I independently & honestly review all of my travel recommendations. If you click on links I provide, I may receive compensation
Mestia, Georgia, is one of the fastest-growing destinations in the country. Although still the most remote part of Georgia, it is rapidly becoming a hotspot for outdoor and history enthusiasts. People visit year-round to go skiing and snowboarding, hike, and see the unique Svan towers that dot the landscape. Along with this tourism boom has come a variety of new places for accommodation. I stayed at the Gistola Hotel when I visited the area & found it to be an outstanding place to stay & one of the best hotels in Mestia.
Gistola Hotel Amenities
We arrived at the Gistola Hotel (Check prices now & read more excellent reviews – Booking.com – Hotels.com) in Svaneti after the long ride from Tbilisi, which snowy conditions had made even longer. As a result, we arrived fairly late at night. The friendly staff checked us in quickly. The kitchen was also kept open so we could have dinner (more on that below).
The lobby is spacious, with a bar in the corner and a toasty fireplace.
All around the hotel, there are old photos on the walls of what Mestia, the Svan towers, and local people used to look like.
Hotel Gistola offers various amenities to help you relax. A sauna is available (rental is an extra fee).
There is also a pool with nice mountain views.
On the upper level, there is a beautiful terrace. When I visited in January, it was covered in snow, but I could still see the panoramic views. It must be a lovely place to hang out during the summer months.
The Gistola Hotel’s biggest drawback is its location. Although Mestia is small, the hotel is on the outskirts of town, so it can be a 15-20-minute walk to the center (and even longer if the road is icy).
The hotel has addressed this by offering an on-call driver who can take you into town and pick you back up whenever you need. We utilized this on our last night in town, calling for a pick-up after an evening of food and drink at the excellent local hotspot Cafe Laila.
Gistola Hotel Rooms
I stayed in Room 404. I found it easily, as it was right near the elevator.
The rooms at Gistola Hotel are spacious—actually, spacious doesn’t even begin to describe them. They were massive. I haven’t stayed in many hotels where the standard rooms were this large.
The bed was described as a king but somehow felt even bigger.
There were also a few sitting chairs, along with a desk.
Other amenities included a minibar fridge, a tea and coffee pot, an ironing board, a large safe, and robes.
There was even a heated floor in the bathroom.
All of the rooms in the Gistola Hotel have nice views. Which view you get depends on the side of the building you are staying in. On the front side of the hotel, there are mountain views that include the famous Svan towers of the region.
There are mountain views from the back side of the hotel (where I stayed). This was the view I woke up to every morning.
I did find that the hotel walls were a bit thin, so you could hear some noise from the neighboring rooms and the hallway. Gistola Hotel wasn’t very busy when I was there, so I didn’t have any issues with this disrupting sleep.
The local infrastructure in Mestia & the rest of Svaneti is still a work in progress, and the recent tourism boom is putting a bit of a strain on it. We experienced occasional power outages during our stay, especially during a snowstorm. However, these only lasted for a few seconds at a time because, unlike most other hotels in Mestia, the Gistola Hotel has a backup generator. Not only does this mean consistent electricity, but it also means consistent hot water, which some other hotels can have issues with.
The shower itself was excellent, with good water pressure from a waterfall shower. It was welcoming in such a cold environment.
Due to the hotel’s strong heating system, I had to open up my patio door a few times to let in colder air to balance things out, but I also like a cold room.
Gistola Hotel Food & Drink
We ate many of our meals at the Gistola Hotel.
Every morning, an excellent breakfast buffet featured everything you could want.
In addition to a variety of breads and pastries, there were hot dishes, Georgian cheeses, fruit and vegetables, spreads, and more. There was even smoked salmon and roe.
Do you have upcoming travel that you need to book? Use my travel resources page to make your bookings! There's no cost to you, and you'll be supporting my site. Thanks!
The dinners at Gistola Hotel were also excellent. As I mentioned earlier, we arrived late at night, but the kitchen was still open. The restaurant specializes in Georgian dishes, though some other things are available.
Over the course of my stay, I enjoyed Georgian culinary favorites such as kubdari, multiple types of khachapuri, including with millet (the region’s traditional variation), chvishtari (cheese covered in cornmeal and fried), salads, and much more.
They also had drinks, including local wine, beer, and sodas.
Due to an event taking place in the main dining room the following day, we had dinner in the hotel’s auxiliary building one night. This building also serves as a nightclub.
From the front desk to the dining staff, all of the employees provided outstanding service. Thanks to the comfortable rooms, great food, and plentiful amenities, I enjoyed my stay at the Gistola Hotel.
Here are some other great Tbilisi tours & activities.
For Georgian wine experiences, I recommend taking a day trip to Kakheti from Tbilisi. Also, you can visit the many wine bars in Tbilisi.
If wine isn’t your thing, Tbilisi also has excellent cocktail bars & craft beer bars & breweries. Be sure to try the local spirit known as chacha!
Need a place to stay? Check out these Tbilisi hotel options. I enjoyed my stay at the Moxy Tbilisi, and the Radisson Blu Iveria Hotel is another excellent option.
Note: My visit to Mestia was part of a Traverse press trip sponsored by Visit Georgia. All opinions are 100% my own.
