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Fully packed and in the sleet we reach the Georgian capital Tbilisi. Our train is 3 hours late, but that’s another story. The way to the Hotel Suliko leads us to the old town side and we pass the metro station Rustaveli to finally pedal a short but very steep mountain. Once there, we are welcomed very friendly and receive our room key after a short chat. The room is very stylish and comfortable. At the table with armchair you can sit and work comfortably. The many different lamps provide the right light for the desired mood. Very handy is also the large cabinet, which we fill immediately with all our pannier contents. Inside we also find disposable slippers and bathrobes. The bathroom has soap and shampoo and a spacious glass shower. Everything is very clean. Our clothes are not yet, so we can clean our laundry on demand in the washing machine.
The breakfast offers a rich selection of sweet and savory and is in German style. Means: there is bread, various jams, sausage, cheese, yogurt, cereals and pancakes. Coffee or tea. As a vegan, you can definitely find enough. Tasty was e.g. Muesli with changing juices (grape, orange, apple) and fruit. By the way, the homemade walnut syrup with whole green walnuts tastes very special.
Suliko … what does the name really mean? We asked the Georgian-German owners of the house, Georgi and Katrin, and talked a bit about the history and motivation. The name Suliko comes from an old Georgian song, a kind of unofficial anthem. The protagonist has lost his great love and sees her soul (Suliko = little soul) of the deceased in all kinds of positive things, e.g. such as beautiful rose or a wonderfully singing nightingale. This in turn is part of a certain traditional blueprint pattern. Therefore, the bird comes in the logo, which we like very much.
What makes this hotel different from the 1,000 others that still exist in Tbilisi? First: With only 10 rooms, great emphasis is placed on a family atmosphere. As a guest you feel welcome and very well cared for. At this place tourists and business people from German-speaking countries shall be specifically addressed. A large part of the staff speaks fluent German. Therefore the Internet presence is already in German and the reservation request is made by e-mail or telephone. So it comes that even before you start the journey you will have first personal contact. The hotel is consciously refrained from being offered on common hotel booking sites. After only a short time we all knew each other by their first name.
The surrounding area is perfect for exploring the old town and having dinner in a nice restaurant around the corner. Right on the first evening we discovered one which offers cheap and tasty and many vegan and vegan food just 5 minutes away. Furthermore it takes about 10-15 minutes to reach the old town, and from the Rustaveli metro station you can get to the train station in no time.
Georgi, Katrin and Michael also have a quite successful travel agency with the German website www.georgia-insight.eu. The site provides detailed information about the country and its inhabitants and offers culturally demanding German-speaking expeditions, excursions or even multi-day trips.
We would like to thank you very much for the really great time at Hotel Suliko.