So, after a stressful month of being sick with pneumonia our family decided that we need a holiday. And fresh air.
Our choice fell on the Olympic complex in Qusar. Even though it’s located in the city, it is actually a woodland with many little houses. The nature is absolutely beautiful, it’s perfectly quiet, and one can hear the birds singing all day long. Lovely place! There were also playgrounds for the kids and we had prepared some outside activities as well (it’s such a pity that it rained the second day…)
Anyway, I totally recommend this place in case you’re craving an undisturbed holiday in a beautiful place, surrounded by nature (yet, being in the city!) Surprisingly, there weren’t any mosquitoes at this time, so I feel unexpectedly lucky. 🙂 I like nature, but getting too close to it always puts me on the edge, and bugs are something I would really prefer to stay away from.
Also, I think that such places are perfect for traveling with friends (especially if you have kids), because the combination of good company, leisure time, happy kids, and fresh air is always a healthy one. 🙂
On Day 1 we were lucky to enjoy the great company of some new friends of ours with whom we met there. The kids got along perfectly, so we were left to enjoy some grown-up talk (how often does this happen?!), tea, and strawberry jam 🙂 Thankfully, they knew a very nice place for dinner, so right after tea we headed to grab some real food. 🙂 It’s called Ay isigi (Moonlight) and is located at the entrance of the city, right across from the Flag Square.
I can’t recommend this place enough! The food is great, service is good, and the view is perfect! We liked it so much, that we decided to go there for lunch the next day as well. So, if you’re planning a visit to Qusar – this is your restaurant! 😉
Day 2. Wake-up time – 6:30. Not so unusual for some of us, but for others… it’s almost unheard of. 🙂 Seems like the fresh air, bird songs and mesmerizing sunrise, awakened even the most sleepy ones of us. 🙂 So we decided not to wait until breakfast and instead – head straight towards Khinalug – one of the oldest villages in the world (more than 5000 years old and still inhabited till this very day).
Two years ago we tried to go to Khinalug but gave up because of the condition of the road. Also, it was a bit late in the afternoon, so we were worried whether we’d be able to get back on time (we definitely didn’t want to drive in the darkness on such a narrow and dangerous road). I should also mention that our car was much smaller then. After we upgraded a bit, we decided we should definitely give Khinalug another chance. And since we were in the area… we decided we better visit it now.
It’s about 60 km. drive from Qusar, but since the road goes through the mountains, it takes about an hour and a half to get there.
Huge advice: go early in the morning for better photos and lack of traffic. (On our way back, there were already numerous cars and minibuses making their way through the mountain road towards the village.) The road itself was good, but one should definitely drive with care. I will actually publish another post just for the road to Khinalug (+ video), because I know that many people are wondering whether they would be able to reach it by car.
And since our afternoon barbecue plans got canceled because of the rainy weather, we decided that it’s time to hit the road again. This time to Nabran.
Nabran is one of the most popular resorts in Azerbaijan. It’s located on the Caspian seashore, very close to the Russia-Azerbaijan border. As we drove through it, we noticed that the hotels, restaurants and entertainment centers are located on the left side of the road, saving the right side for the beautiful beaches. It’s worth considering for summer holidays and long weekends.
I hope you enjoyed today’s post. If you want to keep up with our adventures and future destinations, don’t forget to Like our Facebook page and subscribe to my brand new YouTube Channel.
Leave a Reply