Royal Batoni is a castle-like hotel and restaurant perched on a hilltop near the town of Kvareli in the Kakheti region. The setting is a fairytale, overlooking Ilia Lake, with stunning, unspoiled views of the countryside and rolling hills for as far as the eye can see. 

The decor inside the hotel is a bit anti-climactic, mixing beautiful vintage pieces with walls that look like they were hastily painted with leftovers of whatever the owner had in his garage and a sort of unfinished overall feel. 

The restaurant makes up for most of this, however, with an excellent menu (everything you want but not too much), delicious food (try the chikhirtma - seriously!), reasonable prices (dirt cheap wine, as it should be in Kakheti), and frequent live music. 

The large outdoor terrace has the best views, and local wine, steaming mtsvadi, and the fresh mountain air is exactly why you came to Kakheti.