With the coming of the New Year, many people have the urge to enjoy a celebratory cigar. Happily, there are dozens of shops and lounges throughout the Las Vegas Valley that sell cigars and offer cigar enthusiasts wonderful places to have a smoke. Great cigar lounges and shops have a combination of good customer service, a relaxing environment and a high-quality selection. Here are five of my favorites.

The Las Vegas Cigar Lounge
Purchase a reasonably priced cigar at this lounge and relax on a leather sofa. The Las Vegas Cigar Lounge actually has two separate lounges. Both are ideal for kicking back with one of your favorite smokes. The shop has new ventilation and a “Smoke Eater” filtration system. No matter where you sit, a beautiful stainless steel or ceramic ashtray is conveniently nearby.

This shop stays open late for those who like a late-evening smoke (until 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and until 8 p.m. on Sunday), and it carries a new line of Xikar accessories. Novice smokers are encouraged to ask many questions, as the knowledgeable staff likes to make their first cigar-smoking experience as enjoyable as possible. The lounge is located on West Sahara Avenue near South Jones Boulevard.

Don Yeyo Cigar Factory
Located three blocks west of the Las Vegas Strip, the Don Yeyo Cigar Factory is steeped in tradition and tobacco integrity. The aroma of quality tobacco engulfs you as you step inside the humidor. One of owner Ken McNabb’s major focuses is consistent tobacco quality. Lorenzo Lambert, a native of Havana, rolls cigars by hand near the lounge area from some of the finest long leaf Cuban seed tobacco. I highly recommend the maduro blend for experienced smokers. The first puff has just as much flavor as the last.

In addition to selling great medium- and full-bodied cigars directly, Don Yeyo also ships products worldwide. The shop’s master cigar makers can be reserved to hand roll cigars at a variety of social events.

The Davidoff of Geneva kiosk at the Palazzo
If you’re on the Las Vegas Strip, stop by the Davidoff kiosk inside the Palazzo, where the selection of cigars at the Venetian’s newest addition is well cared for and the customer service is great. The kiosk has many respectable cigar brands sold at prices that are very reasonable compared to other cigar shops on the Strip. On my last visit, I purchased a Padron that was great. Have a drink with your cigar at a lounge that sits less than 50 feet away from the kiosk.

Tobacco Leaf
With two locations, one on Lake Mead Boulevard, the other on South Eastern Avenue, Tobacco Leaf provides a refuge for cigar smokers residing in the northwest and southeast parts of the valley. Meticulously cared for by the owner of 10 years, both locations have huge selections of premium tobacco. A large line of accessories includes a humidor that resembles the White House. Tobacco Leaf also provides a full-service espresso bar to its clientele.

Pheasant Cigars
Pheasant Cigars has mastered customer service; in fact, owner Paul Kovacic personally greets and serves every person who walks into this shop. Inside the humidor, a Nortec Steam humidifier maintains the optimum humidity level. The wonderful smell of cedar fills you nostrils as you step inside. This is the only humidor I have seen with a sliding double-door system forming an airtight seal to keep humidity from escaping. There is also a backup humidification system if the primary one fails. Every cigar enthusiast occasionally experiences the unraveling of a poorly kept cigar when lighting it moments after leaving a tobacconist. That does not happen when you buy tobacco at Pheasant Cigars.

Once you grab a smoke, relax in the lounge which has high ceilings, wooden accents and is filled with leather sofas. A large flat-panel television, rentable cigar lockers, Wi-Fi Internet access, network printers and ever-changing specials on premium cigars keep Pheasant’s customers loyal to this shop.

When describing the cigar-smoking experience, CAO Cigar International president Tim Ozgener said that a person can “escape to many worlds from anywhere they may be with a single puff.” I know that my fellow cigar enthusiasts have their own tobacco getaways. Now that you know mine, please tell us about yours.