JW Marriott Absheron Baku

The JW Marriott Absheron holds down one of Baku's great addresses: the vast parade ground of Azadliq Square, with Government House's Stalinist-baroque bulk to one side and the Caspian boulevard beginning across the road. The hotel revives the name of the Soviet-era Absheron hotel that once stood here, but the current building is a sleek contemporary slab whose upper floors look straight over the square to the sea.

This is Baku's business-grand hotel, and it does the role well. Rooms are large and warmly contemporary, with picture windows framing either the Caspian or the city climbing towards the Flame Towers; the executive lounge is among the best-run in the city. The indoor pool on an upper floor, with its wall of glass towards the bay, is a genuine highlight, and the spa and fitness floors are substantial.

Dining includes a well-regarded steakhouse and generous international buffets, with the boulevard's cafés and the seafront promenade minutes away on foot; the Old City is a pleasant walk along the water. Rates typically undercut the city's top two addresses noticeably, which makes the JW the value play among Baku's luxury hotels—less romance than the palace or the towers, but a thoroughly dependable base with sea views.