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Olympic Flame

Heading to Beijing for the Summer Games? Places abound to celebrate with a smoke.

June/July 2008 , Page 18

This summer's Olympic Games in Beijing will end up officially "smoke free," with government officials passing laws to ban smoking in offices, hotels and Olympic venues -- but even as the ban takes effect, we've been assured these cigar hideaways will all be open for business.

The Davidoff Cigar Lounge at the Ritz-Carlton Beijing (83A Jian Guo Road) is one place in China that stocks the Davidoff line. The red glass front door opens into a gold-accented space decorated with funky chandeliers, while the main lounge is dotted with plush club chairs. Velvet curtains can be drawn around tables to create private enclaves.

There's also the Red Capital Residence (9 Dongsi Liutiao), a former bomb shelter converted into a wine bar where classic movies from the Cultural Revolution are shown nightly.

The CourtYard Restaurant (95 Donghuamen Avenue) touts its views of the Forbidden City but it actually overlooks the moat; nonetheless, it's a stunning venue with a comfortable second-floor cigar lounge. For another room with a view, check out the expat-friendly Capital Club (6 Xin Yuan Nan Road) with panoramic vistas thanks to its 50th-floor location.

The Cigar Lounge at the St. Regis Beijing (21 Jian Guo Men Wai Da Jie) has a clubby atmosphere and a humidor where frequent guests store their cigars. Pick up your Cubans around the corner at La Casa del Habano or seek out Silvio, a hotel manager who travels to Havana at least once a year and has a private stock of esplendidos that he doles out to favored guests.

The Grand Hyatt (1 East Chang An Avenue) features the impeccably sleek Redmoon, where you can enjoy a smoke (along with a sake cocktail and sushi) in its two private cigar rooms.

Cigar imports are controlled by a government monopoly, so most lounges have the same selection of Cohibas, Montecristos and Romeo y Julietas. (For rare cigars, ask if the lounge has a "private stock" -- but you didn't read that here.) And lest you get caught smoking where you shouldn't, rest easy: The fine is about 10 RMB, roughly $1.50.

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