Puff, Puff, Class

It’s hard to extol the benefits of smoking, with the attorney general screaming at you from warning labels, and cities across the country turning into puff-free zones. But we also can’t fight the fact that humans have been lighting up for centuries — and liking it. You might turn up your nose at one of those red-tipped white sticks, but if try taking a toke from a beautiful tabletop pipe that looks more like art than a vice device, you might find yourself hooked on the hookah. See for yourself at the Ritz-Carlton South Beach’s DiLido Beach Club’s Hookah Lounge Happy Hour.

Chillax in a cabana while you take pulls of exotic-flavored tobaccos from Egyptian imports, sip on specialty sangrias and signature rum cocktails, and nosh on delicious sun cuisine every Thursday and Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. A flamenco guitarist will do the serenading, chef de cuisine Jeff McInnis will do the cooking, and all you have to do is enjoy the ocean view and get an amazing buzz. The first drink is free, the rest just seven bucks apiece.
Thursdays, Fridays, 2008