Pair Cigar Lounge

Pair is less a conventional club than a private-feeling salon. On the ground floor of Jumeirah Emirates Towers, it combines leather, cigars, careful drinks and live jazz in a setting made for conversations conducted half a tone below normal volume.

On jazz evenings a piano, guitar and vocal trio plays for roughly three hours from 8pm while the lounge keeps its measured, club-like rhythm; the official page lists the dates, which currently fall on Fridays. It suits travellers who prefer jazz as atmosphere: polished shoes, amber light, a drink held longer than necessary. This is a cigar lounge, and smoke is not incidental. For the right guest that makes it transportive; for others, it makes the decision simple. Reserve for a jazz evening and ask for a clear view of the musicians.