Hotel Old House Mestia

A Family House on the Hill Above the Towers

Hotel Old House sits on a rise above Mestia's centre, close enough to town that the walk down takes minutes and far enough that the terrace clears the rooftops for an open view of the Svan towers, the fortified stone houses that have marked this valley for centuries. The building has stayed with the same family for generations, and it shows in the register: a restaurant that cooks for the room rather than a brochure, a garden kept rather than landscaped, fourteen rooms that read as a house extended rather than a hotel built from scratch.

Why It Works

We chose this address for the terrace, which does more for a first evening in Svaneti than any museum can: the towers catch the last light, the mountains behind them turn from green to grey, and none of it requires a car or a guide. Ski-to-door access in winter and a trailhead within walking distance in summer mean the hotel works across both of Mestia's seasons rather than just one. Pet-friendly, family-run, and built around a garden rather than a car park, it reads less like a tourist hotel than Mestia's own idea of hospitality.

Why This Location

Mestia is the unofficial capital of Svaneti, Georgia's high mountain region, and its skyline is unlike anywhere else in the country: dozens of Svan towers, stone defensive houses raised by families centuries ago, stand among the newer rooflines, with the Museum of History and Ethnography and the Mikhail Khergiani House Museum close by for the history behind them. The hotel sits on a hillside a short walk from the centre, with the Khatsvali Ski Resort's lifts reachable without a taxi in winter, and in summer the trailheads toward Chalaadi Glacier and the valley viewpoints start from much the same spot.

Fast Facts

• Price: €€ (Premium)

• Vibe: family-run, historic, terrace facing the towers

• Chambers: 14 rooms set into the hillside building

• Best For: travellers in Svaneti for the towers, the hiking, or the skiing, not a chain hotel

• Our Favorite Thing About the Hotel: the sun terrace, Svan towers and mountains in full view

• Dining: restaurant on site, breakfast served late enough for a slow mountain morning

• Amenities: sun terrace, garden, ski-to-door access, free airport shuttle, pet-friendly

• Attractions: Svan towers and the old town (walking distance), Khatsvali Ski Resort, Museum of History and Ethnography, Chalaadi Glacier trailhead

Ski-In Winters, Trail-Out Summers

Mestia runs on two very different seasons, and the hotel is built for both rather than favouring one. From December, the Khatsvali lifts are close enough that skis go straight from the room to the slope; from June, the same hillside position puts guests a short walk from the trail that climbs toward Chalaadi Glacier and the ridgelines above town, horse riding included for those who would rather not walk all of it. The garden and the terrace are the constant through both seasons, a place to come back to with the towers still in view whatever the month.

Before You Book: Getting In and Settling In

Mestia sits a long drive from Georgia's lowland cities, and most visitors arrive either by the mountain road from Zugdidi or on the short domestic flight into Mestia's own airstrip; the hotel arranges a free airport shuttle either way, worth confirming ahead given how few transfer options the valley has outside it. Breakfast runs a late, generous morning window rather than an early buffet, suited to a mountain pace. Travellers who want nightlife steps from the door should look toward the handful of bars on Mestia's main street instead; travellers who want to wake up to the towers from their own terrace will find this exactly that.