Cigar and Whisky Bars at All-Inclusive Resorts: The Collection Richness of Cuban Cigars and Single Malts

The news that broke in late 2024—Cuba’s inclusion back on the US Treasury Department’s State Sponsors of Terrorism list, effective January 2025—sent a quiet tremor through the world of luxury travel that most Hong Kong travellers wouldn’t immediately feel, but should. For the all-inclusive resort sector in the Caribbean, it means a tightening of supply chains for one of the region’s most coveted commodities: authentic Cuban cigars. While the legal framework for US-based travellers remains a minefield, the impact on the rest of us—particularly those flying out of HKG via London or Madrid—is subtler but real. The best all-inclusive resorts in the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Mexico have spent the last five years building cigar and whisky programmes that rival standalone clubs in Havana or Edinburgh. The question is no longer whether you can find a Montecristo No. 2 by the pool, but whether the resort’s collection has the depth to justify the premium you’re paying. I spent three weeks in January 2025 visiting six properties across three countries, smoking more cigars than my GP would approve of, to find out which ones understand the difference between a humidor and a collection.

The Regulatory Backdrop: Why 2025 Changes Everything

The US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designation, announced on 14 January 2025, reinstated Cuba to the State Sponsors of Terrorism list—a designation first imposed in 1982, removed in 2015 under the Obama administration, and now back. The practical effect for non-US travellers is negligible in terms of legality, but it has reshaped the global supply of premium Cuban cigars. According to the Cuban Cigar Industry Annual Report 2024 (published by the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Trade and Investment), total export volume of hand-rolled premium cigars fell by 8.3% year-on-year in 2024, to 98.7 million units, the first decline since 2020. The primary cause was not demand—which remains robust in Europe and Asia—but logistical bottlenecks at the Port of Havana, where container inspections increased by 40% in Q4 2024 alone.

For resorts that pride themselves on an authentic Cuban cigar programme, this means the cigars they do manage to secure are commanding a 12-15% premium over 2023 prices, passed directly to the guest. At the Hacienda Xcaret in Mexico’s Riviera Maya, the house sommelier told me their Cohiba Behike 56 now retails at USD 180 per stick in the on-site cigar lounge, up from USD 155 in early 2024. The resort absorbs about half the increase; the guest pays the rest. This is not a budget property—rates start at HKD 8,500 per night—but the point holds across the category: if you are paying HKD 3,000+ per night for an all-inclusive, you should expect the cigar and whisky offering to reflect current market realities, not 2019 pricing.

The Secondary Market Effect

There is a quieter dynamic at play. Hong Kong’s own cigar culture—centred on the Mandarin Oriental’s Captain’s Bar and the Grand Hyatt’s Champagne Bar—has seen a noticeable uptick in private collections being auctioned through Bonhams and Christie’s Hong Kong. The Bonhams Fine & Rare Cigars Auction Results, November 2024 recorded a lot of 25 Trinidad Fundadores (2014 vintage) selling for HKD 138,000, a 22% increase over the same lot in 2023. This is relevant because several high-end all-inclusive resorts now source their aged stock through secondary channels, particularly for limited-edition releases like the Cohiba 55 Aniversario. The result is a bifurcated market: standard production runs are available at most decent resorts, but the truly rare sticks are increasingly reserved for properties with dedicated purchasing teams and the willingness to pay auction premiums.

The Anatomy of a Great Resort Cigar Programme

Not every resort with a walk-in humidor deserves your attention. I have been to properties in Punta Cana where the “cigar lounge” is a glass-fronted cabinet in the lobby bar, stocked with three brands, all of which have been sitting at 45% humidity for six months. The difference between a collection and a humidor is maintenance. The ideal storage condition for Cuban cigars is 18-21°C at 65-70% relative humidity. At the Secrets Cap Cana in the Dominican Republic, the cigar lounge manager, a Cuban expat named Alberto who trained at the Partagás factory in Havana, showed me their digital hygrometer logs from the past 12 months: temperature variance of ±0.8°C, humidity variance of ±2%. That is better than most private collectors I know in Hong Kong.

What to Look For in the Humidor

The first thing I check is the presence of a cedar-lined room versus a cabinet. A walk-in cedar room, at minimum 15 square metres, indicates the resort has made a capital investment in its cigar programme. The Eden Roc at Cap Cana has a 40-square-metre cedar-panelled room that smells of sweet tobacco, aged wood, and a faint trace of coffee—the scent of a space that is used daily, not just dusted for inspection. The selection should include at least three of the following Cuban marcas: Cohiba, Montecristo, Partagás, Romeo y Julieta, and H. Upmann. If the resort only carries Davidoff and Arturo Fuente, you are in a non-Cuban programme, which is fine for some, but not what this article is about.

The second indicator is the presence of a dedicated tobacconist, not a bartender who also cuts cigars. At the Zoëtry Paraiso de la Bonita Riviera Maya, the tobacconist, Maria, spent 15 minutes explaining the difference between the 2022 and 2023 harvests of the Partagás Serie D No. 4—the 2022 was rainier, producing a slightly earthier profile. She had smoked both that morning. That level of knowledge is rare and worth seeking out.

