St. Maarten Shops?

I went on my first cruise last summer and one stop was St. Maarten. On the way back to the ship I stopped a small shop that sold Cigars, Cigarettes, Alcohol, Sunglasses and other things. I have a cruise scheduled again this July and one of the stops is St. Maarten again. So my question is do think or is there anyway to be sure that the sunglasses that I saw for sale in this shop are legit? If I remember correctly I saw two pairs of Costa del Mar for around $180. I would like to buy some this time around.

I would go check out the pair at the mall before you go. That way you know what a legit pair looks like and feels like. I doubt the shops are authorized vendors so your taking a gamble.

Pay attention to the hinges, material and feel of the glasses. Sunglasses are often fakes so it can be tough.

Just your description of "a small shop that sold Cigars, Cigarettes, Alcohol, Sunglasses and other things" makes me suspicious.

gary

Just remembered I had a photo of the place. It was the Captains Duty Free shop in Philipsburg.

The Captain's is probably a safe bet. It's a good sized operation right on the Little Pier and is associated with probably the largest liquor/tobacco importer on the island.

I don't know why anyone would want $180 sunglasses, but it's not the hole-in-the-wall shop I envisioned from your earlier description. :)

gary

Finally got a reply from Costa. Captains isn't an Costa approved dealer. So I would imagine that any of the other top brand sunglasses they sell there are most likely knock offs too. Makes me wonder if anything they have is legit.

Finally got a reply from Costa. Captains isn't an Costa approved dealer. So I would imagine that any of the other top brand sunglasses they sell there are most likely knock offs too. Makes me wonder if anything they have is legit.

My husband bought a pair of this brand of sunglasses in a sunglasses store in St. Maarten in the and Maho entertainment district and $180 was about the starting price for one pair. They had a deal that if you bought 2 you could get a pair of $180 sunglasses for free. The store was right near the 3 Amigois bar so you can't miss it if you are interested. Its about a 5 minute walk from Maho beach if you happen to be going there.