Grigoleti Beach Resort, Trademark Collection by Wyndham

Pine Forest on One Side, the Black Sea on the Other

Grigoleti is a strip of coast in Guria, north of Batumi and south of Poti, where the pine forest comes almost to the waterline and the beach runs dark and wide. The resort sits on that line, between the trees and the sea, with sixty rooms and private balconies on most of them. It carries Wyndham's Trademark Collection badge, which in practice means an internationally run operation attached to a building that still belongs to its own coast. There is no skyline here, no casino, no boulevard. What the address offers instead is quiet, and the sound of the sea doing the work.

Why It Works

The Georgian Black Sea coast divides sharply between high rise Batumi and a long tail of small guesthouses. A resort of this size, run to an international standard and set directly on a quiet beach, is a narrow category, and that is why it is here. The practical consequence is that a full week works: an outdoor pool and a children's pool for the middle of the day, a spa for the afternoon, a gym and bikes for anyone who wants to move, and two restaurants so that dinner never becomes a logistical decision. The beach is not a fifteen minute walk away. It is the garden.

Why This Location

Grigoleti sits on the coast road between Batumi and Poti, which puts both airports in reach: Batumi International is roughly fifty kilometres south and Kutaisi International around sixty-five inland, so flights into western Georgia work without a long transfer. Ureki, a short drive up the beach, is the stretch known for its magnetic black sand, which draws Georgian families every summer for its reputed therapeutic properties. Inland lie the Kolkheti wetlands and, further on, Kutaisi with Bagrati Cathedral and the Gelati monastery. The trade off is isolation: there is no town to stroll into after dinner, which is precisely why people book it.

Fast Facts

• Price: Premium

• Vibe: Beach resort, pine forest, unhurried

• Rooms: Sixty, non smoking, most with a private balcony facing the sea or the forest

• Best For: Families with children, couples who want the coast without a city, groups taking a long summer week

• Our Favorite Thing About the Hotel: The terrace restaurant, which sets dinner directly against the Black Sea rather than a car park

• Dining: All day dining restaurant serving Georgian and European dishes, terrace restaurant working Georgian and Mediterranean with a sea view, room service

• Amenities: Direct beach access, outdoor pool, children's pool, spa with massage, gym, bike rental, billiard room, children's play area and babysitting, event space of about one hundred and fifty five square metres

• Attractions: Ureki magnetic sand beach, the Kolkheti wetlands, Poti, Batumi down the coast, Kutaisi and the Gelati monastery inland

Two Restaurants and a Terrace Facing the Water

Dining is split in a way that suits a long stay. The all day restaurant handles breakfast and the ordinary meals, working between Georgian and European cooking, so a child who wants something plain and an adult who wants khachapuri are served at the same table. The terrace restaurant is the one to book for an evening: Georgian and Mediterranean dishes set against the Black Sea, with the light going down over the water at the right time of year. Room service fills the gaps. For a property this far from a restaurant street, two kitchens rather than one is the difference between a week that works and a week that repeats itself.

Built Around Families, Without Saying So

The resort does not sell itself as a children's hotel, but the detail says otherwise. There is a separate children's pool, a play area and a babysitting service, and the room stock is arranged for people staying longer than two nights. Alongside that runs a working side: an event space of around a hundred and fifty five square metres, taking up to two hundred for a banquet or a hundred and ten seated for a conference, which is why a wedding or a company weekend may be sharing the property in shoulder season. Ask what is booked when you choose your dates, and ask for a balcony on the sea side.