ornate buildings of Tbilisi with hills behind — Pick and mix: the colourful Georgian architecture of Tbilisi. Photograph: Alamy

Travel tips: east meets west in Tbilisi, plus deals of the week

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Visit the enigmatic Georgian city with its Byzantine churches and domed bathhouses; plus a lambing holiday in Scotland and luxury in Palma, Mallorca

Take me there: Tbilisi, Georgia

Why go?
Neither Asian nor fully European, Georgia mixes an intoxicating cocktail of eastern and western influences, spiked with a generous shot of Soviet-style strangeness. The enigmatic capital is in the throes of a renaissance. Ambitious new landmarks, such as the Bridge of Peace and the aerial tramway, are transforming the cityscape, while a crop of boutique hotels, bars and cafés are injecting new life into the ramshackle old town. On the outskirts of the city, beyond the brooding Soviet-era apartment blocks, the Caucasus mountains beckon.

What to do
Take the new cable car up to the 17th-century Narikala citadel for a bird’s-eye view of the city and a close-up of the iconic Mother Georgia statue – cup of wine in one hand, sword in the other. Explore the twisting lanes of the old town with its ornate balconied houses, domed bathhouses and Byzantine churches. Take a trip to the Caucasus mountains: tour operator Wild Frontiers offers a mix of tailor-made and group tours (wildfrontierstravel.com).

Where to stay
No 12 Boutique Hotel has nine bright rooms set around a courtyard in the old town (from £65, no12hotel.com). Rooms Hotel makes a bold design statement with a colourful conversion of a former publishing house in the arty Vera neighbourhood (from £100, designhotels.com).

Where to eat
Georgians are famed for their food and hospitality: feast on local specialities such as khachapuri (stuffed flatbreads), shashlik (kebabs), and badrijani nigvzit (aubergines with walnut paste), while gazing down on the Mtkvari river from the terrace of In The Shadow of Metekhi (+995 32 230 30 30).

Insider tip
“The best place to hang out and listen to live music is Akhvlediani Street – in particular Buffalo Bill (info-tbilisi.com/buffalobill),” says Khatuna Gabitashvili of Visit Georgia (visitgeorgia.ge). “The Sky Bar has great views over Tbilisi (22 Metekhi Street)”.

Give me a break

Flying start: help out with lambing in Scotland. Photograph: Alamy

Home Lambing in southern Scotland: lend a hand during lambing season at Brockloch Farm in Dumfries and Galloway. Accommodation is in an eco-friendly bothy or, new for this year, a luxury treehouse with sunken bath. The treehouse sleeps two and costs from £155 per night. The bothy sleeps four and costs from £86 per night. As well as lambs, lucky visitors might spot red kites and red squirrels (canopyandstars.co.uk/brocklochfarm).

Cut-price luxury in Mallorca: stay in the centre of Palma’s Old Town.

Away Luxury in Palma, Mallorca: one of Mallorca’s most stylish hotels is offering a 20% discount on a stay in a suite. Book directly with the Hotel Cort before 31 March and you can bag a suite from £98 a night (standard lead-in rates are from £122 per night, inclusive of breakfast). The hotel has a bar, a Mediterranean restaurant and a plunge pool on its third-floor terrace, and is in the centre of Palma’s Old Town (hotelcort.com).

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