Batumi disappointed me in the best way possible
I don’t usually write about my travel experiences but since so many people have been asking me about my vacation in Batumi, Georgia and the fact that there isn’t much about this beautiful city online, I decided to write this story of how I ended up having the most beautiful disappointment as a vacation.
I had been wanting to go on a vacation for a while but my busy schedule was preventing me to do so and when I finally had the time to plan for it, all the prices had become unaffordable or I couldn’t find a spot to apply for a Visa.
All I wanted was to go to a new scenic place with lots of sun and a beautiful beach… but alas, I couldn’t find anything. It was at that time that I decided to go ask a travel agency for help since I usually do everything on my own. I took my problem to the professionals at Akwaba Travel (Instagram: @akwabatravel) and Fawzi tried to find me a Visa appointment first and then suggested Batumi in Georgia, where no visa is required. He said it had beaches so I was in before fully checking what’s waiting for me.
He found me an affordable plane ticket and sent me a list of suggestions for hotels; I decided to go with Piazza Four Colors at the center of the city’s main attractions. This was 3 weeks before my heaven-on-earth vacation started.
A week later, Fawzi sends me a message apologizing because the hotel cancelled on us due to an event they were hosting. Naturally, I was super upset as now, I would have to pay more to find something of the same caliber around the same area. However, Akwaba Travel sent me a suggestion of other hotels, with upgraded offers which they covered themselves and I didn’t have to pay an extra dime; so everything was back on track.
July 5 came and I was set to go to the sunny, beachy city of Batumi. I got to the airport at around 8 AM and saw what my heart couldn’t bear; it was raining with no hope of sunshine for the coming two days.
I took a travel guide from the airport, exchanged my dollars to Georgian Lari and decided to explore the city and not be discouraged.
I got a cab (which naturally ripped me off) and reached Adjara Boutique Hotel where one person could speak some English as I was trying to explain that I’m early for my check-in but I can wait. They wouldn’t have it and escorted me to my room on the first floor.
The City
Batumi in itself is a beachy area with a long boulevard strip, lots of gardens and greenery, fountains and an incredible mix of old buildings and new modern pieces of weirdly attractive architecture.
You can go around the city by bike, walking, bus or taxi; it’s a small city but depending on how long your stay is and how much you want to cover you will decide on the method of transportation. If you choose to take the travel guide from the airport (which I recommend), it will give you a good estimate on how much each trip would cost by each method of transportation; time and money wise.
The Main Attractions
The most famous place in Batumi is probably the Alphabetic Tower which is a cylinder shaped tower covered with the letters of the Georgian Alphabet. It hosts three levels at the top; a restaurant, a cafe and a bar.
I tried the rib-eye steak with grilled vegetables on the side and a glass of local dry red wine (see above) at the revolving restaurant and it was probably the best $29 I had ever spent. The tower overlooks the entire city, the attraction park with a huge FerrisWheel and the sea from another side so the view was nothing less than breathtaking!
I walked to the tower on the long boulevard (which is an amazing place in itself) and through the adjacent park and had succulent Oreo ice cream rolls on the way back. It was cloudy but the sun was peaking through the clouds on the horizon before it set at around 8–9 PM. (I like long days on a vacation)
There’s something interesting anywhere you go. There’s a little white hat or dolphin-shaped building next to the fountains as you leave the alphabet tower area; That building is known as the House of Marriage where people can get married kind of Vegas style and it’s only recognized in Georgia (I read on the travel guide).
Pulling a Ross and Rachel with minimum consequences is possible here :P if you don’t choose to seal it off at the House of Justice.
The Piazza is the area where you can see most tourists hanging out. There’s a big place filled with different kinds of restaurants and cafes surrounded by amazing buildings and a clock tower. Make sure to visit the Piazza at the top of the hour to enjoy a little surprise chiming from the clock.
