Le Fumoir, Ciragan Palace, Istanbul, Turkey
In the 18th and 19th centuries, it was a custom that each new Ottoman sultan would build his own palace, rather than using the one occupied by his predecessor. The Ciragan Palace, built in the 1860s, was the very last in this tradition. It was converted to a five-star hotel in 1990, and for the past three-plus decades, has not only been the crown jewel of Istanbul hospitality and global flagship of the luxury Kempinski brand, but one of the most famous and iconic grand hotels in the world. The entire property is fresh off a top-to-bottom renovation and even better than before—including a new cigar lounge.
The original palace holds 11 over-the-top suites, while 300 more rooms and suites are in a modern but stylistically fitting luxury hotel wing next door. The two are connected by extensive gardens, where you can find the Le Fumoir cigar lounge, right along the Bosphorus, the river that divides Europe and Asia. The result is a resort feel in the beating heart of one of the most vibrant cities in the world.
While the Ciragan is a great choice, you do not have to stay here to enjoy Le Fumoir. In fact, since Le Fumoir was added in the first wave of recent renovations in 2010, it has become trendy with locals and visitors alike, a very popular spot for sunset cocktails, pre- and post-dinner drinks and nightcaps. For smokers, it’s definitely worth a trip from most other lodgings, because while smoking is widely accepted in Turkey, the availability, quality, storage and authenticity of cigars in the city is generally questionable.
The lounge at Le Fumoir is large, combining an indoor structure housing the actual bar with ample outdoor seating, given the generally warm weather Istanbul enjoys, and the desire to enjoy the riverfront setting. The al fresco patio and garden seating can accommodate several dozen guests at once, with a bevy of white, upholstered couches with low tables and the optional protection of umbrellas, mainly from the sun, plus outdoor heaters for cooler evenings. The seating is surrounded by palm trees and set between the newer hotel wing and the water, directly in front of the grand steps of the old palace. Most of the walls of the pavilion are made of glass, so you can see the bartenders at work from outside. There are red leather-topped stools at the bar, and the rest of the interior is filled with round tables and red leather chairs, as well as a humidor.
Between the two, a hundred guests can be comfortably served at a time, and service is excellent. The lengthy beverage list is presented on a tablet and has a very extensive selection of Scotches, Bourbons, rums (many of them Cuban), Cognacs, rakis (Turkey’s take on ouzo) and Champagnes, many signature craft cocktails, and a long wine list with some surprisingly good Turkish offerings.
The cigar list is fairly concise, with about 15 regularly available choices, but since supply is erratic here, there are usually additional off-menu choices. The printed list is almost entirely Cuban (except for Davidoffs and a couple of selections from Gurkha) and features Romeo y Julieta’s Línea de Oro Nobles at around $170 per cigar.
The hotel’s longtime Swiss general manager, Ralph Radtke, is a big cigar fan who keeps his own humidor and often makes his personal stock available to knowledgeable guests to supplement the list.
“We have a lot of restrictions here in Turkey, and there are a lot of fakes, so I personally oversee the collection here and it is probably the most extensive in the city,” he says.
While that alone is reason enough to visit, the real appeal is the one-of-a-kind setting, views that take in centuries of history, and a combination of service, atmosphere, libations and tobacco unrivalled in the city.
Le Fumoir Bar
Ciragan Palace Kempinski Hotel
Ciragan Caddesi 32
Istanbul, Turkey
+90 212 326 4646
https://www.kempinski.com/en/ciragan-palace/restaurants-bars/le-fumoir
Open Sunday - Saturday: 3 p.m. to 1 a.m.
