Most of the time the flavors do indeed smell just like the flavor. The only one I've come across that smells different (to me, anyway) is cherry. It has a mediciney smell and the taste reminds me of that stuff the dentist rubs on your gums. Needless to say, I'm not fond of it at all.
Some flavors will leave behind a mild and short lived scent in the air. Once I vaped Caramel Apple on the way home from work and my car had the slight smell of it afterward. I stealth vaped Pina Colada at work the other day (my teammates know that I
vape, and they don't care. We just worry what other people might think) and one of our project managers came in and commented about the coconut smell. One of my teammates quickly whipped out some coconut scented hand lotion and asked him if that's what he smelled. I don't think he was any the wiser.
I'd much rather have the lingering smell of what I
vape than analog smoke any day!