Nest Invest Global • Sales partner
Batumi, Georgia
Ambassadori Island Batumi
Georgia’s first artificial island, in a market moving faster than any we work in. Freehold title, a hotel operator running the building, a residency option for the family — and a contract price that is the real price.
Batumi has outgrown “emerging”
Three years ago we sold sea-view apartments here for under $30,000. Some new buildings now ask $10,000 a square metre.
The catalyst was January 2025, when Emaar founder Mohamed Alabbar’s group committed $6 billion to Tbilisi and the Batumi waterfront. Once capital of that calibre arrives, others follow — and they have. Ambassadori Island is where the top of this market is being built.
Why this one
Two lessons from Batumi, learned the hard way
The headline price is often not the price. Much of Batumi’s cheap sea-view advertising sells white-frame shells: no bathroom, no kitchen, no sockets, no doors. Buyers of those flats are now being charged $850 to $1,200 a square metre to finish them, often more than the flat itself cost, due six months before handover, with no option to use their own builder. Three years ago we decided to sell only turnkey contracts in Batumi. None of our buyers are paying that bill.
The building’s operator decides the return. On my last visit I paid $24 a night for a newly finished one-bedroom in a tower of competing Airbnb hosts. Le Méridien was fully booked at $220. The Radisson was full in September at $540. Same sea, same city. The difference is who runs the building.
In June we locked in a unit with a view for a client at $2,800 a square metre. Two scheduled price increases later it’s $3,600 and up, and a high-floor studio with a serious view is over $4,500. The best penthouses aren’t even on sale — there’s a waiting list.
Liam Burke, Founder, Nest Invest Global
The First Tower
A 216-metre residential and hotel tower on the Black Sea
Developer renders of the First Tower and its apartments. Scroll on to walk through it.
The island
First Tower
Rooftop pool
The courtyard
Living room
Bedroom
Delivered finished
Built as a hotel, not a block of flats
A residential-hotel tower on the left peninsula of the island, with uninterrupted Black Sea views and the amenities of a hotel from day one.
- 58 floors, 216 metres, 3.2-metre ceilings and eight duplexes
- Monolithic concrete on a pile foundation, nine high-speed lifts
- Rooftop terrace and open-air pool, restaurant and café
- Fitness centre, pharmacy, high-end supermarket and 24-hour reception
- Three levels of parking for 240 cars
- Three minutes to Batumi’s central station, 30 to the airport
The apartments
Studios to two-bedroom, every one delivered finished
All First Tower apartments are delivered with renovation, with furniture as an option. The price you agree is the price of a home you can live in or let.
| Apartment | Size | Condition | Residency threshold |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | 37.1 m² | Finished, furniture optional | High floors may qualify; combine with a second unit |
| One-bedroom | 53.5 m² | Finished, furniture optional | Clears $150,000 at current prices |
| Two-bedroom | 108.4 m² | Finished, furniture optional | Clears $150,000 |
| Penthouse & duplex | On request | By waiting list | — |
Typical sizes from the developer’s brochure. Entry prices from about $125,000; current prices run from around $3,600 per m², higher for upper floors and the best views. Penthouses are released by waiting list with a $100,000 deposit held by the developer. Ask for the current availability sheet.
Who is behind it
A Georgian hotel group building its own island
Ambassadori Group has been building and running hospitality in Georgia since 2004. It will operate the First Tower itself, and its brand covers the whole island: one operator and one pricing strategy, not hundreds of owners undercutting each other.
Nest Invest Global is a sales partner of Ambassadori Group. We have placed several buyers on the island this year, every one of them on a turnkey contract.
Trading
Ambassadori hotels
Hotels in Tbilisi, Batumi, Kachreti and at the Goderdzi ski resort.
Trading
Kachreti Golf Resort
Georgia’s first golf course, with a polo and golf academy and Keburia Winery.
Masterplan
ARUP & SHoP Architects
ARUP leads the masterplan and smart-city infrastructure; SHoP Architects of New York the architectural concept; Yüksel Proje the engineering.
On the world stage
MIPIM and Monaco
Presented in 2026 at MIPIM in Cannes and the Monaco International Investment Forum. Around $1 billion of third-party projects committed so far.
Not a resort. A new district of Batumi.
Almost half of the 84 hectares is given to beaches, parks and promenades. The rest is planned as a business, commercial and leisure hub with its own year-round reasons to visit.
- Georgia’s first international-standard yacht club and marina
- Five-star hotels, beach clubs, a concert hall and an aqua park
- A large shopping centre, high-end boutiques and an office centre
- An international college, school and kindergartens, and medical facilities
- A nine-hectare forest park, 3.2 km walking trail and bike paths
- Helicopter landing pads
For families and family offices
A place to go, with the right to be there
Many of the buyers who ask us about Batumi want more than a yield. They want a hard asset in their own name, outside their home system, and the right to live there with their family if the world becomes less predictable. Here is exactly what Georgia offers today.
| What you get | Status today |
|---|---|
| Freehold title in your own name | Yes — no permit or residency required |
| Residence permit for you, your spouse and children | Yes — property worth $150,000+ at market value, renewable yearly |
| Tax on rental income | Flat 5% |
| Capital gains tax after two years | None on residential property |
| Citizenship by investment | Announced, not yet live — we give it no value |
Residency threshold in force since 1 March 2026. When an off-plan unit can be used for an application is confirmed with a Georgian lawyer before you buy. This is not immigration or tax advice.
