Stepantsminda, Georgia: Worth the drive...

To celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary and Beth's imminent 40th birthday, we organized a trip to the country of Georgia for a week of exploring and relaxing.

Admittedly, the first part of the trip did not check the "relaxing" box.

Eager to complete our three hour drive from Tbilisi airport to Stepantsminda before the sun went down, we lost valuable time when our preferred Sim Card vendor's computer broke, thereby forcing a manual sign-up process and "exact change" cash-only payments.  Beth's frantic negotiations with several airport kiosks to exchange our larger bills got us closer but still unsuccessful at the exact change needed and we finally resorted to asking the next gentleman in line - who happened to be following our same travel route! - if he could just bring the remaining change with him to Stepantsminda.   Silver linings, we suppose, this man and his family were about our age, also from Canada and currently living in Dubai, and just the loveliest people who we hope we will see again in the UAE!

Georgia driving is not for the faint of heart.  The drivers race through the streets - which are not laned or signed - and are incredibly aggressive.  The streets don't seem to naturally flow into each other, with Geoff at one point making a u-turn in the middle of busy George W. Bush highway, followed by a ridiculously sharp right turn,  to connect to an unpaved road that led us into the downtown core.

This, in addition to the myriad cows who simply lay chilling out in the middle of main arteries, as well as some extremely inclined and windy roads, made for an intense ride.  Even the final road up to the Rooms Hotel proved tricky with a road that was unpaved, muddy from the rain, and incredibly steep.  Needless to say, we were exhausted by the time we finally arrived!

Lucky for us, the relaxation started right upon check-in.  Rooms Kazbegi - our hotel - is a beautifully restored Brutalist building and former Soviet resort that now feels part Swiss mountain lodge/part Restoration Hardware showroom with some of the most vivid Soviet poster art scattered throughout.

The rooms are understated with natural woods and fabrics and high-end finishings, designed to provide all necessary comforts while keeping the focus on the beautiful mountainous surroundings outside.

The main lodge is open-concept with couches and comfortable chairs that encourage people to sit down next to a stranger for a drink or chat with those relaxing next to them.  We certainly got to know a good number of children who either dropped by wanting to dance or taste our food!

The cozy main rooms inspire relaxation and most just end up ordering dinner there, being too comfortable to bother moving to the more formal dining area nearby.

As we relaxed in our leather sofa, we wasted no time embracing Georgia's local wine and cuisine and truly felt like the vacation had begun in earnest.