Hope Lake

We spent three nights here and couldn't have asked for a nicer place. It's peaceful, with ducks, rabbits, sheep, cows, and plenty of other animals. The trees are full of fruit and nuts, and the food was delicious. Getting around by taxi is fairly cheap. From the town center it's 2 Manat, or you can walk and take a shortcut when the river is dry. A taxi from Goyem train station costs about 3-6 Manat, and minibuses sometimes use that road. From Zaqatala train station, expect around 9-12 Manat by taxi. As far as I know, there aren't minibuses from there.

The rooms and apartments were clean and tidy, and we really liked the organic breakfast. The artificial lake was fun too, with lots of ducks, frogs, and rabbits around. It was our first visit, and both the adults and kids enjoyed it. One thing to know is that waiter service doesn't run from 10 pm until 9 am. Still, it's a really good place to clear your head and get your focus back for a couple of days.

We spent a lot of the songwriting time outside by the lake under the autumn trees, going over lyrics, drinking wine, and eating the best pizza ever. I had the slightly crazy idea of setting up a small recording studio for a three-day session with friends who live nearby, so I packed the car, drove there from baku, and turned the cabin into a studio. It was awesome.

We stayed three nights and found some nice hiking routes nearby. The eco lodges are cozy, set on a farm around a big pond. Food was good quality and great value. Service was pretty variable, though generally good. We didn't see any other foreigners besides Russians and Georgians.