La Casa Del Habano St. Kitts
Havana's finest, on a Port Zante terrace
Why Go
Tucked on the second floor of a low-key Port Zante building sits one of the Caribbean's most serious cigar rooms — a fully sanctioned La Casa Del Habano stocking the largest Cuban humidor in the East Caribbean, paired with a rum-and-mojito bar that turns a smoke break into a proper Basseterre evening.
The Experience
Push through the door and the cruise-port bustle drops away. The climate-controlled humidor glows behind glass, hundreds of boxes of Cubans lined up like a small library, while the lounge itself leans plush and clubby — deep leather chairs, low lighting, ceiling fans, and a wraparound terrace that opens onto Basseterre's waterfront. It's the kind of place you settle into for two hours minimum: General Manager Orlens Guerro talks you through the wall of Cohibas and Montecristos, the bartender at Mojitos Bar starts muddling mint, and by the second round you're on first-name terms with whoever else wandered in off the ship or up from town. On the last Thursday of the month the whole room flips to salsa night with a live band from 8pm, and the terrace crowd spills onto the deck under the stars.
What to Try
Start with a Cohiba Siglo or a Montecristo No. 4 if it's your first visit — Orlens will steer you if you name a strength or a length. On the bar side, the signature mojito is the obvious move (they run fifteen-plus variations, including passionfruit and ginger), but the real menu is the back-bar shelf: over fifty aged rums, cognacs, and single-malt scotches picked specifically to marry with Cuban tobacco. Ask for a Ron del Barrilito or a Zacapa 23 with a medium-bodied smoke and you'll understand the pairing philosophy.
Insider Tip
Time your visit for the last Thursday of the month — salsa night with a live band starts at 8pm and turns the lounge into the best-kept nightlife secret in Basseterre. If you're on a cruise-ship day and short on time, walk in the moment the humidor opens; Orlens is far more generous with tasting cuts and pairing chat before the afternoon rush of ship passengers arrives.
The Practical Stuff
Building 29, Port Zante, Basseterre — take the staircase up to the second floor (easy to miss from street level). Roughly a five-minute walk from the cruise pier and a ten-minute taxi from Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport. Phone +1 869 466 1904. Cash and major cards accepted. Cuban cigars run from around US$15 for an entry-level smoke into the triple digits for aged and limited-release boxes; cocktails sit in the US$10–15 range. Smoking is permitted throughout the lounge and terrace — non-smokers may find the interior heavy, so aim for the open-air deck.
Pair It With
- Port Zante Boardwalk — The lounge sits directly above it — grab a pre-cigar stroll along the marina and duty-free strip before heading upstairs.
- Fairview Great House & Botanical Gardens — A short taxi inland; the plantation rum tasting there is the perfect daytime warm-up before an evening at the humidor.
- Spice Mill Restaurant, Cockleshell Bay — Book a beachfront lunch on the south peninsula, then swing back to Basseterre for cigars and mojitos as the sun drops.
- Brimstone Hill Fortress — Do the UNESCO fort in the morning, reward the climb with a Cohiba on the Port Zante terrace afterward.
