Vardzia Hotels

No name: The shack by the river

Basic is wonderful sometimes. I mean, who needs 5* luxury, all jacuzzis and nail-bars, valet services and revolving doors? Not me, which is a bloody good job as none of those things exist in Vardzia. Hard beds in candlelit dormitories, bread and cheese for dinner with the family, a sulphur bath in a cow trough and a toilet in a precarious position on the river bank...The Vardzia monks have chosen to live life without luxuries, so it seems only fitting that overnight guests should be expected to do the same down in the "hotel" below.

Unique Quality: The sulphur bath gets my vote. No running water, but you can have a scalding soak in yellowy slimy water and spend the next day wearing the latest fragrance, "L'Oeuf".

• Opinion of Price: least expensive
• Address: 10 Lari for bed and evening meal (US$1 = 1.8 Lari in June 2005)
• Related to: Budget Travel, Spa and Resort, Backpacking
• Written December 19, 2005

The Hilton at Vardzia

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