I tried a restaurant called Mimino there and we had everything pork; Georgian Pork dumplings called Khinkali, BBQ pork and a pork with vegetables dish which name I couldn’t memorize. If you’re obsessed with Debes el Remmen (Pomegranate Molasses) like I am, you will want to order the Masharapa sauce (I’m not sure of the name but it’s close to that).
The dancing fountain and attraction park; On the opposite side of the city, you will find an attraction park, mainly for kids, along the coast and a series of football, volleyball, etc playgrounds. Next to the park, there’s river/lake which hosts the dancing fountain and at night you get to see a light show on the water as it dances and swivels.
I wanted to try the Ranger at the park because it was the most interesting; DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE what it can do to your stomach. It’s an amazingly amazing adrenaline rush but it will turn your stomach. If you’ve tried the Pirate Ship rides, this would be the next step. It goes a full 360 and you will be hanging upside down. Don’t wear any loose jewelry, and grab your bags very tightly or leave them on the ground if you want to try it.
The buildings and parks; if you’re into architecture or sightseeing for its sake, you will enjoy walking through the parks and the city. The parks are huge and they hide some interesting little treasures like beautiful fountains, a big chess board, an alley that contains ping pong tables for the public, the summer theater and many other things that will fill your Instagram feed.
If you’re lucky to catch the sun at the golden hour peaking through the trees, you’re in for a delight.
The buildings have the same effect, there’s a lot to look at between the old and the new. Weird towers neighboring multicolored houses with lots and lots of balconies and flower pots will give you a feeling like you’re walking through a painting.
The museums; Batumi has many museums but I only wanted to visit 3; The Adjara Art Museum and The Adjara Museum, (the Nobel museum of Technology was on my list but I got lazy). The first is a two floored building displaying different painting styles and statues by local artists since the 50s. The second will tell you the story of city and show you its Flora and Fona, folklore, down to the types of soil and rocks it has through ways of life, fashion, etc..
If you like hiking, wineries and camping, the city has 3 huge, and I mean super huge parks and areas where you can do these things.
The botanical gardens, which is a 3 kms walk through amazing plants was also on my to-do-list along with the technology museum.
Something I didn’t do although it was the closest attraction to my hotel (2 minute walk) was the Dolphinarium simply because I will never encourage what happens to animals in that kind of shows… I may be wrong about the one in Batumi but I didn’t want to find out.
The Beach
This for me was the most important part of my vacation as I wanted to spend most of my trip by the beach. It’s a pebbly beach with some black sand but you will need the special grandma shoes (as my friend put it) to walk comfortably. You can find them with sellers at the beach as you will see many. They’re sold for around 15 Lari a pair, but I think you can bargain a little.
Things to not do at the beach: don’t buy drinks from the sellers as they will sell them at double or triple the prices, a beer is for around 5 Lari, depending on whether it’s imported or not.
The beaches in Georgia are public and you can rent a long chair for 3 Lari and an umbrella if you need.
The sun will be at the top of the sky for a big part of the day so don’t be fooled and use sunscreen if you don’t want to get burnt or go to the beach after 4 (it will still feel like 2 in Lebanon).
You can listen to music on a speaker but playing it a bit too loud will make people ask you to lower it down, if it’s not the kind of music they like. We were playing a mix of techno, psy trance, house, metal, and pop.
Pampering yourself; I’m a big massage fan and since I was on vacation, I wasn’t gonna miss an opportunity. I had a great massage at the luxurious Hilton hotel which was across the park from my hotel. I went in for a session without booking but they had an empty spot after 45 minutes so I helped myself to the facilities; you have pool, sauna, steam and transition lounge access when you purchase a massage session. It was a day of pure relaxation; the sauna overlooks the outside terrace and it was raining so it was a super peaceful experience. I had an hour-long, full body custom massage which I could change during the session to a destressing massage.
PS: it was all for 145 Lari, which is $60!
The Food
Georgian food is very rich and comes in very generous portions. My favorite is the Khinkali (dumplings); don’t waste the liquid inside the dumpling. The Katchapuri is something you will have to try at least two types of and you probably won’t be able to finish (dough with cheese and other toppings), I recommend the Adjarulian Katchapuri at Retro; it’s dough, cheese, butter and an egg.
