Zugdidi
Zugdidi was a town on our route to Mestia and Ushguli. We did a stop and stay a night in Zugdidi as we felt that driving all the way to Mestia from Batumi would be too tiring as it would need about 5.5 hours.
Zugdidi was only a 2.5 hour drive from Batumi. We chose Zugdidi as a stop as we thought it would be more comfortable to stay in a larger town. After Zugdidi our drive to Mestia would be shorter and more bearable.
It was certainly a good decision to break after 2.5 hour of driving as the roads connecting Batumi to Zudidi were not highways. Comparing to the highways that connected towns in Turkiye ( where we just left a few days ago) the roads in Georgia were more bumpy and less comfortable to drive.
Our stay in Zugdidi was the Grand Hotel which was just a 5 minutes short walk to the main boulevard of Zugdidi and about 1 km from Dadiani Palace Museum.
Zugdidi Boulevard was very charming. Many tall pines trees lined the boulevard providing great shades for the hot day. The boulevard was like a long garden in the middle of two one way roads, one going northward and the other southward.
We took our time strolling along the boulevard looking at various scruptures and ornaments placed among the well landscaped ground.
Dadiani Palace Museum
After Zugdidi Boulevard was a short walk to Dadiani Palace Museum, the most prominent sight of Zugdidi. Entrance into the ground was free but entrance into the museum needed ticket at 2 Gel/adult.
Dadiani Palace MuseumThe Dadiani Palaces Museum was considered to be one of the most eminent palaces in Caucasus. It was a Neo Gothic building. We were not keen on Museum so we did not go in, besides the staff manning the museum looked very unfriendly so we felt no urged to visit the museum. We enjoyed walking the ground and the botanical garden though.
Farmer’s market
On the way back to our hotel, we did a short detour to a market. On the google map it stated the the market was a Farmer’s market so we thought it would be interesting to visit the place.
It was a local market, selling foods, fruits, clothing and daily products. Some sections were neat and tidy and some other sections were a bit run down. It did gave us a glimpse of the locals’ lifes.
Dinner at a local eatery
On google map we saw a local eatery near our hotel which had good reviews (5 stars). It was just a 5 minute walk (120m) away. The name of the eatery was Panama, it was a two stories wood/concrete building. The cooking kitchen was on the ground level and the dining hall was above. To get up to the dining hall we had to go up some narrow stairs. The dining hall was a surprise, it was pretty quaint, a semi opened space with plentiful of greenery.
We ordered a grilled chicken plate, a grilled pork plate and a soup. We had been not eating pork for the last 30 days while in Turkiye, just before this Georgia road trip. So we were eagerly waiting for our pork dinner! The total cost of the dinner was 38Gel ( about SGD$19).
The cook had an interesting technique to serve the food after cooking. Once the food was ready she gave us a loud “yell” and sent the food to us via a small “food elevator”!
Our stay for the Night
Our stay was Grand Hotel of Zugdidi and we booked it on booking.com. It was a Superior Twin room with ensuite toilet. The cost for one night with breakfast for two was GEL104. The hotel had good rating and seemed good.
In reality the hotel was older than that shown in the pictures in booking.com. The receptionist was very “stony” face, not welcoming at all. Generally the hotel was fine for just a one night stay.
Breakfast was on the highest floor in the hotel. The food was simple and basic but hte view from the dining hall balcony was lovely.
Accommodations in Zugdidi