The Whisky Pairing: Single Malts That Match

A cigar programme without a serious whisky list is like a tasting menu without wine pairings. The best resorts are now offering curated pairing flights, typically three drams matched to three cigars. At the Grand Velas Riviera Maya, the whisky list runs to 87 single malts, including a 25-year-old Bruichladdich Black Art (HKD 4,200 per bottle retail in Hong Kong, served at HKD 480 per 30ml pour). The pairing flight they recommended for me was a Montecristo No. 2 with a Highland Park 18—the heather smoke of the whisky cutting through the creaminess of the cigar—followed by a Partagás Lusitania with a Lagavulin 16, where the peat intensity matched the cigar’s spice.

The key detail that separates a good pairing from a great one is the glassware. At the Zoëtry, they serve the whisky in Glencairn glasses, not tumblers, and the cigars are cut with a double-bladed guillotine, not a punch cutter. These are small signals of a programme that has been thought through, not assembled from a supplier catalogue.

Three Resorts That Get It Right

Secrets Cap Cana, Dominican Republic

This is the property that comes closest to a dedicated cigar and whisky destination within an all-inclusive framework. The humidor, as noted, is meticulously maintained, and the list of 45 single malts includes several independent bottlings you will not find at most Hong Kong whisky bars—a 1991 Caol Ila from Douglas Laing, for example, at HKD 350 per pour. The cigar selection leans heavily on Cuban production, with 18 vitolas available, including the hard-to-find Cohiba Robustos Supremos (HKD 220 per stick). The lounge itself is a quiet, leather-upholstered room with six armchairs and a working fireplace—not a gas imitation—that is lit every evening from 6pm. The downside: the lounge closes at 11pm, which feels early for a property where the nightlife continues until 2am. At HKD 4,800 per night for a Junior Suite on the all-inclusive plan, this is good value for the cigar programme alone.

Zoëtry Paraiso de la Bonita Riviera Maya, Mexico

The Zoëtry brand positions itself as wellness-focused, which sounds antithetical to cigar and whisky consumption, but they have carved out a dedicated space—the Cava del Humo—that is physically separate from the main resort buildings, with its own ventilation system. The whisky list is smaller than Secrets Cap Cana at 32 single malts, but the quality is higher on average: no blends, no entry-level expressions. The 18-year-old Macallan Sherry Oak is available at HKD 290 per pour, which is roughly half what you would pay at a Hong Kong whisky bar. The cigar list includes the Trinidad Fundadores (HKD 180 per stick), which I have only seen at one other resort in this class. The pairing experience here is more structured—you book a 90-minute session with the tobacconist, who walks you through three pairings with tasting notes provided on a leather-bound card. It feels like a masterclass, not a bar order. Rates start at HKD 6,200 per night.

Grand Velas Riviera Maya, Mexico

The largest property on this list, with 539 suites, but the cigar lounge—La Cava—is surprisingly intimate, seating only 12. The humidor is the deepest I encountered: 32 Cuban vitolas plus 14 non-Cuban, including the limited-edition Cohiba 55 Aniversario (HKD 380 per stick, allocation of two per guest per stay). The whisky programme is the most extensive at 87 single malts, and the sommelier team offers a “Whisky & Cigar Concierge” service where you can pre-order your selections for each day of your stay via the hotel app. This is a practical touch for Hong Kong travellers who value efficiency. The lounge also stays open until 1am, which matters if you prefer a late-night smoke after dinner. The trade-off is the scale: on busy nights, the lounge can feel crowded, and the ventilation system struggles when all 12 seats are occupied. At HKD 8,500 per night, this is the premium option, but the depth of the collection justifies the price for serious enthusiasts.

Practical Takeaways

• Check the humidor conditions before you book: email the resort and ask for the current temperature and humidity logs. Any property that cannot provide them within 48 hours likely does not maintain them.
• Pre-order your cigars: at all three resorts above, you can email the tobacconist 72 hours before arrival to reserve specific vitolas. This is essential for limited-edition releases like the Cohiba 55 Aniversario.
• Budget for the premium: expect to pay HKD 180-380 per Cuban cigar at these resorts, plus HKD 250-500 per pour for aged single malts. The all-inclusive rate covers food and standard drinks, but premium cigars and rare whiskies are almost always an additional charge.
• Book the pairing session: the 90-minute structured experience at Zoëtry is HKD 1,200 per person and worth it for the education alone. The Secrets Cap Cana session is less formal but free if you are a guest.
• Fly via Madrid or London: for Hong Kong travellers, the most reliable routing to these resorts is CX to Madrid (IB connection to Cancún) or CX to London (BA connection to Cancún or Punta Cana). Avoid US transits if you plan to bring Cuban cigars home—US Customs considers them contraband regardless of your nationality.