I had some regular international foods; an amazing Caesar salad and dry white wine at Uolli, a newly opened place in a 120-year old house with a great interior.
Mid-partying on Saturday I ordered a Margerita pizza at Botanico near the Alphabetic Tower, it was heavenly. I also tried the most praised pizza place in Batumi; Pizza Room at the Batumi Mall, I had the pepperoni small pizza and was amazing.
I already mentioned the rib-eye steak at the top of the Alphabet Tower and the porkfull meal at the Piazza.
I also tried a place named Villagio; there I discovered that there’s Debs el Remmen in the country. I had the fried mussels in white wine, a nice margarita and fries with sour cream.. (yes I ate a lot).
A note about the bill, prices on the menu don’t include taxes so always keep in mind an extra 15%, but it will still be a good bargain.
As for drinks, make sure to try the local/homemade wine and the ChaCha.. the second is strong if you’re not an avid alcohol fan.
The Partying
I only got to try one place on Saturday called Botanico which is the same place as the club The Gate. They host international DJs and apparently there was something big on Friday. The Gate was closed on Saturday (because just my luck) but I enjoyed my time and danced a lot at Botanico. It’s a huge place with a restaurant and an outside chilling area. On my way there I noticed another club called Discorium, which looked promising but I didn’t have the time to try it. (EDM fans only)
As for bars, there are lots of those; I went for a cocktail at the lounge on the roof of the Hilton after a tiring beach day. I had the mojito, it was not bad with an awesome view (great for a sunset drink).
As for other nightly activities, Batumi is famous for its gambling scene, which I didn’t try but you will find many many casinos.
If you’re a fan of shisha kind of nights, many places will serve you that with an amazing atmosphere.. (I didn’t try any because I’m not a fan but many people seemed to be enjoying).
The Hotel
This isn’t a paid entry or anything, I booked my hotel like any person does and even by mere coincidence after the first one cancelled on me but I’m including it because it was in itself, an amazing experience. Adjara Boutique Hotel is located next to the 6 May Park; this is the main reason I chose it after the first one cancelled. It’s a 5 minute walk from the beach and has markets and restaurants around it, it’s kind of in the middle of the city but not where the main attractions are (10 to 15 minutes walk).
They have the friendliest staff I have ever met. Not all of them knew how to speak any of the languages I knew but they were extremely helpful, nice and welcoming. I was even fashionably late for breakfast on the first day and they were very nice about it even offered to cook me something. The management is super nice, always checking in if everything is good and if I needed anything, in and out of the hotel.
The building itself is beautiful and has a garden with poofs and a restaurant area. I couldn’t get over how beautiful it is.
On Wednesday night, they host an extremely talented saxophone player who will make you want to dance even if it was only with yourself. The restaurant serves shisha for those interested and fresh food made with the utmost love by their native Gerogrian cook.
I’m still not over this beautiful place… I made some great friends without expecting it and felt like home even though I was alone and far from home.
Conclusion
From the multiple vacations I’ve had, this was the first time I felt super sad that I had to leave after 7 nights and I almost extended 3 days!
If you’re visiting Batumi, and choose to stay at the Adjara Boutique Hotel, ask for Murat, he’s always looking to make new friends, make sure to try some of their food and enjoy the amazing Jazz night. And don’t forget to always have your umbrella with you, bargain for your cab fare, and if you’re changing dollars there make sure your money isn’t marked or ripped in any way, not even pencil.
Another thing, the airport at Batumi isn’t very busy and check in doesn’t open until 2 hours before the flight.. getting to the gate was a few minutes before boarding.. so you don’t have to do the Lebanese 3-hour rush prior to your flight.
PS: There are many things I didn’t try or forgot about so if you would like to add anything feel free.. And you can find more videos and details in the Highlights section on my instagram @eligeay
All pictures were taken by me using a Samsung S7 and cannot be used without my consent.
