Hostel Seti Mestia in Mestia

It’s a gorgeous, welcoming old home in an even more gorgeous town that once had an unbeatable price (15 GEL/night). Crisp mountain air every day.

BUT:
-At least when I stayed here, they were NOT washing sheets, towels, and many other critical items WITH SOAP. They were literally just washing them in water!!!! This is A CRAZY THING TO DO WHEN RUNNING A HOSTEL - in many countries, the entire municipality would get involved if someone did this! If the hostel has fixed this policy, they are welcome to say so in their reply.
-The hostel bathroom, at least when I stayed, was far away from the main dorm. It was often a FREEZING COLD walk to get to at night - almost like staying in military barracks rather than a modern hostel - and it was often in great disrepair and very unpleasantly unclean. I really hope they have or have plans to renovate it or make a new bathroom that is attached to the dorm.
-The attitude of the family who runs the hostel is often VERY UNFRIENDLY- and I felt this especially as a racial minority who was a long-term traveller. They would often offer the white-looking, blonde haired guests (when they would pass through) the opportunity to buy home-cooked meals that were basically never extended to me, even though I stayed for much longer and paid this business much more money. Actually, they extended me almost no human warmth or e.g. local travel advice until the blonde-haired guests arrived, they saw that WE had become friends, and now they suddenly wanted to be friendlier with everyone. I understand that there may be deep-seated cultural and historical reasons for this behavior, especially in formerly Soviet countries or countries that once had large gypsy populations, but in the 21st century, when you have paying customers, when international travellers are trusting you with their lives and well-being and you are holding yourself out to the world as a sincere and committed host, and when a huge amount of the revenue that allows your city and government actually survive at all actually comes only from the Western world, this is not an acceptable attitude.

I was CONSTANTLY glared at by one of the 20-30-ish year-old men who was part of the family that runs this hostel whenever I would work on my laptop inside, being made to feel more like a homeless beggar subsisting on their charity or a black sheep in-law who had to forcibly marry into the family after an unwanted pregnancy.

This is just *not* the right attitude if your main family business is hosting international backpackers and travellers. Especially when it is even partially race-based. It’s deeply traumatic to be on the receiving end of.

If the hostel and family can find it within their hearts to fix these things, and I ever find myself again in this corner of the world, I will certainly consider staying here again.

Svaneti’s natural beauty, history, and spirit are incredible.