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I need to do a better job of researching hotels before booking. I assume when I see a brand-name like Hyatt it automatically is in a great location. Clearly, I have not learned my lesson from my stay at the Hyatt Osaka (see Where Are You Hyatt Regency Osaka?).
Location
The Hyatt Baku is not located near the old town or close to the major sites. This is not the hotel for tourists looking to explore Baku by foot.
Baku, but not BakuFar from the center
TPOL’s Tip: Bolt only costs a few manat to get to the old town.
Price
Perhaps the reason I did not research the location is because of the measly number of points it costs to stay here. The room retails at $166 per night but goes for only 5,000 points.
Room
As a Globalist, I was upgraded to a junior suite with a lot of furniture. When staying alone, I would rather have a deluxe oversized room than two rooms of which I will only use one.
Bathroom
The room had an extra toilet in the living room that I did not use and a bathtub in the master that I also did not use. The shower had low water pressure.
Suite
Coming for business? Plenty of space for those key meetings.
The view
Lavazza
It’s often an adventure to figure out how to turn on the espresso machine. I managed to do so and make espresso. The next time I tried, it was blinking red and my attempts to troubleshoot proved fruitless.
Lounge
I was staying on the 8th floor. The lounge was conveniently located on the 7th via a dangerous spiral staircase. It was easier to head to the lounge for espresso than wait for an engineer to come to my room.
TPOL’s Tip: From 6-8PM there are also drinks and light snacks.
Overall
The hotel was good enough but I would recommend the Courtyard Baku for those here for leisure.
My plan is to live in various parts around the world for a month at a time (see TPOL in Madrid: Why A Second Residency?). The biggest issue is finding a long-term rental that is not an overpriced Airbnb that delivers big on pictures but low on quality. Looking for places to live, I stumbled across TheBlueGround.com, a website with apartment listings worldwide. I knew I wanted to stay in the upscale neighborhood of Chamberí and searched accordingly. I was able to find a two-bedroom apartment for a little more than $100 a night.
TPOL’s Tip: The minimum stay is 31 days.
TPOL’s Tip: If you pay by credit card, there is a processing fee. The issue is that the security deposit is also subject to the processing fee but said fee is not returned.
A key is required to enter the front door. From there, take the lift to your apartment.
2 Bedrooms
I was looking for an apartment with a living room, an office, and one bedroom. The best I could find was two bedrooms. This proved excessive as the room was never used.
Bedroom 1
Bedroom 2
TPOL’s Tip: Traveling for two? 1 bedroom is sufficient. A studio is not.
Church Bells
Initially, we kept the window open for the cool night air. It was nice to be awoken to the sound of church bells.
2 Bathrooms
The advantage of having a 2 bedroom was the second bathroom. Most of the 1 bedrooms only came with 1.
Hallway bathroomMasterMasterMaster
Kitchen
Food is so cheap in Madrid that you don’t need to cook at home (see Eat Like a Local: Madrid Spain). Should you have the desire, groceries are cheap and wine is basically free.
Don’t underestimate grocery store pizza.
Espresso
Is it better to have an espresso at home or an espresso followed by beers and tapas out (see Espresso? Beer? Both?: My Madrid Morning Routine). I’ll let you decide but the apartment did come with a Nespresso machine.
Living Room
Looking to entertain? There was plenty of space in the living room.
Garden
Madrid is chilly in February. We were only able to enjoy this spectacular garden towards the end of our residency.
Overall
Looking to do a residency in Madrid? Stay in Chamberí. Book through The Blueground.
South of France is too expensive for TPOL (see Guns & Butter: South of France Travel Guide (Budget Edition)). Luckily, I missed my flight to Nice and only had to come up with the funds points for one night (see Lufthansa LIS-FRA-NCE: Finally Arrived). Still, finding a points hotel was not easy. The Marriott properties were going for extreme rates. I had a Chase stay cert that was expiring and was happy to burn it instead of paying $250.
Location
The hotel is within walking distance to the beach. It is also within walking distance to the train station to get to Monaco.
Go right out of the hotel to go to the beach.
Go left out of the hotel to go to the train station for Monaco.
Room
I spent my day in Cannes. This was the extent of my photography skills when I arrived at the hotel late.
Overall
If you’re looking to get the Nice experience, staying on the waterfront is the way to go. If you’re looking to get a taste of a life you cannot afford, the Holiday Inn may be the way to go.
I have flown Qsuites too many times, but I have not flown Qatar First. Since Avios are so easy to come by, there was no way I would fly business just to save a few points.
Our rendezvous turned into a small party among those forced to work overtime and us passengers. The collective group was disappointed when the now boarding flashed on the monitor, forcing us to hustle to the gate.
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I have narrated how I’ve eaten and drunk my way through Madrid (see Best Tapas Madrid: No Budget Cuts Here as an example). I have also written about how I may have taken it too far (see Espresso? Beer? Both?: My Madrid Morning Routine). To combat this indulgence, I needed a workout plan that I could take not only on this residency but also on any trip throughout the world.
Note: This is a big development compared to my prior stance of never working out on the road (see No More Mobile Gym No Matter What).
For this trip, I loaded up a suitcase with too many gadgets.
Take a left from the gymOnto Calle José AbascalThen your first left back home to Calle De Fernandez De La Hoz
I ended up joining for the month that I was there. Instead of going back to Geico weights, I brought my own toys including the Inertia Wave and all things Auster.
Hans and Franz weren’t particularly impressed with my setup, but I used their preoccupation with my routine as motivation.
What’s great about this gym is that they have many of the tools I use at home e.g., battle ropes, Suples Bulgarian bag.
Results
Combined with running outdoors (see Sunday Fun/Run Day: Spring in Madrid), I was able to stay healthy abroad while continuing to indulge in tapas.
TPOL’s Tip: The gym address is Calle José Abascal 46 28003 Madrid.
I tried napping in the area designated for families but was immediately bored.
Photos
I walked around to take photos for the blog but could not find anything that caught my eye. I guess some people will be impressed by the giant urinal waterfall.
Bar
Looking for inspiration, I turned to alcohol. The best I could find was Leffe Blond. Compare the selection: from Hennessy VSOP in the Qatar Lounge in Bangkok, to this in first? How does that make sense?
Business Better?
Bored, I reached out to my friend whom I met in the business class lounge in Bangkok. He was enjoying his layover at the Qatar business class lounge by having a cigar in the smoking room in the business class lounge. I decided to join him.
Stored my bags.
In Transit
I went from the Al Safwa Lounge to the Al Mourjan Lounge. Why they can’t make it straightforward and call it first and business is stupid. It’s confusing for passengers simply looking to get to their designated lounge.
In the smoking room, we decided to order two tequilas. Both of us remarked that the tequila was smooth and we wondered what tequila was offered. It was not until I went for a refill that I learned that it was none other than Jose Cuervo!
Getting my fix of nicotine.
TPOL’s Trivia: Cuervo is the same tequila served in the first-class lounge.
TPOL’s Tip: So much for my belief that I am a tequila aficionado (see Tacos & Tequila: An Afternoon in Tlaquepaque). In my defense, I naively assumed that they would serve premium tequila in their flagship lounges.
