If you’ve got some business to do with the government of the Republic of Georgia or you like the idea of staying somewhere that has a police presence nearby, book a room at Shota Rustaveli Boutique Hotel. You’ll be half a block away from the country’s Parliament building.
Besides the government HQ, though, this attractive hotel is also near the metro, the opera house, a premier museum, and some great restaurants. It’s also walking distance to the oldest section of Tbilisi, with more restaurants, shopping, and coffee shops. So this is a convenient spot for anyone visiting the city.
We didn’t have to learn Georgian to communicate with the staffers, thankfully, because have you seen their alphabet? The front desk crew spoke English well and were quite helpful in answering any questions we had or sorting out problems. I was with a travel tour group, and this property got high marks from all of them.
Facilities at Shota Rustaveli
The hotel itself is in a historic building on a hillside, but it only occupies part of it, so it looks like a much bigger property than it is. Really, it has 55 rooms, so it feels intimate, but it’s large enough to have ample facilities. It has an indoor pool long enough for laps, for instance, plus there’s a gym with a range of aerobic equipment and weight machines in good shape.
You have two overall choices for dining and drinking, though there’s only a little overlap in when they’re open. It’s worth getting a rate package that includes breakfast because it’s in an attractive space, and the food is excellent. There’s a continental buffet of items that is extensive and high quality, enough to make a big meal out of even if you didn’t order anything. This included fresh-baked Georgian bread and muffins, as well as fruit, yogurt, and local cheeses.
You can also order one item off the menu, though, from hearty egg dishes to sweet dishes like pancakes. The big hit for us was a decadent eggs Benedict option on a homemade bun with bacon. Not the healthiest choice—despite the greens—but delicious.
This space transitions to one for later meals, but when the weather permits, most people are outside in the evening, dining at the Mel Grano Cafe and Restaurant. This spot has an Italian focus, and if you like the Georgian wine you had with your meal there, the hotel also has its own wine shop where you can buy a bottle to take with you. There’s also a lounge area off the lobby where you can get a drink in the evenings.
Rooms in the Georgian Capital
The Shota website, with a copyright date of 2019 at the bottom, isn’t very useful, with no info about the dining outlets, for example, but it does have a great rundown on your room options. They have pics of what you can expect from a Traveler’s Twin up to an Urban Suite. For the Traveler’s Double, they promise that it is a “very comfortable room which will meet the needs of even most pretentious guests.”
The smallest twin rooms are a decent size (22 square meters minimum,) and the other levels go up from there. All the rooms have hardwood floors and other wood finishes, plus repeated images of the hotel’s namesake on the wall behind the headboard. You will run into Rustaveli’s name all over the capital: he was a famous poet and author in the late 1100s, and his face adorns banknotes, stamps, an avenue name at the bottom of the hill, and is depicted in statues.
Most have a desk and at least one sitting chair or sofa, plus good reading lights by the bed, ample outlets for recharging, and especially attractive bathrooms with the expected toiletries. You will find robes and slippers in the closet, along with an electronic safe. There’s also a tea kettle with tea, a mini fridge, good Wi-Fi, and a large TV.
The Relaxation Room is for couples who want to see each other naked: it’s like a junior suite with everything in one room, including a free-standing bathtub. The suites have a separate living room with a sofa bed, a good bet for families.
Booking a Room in Tbilisi
Prices are quite reasonable across the board in Georgia, and although the Shota Rustaveli is one of the best hotels in the city, the rates won’t set you back very much. Room prices sometimes start below $100, especially in the winter, and max out at around $270 for the largest suite in a peak period week.
The official website only shows rates in Georgian lari, though, and the prices there don’t seem to be updated as much as the ones on the booking platforms. So you might be better off going through one of those to avoid conversion hassles and be sure you’re getting the best price.
Check rates online at Expedia, Booking.com, Agoda.com, or Hotels.com.
Overall, this is a welcoming and stylish hotel that should please most foreign guests spending a few nights in the capital city of the Republic of Georgia.
- Buy Travel Insurance
- Get a Car Rental
Review and photos by Tim Leffel, author of the living abroad book A Better Life for Half the Price. He paid a group rate while escorting a tour of Georgia that included time in the city and at a ski resort up north. As always, all opinions are his own.
