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Puerto Rico shopping
Puerto Rico shopping is some of the best in the Caribbean, but at prices higher than elsewhere. This is especially true in San Juan, which isn't a free port, so don't expect to buy duty-free favorites like electronics and perfume at rock-bottom prices. You're better off taking advantage of local products. Puerto Rican cigars won't impress your friends on the golf course like a Cuban, but they are ubiquitous, cheap, and almost as good. Just pull the labels off and nobody will be able to tell the difference. (Actually, wait until you get through customs to do that.) Hammocks and coffee are also island favorites that you will enjoy at home, although perhaps not at the same time. If you want something more distinctively Puerto Rican, look around for a reverentially carved santo, a Christian statue used during local festivals.
Shopping in Puerto Rico effectively means shopping in San Juan. The most commonly visited area is Old San Juan, where folk-art stands cluster by the harbor and little shops line the hilly cobblestone streets. The junky, tourist options can feel overwhelming, but there are some wonderful, one-of-a-kind boutiques worth checking out. So, look carefully, and avoid the town on Mondays and Tuesdays, when the cruise ships dock and crowds swarm the narrow sidewalks.
A Belgian native fell in love with a Puerto Rican beauty and moved to the island to marry her…and open a decadent, authentic European chocolate shop. At...more
see the San Juan guideFor a quirky souvenir, head to Butterfly People, a shop in a restored colonial mansion in Old San Juan. Exotic butterfly species from around the world are...more
see the San Juan guideA handful of talented, happening young Puerto Rican designers are making a name for themselves on the island and off (among them Stella Nolasco and Luis...more
see the San Juan guideLooking for menswear? At David Antonio, classics like the men's guayabera shirt are deconstructed and put back together into funky new garments. The local...more
see the San Juan guideLovers of tropical art should be sure to stop by this Old San Juan gallery named for the late Angel Botello. The Spanish-born, French-educated artist's use of...more
see the San Juan guideMi Pequeño San Juan carries tiny ceramic reproductions of the doorways of Old San Juan, hand-painted by a local artist. Kitschy, sure, but also somehow...more
see the San Juan guideTalk to San Juan locals about shopping, and it won't be long before someone brings up Nono Maldonado. His elegant lines helped convince Puerto Ricans to look to...more
see the San Juan guideStop at Suola for towering Christian Louboutin heels and boots, plus a knockout selection of Valentino shoes of every stripe. End-of-season sales, held in...more
see the San Juan guideVerovero is a tiny but well-stocked boutique in Condado featuring the likes of Prada, Miu Miu, and Manolo Blahnik, as well an idiosyncratic selection of...more
see the San Juan guide
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