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 ΓÇö 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 ΓÇö 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 ΓÇö 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 ΓÇö 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 ΓÇö 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$10ΓÇô15 range. Smoking is permitted throughout the lounge and terrace ΓÇö 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 ΓÇö 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.