The best smoking lounges in the world, according to a cigar connoisseur

[JohnS]

This is an article I came across from a few months back (and I didn't post up, at the time, for whatever reason!). Anyway, it's from an Australian media outlet of all things (yes, I know, hard to believe!) and it includes a Cigar Enthusiast based in Croatia listing his favourite cigar lounges (or the ones he thinks are the best). What do you think of this list?

The best smoking lounges in the world, according to a cigar connoisseur

The Croatia-based cigar aficionado shares why he seeks out the world’s best smoking lounges.

Jenny Hewett - December 11, 2025 - 8:36AM, Escape

Zoran Pejović likens cigars to fine wine. “I find that wine and cigars both embody rituals, craft, and heritage,” he says. He’s been visiting cigar lounges worldwide for the past 25 years and is a founding member of Cigar Club Mareva in Split. “Back in the late ’90s, many people around me smoked cigarettes. I had a strong dislike for both the smell and the habit,” says the Montenegro-born executive at Croatia-based Lošinj Hotels & Villas.

"I promised myself I would never try one, and I have kept that promise to this day. But in the early 2000s, I came across cigars. They felt different. The aroma was deeper, slightly sweet, layered with complexity. “If a cigar lounge is empty, it becomes a refuge, a space for contemplation. If it is full of fellow aficionados, it becomes a window into the city where I am.”

Parisian secret

Gentlemen 1919 in Paris is both a working barber shop and, beyond a discreet door, a cigar lounge with the unmistakeable feel of a speakeasy. Drinks, haircuts, and a private cigar hideaway coexist within the same walls. The lounge has an intimate, vintage style with Chesterfield armchairs and a humidor stocked with an excellent selection of cigars, from Cuban classics to Nicaraguan and Dominican lines, including older vintages.

Cars and cigars

The Engine Room in Doha is tucked inside The St. Regis hotel, and is part lounge and part gallery of vintage cars. Sitting among Rolls-Royces and racing machines while smoking a cigar feels unusual, yet the space itself is comfortable. The lighting is low, the chairs are leather and inviting. I had a Montecristo No.2 there and found the laughter of the patrons, many of them local, very memorable.

American encore

The Carnegie Club in New York is not a typical members’ lounge as access is open, but the atmosphere is timeless. The music instantly takes you back, with live interpretations of Sinatra that sound as good as the originals. Being in the US, they don’t sell Cuban cigars, but the selection is excellent, including Oliva, Padrón, and Arturo Fuente.

Scandi chic

Cigarrummet in Stockholm is a members-only lounge with cigars from smaller producers such as Jeremy Casdagli, whose line Daughters of the Wind is a personal favourite, as well as Cuban and non-Cuban classics. I stay at The Sparrow Hotel partly for its epic croissant, but mostly because it’s close by.

Source: https://www.escape.com.au/experiences/food-and-drink/bars-and-pubs/the-best-smoking-lounges-in-the-world-according-to-a-cigar-connoisseur/image-gallery/d9e55eb0cc8206e461b8b06186f79f66