Dominican Republic Shopping

 
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Most Viewed Shopping in Dominican Republic

1.

Plaza Lama   Santo Domingo

Plaza Lama, Santo Domingo

 1 Review  The biggest department store in Santo Domingo. We entered there as I wanted to buy a couple of disposable cameras (my camera stopped working on my second day in SD... why they never break down when... 

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2.

Calle El Conde - El Conde street   Santo Domingo

Calle El Conde - El Conde street, Santo Domingo

 4 Reviews  This "Pedestrian Only" shopping street is both the center of tourist goods and western designer clothes. It runs from Parque Colon to Parque Independencia. The street name honors the Count of Penalba,... 

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3.

La Sirena   Santo Domingo

La Sirena, Santo Domingo

 2 Reviews   La Sirena is a huge supermarket/mall where you can buy anything: Grocery, clothes, sports articles, books etc. You can also buy your souvenirs here and at a cheaper price than a tourist... 

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4.

Malls   Santo Domingo

Malls, Santo Domingo

 2 Reviews  Megacentro is a mall with everything you can imagine under it: beauty parlors for men and women, a movie theater with 10 rooms, clothes shops, make up shops, jewelry, souvenirs, a pool place, banks, a... 

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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

The Larimar Shop: Larimar Jewelry at DR

by angierogo13

Larimar Jewelry, all of them! This stone speaks about the beautiful Caribbean Sea and beaches, where you can see from deep blue to light blue and green blue waters, white sand and a blue sky with white and grey clouds. It speaks about DOMINICAN PEOPLE who are always smiling and happy ready for the best to come. Each piece of Larimar stone is different its pattern has an ample variety. It depends on the stone's quality, then deeper the blue than expensier. But it's always worth it!

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Shopping in La Marina

by starship

La Marina, mentioned in a previous tip, is apparently part of the Casa de Campo resort and is quite a lovely section. The buildings and setting alone are worth riding the bus to get there. However, contrary to what we heard about great shopping, we found only a few shops open here. The ones we visited had very nice items such as upscale beach and resort casual clothing. There also was a very nice arts & crafts store as well but I'm not sure that the items here were actually made in the Dominican Republic, but maybe. As you might expect, these stores were pricey, but if you can afford to stay at this resort, you probably don't have to worry about that! I did not find anything particularly indigenous to this country while shopping here. I imagine that you would find more selection in Altos de Chavon and the capital city of Santo Domingo if you were looking for native arts &...

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Anywhere or on the beach or main road: Cigars, Rum, Music

by bianchis

Cigars are the the thing to take home or rum if you like these things. Otherwise the shops offer the same type of good everywhere you go. Nothing to get excited about. I noticed the shirts were made in Indonesia.On the beach there are many pedlars and they all wear a uniform and they have numbers on their shirt. They carry quite a heavy box of wares on their shoulders and every 5 minutes one comes by to pedle their goods. The most interesting pedlars are the women with their basket of fruits on their heads. There are paintings and craftworks but I have a feeling they come from Haiti.If you like merengue then this is the place to buy the music. Just ask anyone which are the latest hits and they will tell you.I bought two CDs but when I opened them I realized they were copies.Homerun Bachatero 2009Se Acabo Lo BonitoLo Nuevo Luis Migue Del Amargue

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regular grocery stores or small shops: Odd purchases

by melosh

You can buy cigars, rum, coffee, Mamajuana and perhaps vanilla extract from tourist shops, but you will usually find the prices much more attractive in a regular grocery or small shop. Vanilla extract -- less than a dollar for 16 oz and very good.Mamajuana -- A Dominican specialty of a mixture of wood chips and spices for flavoring wine and rum. You will see nicely labeled tourist bottles for sale, but the only question is whether you can get this through customs. It would be heavier to carry with the bottle full of alcohol but it might be more acceptable to the US customs/agriculture inspectors. What was surprising to me was that even in off the tourist path places these bottle of chips seemed kind of expensive ($10 US).

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General Tip: Dominican Rum

by ValbyDK

Dominican rum (and tobacco) is considered to be one of the finest in the world. The most famous brands are the 3 B's: Brugal, Barcelo, and Bermudez.If you're in the area of Puerto Plata, you can visit the Brugal (bottling) Factory. Otherwise you can buy rum in any local grocery. My favourites are from Brugal: Extra Viejo (on the rocks) and Añejo.

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General Tip: Cigars

by ValbyDK

The Dominican Republic is the largest producer of cigars, and the cigars are considered to be the best in the world.You can buy cigars in souvenir shops or - if you visit a cigar factory - buy them fresh rolled from the factory. Normally you're allowed to smoke a cigar as a test before you buy.There are many different brands of cigars, for example: Churchill, Doble Corona, Corona, Robusto, Panetela, Torpedo and many more...I don't smoke myself so I can't recommend a good brand. It also depends on if you like a strong or a mild cigar.

