Meet Up In The Creative Georgian City For Culture And Cuisine

Meet up in the creative Georgian city for culture and cuisine.

Kristy Alpert

Not a long ago, a trip to the ancient city of Tbilisi began with explaining to friends and family it was in “the country, not the state” of Georgia. Today, friends and families flock together to this Eurasian destination to explore the city’s diverse landscape and vibrant culture.

Wedged between Eastern Europe and Western Asia, the city changed hands countless times throughout the centuries as foreign powers vied to lay claim to this strategic gem set along the banks of the mighty Kura River. Kurds, Persians, Russians, Jews, Armenians and Europeans all made their marks on the city, but only in the past decade have the citizens of Tbilisi begun to swirl those influences together to create a truly dynamic atmosphere.

Today Tbilisi stands on its own two feet again, no longer recovering from the crippling 80 years of Soviet rule followed by a shaky road to independence that spanned 25 years. The Soviet buildings may remain, but they have been repurposed and reclaimed into chic hotels, trendy nightclubs and urban artist lofts. The super-stylish Rooms Hotels’ Stamba Hotel recently opened inside what was once a publishing house, where Brutalist architecture contrasts with the colorful history that rests inside through the creative use of stark corridors and welcoming, oversized warehouse windows. A member of Design Hotels, the Stamba features interiors designed by local architecture studio Adjara Arch Group.

The Stamba Hotel sits in the heart of the quiet and historic Vera district, best known for the hidden gardens and green spaces inside and between many of the residential units and upscale bars. The Stamba attracts the city’s top creative minds with its ample outdoor spaces and open co-working space along with a dramatically cool drinking den called the Pink Bar. The hotel also offers a bean-to-bar chocolaterie and roastery and an Art Deco café for guests and locals alike.