Duty-free shops may be everywhere in the Caribbean but some destinations give you more deal for your dollar. Caribbean World Yachting picks its favourite island for discounts of up to 40 per cent.
Charlotte Amalie, the capital of St Thomas, is home to hundreds of duty-free shops offering great discounts. A top duty-free shopping destination, the whole area from Main Street, Back Street, and Waterfront Street are lined with glitzy boutiques and designer stores selling discounted jewellery, cameras, clothing, perfume, alcoholic drinks and tobacco. U.S. visitors enjoy a special exemption here and are allowed to take home up to $1,600 worth of goods duty-free. Such is the popularity with visitors and cruise ship arrivals, a new area of shops has opened close to the cruise terminal - Havensight is another centre of duty-free shopping.
Walking along Broad Street in Bridgetown, Barbados is a shoppers delight as this is where island's greatest concentration of duty-free shops is centred and the choice is vast, from ball gowns, shoes, handbags, hats and silk shawls to stunning jewellery created by master goldsmiths from the Caribbean and abroad. Equally as glorious is the range of beautiful jewellery at Heather Harrington Jones in Holetown, St. James, which features a wide selection of top quality gold, platinum, and sterling silver products - utterly exquisite.
Luxurious Nassau is the luxury goods hub in the Bahamas with umpteen stores selling every conceivable high-end treat, fromliquor, perfume, china, crystal, collectibles, watches, leather goods to the top brands of photographic equipment and smart phones Bay Street in Nassau has the most duty-free shops and there are also plenty and and around the Port Lucaya Marketplace on Grand Bahama Islands.
Just the name Grand Cayman conjures up thoughts of tax free shopping, and George Town lives up to the hype - with dozens of different destinationsin which to find duty-free watches, crystal, china, perfume, jewellery and liquor located within walking distances of the island's cruise terminal. Kirk Freeport has some popular duty-free options, from tobacco to rum
Shoppers flock to Phillipsburg for great deals on jewellery, designer clothes, tax-free tobacco products, watches, perfume and leather goods - it is also poplar for its local liquor, especially its selection of flavoured rums. Stroll along the mile-long Front Street and you’ll be spoilt for choice duty-free shops as well as name-brand boutiques like Tiffany and Tommy Hilfiger. When you’ve exhausted the shopping there, head to the Sint Rose Shopping Mall on the boardwalk by Front Street for Cartier, Lalique, and Faconnable. In French St. Martin, Le West Indies in Marigot has three floors of duty-free shops - a great place to buy Champagne, fragrance and high fashion.
A sprawling 57-acre Duty-Free Zone is the largest in the Caribbean, and Curacao attracts plenty of shoppers who arrive in search of great deals. However this compound-style shopping centre is really geared up to cruise ship passengers as anything purchased either has to be shipped home directly (a good option for bulk purchases) or delivered directly to your cruise ship or flight.
St. Lucia's major shopping centres all offer duty free shopping including the Marina Village in Marigot Bay, J.Q. Charles Shopping Mall (near Rodney Bay), La Place Carenage Shopping Centre in Castries, and the Pointe Seraphine Shopping Complex near the cruise port. Look out for bargains in fragrance, jewellery and watches.
Most of Grenada's duty-free shops are located on the Carenage and are easily trawled for bargains as they are clustered closely together. You’ll find the usual selection of liquor, jewellery, handbags, silk scarves and other luxury goods there is also a good range of locally made batik fabrics and the spices that made the island famous - and these are also tax free.
Jamaica’s best-value shopping is located in the capital Kingston though some of the most popular resort towns - Montegro Bay and Negril for example - will have luxury goods at a lower rate of duty. Rum, jewellery, handbags, wallets, cigars and fragrance represent the biggest savings with all items purchased at duty-free shops payable in foreign currency of credit card only.
On the beautiful isle of Antigua, the best for duty-free shopping is the air-cooled Heritage Quay Shopping Center in St. John’s - there are jewellery stores, perfume, watches, handbags and other designer goods. Picturesque Redcliffe Quay, the historic waterfront centre of commerce, is another popular option for upmarket shopping.
