Shopping in Barbados
Shopping may not be the first thing that pops into one's head when planning a visit to Barbados, but, given the exciting Bajan shopping experiences that are up for grabs, perhaps it should be.
On top of the canny tourist's to-buy list must surely be those items that are most associated with the captivating Caribbean paradise that is the island of Barbados: rum cakes (and bottles of rum!), gorgeous jewellery, leatherwork and artwork.
The Bajan shopping choices are many and include malls jam-packed with retail outlets, enthusiastic street vendors, dusty yet eclectic curiosity shops that sell intriguing souvenirs as well as shopping communities like Bridgetown's Pelican Village. Visitors can find virtually anything at the Village, which is a convenient one-stop-shop for everything arts and crafts from jaunty straw hats and upmarket paintings to meticulously completed wall hangings and complex metal-art pieces.
Barbados is also big on duty-free shopping - and is getting more duty-free friendly all the time - and the types of buys that lend themselves to duty-free financing would include perfumes, electronics, designer clothing and fine china.
Bajan duty-free shopping outlets carry the best and most well known brands in the world - Panasonic, Baccarat and Seiko will always be on the list - and can be found in shopping centres all over the island. In order to fully experience the Bajan shopping culture, however, visitors must move out of the air-conditioned duty-free outlets and comb the pavements for the island's colourful street vendors. Being able to haggle, furthermore, is almost a prerequisite for trading with street vendors in Barbados, and those who think they haven't the heart to haggle should perhaps take time to develop the skill.
The island is also a great place to pick up interesting and intriguing pieces of local artwork at fairly inexpensive prices, and there are galleries in almost every popular tourist centre including, for instance, Hastings and Rockley in Christ Church Parish, Holetown in St James' Parish and Springvale Plantation in the Parish of St Andrew. A delicate watercolour - or perhaps an achingly beautiful "Sailor's Valentine" keepsake showcasing mosaic shell art - would be the perfect memento to hold memories of warm summer nights spent on the calm Caribbean shores.