The Turnkey Standard
Due diligence summary
In Batumi, two things separate the investments that work from the ones that disappoint: whether you are paying for a finished home, and whether a professional is running the building. Here is where Ambassadori stands.
Passed — title and residency confirmed per buyerPrice — one price, for a finished home
Every apartment is delivered with renovation, and every Ambassadori unit we sell is on a turnkey contract. No finishing bill at handover.
Operator — a hotel group, not a crowd of hosts
Ambassadori Group runs hotels across Georgia and will operate the First Tower itself, under the brand that covers the whole island.
Title — Georgian freehold
Full freehold title for foreign buyers, registered at the Public Registry. We confirm the registration route for every unit.
Delivery — the island is the risk, and we say so
Building on reclaimed land is harder than building on a normal plot, and an island this size arrives in phases. Against that: 48 hectares are reclaimed and commissioned, the tower is rising, and the engineering team is world-class. We price the tower, not the island’s future phases.
Returns — our numbers, not theirs
We don’t publish developer yields. We underwrite at a neutral minimum of 50% occupancy, net of the operator’s fees, and share the figures in the investment summary.
Read the full report: The Turnkey Standard: A Batumi Due Diligence Report, or see every verdict we have published in the Due Diligence Library.
This page is due diligence, not legal, tax or immigration advice. Every buyer should instruct an independent Georgian lawyer — not the developer’s — to review the sale agreement before committing.
Questions buyers ask
Frequently asked questions
What is Ambassadori Island?
Ambassadori Island is Georgia’s first artificial island: two peninsulas and an island covering 84 hectares of the Black Sea at the northern entrance to Batumi. It is being developed by Ambassadori Group, with a masterplan by ARUP and architecture by SHoP Architects, as a new district of homes, hotels, a yacht club, shops, offices, schools and parkland. Its first building is the 58-storey First Tower.
How much does an apartment on Ambassadori Island cost?
First Tower apartments start from about $125,000, delivered finished. Current prices run from around $3,600 per m², rising with floor and view; high-floor studios with the best views are above $4,500 per m². Prices have risen twice since June 2026, when we secured a unit for a client at $2,800 per m². Penthouses are released by waiting list.
Is Nest Invest Global a partner of Ambassadori Island?
Yes. Nest Invest Global is a sales partner of Ambassadori Group and has placed several buyers on the island. Our due diligence is our own: we publish the risks as well as the strengths, and we underwrite returns on our own assumptions rather than the developer’s.
Is Batumi a good place to invest in property in 2026?
Batumi has grown into one of the fastest-moving property markets we work in, with record transaction values and strong foreign demand. It also has a large pipeline of generic, owner-let apartments and widespread white-frame pricing. We think the opportunity is in finished, professionally operated property at the top of the market, not in the cheapest sea view.
Can foreigners buy property in Georgia?
Yes. Foreign buyers can hold full freehold title to non-agricultural property in Georgia, registered at the Public Registry, with no residency requirement or special permit.
Does buying here give residency in Georgia?
Since 1 March 2026, owning Georgian residential property worth at least $150,000 at market value qualifies for a temporary residence permit, renewable annually and extending to a spouse and children. At current prices a one-bedroom or larger clears that threshold; an entry studio may not on its own, though several properties can be combined. We confirm with a Georgian lawyer when an off-plan unit can be used for an application before you buy.
Does Georgia offer citizenship by investment?
Georgia has announced plans for a citizenship-by-investment programme, but the regulations have not been published and there is no launch date. We give it no value. If it opens, owners who already hold residency keep the option without having paid for a promise.
What is a white-frame apartment, and are these sold that way?
A white-frame apartment is a shell sold without bathroom, kitchen, electrics, doors or floors. Buyers in Batumi have recently been charged $850 to $1,200 per m² to finish them. First Tower apartments are delivered with renovation, and we only sell turnkey contracts in Batumi.
Who will run the First Tower?
Ambassadori Group, an established Georgian hotel operator with hotels in Tbilisi, Batumi, Kachreti and Goderdzi. It will operate the tower itself, and its brand covers the whole island.
What taxes apply?
Personal rental income from residential property is taxed at a flat 5%, and residential property held for more than two years is exempt from capital gains tax on sale. Confirm your own position with a tax adviser.
Has Ambassadori Island passed due diligence?
Yes. It passed our Turnkey Standard, with title and residency position confirmed for each buyer before reservation. Read the full due diligence report.
Want the full picture?
Request the investment summary for Ambassadori Island: current availability and prices by floor, floor plans, the payment schedule, our 50% occupancy stress test, and how the residency route works for your family. Ask about the penthouse waiting list too.
Not ready to talk? Download our free buyer’s guide to the 12-Point Due Diligence Framework.
Warm regards,
Liam Burke
Nest Invest Global
www.nestinvest.global
Nest Invest Global is a sales partner of Ambassadori Group. The Ambassadori name and logo are used with permission. Our due diligence is our own, and we publish the risks as well as the strengths.
Don’t Miss a Project Update
Follow along for daily updates
Price releases, site progress from Batumi, and the Wednesday due diligence series by email.
Subscribe on Substack Follow Liam on LinkedIn Instagram