Anything I should purchase in St. Maartin

A friend at work said the place to go shopping is in St. Maartan. I have no idea what one would buy in St Maartan or what the so called bargains are. I heard about buying Larimar jewelry in St Thomas, but not sure if it is better to buy it in St Thomas or St Maartin. Can any one tell me what the big shopping deal is?

The big deal is that St. Maarten is a 100% duty free island and therefore no tax of any kind is suppose to be on the item. The main items that visitors tend to purchase are Jewelry, Cameras and lenses, Linens and Alcohol. A word to the wise, do your homework and buy from a reputable store.

If you smoke cigarettes and cigars.Also the liquor prices are great:D

Enjoy your cruise.:)

A friend at work said the place to go shopping is in St. Maartan. I have no idea what one would buy in St Maartan or what the so called bargains are. I heard about buying Larimar jewelry in St Thomas, but not sure if it is better to buy it in St Thomas or St Maartin. Can any one tell me what the big shopping deal is?

The best place to buy Larimar jewelry is the Dominican Republic.:D

We think that the best shopping values are:

Jewelry, especially high-end diamonds and watches.

Booze (but how will you get it home after the cruise?)

Tablecloths and linens (go measure your table right now)

Perfume

Delft Porcelain

gary

We think that the best shopping values are:

 

Jewelry, especially high-end diamonds and watches.

 

Booze (but how will you get it home after the cruise?)

 

Tablecloths and linens (go measure your table right now)

 

Perfume

 

Delft Porcelain

 

 

 

gary

Hi: We think St. Thomas is great for good jewelry, diamonds, liquors...You pick out your liquour and they deliver to the ship before departure and hold it until disembarkation. Then you carry it. Same with cigarettes, if you buy the full allotted amount. Make sure you keep all receipts for customs to show you are within the legal limits of purchases to bring back. All duty free here.

Good jewelry, Well, you take that with you and perhaps "wear" it.... Ries is good for liquors, cigs..There are good jewelry stores, just be careful where you buy.

Safe sails.

Hats - shirts - are so cheap - we got 3 shirts for 9.99 - they are shirts that say St. Martin etc. Hats were just as cheap - good place to buy your sourvineers - also the cigarettes were cheaper - we bought them for folks back home.

Alcohol! The Rum Jumbie rum there is out of this world. Last year I bought 7 bottles and this year bought 4. And we flew home with them both trips. I had 2 in my luggage and this year it weighed 48.5 lbs with all my clothes and other goodies. Just pack the bottles very well in the suitcase and they will be fine.

Correct, there are no taxes in St Martin. Just keep in mind that anything you purchase over your legal customs limit will have to be declared and duty paid on it as you reenter the US.

Yes, you have to declare everything, but we have NEVER had to pay any duty on our (declared) alcohol overages.

gary

Alcohol! The Rum Jumbie rum there is out of this world. Last year I bought 7 bottles and this year bought 4. And we flew home with them both trips. I had 2 in my luggage and this year it weighed 48.5 lbs with all my clothes and other goodies. Just pack the bottles very well in the suitcase and they will be fine.

That infers that you had the chance to consume two of them on the cruise -- Rum Jumbie sounds like Good Times to me. :D

gary

the aged Martinique rhum if you go to Marigot.

If you buy jewelry and where it home how will they know you need to declare it.

If you buy jewelry and where it home how will they know you need to declare it.

Of course you can wear the jewelry, but legally, you are supposed to declare what you purchased while out of the country. There is a set limit depending on how long you are out of the country for, etc. However, if you are the "chosen one" and they find a receipt for a $5,000 necklace on you and they see the nice shiny necklace around your neck fitting the description, you will "Have some "zplaining" to do!"

is breaking the law and the fines are big, confiscation is only part of it. It's not the same as breaking a rule by bringing liquor on board. They are trained to spot real smugglers. The duty is not very much.

