La Casa del Habano Kuala Lumpur Expands And Opens A Brand New Lounge
Ever since the late Dato Kadar Shah opened the La Casa del Habano in Kuala Lumpur in 1998, the shop was located on the ground floor of the Mandarin Oriental hotel, next to the iconic Petronas Towers. The shop was cozy, offered a good selection of Cuban cigars and a limited number of seats for customers to smoke inside the shop.
But the growing demand of cigars and lounges made the space too small so when a Japanese restaurant in the basement of the hotel closed, Kevin Shah, saw an chance and together with his partners from Pacific Cigar Company jumped to the opportunity to move the shop to the vacant lot, expand the humidor, expand the lounge and include a bar.
After many delays, the lounge finally opened with two official openings on may 8th and 9th. Cigar Inspector was invited to both opening nights. The first night was for VIPs such as the Cuban ambassador for Malaysia, select La Casa del Habano customers, PCC officials such as CEO Dag Holmboe and other high ranking PCC managers such as Norio Hattori, Gonzalo Alvarez Elola and David Chew, as well as other suppliers to the shop. The second night was for trade, such as other cigar importers and alcohol suppliers. The entertainment on both nights was provided by a great Cuban band and invitees were encouraged to take 3D gifs while smoking a cigar. And on both nights, invitees were treated like royalty with great finger food, free flow drinks, some cigars and a goody bag to remember the good night.
The lounge looks amazing, with plenty of seats for 50 cigar smokers, including a hidden room that is designed to look like the old shop. The room has many interior features from the old shop such as furniture and decorations. The other private rooms have removable walls so that the space can be converted into one big lounge for events such as the opening. The LCDH now has a huge walk-in humidor instead of the cabinet in the old store. It is well stocked, beautifully designed and kept under perfect conditions when it comes to humidity and temperature.
The design of the lounge mixes industrialism, with ducts on the ceiling and a Cuban vibe perfectly, with comfortable furniture and a luxurious touch. For those traveling to Kuala Lumpur, now or in the future, put the La Casa del Habano on your list as this place is a ‘must visit’ for every cigar lover. Open 7 days a week from 12 to 12 at the Mandarin Oriental hotel.
