractable roof that rolls back on fine days to add some sun to proceedings; rooms with balconies are tremendous value (though decor is rather simple and old fashioned), so more than worth the splurge for the fresh air and gorgeous scenery on tap.

You may come to Kvareli to explore the Kakheti wine region – Georgia being the oldest wine making country in the world – but you’ll stay for the lakeside serenity of this sharply-designed spa lodge. With boxy, tiered balconies gazing out at rippling waters on one side, and a patchwork of green valley on the other, it’s fantastically stylish for somewhere that’s about the outdoors. Luxury-loving fitness fans can alternate lounging by the lake-view pool with water-skiing, powerboating and cycling excursions.

The architect of this hotel really leaned into Georgia’s fairytale landscapes, adding jaunty turrets and half-timbered towers that seem airlifted from Disneyland. It works beautifully, though, with the forested emerald hillside on which it sits – even more ravishing blanketed by winter snow – beside the Georgian spa town that’s famous for its healing mineral water. Take your reusable bottle to Borjomi Central Park to try its slightly salty, fizzing and supposedly cure-all spring water, then retreat to this hotel’s lavish indoor pool and spa facilities, and expensively furnished rooms.

Deep in nature outside southwestern coastal spot Batumi, Mtirala National Park is a pixie’s glen of untamed forest, dew-sprinkled ferns, frothing cascades and clear jade pools. It’s the ideal setting for an eco-glampsite, where rustic treehouses, back-to-basics wooden huts and stone-built cabins have a hippyish, commune feel. Guests are invited to mingle – on hikes, at yoga classes and pottery workshops – but most strike out to meditate on views of misty treetops and mountain-side sunsets. A dream for urban types who crave a simpler way of life.

Up at 2,200 metres, with no neighbours for miles around, this wooden lodge is a true retreat from the world. Encircled by mountains on the edge of a lake, its huge windows fill the cafe with light and scenery, while deckchairs, beanbags and hammocks scattered outside are where guests go to bask in the fresh air and watch ponies graze nearby. Jut’a is a popular base for hikers, and that’s reflected in Fifth Season’s rustic interiors: wood-cabin walls, slanted roofs and bunk beds (there are doubles, too).

In another idyllic mountain pasture near Jut’a, Zeta is a no-frills campsite with a sprinkling of tents and a main building, plus a scattering of loungers, benches and hammocks from which to enjoy the undulating scenery and expansive skies. More important than the digs is its range of activities and excursions, covering hiking, horse-riding, mountain-biking and climbing, and, in spring, skiing. This is a convivial spot where confident campers are bound to meet like-minded explorers.

Svaneti is one of the most remote and beautiful corners of Georgia, up in the north, and home to tiny medieval villages, family-run guesthouses and taverns, and a unique culture. This quaint cluster of wooden huts let the mountain landscapes do the talking, whether surrounded by wildflowers or carpeted in snow; balconies open to the elements are strung with simple hammocks, and loveseats made from tree trunks face dizzying valley vistas. Nights around the campfire and days out on hiking trails will thrill outdoorsy travellers in search of something wholesome.