Magnetic Resort Ureki ★★★★

A Hundred and Fifty Metres from the Black Sand

Ureki is not a pretty village and it does not pretend to be. What it has is the sand: a stretch of Black Sea shore where the grains are dark, iron rich and magnetic, and where Georgian families have come for generations to bury themselves in it and walk away feeling better. Magnetic Resort took its name from the phenomenon and built a hundred and fifty metres back from the beach, two minutes on foot. The architecture is deliberately plain, the finishes are handmade rather than specified, and the whole thing reads as a Georgian courtyard turned into a small resort rather than as a coastal hotel.

Why It Works

We kept it for the combination of concept and competence. The design holds a line that almost nothing else on this coast attempts, pared back and warm instead of glazed and generic. The accommodation is genuinely varied for twenty rooms, because the seven summer houses alongside them change what a family or a group of friends can do with a fortnight. And the practical layer is complete: a seasonal outdoor pool, a restaurant with a children's buffet and special diet menus on request, a concierge and tour desk, transfers, and a playground that is not an afterthought.

Why This Location

The beach is the whole point, and two minutes on foot is the right distance from it: close enough to go down twice a day, far enough that the resort keeps its own quiet. Ureki sits in Guria, on the stretch of coast between Batumi and Poti, which makes it an easy base for the Kolkheti wetlands and the drive south into Adjara. The main road and the railway both pass nearby, and the hotel arranges airport shuttles for those arriving through Kutaisi or Batumi. There is free parking on site for anyone driving the coast.

Fast Facts

• Price: Premium

• Vibe: Pared back, handmade, family friendly

• Rooms: Twenty rooms plus seven summer houses, including deluxe and lux rooms with garden or pool views and two bedroom houses with their own living space

• Best For: Families with young children, groups taking a summer house, travellers curious about the magnetic sand

• Our Favorite Thing About the Hotel: The two bedroom summer houses, which give a family its own front door and still put the pool and the restaurant thirty seconds away

• Dining: Restaurant and bar, breakfast included, children's buffet and kid meals, special diet menus on request, barbecue facilities, room service

• Amenities: Seasonal outdoor pool, garden, sun terrace, children's playground, indoor play area, babysitting, evening entertainment, concierge and tour desk, lift, free parking, non smoking throughout

• Attractions: Ureki magnetic beach, the Guria coast road, Shekvetili and its park, Kolkheti National Park, Poti and Batumi within a drive

Rooms, and the Case for a Summer House

The rooms divide into deluxe and lux categories, both looking onto the garden or the pool, and they are furnished in the same restrained register as the rest of the property. The summer houses are the interesting option: two bedrooms, a studio living area and three bathrooms, which is a different proposition from a family room and works for two couples travelling together as easily as for a family. Everything is air conditioned, there is a lift, and the whole property is non smoking.

The Pool, the Garden and the Table

The pool is seasonal and sits at the centre of the property, with a sun terrace and garden around it. The restaurant runs breakfast, which is included, and serves through the day with a children's buffet and kid meals, and will accommodate special diets when asked in advance. Barbecue facilities sit in the garden for anyone in a summer house, and room service covers the evenings. Evening entertainment runs in season.

Who It Is For, and What to Ask

This is a family resort before it is anything else, with an indoor play area, outdoor play equipment and babysitting on request, so couples looking for silence in August should know that going in. The pool is seasonal, which is worth confirming against your dates. Transfers from Kutaisi or Batumi are arranged by the hotel for a fee, and the tour desk handles the coast and the national park. Ask for a summer house early: there are only seven.