"We seldom rave about hotspots in this slick oil city on the Caspian—but this Four Seasons outpost is urging us to turn and take note. The ornate Beaux Arts-style building sits on the stroll-friendly Azneft Square, and has the look and feel of an hôtel particulier . Oversized suites are chic and simple, and offer unobscured views of the sea or the Old City (an especially charming sight when it’s lit up at night). Of special note are the cigar club and whisky bar, both ideal for a post-meal powwow; a pool housed under a glass-roofed ceiling, in a room that looks vaguely like the Met’s Greek and Roman halls; and the Turkish-style hammam."