Quote: “There’s no hotel at the Velotrek!”

That’s the cry you will inevitable hear from every cabbie in Baku when you tell them where your hotel is, after which they will then offer to take you somewhere else that they insist is better. Don’t listen. The Velotrek hotel was built only in 1994, inside the Baku’s velodrome complex, and thus remains relatively unknown by most in Baku, but it is one of the best deals you will find in the whole Caucusus and the cheapest option in Baku besides the beat-up hotel on a docked oil tanker that doubles as a brothel. They rent rooms by the hour.

The Velotrek is far from being a brothel. In fact, it is surprisingly clean, offering double rooms with a (warm) shower, TV, A/C, and fridge for just $10/night. The staff is friendly and welcoming, usually content to just sit in the lobby and watch beamed-in Turkish satellite. It’s also very safe, being hidden behind the gates of the velodrome and not open to the public. When I was staying there, I seemed to be the only one there except for an Azeri soccer team that was in town.

The downsides are that it’s a little bit out of the way, but because it is right next the 20th of January Metro stop, you can get to any part of the city easily, and taxis are just 1 shirvan, or $2, from almost anywhere inside Baku. The other annoying thing is that they close up at night, usually after midnight, and if you are going to be out, then you have to make arrangements with the owner to get back in. One night I came back late to find the outer gate to the velodrome closed. I thought I was locked out and immediately set out searching for a way to sneak in. I found a hole in the gate that I could crawl through and was in the middle of squeezing myself through when I heard a shout. I thought it was a policeman and I was done for. It wasn’t a cop, but he started asking me what I was doing and where I was going. I explained that I was locked out at which he smiled and then brought me back to the gate. He reached his hand through the bars and lifted up the latch, opening up the gate. He laughed and I thanked him immensely. “Much easier than crawling,” he said. I agreed.

Despite those small inconveniences, the Velotrek is still the best budget option around simply because it is not a dank pit or a hostel. For the amenities you get, $10 is a steal.
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