Pilgrimage to Shahdagh

After opening on December 19 two new five-star hotels “Shahdagh” and «Pick Palace» the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in the winter and summer tourist complex Shahdagh, a flow of high officials and business tycoons there began. " A great number of luxury cars, mostly  jeeps on  the New Year's holiday  caused traffic jam," say  eyewitnesses. A great number of cars with state  numbers and  numbers of private institutions indicates  that the Baku elite  is forced to visit snow-capped mountains.

Official media with special emphasis pointed to the fact that the president and his family  spent this New Year's holiday in Azerbaijan. Channels showed a slalom of the presidential couple  to Shakhdag, and not somewhere in the Alps, where traditionally Aliyevs leave for winter holidays.

New hotels are managed  by «PAŞA Hotels and Resorts», which further stimulates  the owners  of thick wallets put their "modest" savings in the development of the ski resort, even though many of them planned their vacation somewhere in the Caribbean or Switzerland.

President Aliyev holds under  his personal supervision  the development of this resort with an investment portfolio at a half billion dollars and is proud of this project and others  built in recent years in different parts of the country . Earlier, in 2012 he opened  here a four-star hotel " Zirva" for 48 seats, and plans to open more hotels.

On the eve of the opening the winter season, on December 15,  the administration of Shakhdag reported that a week of rest for adults is 400 manat,  for children ( 6-11 years ) - 320 manat. The cost of a one-night stay and residence on the territory Shakhdag is 15 manat for adults and for children 12 manat. Price one day stay with the services  is 25 manat per day, two days - 21 manat per day (with the services - 43 manat ) , three days - 20 manat ( AZN 60 ) , four days - 19 manat ( 76 AZN ) , five days - 18 manat ( 90 AZN ) , seven days - 16 manat ( AZN 112 ) . Hiking will cost AZN 10 for adults and for children 5 manat . This does not include the price of living in five-star hotels , where prices start with a couple hundred manat.

Today,  in "Shahdagh" operates ski equipment rental, ski school, medical center, parking for cars and other objects. Four rope  ways  for climbing the ski slopes  have been opened, especially for young skiers there  is a  ski carpet. Cable cars in the complex  are of various kinds: chair, rope, and later will be gondola.

Ski trails are designed for different degrees of difficulty - for children and beginners, and for  those who has good skills . All trails are serviced by artificial snow generators. This equipment allows us to guarantee the quality of ski trails , as well as to extend the  skiing season for tourists which  finishes  on  April 7.—0-