Nunisi

Nunisi is one of the smallest spas in Georgia and makes no secret of it. The village sits in Kharagauli municipality at roughly 700 to 750 metres, at the edge of the Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park, in forest of beech, oak, chestnut and hornbeam.

The mineral water here has an unusual multi-component composition, including manganese, iodine, potassium and sulphur compounds. Its main application is dermatological — eczema, urticaria, persistent itching — and it has traditionally also been drunk for digestive complaints. A course of treatment normally runs one to two weeks; a single day's visit has no medical meaning.

Local tradition attributes the discovery to David the Builder, whose cavalry horses are said to have been cured here, after which word of the water spread. Documented development as a resort belongs to the Soviet period. Today it amounts to a small hotel, a bath block and a handful of cottages.

What you get: forest air, quiet, cool nights even in summer, and paths that run straight into national park woodland. What you do not get: a choice of restaurants, nightlife, shops or a view. Mobile coverage is weak in places.

Nunisi makes sense if you are walking in Borjomi-Kharagauli and need a base, or if you want something quieter than Sairme and less built up than Borjomi.

The setting is the real argument for Nunisi. Paths from the village link into the Borjomi-Kharagauli network, and the Marelisi and Kharagauli park entrances are within reach by car, so a stay here can be built around walking rather than around treatment. The forest is deciduous and changes completely with the season: new beech leaf in May, deep shade in August, and in late October a fortnight of colour that visitors to Georgia almost never see, because at that time of year they are all in Kakheti.