Smoking cigars in the Caribbean is a given. White sands, turquoise waters, fruity drinks, and hammocks. I don’t know why someone would go to a Caribbean island and not smoke a cigar. Belize is no exception. Belize may not come to mind when thinking of Caribbean destinations, but venture offshore to one of its tiny islands in the Caribbean Sea and your tropical island cigar experience begins. In March 2025 I went to San Pedro.
Why did I pick San Pedro? I saw that it had several cigar stores and because it is the island that Madonna sang about in her song La Isla Bonita. Honestly, the Madonna thing was really the reason that I chose it, but the cigar stores made it definitive.
San Pedro is mostly beaches, resort, beach bars and beach restaurants, golf carts, and shops selling hammocks and souvenirs – and cigar shops. You can smoke anywhere outside. I had several cigars a day on various restaurant and café patios and no one complained, though I did make a point of sitting away from any groups of people that looked like they might be complainers.
While it was nice to be able to smoke anywhere, it is important to be able to buy cigars and it is nice, I think, to have a lounge or two to connect with fellow cigar smokers. San Pedro had both things. There are three proper cigar stores in San Pedro, which is quite a lot for the size of the island; two had lounges and one that had a little patio for smoking. I visited all three more than once.
My favorite place, and the place that I went nearly every day for the week I was in San Pedro is a cigar store called Havana Cigars. It is owned by a fellow called Carlos who lives in San Pedro and has for many years but is originally from Havana. Nearly every time I went in there were other people – locals and tourists – stopping in to buy or smoke cigars. It had just the right atmosphere. Importantly, it has well-maintained, walk-in humidor with a selection of Cuban and new world cigars. Good stuff; no trash. The prices were good; cheaper than in Canada, I even scored several Ramon Allones Gigantes at a time when they were nearly impossible to find. The place is rustic, with wooden walls and leather chairs, and a bar with stools, where Carlos will serve you the spirit of your choosing to accompany your cigar. This is also the spot where I most chatted with the locals. I felt like I was a local almost from the first time that I went in and everyone went in was up for a conversation about cigars or local politics, or whatever was happening at sea. Carlos was a great host, and I had some of the most interesting conversations about Cuba that I have ever had with a Cuban. I won’t recount the incredible stories that he told me about his life in Havana and later in Miami before ending up in Belize. It was fascinating and emotional. They are his stories to tell, but I feel lucky for having heard it and it made a good cigar store and lounge special.
Another cigar store on the island of San Pedro is Saul’s Cigar & Coffee House. It is not a lounge, but they do have a small patio out front where you can smoke and watch the activity on the street. The had a walk-in humidor where they sold their own custom cigars and some other brands that they sold including some Cubans although the Cubans were, in my estimation…of dubious quality. But maybe I was just there at a bad time. I bought some of the cigars they rolled themselves to try; they were decent, maybe a bit expensive, but the staff was very nice, they offered me rum, and it was a pleasant place to sit and watch island life go by.
Finally there is La Casa del Habano Belize, which was gleaming and pristine. It was a beautiful store with a well-stocked, walk-in humidor selling all Cuban cigars. Everything was in wonderful condition and with OK prices compared to Canada. I went there twice and both times I got a cigar and sat in the air-conditioned environment in a leather chair enjoying an espresso and chatting with the women that work there. They were very nice, but they weren’t cigar smokers and were still learning about cigars. I just chatted with the staff or did a bit of work on my computer. It wasn’t my favorite place to go but I can’t deny that it was a nice place for a cigar.
San Pedro was great. I am told there are beaches to visit and stingrays to swim with and other similar activities, but for me it was a cigar smoking slice of paradise.
All locations are confirmed to be in operation as of the publishing of this article in March 2026.
A version of this article was originally published on wanderingnorth.ca in March 2025.