Communal Hotel Plekhanovi ★★★★

Fourteen Rooms Furnished Out of Flea Markets

The house on Egnate Ninoshvili Street belonged to a local Israeli couple before the Communal group took it on, and rather than erase that they built the ground floor around it, opening a Levantine kitchen downstairs that now pulls in people who are not staying. Upstairs are fourteen rooms, five of them suites, each given its own colour and its own objects: mid century furniture, nineties leaning artwork, pieces salvaged and restored from Tbilisi flea markets. Nothing matches, deliberately. The result is raffish in the way the left bank itself is raffish, and it is the most convincing argument the hotel makes.

Why It Works

We kept it for the ground floor as much as the bedrooms. Weller does mezze, grilled meat and bread from clay ovens in a room built like somebody's sitting room, with an open kitchen and antique pictures on the walls; Craft handles Georgian classics with a serious list and sommeliers who work the floor. That is two proper restaurants under one small hotel, and breakfast arrives as sharing platters rather than a buffet. Add rooms that are genuinely individual, a garden, a terrace, a concierge and massage on request, and the house earns its place without raising its voice.

Why This Location

Chugureti is the left bank, the half of Tbilisi where the murals, the independent kitchens and the studios are, and Ninoshvili Street sits in the middle of it rather than at its edge. The Bridge of Peace and the river are about ten minutes away, which puts the old town, the Opera and Ballet Theatre, the museums and the shopping streets within an easy walk or a very short ride. This is a neighbourhood you leave the hotel to explore on foot, and one that stays awake after dinner.

Fast Facts

• Price: Premium

• Vibe: Eclectic, mid century, left bank

• Rooms: Fourteen, including five suites, from small and urban doubles to a suite with a freestanding bath tub in the room, each with its own colour scheme and vintage pieces

• Best For: Creative travellers, couples, anyone who plans their city break around dinner

• Our Favorite Thing About the Hotel: That the furniture was found rather than ordered, so no two rooms repeat and none of it could be bought again

• Dining: Weller for Levantine mezze, grills and clay oven breads; Craft for Georgian classics with a deep wine list and sommeliers; sharing platter breakfasts, bar, snack bar, room service

• Amenities: Garden, terrace, massage on request, concierge, twenty four hour desk, private check-in, airport transfers, laundry and dry cleaning, soundproof rooms, non smoking throughout

• Attractions: The Chugureti murals and galleries, Aghmashenebeli Avenue, the Bridge of Peace, the Opera and Ballet Theatre, the old town across the river

Weller and Craft

The two kitchens are the reason to book a table before you book the room. Weller works a Levantine repertoire, mezze and grilled meat with bread coming out of traditional clay ovens, in a low, warm space with an open kitchen at one end. Craft is the Georgian side of the house, built around a long wine list with sommeliers to steer it, which in a country with this many indigenous grape varieties is worth taking advantage of. Breakfast is served as platters to share, which sets the tone for the rest of the day.

The Rooms, and the One with the Tub

Fourteen rooms, five suites, and no two alike. The small and urban doubles are the entry point and are genuinely small; the suites are where the design has room to move, and the one with the freestanding tub in the bedroom is the one people book twice. Rooms carry smart televisions, air conditioning, minibars, yoga mats and the hotel's own bath products, and they are soundproofed, which matters above two busy restaurants.

What to Know

The house is small and the restaurants are popular, so book dinner at the same time as the room. The desk runs around the clock with a concierge, private check-in and luggage storage, airport transfers are arranged for a fee, and laundry and dry cleaning are handled in house. Massage can be booked on request. The whole property is non smoking, with a designated area outside, and the garden and terrace are where guests end up between courses.