Get your cigar out

Cigar smokers such are getting a bit of a bum deal at the moment. Previously one would retire to the drawing room after a particularly satisfying dinner with a large glass of brandy and a fine Cuban. Well the smoking ban has stopped such refined shenanigans but those fine purveyors of taste - Hotel Du Vin - had the wisdom to introduce the Cigar Shack: the smoking ban friendly post-dinner location.

"It's a bit like a log cabin, with a sliding roof, and it will be furnished with lots of oak, rugs and comfy seats," Hotel Du Vin told Caterer at the time. Sounds romantic and it appears that some 'guests' share that view and are using the shack for 'ulterior motives'.

In a rather disconcerting discovery the general managers at both the Cheltenham and Winchester hotels have found couples using the smoking shacks for 'themselves'. The shacks have now become such a notorious spot for lovers that the Cheltenham shack has been subject to a spot of vandalism - changing the Cigar Shack sign to Cigar Shag