Ureki

The only genuine sandy beach on the Georgian coast is at Ureki, 15km south of Poti. Ureki’s sand is black because it’s rich in magnetic iron; in Soviet times its medicinal properties saw three sanatoria built here. Today it’s being developed as a small Western-standard resort, largely thanks to the investment of late Georgian tycoon Badri Patarkatsishvili, so it’s a good place to kick back for a day or two if this appeals to you.

The coast and the resort are 1.5km off the Poti–Batumi highway and the Tbilisi–Batumi railway. There are now about a dozen mostly midsized and midrange hotels fronting the beach or very near to it.

Batumi-bound marshrutkas will drop you at the Ureki turn-off.