Hotel Rasta Maidan

We came here right after landing in Tbilisi, without time to check the online reviews. We weren’t expecting much, just hoped the room would be clean and tidy. Instead, I found a clump of hair in the bathtub, then checked the bed and saw body hair and stains on the pillows. We showed the receptionist, who changed our room right away. The new room looked cleaner, though the bed springs on the right side were torn up, so we had to watch out not to hurt ourselves. My husband also found hair in the new bathroom, but cleaned it before I saw it. The room corners were dusty too. Breakfast tasted good, but the woman serving it brought us dirty napkins. She noticed before we did, took the dirtiest one away, and never brought a clean one. The location is excellent and the building feels historic, but housekeeping and general cleanliness are real problems. If management focuses on that, guests could leave with good memories.

The location in the old center is a real advantage, close to everything, and the staff were polite and helpful. But it’s a small hotel with management that seems amateur. There are about 50 steps up to reception, then another 20 to the room, and nobody helps with the bags. Breakfast was very weak. The room was comfortable, but the glass bathroom door meant there was no privacy.

The terrace was lovely, with a great view, and friendly, helpful staff made the fresh rooms feel even nicer. The included breakfasts mattered to me because I like to wake up and take my time over breakfast. They had omelette, sausages, vegetables, tea, coffee, jam, and bread. More choice would be nice, even just eggs cooked in different ways, but I was very happy with everything. The cute kittens and cats hanging around the terrace were a joy, please say hi to them :) One thing some people may find questionable is the very transparent bathroom, which didn’t bother us. The hotel may suit young people or those who stay up late better, since there’s a loud square nearby with music and people until around 1 am. With the windows closed it was fine, but light sleepers might have trouble.

We cancelled our stay and lost more than an hour, then had the stress of finding somewhere else to stay. The room we’d reserved wasn’t available, even though we arrived a few hours before our stated check-in time. Instead of the second-floor room in the picture with a terrace and nice view, we were offered a two-level room with the sleeping area on the ground floor and bathroom in the basement. It opened directly onto the courtyard, and the lock was half destroyed, with its batteries visible. The ground-level window faced the street, so I can only imagine how noisy it gets in the touristy old town. Parking was another problem. We’d asked about a spot through booking and were told, “It shouldn't be a problem.” On arrival, we were lucky that a guest was leaving: the hotel only has two or three spaces and shares the courtyard and parking with the nearby church. The receptionist argued that he’d said “shouldn't” rather than “will not.” We were also blocked from leaving for 30-40 minutes because a wedding was happening at that church. The location is the only reason for the two stars. I don’t recommend even trying to stay here.