Dastan Hotel

The staff were kind and tried to help, though their English was very poor. The hotel itself had a lot of problems, and when we checked out nobody asked about our stay, so here's our honest feedback. We arrived after the stated check-in time and still waited half an hour for a room. Its safe was locked with a code we didn't know, and there were ants, so we went back to reception and were moved. In that second room the safe didn't work either. When we returned late that night, there was no AC remote. Around 23:00 the receptionist knocked on other guests' doors looking for a matching remote, which felt uncomfortable and unprofessional. The room was extremely basic: nowhere for luggage, weak shower pressure, water that wasn't hot enough, short blankets, a strong sewage smell in the bathroom, shampoo but no shower gel, and no hook for hand towels. The shower wasn't sealed properly, so it flooded the bathroom floor each time. The windows weren't sealed either, and wind and water got into the room during a stormy day. We stayed three nights. The room was supposedly cleaned daily, but toilet paper was never replenished and we had to ask. Towels were always missing, and the carpet clearly hadn't been vacuumed properly, with quite a few hairs that weren't ours. There's no elevator or phone in the room, so every problem meant going downstairs to reception in person. Breakfast runs from 9-11:00, but by 10 there was barely any food and nothing seemed to be refilled. There are very few tables too, so at busy times you may have to stand and wait for other guests to finish. Regular taxis like Bolt can't enter the Old City. If you want to be taken directly to the hotel, you're forced to use its much more expensive transfer service, which only takes cash. The price may be affordable, but I wouldn't recommend or return. I honestly don't understand its rating above 9 on Booking.com.

The main drawback for me was breakfast starting too late, from 9am-11am. I had to miss it one day because I was going on an organized trip and would have preferred an earlier start. Dastan Boutique Hotel is good value, with spotless rooms and excellent service for a much more budget-friendly price than larger hotels. I even got a glass of wine one night, a lovely touch after a cold day out. It's an easy stroll to the Maiden Tower and the Palace of the Shirvanshahs, with cafés, museums, and local restaurants close by in the compact Old City. It doesn't pretend to be a luxury palace, but the location makes exploring Baku a pleasure.

Dastan Baku Hotel made a great base for exploring the historical center. It sits in the heart of Baku’s Old City, yet was surprisingly quiet and peaceful. The staff stood out for their attentiveness and friendliness, offering local tips, directions, and help whenever needed. Rooms and common areas were spotless and well maintained. Breakfast was fresh and enjoyable, with a nice range of fruit and local dishes that added an authentic touch. The mix of comfort, location, thoughtful service, and local charm makes it easy to recommend for a welcoming way to experience Baku. Thank you for all

My sister and her husband stayed at Dastan hotel this week in a third-floor room. On their last day, they found a large bedbugs nest under the bed. It was creepy. The hotel administrator was told, but refused compensation and unilaterally cancelled their booking.com reservation to avoid a bad review there. The location is good and the design nice, but the poor sanitary conditions and lack of service made it one star for me.