 | Ocho Rios Shopping | Tips 1 - 10 of 10 |  |
Popular Shopping | Other Shopping Tips | All Tips (10) Harmony Hall, a mid-1800s Methodist manse 4 ½ miles east of Ocho Rios, is home to an art gallery featuring the work of local artists. On selected Sundays from November-April there are exhibitions where you can meet local artists
We visited on a Sunday and saw one of the special exhibitions featuring watercolor paintings of local houses. Several other artists were set up outside Harmony Hall selling hand painted frames, small paintings and other craft items.
The artwork inside the gallery from the featured artist was $200 US+ for his watercolors. Some other local artists were set up in the garden, the prices more affordable. Leave a Comment Theme: ArtAddress: 4 1/2 miles from downtown Ocho RiosDirections: Within walking distance of Couples Ocho Rios, turn left after exiting, Harmony Hall is on the opposite side of the street about 1/2 mileWebsite: http://www.harmonyhall.com/
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Like most Jamaicans towns of any size, Ocho Rios has a craft market aimed squarely at separating tourists from their dollars! All of them sell much the same things – indeed it seemed to me that every stall in each market sold very similar things to its neighbour on either side! But if you’re looking for wood carvings, paintings, fabrics such as sarongs, hats, spices, drums etc., and are prepared to put up with some low-level (in our experience) hassle in return for the opportunity to haggle over prices, this is the place to come.
By the way, if knowing that your souvenir is local in origin matters to you, do bear in mind that some of the wood carvings in particular are likely to be imported and possibly mass-produced. But we saw several guys here carving by their stalls, which is a good sign, and careful inspection should reveal which items are genuinely hand-carved – look for those that are less smooth in their finish and aren’t all uniform.
We were “just looking” so I’m not sure what prices were like here, but nowhere on the island did they seem very high, and judicial haggling will bring them even lower. As an indication, we later paid US$10 for a pretty cushion and US$12 for a leather and coloured glass necklace in fixed-price galleries in Negril. Theme: Local CraftDirections: In the centre of town on the north (sea) side of the main road
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We missed all the resort sponsored shopping trips into Ocho Rios, Couples Ocho Rios is several miles from downtown Ocho Rios and we didn't want to pay $30 round trip to get into town via taxi so we wandered across the street from the resort to the craft market. It's pretty small as craft markets go, only a handful of vendors.
The market had most of the usual Jamaican souvenir items-beaded jewelry, carved wood figures, tshirts, baskets/purses, knit hats and dolls-but just a smaller selection than the larger markets. We bought a couple of tshirts for nieces and nephews and a clever wooden lobster for my husband's knick knack collection.
Bargaining is expected in Jamaica, we started at $45 and got down to $30, I'm sure we still overpaid but I was OK with the prices and the prices were better than what I saw at the airport. Leave a Comment Theme: Local CraftAddress: across from Couples Ocho RiosDirections: Craft markets are everywhere in Jamaica
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On the main street Ocho Rios has two craft parks: The Ocho Rios Craft Park, opposite the Ocean Village Shopping Centre, is open Monday through Saturday and It has more then 15o vendors selling everything from sandals to woodcarvings to straw goods. The other craft park is "Olde Market" is nearby and also has plenty of handmade goods.
There are a lots of hand made wood carving and differend kind of masks. Leave a Comment Theme: Local Craft
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If you’re pressed for time or you don’t want to pay to participate in the shopping excursion into town, look no further than the open-air market across the street from SOR. The resort offers free, guided tours to this shopping area throughout the week, but it’s not difficult to find on your own. Here you’ll find local vendors selling Jamaican tchotchkes, coffee, art, etc. The vendors accept both Jamaican Dollars as well as US Dollars (they’ll give you your change in JD) and they’re always ready to bargain with you. It’s a little off-the-beaten path, but you’ll find more variety in the merchandise here than from the vendors at the resort. I was even able to find original art here by a local artist that was unique – so totally unlike all the “traditional” art I saw at every other stand in town. It’s worth a look. What you'll miss out on: the crowds and the prices of downtown.
Cuban cigars, Jamaican coffee, local art & crafts, T-shirts, magnets, etc. Items vary from vendor to vendor. Shop around and bargain... you'll be sure to find a deal.
Bargain with the vendors to get the best prices. Leave a Comment Theme: Local CraftDirections: From Sandals Ocho Rios (if the beach and resort are behind you) make a left on the road and walk past the resort. The market will be up the road on the right (the opposite side of the street from the resort / beach). Just be careful crossing the street.
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In Portugal we use to say that "one image speaks more than 1000 words". Having that in mind, and more than 1000 pictures to post, I decided to change my behaviour, posting the pictures as soon as they are ready, and adding the comments later.
Don't get mad on me - I'm glad to share my pictures with you, and the comments will be added soon. Leave a Comment Theme: Other
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The best thing we visited in Ocho Rios was the crafts market. We could see artisans at work and bargain some crafts definitively not "made in China". Of course, Bob Marley and "rasta" figures dominate, imagination... not much. Prices are cheap, and it seems to be the best place to buy the garbage we usually carry back home. Leave a Comment Theme: Local Craft
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Going round a tourist market could be an adventure. You have to take your courage in both hands. As soon as you begin to look around, the sellers come towards you saying: 'Look in! Look in!' inviting to their stall. They are very persistent and you begin to feel just a little nervous.
Here you can buy beautiful wood carvings, paintings, t-shirts, bracelets, chokers and Rasta caps with the typical colours of Jamaica.
If you want to buy something you have to bargain over the price and the negotiation could be very tiring!! Leave a Comment Theme: Local CraftAddress: Main Street near Club Jamaica - Ocho Rios
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This is one of the most famous shopping centers in Ocho Rios, close to the harbor... it's built as a replica of the Taj Mahal (that's where it gets its name from) and this isn't random.... the owners of the shops located there are mostly from Indian origin! I was amazed to see so many Indians in Jamaica (so far from their country!!), but they're the rich people there....
Souvenirs, beach stuff, etc... Something I didn't like from the shops in general is that people will be REALLY PUSHY in order to get you to buy something, they'll haunt you all around the store trying to make you buy everything you look at, and that's something I personally dislike a lot.
Well, in fact prices are high for the kind of items you can find here... sometimes you can bargain a little, if you like such practice, but they won't reduce them a lot anyway! Leave a Comment Theme: Local Craft
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Modern mall, waiting for tourists it didn't add anything to our visit - jewels and touristy crafts, and that was all. But, as a matter of fact, we had nothing in mind for shopping there. Leave a Comment Theme: Other
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