Ureki: a guesthouse by the magnetic sand beach, old summer houses and building in Guria
Ureki is a resort settlement in Guria, in Ozurgeti Municipality, about 60 kilometres north of Batumi, with a beach of black magnetic sand. In summer families with children come here from all over Georgia, and the train from Tbilisi stops right in the settlement. People buy summer houses, guesthouses and small hotels here. We check ready properties and renovate summer houses, and take on construction in Guria by separate arrangement.
Housing
Along the sea and on the streets behind it stand guesthouses, family hotels and summer houses, many built long ago and extended in several stages. There are almost no apartment buildings, and few free plots by the sea. Many houses let rooms in summer, and hosts and guests often live in the same yard.
Added floors and extensions are not always shown in the Public Registry extract, and old houses by the sea have damp floors and walls and rusty pipes.
Terrain, sea and soil
The settlement stands on a flat shore, about 4 metres above sea level. The beach is sandy, and the sand is black with magnetic properties. The ground is sandy, the groundwater close, and basements are almost always damp, so we choose the foundation based on surveys.
Humidity is high all year, and salt by the sea damages metal and appliances. We design the house to Georgian seismic standards, as in Adjara.
Infrastructure
The coastal highway and the railway run through Ureki: the Tbilisi–Batumi train stops in the settlement. Batumi is about 60 kilometres away. Shops, cafés and pharmacies are open mostly in summer, and for doctors and big shopping people go to Ozurgeti, Kobuleti or Batumi.
To the south lies Shekvetili with its pine forest, the Black Sea Arena and parks. In summer cafés are open along the beach in Ureki, and from autumn most hotels close.
Ureki is a resort settlement in Guria, in Ozurgeti Municipality, about 60 kilometres north of Batumi. It received the status of a settlement in 1953, and it became known for its beach of black magnetic sand: many people believe it helps with heart and vascular conditions. In summer families with children come here from all over Georgia, and the Tbilisi–Batumi train stops right in Ureki. People buy summer houses, guesthouses and small hotels here. Ureki is no longer Adjara, and we take on construction here by separate arrangement.
Ureki: magnetic sand and family holidays
The beach in Ureki is sandy, not pebbly as in Batumi, and the sand is black with magnetic properties. The shore slopes gently, and people happily come here with small children. The name itself, by one account, means "deep forest": a dense forest once stood here. Few people live in the settlement permanently, about 1,200 according to the 2014 census, and in summer it fills with holidaymakers.
To the south lies Shekvetili with its pine forest and the Black Sea Arena. Ureki is older and more densely built: there are more guesthouses and family hotels here, and fewer free plots by the sea.
A ready guesthouse or mini-hotel
In Ureki people more often buy not a plot but a ready guesthouse or family hotel. We check such a property as a business: does the building match the Public Registry extract, are there permits for the added floors, what state are the utilities and roof in, and how much it really earns over a year, not in the best August. The season here is short, and in winter a hotel is almost empty. If the hotel has a pool or a café, we separately check their permits and what their upkeep costs over a year.
How we find and check hotels is explained on our page about buying a hotel.
An old summer house by the sea
Many houses in Ureki were built long ago and extended in several stages. Over the years by the sea their walls and floors get damp, pipes and fixings rust, and the added floors stand on a foundation designed for one. First we inspect the foundation, floors and roof, then decide whether to renovate the house or build a new one in the same place.
The ground here is sandy and the groundwater close, so basements are damp, and we choose a new foundation based on surveys. How we renovate summer houses is described on our page about summer house renovation.
Guests from Tbilisi and a short season
The Tbilisi–Batumi train stops in Ureki, and many guests come straight from the capital. In summer there are few free rooms, and from autumn to spring the settlement empties. So we design a guesthouse so that part of the house can be closed for the winter, and rooms with their own bathrooms, a shared kitchen and a shaded yard matter more for such a house than expensive finishes.
If the plot allows, we leave room in the yard for parking: many guests arrive by their own car. How we build mini-hotels and guesthouses is explained on our page about mini-hotels.
Guria: documents and building
Ureki belongs to Ozurgeti Municipality, so building and reconstruction permits are issued by Ozurgeti City Hall. The procedure is similar to Batumi's: land use conditions, design, permit and commissioning. We take on construction and renovation in Ureki by separate arrangement and cost the travel and the crew's accommodation in advance.
Questions and answers
Where is Ureki?
In Guria, in Ozurgeti Municipality, on the Black Sea coast about 60 kilometres north of Batumi. To the south lies Shekvetili. The highway and the railway run through the settlement, and the Tbilisi–Batumi train stops in Ureki. Ureki received the status of a settlement in 1953.
Is it true that the magnetic sand in Ureki heals?
The sand on Ureki's beach is black and has magnetic properties, and many people believe it helps with heart and vascular conditions. We are not doctors and cannot promise a healing effect: if you are going for treatment, ask your doctor. For housing something else matters: thanks to the sand and the gently sloping shore, families with children come here, and in summer they are the ones looking for accommodation.
What should you check when buying a guesthouse in Ureki?
The documents and the building itself: does the building match the extract, are there permits for the added floors, what state are the foundation, utilities and roof in. And the income: we look at bookings and bills for a full year, because the season is short and in winter there are almost no guests. We compare the price with what a new house on the same spot would cost.
Who issues building permits in Ureki?
Ozurgeti City Hall, because Ureki belongs to Ozurgeti Municipality in Guria. The procedure is similar to Batumi's: land use conditions, design, permit and commissioning. We take on construction and renovation here by separate arrangement and cost the travel and the crew's accommodation in advance.
Terms used on this page
- Public Registry extract
- A document from Georgia's state registry: the owner, cadastral code, area, legal use and encumbrances of a property on the date of issue.
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