Baku - A destination of dreams
- Epicurean Life
- Sep 30, 2025
- 3 min read
There are cities you visit, and then there are cities you experience. Baku definitely belongs to the latter – a place where East and West entwine in an intoxicating dance. With its medieval Old City and cutting-edge architecture as evidenced by the incredible Flame Towers. Here, saffron tea is poured in quaint courtyards and simultaneously champagne is uncorked as the city perfectly blends the past with modernity. Most famous for hosting the Formula 1 Grand Prix race which draws the world’s most glamorous to this Caspian capital. It is here, just twenty minutes outside the capital, where we were invited to visit the glittering Sea Breeze Resort, which hosts thew world-renowned DREAM FEST music festival – not so much a music festival but a four-day cultural and culinary crescendo. This year the headline act was international superstar Nicole Scherzinger.
Before diving head first into sequins, drone shows, and Nicole Scherzinger’s powerhouse vocals, one must first wander through Baku itself. By day, stroll the UNESCO-listed Old City, where labyrinthine streets reveal caravanserais, medieval mosques, and the storybook Maiden Tower. For a dose of architectural wonder, the Heydar Aliyev Center – Zaha Hadid’s fluid white masterpiece – is a temple to both design and cultural ambition. Then contrast that with a nighttime skyline – the famous Flame Towers shimmering with LED fire, rivalling the world’s most glamorous cityscapes.
A stroll along the Baku Boulevard, one of the world’s longest promenades, is mandatory. Locals call it the seaside park, but in reality, it’s more Riviera than park – chic cafés, yacht marinas, and art installations stretching endlessly along the Caspian. For a dose of architectural wonder, the Heydar Aliyev Center – Zaha Hadid’s fluid white masterpiece – is a temple to both design and cultural ambition - their classic car collection is truly incredible.
All this was within a short distance of our base, the fabulous Ritz-Carlton, Baku. The five star hotel offers the luxury synonymous with its name and features the largest rooms in the city with full balconies that offer breathtaking views of the city beyond. Baku’s dining scene is as layered as its skyline. At once proudly Azerbaijani and unapologetically cosmopolitan, restaurants range from heritage kitchens serving saffron-infused plov to sleek rooftops where Michelin-starred chefs reinterpret sturgeon caviar and local saffron in dazzling ways.
After having discovered so much of Baku, we took an excursion twenty minutes from the city to Sea Breeze Resort. Spanning 500 hectares, the resort is a city unto itself – over 3,000,000 square meters of villas, residences, fine dining, wellness retreats, beach clubs, and architectural marvels that blend Mediterranean chic with Azerbaijani soul.
Each July, the resort transforms into the stage for DREAM FEST – one of the world’s most spectacular music festivals. This year, over 50 artists from 12 countries electrified the Caspian nights: Nicole Scherzinger in Azerbaijani couture, Haddaway and Aqua fueling an 80s revival, and Tyga closing the finale with swaggering charisma. Yet it wasn’t just about the music – the drone shows above the sea, the pyrotechnics, the 50-meter turquoise red carpet – all underscored Sea Breeze’s position as the cultural crown jewel of the region.
The visionary behind it all is Emin Agalarov – artist, entrepreneur, visionary – the mastermind behind both Sea Breeze and DREAM FEST. His dual role as crooner and creator cements him as a cultural architect: one who is not merely building a resort, but curating a lifestyle and placing Baku firmly on the global luxury map.
Baku has always been a crossroads, but today it feels like a revelation: safe, sophisticated, and shimmering with possibility. Whether you come for its heritage treasures, its bold contemporary art, its culinary surprises, or its festival nights under the Caspian stars, one truth becomes clear.
In Baku, the dream doesn’t just happen at Sea Breeze, the dream is the city itself. Few cities manage to be as layered, as unexpected, and as alluring as Baku. It is a place where you can buy couture one moment, a handwoven carpet the next; where you can hear Nicole belt out her hits on the Caspian shore, then enjoy the tranquillity of a centuries-old hammam the following morning. Baku isn’t just having a moment. It is becoming a destination of dreams – a city where luxury is threaded through every experience, and where the Caspian shimmers as both stage and muse.
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