Las Vegas of the Black Sea

Batumi - finally we are back in civilization. A very friendly lady greets us in excellent German at her House at the Sea. She said she learned it at the university and explains everything to us. It's nice not to have to communicate with hands, feet, and Google Translate for a change.

The House at the Sea is really well located; from the lovely terrace, you can see right to Batumi, and of course, the sea is just in front of you. Unfortunately, between your nose and the sea, there is also a train track and a busy road. It's okay for sleeping, as it's relatively quiet inside, but relaxing on the terrace is out of the question. Next door, someone is hammering on a construction site with a jackhammer, but we can hardly hear it due to the noise here. So, we get dressed up and head into the city!!! Four different lines stop right in front of the house for the sensational price of 0.70 Lari per ride, about 33 cents. Austrian public transport could take a hint from this!

We stroll through the old town and notice several truly amazing buildings.

After a bit of shopping, we aim high and let Google Maps guide us to the 360 Skybar. There are no signs anywhere. Well, we are used to that from hiking. So, we wander around this fancy Sherton Hotel and even find the lift, which, however, doesn't open without a hotel card.

In the end, the only solution is to ask at the reception: Indeed, we were at the correct lift, you just have to enter the magic number “20” for the 20th floor, and then the lift opens even without a card. It’s logical. Those Georgians…!

Finally, upon reaching the rooftop bar, we are truly rewarded with a dreamy view over all of Batumi and enjoy some fantastic sushi as well. There’s even a good white wine and - hooray - it isn't made by the hotel owner and actually tastes excellent, so we each have two glasses.

We enjoy the wonderful atmosphere and view for quite a while, especially since we have the entire outside terrace to ourselves. It's no surprise - no one can find this place!

With full stomachs and slightly tipsy from the wine, we want to try our luck at one of Batumi's famous casinos. We decide on the Casino International at the Hilton, and after a quick passport check, we get our personal casino card.

Motivated, I sit down at one of the machines, push 20 Lari into the slot, and I can start playing. I initially don't realize that you can lower the minimum bet, so after making my game choice (still motivated), I press the play button 5 times. Result: Money gone, fun = Zero, motivation: also gone.

Drinks are free, so I first order 2 Mojitos for myself and Tini.

She also puts 20 Lari into one of the machines, selects a game (which, except for exchanged graphics, are all completely the same), lowers the stake, and then she can press the button 20 times. Wow, the fun is becoming immeasurable. At least she wins 20 Lari, so we cash out the 40 nicely on her card.

We actually want to play roulette, but we don't dare. Georgians already don't look very trustworthy, even though we know by now how nice these guys actually are - but the candidates at the roulette table here could have just come from a Hollywood gangster film. No, we want nothing to do with them. So we order 2 more beers and wander among the machines, watching people lose and mindlessly press the play button.

I go to the bar and order 2 Mai Tais, but that was probably pushing it too far. He checks my card and sees that I have only lost a whopping 20 Lari and strangely refuses me the Mai Tais. So free drinks aren't really free - that was kind of obvious!

Tini quickly loses her 40 Lari within a few boring seconds, and we leave the place in a hurry! Let others fund Hilton's next 120th floor - we are just sad about our money here.

We stroll along the promenade, feeling cheerful and quite drunk while admiring the beautifully lit city.

Before we get into a Bolt that takes us home for a sensational 8 Lari (+5 Lari tip), we stop by Ali and Nino, the famous lovers of Batumi. They are mounted on movable platforms and, with a bit of patience, they kiss each other. A quite romantic finale for a slightly romantic and especially tipsy evening.