The other day I had a friend ask me about how we decided where to stay when we were traveling internationally. My friend wondered how we found the places and knew the hotels would meet whatever standards we may have for that moment or that experience. I have booked international hotels hundreds of times, but when she asked this question I sort of stumbled over my response. How do I explain something that I have not really thought about, but rather just done?
Sometimes you do lots of research. Sometimes you ask seasoned friends. Sometimes you call in the local experts. Sometimes you concede that where you lay your head that night is not much of a big detail. And sometimes you simply take a leap of faith and hope for the best. However, all the time, as is always the case in travel, you remain flexible.
In this digital age, the ease of researching and booking hotels was unimaginable way back when I took my first dip in the world of international travel. A traveler can book an entire trip in one evening sitting on the couch in their living room. Or they can
This trip to The Republic of Georgia was thrown together very last minute and in an incredibly short amount of time as we played travel defense in the name of Covid. Last minute bookings, fried nerves and hurried pressure meant that we did not get to relish the joy of anticipation. There was not a lot of pouring over itinerary options, must see sites or hotel choices. And due to the last minute nature of the trip, we faced a few roadblocks of places being booked and limited availability.
Overall this wasnt a big deal and we were still fortunate to have so many luxurious and incredibly affordable options available to us. In some instances, we even faced that annoying obstacle of having too many great options.
But when my friend inquired about finding suitable and maybe even enjoyable I could not help but to think about one situation that surfaced while in Georgia. There was a hotel we really wanted to stay at in the Kakheti region of Georgia. It was a boutique
hotel by Radisson that was built in this old estate. It was gorgeous, aethetically creative, conveniently located and beyond luxurious all the while fitting into our very modest budget. I have a weakness for old buildings that have been brought back to life with new purpose and Tsinandali Estate fit that bill. Unfortunately, it was fully booked according to the internet booking site we were using.
We chose another highly rated resort located just down the road from the Radisson and knew we would have a good time no matter what because we would be in Georgian wine country.
Our hotel, Akhasheni Wine Resort, was located smack dab in the middle of vineyards, set off from the major highway and nestled in with pools, spa, tasting rooms and everything you would expect. We checked in and found it to find our needs, enough.
The food was incredible and unique. The waitstaff was like nothing we had encountered in Georgia: they had waiters and waitresses waiting to meet your needs at any given moment and to your table if you just happened to look like you might need something. We
got lucky and happened to get the same waiter many times who spoke perfect English and was just an all around likable kid. The front desk staff members were also helpful and went out of their way to help us plan our wine tasting adventures along with our driver for us since we did not speak Georgian.
Despite all of these amenities, it just wasnt quite our sort of place. The air conditioning did not work in our room the first night and it was a struggle to get any sort of resolution. The rooms were over stuffed with furniture, as were areas, forcing you to walk through little goat paths to get around.
