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Shopping in Saint Martin

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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 St Martin, 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 St Martin will certainly take thy breath away!

Foreigners won’t find amazing mega malls in  Saint Martin (SM), as even the capital lacks modern shopping centers. However, what SM lacks in malls it certainly makes up for in markets. In these markets, tourists can purchase a range of goods, including fruit, vegetables, meat, books, clothing, and local handicrafts. The larger stalls are generally open Monday to Friday between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Saturdays are usually half days, and markets are mostly closed on Sundays.

With an amazing location and a tranquil setting, St Martin is a highly  known spa retreat for visitors. There are several spas situated in the country, usually near the south-facing beaches. St Martin is renowned as being a shopper’s delight in the Caribbean, with lower prices than any other country in the Caribbean.

Both the Dutch and French sides of the island have duty -free rates, so there’s no sales tax paid by buyers. This offers an extremely competitive shopping environment for luxury goods, such as jewelry, cosmetics, electronics, alcohol, and tobacco. Prices are around 15-30% cheaper than in the United States for these products.

Most cruise ship travelers enjoy a stroll up and down Front Street in Philipsburg, where a huge number of stores command competitive prices. The capital of the French side, Marigot, has some very exquisite shopping with original boutiques offering the sophisticated designs of Parisian couturiers.

Foreigners spending an extended vacation on the island will be surprised by the excellent supermarkets on both the French and Dutch side. The French shopping centers tend to supply mostly American brands, and the stores in Marigot present a huge variety of European groceries with some fabulous gourmet stores.

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