Orion Tbilisi Hotel

The staff were very helpful, and patiently answered my questions. The room was spacious and clean. There was a fridge in the room (which, oddly, was shut inside a cabinet and retained all the waste heat, which seems a bit inefficient -- I left the cabinet door open). It is located a stone's throw from Tbilisi State University, and very conveniently within a very short walking distance to a major Tbilisi bus route artery. There are a number of restaurants and coffee shops close by, and a convenience store too next to the bus station. The hotel arranged for a taxicab for me to get from the airport when I flew in late at night (after midnight, and I didn't want to deal with figuring out transportation on my own) and it cost 100 Lari (paid at the reception desk, and no need to tip the driver). On the way back to the airport, I took the bus for 1 (one) Lari. Tbilisi is a great city, very accessible and generally very safe. All signage is in Georgian (a very beautiful script) and English. Note -- Tbilisi is pronounced without a vowel between the t and the b, as t'bi-li-si (not tee-blee-see). Some survival phrases -- Hello -- gamarjoba thank you -- madloba (or more formally gmad-lobt) yes -- kho or ki no -- ara where/where is .. -- sad/sad ari .. Do you speak English? -- inglisuri itsit? Georgian -- kartuli To me the nicest thing about the city was its stray dogs -- they are everywhere, friendly, and very well fed and looked after, almost as if the city collectively has a fleet of pet dogs. The cats are properly feral though.