It’s the best kind of shopping: when there are no taxes involved. Whether you’re looking for jewelry, electronics, fine spirits or souvenirs, duty free shopping is abundant in the Caribbean. Here are our picks for the 10 best duty-free shopping destinations in the Caribbean for 2013. Where do you like to do your duty-free shopping? Tell us in the comments section.
St Thomas
The largest concentration of duty-free shops is in on Main Street in Charlotte Amalie. With a very large exemption for US travelers ($1,600), St Thomas is often considered not just one of the best regional duty-free destinations, but one of the best worldwide.
Curacao
Downtown Willemstad is a duty-free hub; the Harbour Duty Free Zone is actually the largest duty-free area in the Caribbean, with 57 acres of shopping nirvana.
Nassau/Paradise Island
Nassau and Paradise Island have a plethora of duty-free options, both downtown on West Bay Street or, if you’re looking to splurge, in the Royal Towers at the Atlantis resort.
Aruba
Aruba has an incredibly wide variety of duty-free shops, mostly in two places: downtown Oranjestad, and in several shopping centres in high-rise hotel quarter.
Montego Bay, Jamaica
In the city centre, in the airport … Montego Bay has you covered when it comes to duty-free options.
Santo Domingo
The duty-free shopping in Santo Domingo is really concentrated at the Las Americas airport, one of the region’s largest airports. For duty-free within the city, bring your wallet to the Centro de los Heroes area.
Grand Cayman
The island of Grand Cayman has always been a magnet for wealth, and that has helped it develop into a major shopping destination. Downtown Georgetown is the main centre for duty-free, although you can find some duty-free options at the beautiful new Camana Bay complex.
Cancun
Cancun is known for its nightlife (although its beaches should be more of a draw), but its duty-free shopping is excellent at its international airport.
St Kitts
St Kitts is developing into a major cruise destination, and one of the major reasons is the large amount of stores at its Port Zante. The duty-free selection is really quite good — particularly some fine spirit shops.
St Maarten
The capital, Philipsburg, is a very popular duty-free pick, particularly for cruise visitors. If you’re looking for jewelry and high-end apparel, this is your best bet – at the pier or at the airport.