Let's be honest! Studying abroad comes in handy with a good shopping culture! Everyone wants to get time to explore markets and pick a few goodies to add to the cart list! Shopaholics welcome to Bahamas, the land of beauty and charming crafts!
This is where your shopping impulse is put to the test. With numerous shopping malls, stalls, shops, and supermarkets Bahamas will certainly take thy breath away!
Most people equate the shopping scene in Nassau and sister island Paradise Island to the plethora of name-brand duty-free malls selling perfume, liquor, cigars, electronics and especially jewelry.
It’s true you can save around 40% on such luxury items, but not as much as in some other Caribbean place. Check customs limitations and don’t plan on bringing any Cuban cigars back to the US. They’re considered contraband.
The duty-free shops abound on and about downtown Nassau's Bay Street shopping area and also at the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island. The completion of the Bahamas resort development in Cable Beach come December 2014 brought yet another crop of retail options.
Aside from duty-free goods, shoppers looking for truly authentic souvenirs of the Island nation can find them in art galleries, craft shops and markets and specialty stores interspersed throughout the twin islands of New Providence and Paradise. Don't miss Doongalik Studios on downtown's outskirts and The Plait Lady at Atlantis resort's Marina Reservoir.
If you do, rest assured that you’ll find plenty of local products along with duty-free items and generic tropical souvenirs to select from at the airport, although you must expect to pay higher prices.
You won’t find much in the way of world-class fashion here and people don’t come here specifically to do shopping. The country is fun for browsing, however, and all resorts have luxury labels and gift stores.
Most islands have markets in their towns, where local straw items and drums can be picked up as gifts.
Nassau, New Providence, and Freeport, Grand Bahama, have the optimal shopping. Bay Street in Nassau has the ideal street setting for shoppers, with many stores at which to pick up local souvenirs.
Think woven hats, steel instruments, cheap rum, and cigars, along with many places to fend. Paradise Island in the capital has good shopping in the Bahamas within the Port Lucaya Marketplace, in the middle of Freeport.
It is especially good for local knick-knacks and batik, and they're also standalone shops amid the stalls. You can find items from India, Africa, South America, Asia, and Europe.
Be sure to haggle in any market set-up. This is standard as prices are marked up to allow for negotiations and the vendors expect you to haggle. If you are looking to buy genuine cigars, be aware that most Cuban cigars are counterfeit.
The real thing is available from licensed tobacconists, but cigars sold at market stalls are fake despite how sincere the vendor may merchandise. Albeit, we are here to assist you with the best application platform across the globe with our user-friendly interface at “one-stop.”
"I enjoy shopping and I found it affordable but some of the clothes are definitely not of the highest quality." - Hassan from Turkey
