The Telegraph, Tbilisi

Tbilisi is one of those cities that feels both familiar and slightly unknowable: easy enough to reach from most European hubs, and increasingly well connected through the Gulf, yet still just far enough off the usual luxury circuit to retain a sense of discovery. It makes a fascinating long weekend in its own right, or the beginning of a longer journey through one of Europe’s most historically rich and culturally layered countries.

The appeal is immediate: churches and carved wooden balconies climbing the hillsides, sulphur baths in the old town, grand Soviet avenues, wine bars, serious food, and that slightly chaotic, seductive energy of a city still deciding what kind of capital it wants to become. Georgia has no shortage of interesting local hotel brands, though most tend to sit in the trendy, boutique, exposed-brick-and-cocktail-bar category. So when The Telegraph opened on Rustaveli Avenue as Tbilisi’s first true luxury contender, and the first member of Leading Hotels of the World in the region, curiosity was inevitable.

A bonus review is now available online.