A friend at work said the place to go shopping is in St. Maartan. I have no idea what one would buy in St Maartan or what the so called bargains are. I heard about buying Larimar jewelry in St Thomas, but not sure if it is better to buy it in St Thomas or St Maartin. Can any one tell me what the big shopping deal is?

Hello, When you are in St.Martin I would recommend buying a bottle of Guavaberry alcohol. It makes a very tasty pina colada. You can also cook with it. It comes with a few recipes attached to the bottle. Each bottle is hand painted and a nice gift to bring back for yourself or your friend.

Also, I have bought some pretty gold jewelry there. You can bargain to bring the price down. Also, camera equipment is a good buy as long as you know what the prices are before you leave home. You can bargain there too and usually they will throw in a few free items like memory cards, cases and extra batteries.

We are going in September and can't wait to go shopping there. St. Thomas is still my favorite port for fine jewelry. There is so much to choose from there!:D Hubby knows he is in trouble when the boat pulls in port there.

Have a great time on your cruise!:D

Definitely alcohol and electronics, specifically cameras. If you're going to buy a camera make sure you know what you're looking for and how much it should cost. And make sure you test it properly there, can't just bring it back to the store a week later if you realize there's something wrong with it. I got a camera there and it was a good deal.

Hats - shirts - are so cheap - we got 3 shirts for 9.99 - they are shirts that say St. Martin etc. Hats were just as cheap - good place to buy your sourvineers - also the cigarettes were cheaper - we bought them for folks back home.

I agree - if you want souvenir T'shirts - they have some good quality shirts for a couple of bucks - also - some of the semi-precious stones that are brought over from the Dominican Republic are a good deal - Larimar in particular -

Guavaberry alcohol yum can I get this at any liquor store?

Can anyone update this with a price of a carton of cigarettes in St. Martin and what types they have? Where is the best place to buy them?

Can anyone update this with a price of a carton of cigarettes in St. Martin and what types they have? Where is the best place to buy them?

Several years ago, before my step-son (thankfully) stopped smoking, we would bring back cigarettes for him.

As I recall, thay ran between $9 and $15 per carton for Marlboros.

The packaging indicated country of origin, and he said that those from the Philippines were worse than the generics at home, but those labeled Switzerland were fine, but different than US cigarettes.

I would also note that they have had some problems with counterfeit cigarettes on the island in the past, but I don't recall any recent announcements of such.

When we bought them, it was usually at the Grand Marche grocery store or at Caribbean Paradise, on Front Street, where we usually buy liquor.

(click)

gary

Several years ago, before my step-son (thankfully) stopped smoking, we would bring back cigarettes for him.

 

As I recall, thay ran between $9 and $15 per carton for Marlboros.

 

That's the problem, I haven't seen anyone mention what they currently are. I can only find post from around 2008 and back. :(

 

The packaging indicated country of origin, and he said that those from the Philippines were worse than the generics at home, but those labeled Switzerland were fine, but different than US cigarettes.

 

Good to know. Thanks for the info.

 

I would also note that they have had some problems with counterfeit cigarettes on the island in the past, but I don't recall any recent announcements of such.

 

When we bought them, it was usually at the Grand Marche grocery store or at Caribbean Paradise, on Front Street, where we usually buy liquor.

 

(click)

 

gary

Is this place right after you get off the boat and can walk to?

Guavaberry alcohol yum can I get this at any liquor store?

Hello, I don't know if you can find the Guavaberry alcohol at any store in St.Martin. There is a Guvaberry store on Front Street in St.Martin that sells it and that is where I bought it. They have tasty samples in the store too. :)

You should be able to find Guavaberry products in nearly every shop, market or souvenier shop on the island (Dutch side, at least).

That said, I would STRONGLY suggest that you stop by the Guavaberry Emporium on Front Street for a taste before you purchase. It is different.

Note that it is NOT related to the Guava fruit that you may be acquainted with.

gary

Is this place right after you get off the boat and can walk to?

You can walk there.

Caribbean Paradise is located on Front Street, West of the Little Pier and Court House, opposite McDonalds.

gary