"A woman is an occasional pleasure but a cigar is always a smoke"
Groucho Marx
The Lanesborough's garden bar is an outdoor, heated area just below street level that's legal for smoking (both cigars and cigarettes). Tucked away in a secret corner of the hotel, the Garden Room gives the feel of a hideaway for illicit activities, think of a luxurious version of "behind the bike sheds"!
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| I became a fan of cigars in Cuba. My favourite is the double corona Hoyo de Monterrey, although in this picture I'm actually having a 2009 edition Cohiba Behike at about £50 per stick |
Only when you are in the garden
would you realise it was there - walking by on the street its clientele is
totally hidden from the masses. Quite right too...
Actually, the space is fairly well hidden inside too: reached from the basement, down a long, unsigned corridor. It has open fireplace, underfloor heating, cashmere blankets and a world-class range of cigars to choose from, as well as a fully functional bar.
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| I highly recommend the Cosmopolitan cocktail for the ladies. It's exceptionally good there |
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Cigar aficionados can spend hundreds on a Cohiba Behike – in
fact it's the only place in the world where you can sample them "per piece", so
it's cheap at the price! A mindblowing array of varieties is on offer.
The atmosphere is always cosy and vibrant. Management tell me it
is one of the most popular areas of the hotel, so much so they don’t even take
reservations. And it only accommodates around 40 guests.
The icing on the cake is the fact that the Garden Room is run by the wonderful Giuseppe, who is able to provide great advice on the optimal
cigar/drink combinations.
Little wonder that the Garden Room won the Best New Hotel Bar Award in the Imbibe Hotel Bar Awards 2009. It's worth a visit – if you can find it!
Lanesborough hotel
1 Lanesborough Place
Knightsbridge,
London SW1X 7TA
London Spa Girl x
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