Georgia - Day 5 | Mestia

Hi guys,

If you do travel to Georgia, Mestia HAS to be on your list. HAS TO BE ON YOUR LIST. It’s a picturesque town in Svaneti. It isn’t as well-known as compared to its counterpart Ushuguli. The latter is a UNESCO heritage site. 

However, Mestia is mesmerizingly beautiful.






This quaint town had my heart in knots, as it wrapped itself around my mind and soul. I reached Mestia post an 8-9 hours journey from Kutaisi (GEL 25). The distance and time might want you to give up on Mestia, but don’t do so.

Our Mashrutka went through winding roads and scenic locales and finally stopped on the cobbled roads of Mestia or the main junction. The place looked like a scene out of the Wild Wild West with brown structures everywhere.







I was staying at a beautiful guesthouse and had the whole room to myself complete with a beautiful view of the city. You’d see similar structures everywhere in Mestia– a defensive tower, fortified dwelling held safe within a defensive wall.





The owner of the Guest House, Giorgi, was kind enough to come over to the main junction and take me to the guest house. Mestia was completely unplanned. I reached somewhere around 7:00 - 7:30 pm and was exhausted beyond words. Nearby attractions include Ushuguli, a glacier, a cable car ride and trekking places. I chose neither and decided to relax and take in the city and its chilled vibes.

(Heads up on my lack of direction)

I walked through the beautiful cobbled paths and explored the city and finished with dinner at a restaurant that also had a live entertainment in form of local dance and song routine for its guests. The energy in the restaurant was at an all-time high.

With the band singing Georgian songs, to boys dressed in traditional attires and dancing to it, guests joining in to dance with them, matching their pace step by step. It was a sight to behold.

On my way back, I managed to get lost (again) and bumped into an amazing family from Israel. They were so warm and cordial and were excited to share their adventures. They also volunteered to stay put with me and help me find my way back (cries).  It was beautiful as to how, I ended up meeting amazing people throughout my 10 day trip.





I managed to find my way back and slept off as I was to wake up early for the hike (yay). I slept like a log. The weather was so pleasant, I didn't even check for air con or the fan. I snuggled my way into the cozy blanket and dozed off, almost instantly.


Read Part 2 HERE




“It feels good to be lost in the right direction”




Read Day 1 HERE
Read Day 2 HERE
Read Day 2 - to Kazbegi HERE

Read Day 3 HERE
Read Day 4 HERE



Much Love 

xoxo

Mega Brunch | Venetian Village - Ritz Carlton, Abu Dhabi

Mega Brunch is such a novel concept and I was beyond thrilled to savor the same at Venetian Village. Located at the Ritz Carlton, Abu Dhabi it hosts many restaurants within its beautiful hotel.

The Venetian Village is Abu Dhabi’s newest dining destination. Located within the grounds of The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal and overlooking Khor Al Maqta, the Venetian Village brings together a collection of internationally acclaimed artisan restaurants offering exquisite cuisines from around the world.

The Mega Brunch included four of its restaurants – Bar fly by Buddha bar, La Brasserie, kaizen and Todd English’s Olives.

We walked around and chose to start with Bar fly owing to its seafood counter. It also had an amazing grill station, sushi counter, a dessert station and gin and tonic bar. The place is so beautiful, the interiors had me gaping in awe. The bright vibrant hues of red and yellows complete with soothing music in the background provided an amazing ambiance for the brunch. 
















We, however chose to sit outside (hello amazing weather) and enjoyed the lovely view and moreish food. The food was saporous and delish. We tried their sushi, dimsums and  their fresh sea food which was grilled to perfection.

The sushi’s were just perfect. The beef dimsums were mouthwatering and delish. I would have preferred a thinner dough wrap for both the seafood dimsums. However, the filling was very succulent. 

We chose Sultan Ibrahim and salmon, and they were grilled to perfection and served. The dessert counter was heaven. Loved the macaroons, tarts, and baked Alaska.

The service was prompt, the staff were extremely polite and warm and assisted us with out food dilemmas.

Post a good hour and half at Bar fly, we ventured out to try La Braserie which had a cheese counter, Crepe and waffle station, cheese counter and a fresh seafood counter along with a Martini Bar.

Our next pit stop was Kaizen, they had a sushi and sashimi station along with a salad counter, with some far eastern cocktails. Needless to say the sushi and sashimi were an absolute hit. I loved how the staff were dressed in traditional Japanese outfits. The staff were extremely pleasant and helped us with our orders.



Olives had some fun live entertainment complete with live pasta and risotto counter along with a salad and bread station with a complete Mediterranean buffet.

The weather is perfect to enjoy the brunch one’s own pace. It is a wonderful concept to be able to savor from all four restaurants, while enjoying the amazing view overlooking the canal.
I would definitely recommend you all to try it out. They have entertainment activities for kids as well. 

The packages are as mentioned:
AED 290 - soft drinks
AED 390 – House beverage
AED 490 – Bubbly package


Location: Ritz Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal, Al Maqtaa, Abu Dhabi
Cost: AED 650 for two



Reserve your table at: 024041951



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I was invited to Venetian Village and all views and images are © Urbanmodish, unless stated otherwise.



Barfly by Buddha Bar Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato 

Martvili Canyon | Kutaisi


The Martvili Canyon, used to be a bath place for Georgian Nobles, Dadiani family. It is a natural wonder in the Samegrelo region of Georgia, near the town of Martvili. Also called the Gachedili Canyon, it is about a 45 minute drive from the city of Kutaisi in West Georgia.





The canyon is divided into two parts, Upper and Lower. You can ride a boat along the canyon from the Upper part that leads to a waterfall falling from the height of about 12 meters. Thanks to the climate of the terrain and high humidity, the walls of the canyon are covered with moss, you will also see lianas that grow along the whole length of the canyon, small streams and waterfalls. A truly fabulous picture!












You can also walk along the Dadiani trial. To be honest both the boat ride and the trail was a bit of a disappointment because they were both very short. However, they were beautiful.








In the lower part of the canyon there is a “pool” where you can swim and enjoy the beauty of the surrounding nature. Even on the hottest day the water here is cool, therefore this place is very popular among locals who come to Martvili to run away from the summer heat. In summer days, the canyon is full of tourists and locals. 
GEL 28 for boat trip and trail entrance fee.

While visiting Martivili canyon it is worth to visit the Martvil Monastery (Chkondidi) of the VI century, which is on the way to the canyon. In 735 the monastery was burnt, the paintings on the walls were destroyed. And only a century and a half later it was restored. Today, on the territory of the monastery there is the temple of the Assumption of the Virgin, the church of the 10th century, in the south-west there is a 20-meter-high pillar and chapel, which was built on the site of an old destroyed chapel.
I didn't visit the monastery, but have heard the below about it:
On its highest hill there is a Monastery. The site upon the hill where the monastery stands today was used in ancient times as a pagan cultural center and was a sacred site. There once stood an ancient and enormous oak tree that was worshipped as an idol of fertility and prosperity. Infants were once sacrificed here as well. After the conversion of the native population to Christianity, the ancient tree was cut down so as not to worship it anymore. A church was originally constructed in the late 7th century upon the roots of the old oak tree and was named in honor of Saint Andrew who preached Christianity and converted the pagans across the Samegrelo region. 

The main Martvili-Chkondidi Cathedral (Mingrelian: Chkoni translates to “oak”) was reconstructed in the 10th century after invasions that destroyed the prior church. Preserved in the church are frescoes of the 14th to 17th centuries.





Read about Kutaisi HERE