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General Tip: Faceless doll

by ValbyDK

One of the most popular souvenirs of the Dominican Republic is the faceless ceramic doll. It is made of clay and dressed in the traditional clothes. The dolls depict Dominican country life with some dolls balancing baskets or pots on their heads, some milling coffee, and some holding bouquets (like the photo).Some people says that the doll is faceless because nobody knows how a Dominican looks like (75% of the population is of mixed race).Don't buy your souvenirs at the resort areas, it is much cheaper elsewhere.

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Mercado Colonial: Souvenires: Mercado Colonial

by melosh

On my last visit to Santo Domingo I was directed to the Mercado Colonial by a tourism department official as an alternative to walking the 10 blocks to the Mercado Modelo. Apparently this is a new market (It is not mentioned in Lonely Planet.) made of stores with the same ownership as the stores in the Mercado Modelo. The official told me I could even get better prices at this more conveniently located market. (After having seen the market --It seems more upscale than Mercado Modelo--and glanced at the prices I doubt the veracity of this statement.) The only tricky part to identifying this collection of stores called a market is that the entrance seems to be just the entrance to a typical shop. As you penetrate you see that store after store opens to the passage that extends for the full length of the large block. It seems to have just about everything offered in the Dominican Republic....

Mercado Modelo: Souvenirs: Mercado Modelo

by melosh

The Mercado Modelo may have once been a central produce market but now it is almost full of tourist shops. Although there is some typical produce marketing and modest shops in streets behind the main building, this is not the place to go to get a traditional market experience. The special value of this market area is the competition of many shops with similar products. The asking prices will be higher than most, if not all, of the regular stores on the Paseo Colon, but bargaining is expected and one should be able to get to prices below those of stores. You will probably pay about 40% of the typical first asking price. Of course this will depend on how bloated the first price is and the energy you have to resist paying more that you have to. As you might expect the shops that are somewhat out of the way like those selling paintings on the upper floor do seem be easier to bargain to lower...

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La Mercantil Importadora: Fair shop prices

by melosh

Inspite of its name [importer] this is a large store with a wide selection of products of the Dominican Republic. It has the best prices I saw in a regular store. [Prices do decrease as one walks east to west on El Conde and this store is on the far west end of El Conde. ] On paintings, for example, the prices were only about 10 percent over the best price I could get in the market or on the street. I even was able to buy a mahogeny carving at a price below what I would have paid in the market, if I could have found one as nice, but this was a special situation. Buy what you want when it is unique enough that you won't likely find another in the market, or when the approximate 10 percent savings you can get with bargaining is not worth the time and effort. Pretty fair prices without the time bargaining. I briefly revisted this store again in 2007 and the prices still seemed to be...

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Stores, Malls or Markets in Dominican Republic

Top 3 Hotels in Dominican Republic

Playa Esmeralda Beach Resort  Dominican Republic

 2 Reviews and 41 Opinions  This all-inslusive resort was fabulous, as all-inclusives go. Kinda like being on a cruise. If lying... 

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Hotel Atarazana  Santo Domingo

 1 Review and 132 Opinions  I stayed here on a recent business trip in the Zona Colonial in Santo Domingo. This 6 room hotel... 

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Gran Bahia Principe Punta Cana  Punta Cana

 7 Reviews and 645 Opinions  The only good things about our stay at the Gran Bahia Principe were the beautiful beaches and the... 

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413 Hotels in Dominican Republic
 
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Reviews and photos of Dominican Republic attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Dominican Republic sightseeing.

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Shopping: Cities in Dominican Republic
  1. Punta Cana Shopping
  2. Santo Domingo Shopping
  3. Puerto Plata Shopping
  4. Punta Cana Shopping
  5. La Romana Shopping
  6. Cabarete Shopping
  7. Sosúa Shopping
  8. Bayahibe Shopping
  9. Las Terrenas Shopping
  10. Bonao Shopping
  11. Santa Bárbara de Samaná Shopping
  12. Cayo Levantado Shopping
  13. Isla Saona Shopping
  14. Uvero Alto Shopping

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Popular Regions in Dominican Republic

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Questions and Answers

fitzy7 profile photo

Q:  Hi everyone, I'm looking for some advice of trip ideas from Punta Cana. I have had a tough time finding appropriate information... 

grandmaR profile photo

A: I don't know what time of year you are talking about - I have been to the DR two or three times in January, but not to Punta Cana. I've been twice by cruise ship to... 

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