When in ... Shop for

[usavvy2]

one of my cruise mates was wondering if anyone knew of any specific boutiques in Rome that had those fabulous Italian dresses? (BTW, what would THEY cost, anyway?????)

[cberge]

Thank you! Don't stop with the suggestions, I've got a running list :D

 

Is Cannes the only place to find linens?? We've decided to go the other route to St. Paul de Vence, Villefranche, and Monaco, can I find them there?

 

Becky

No No No...you can find them just about any place,BUT you will enjoy shopping in St.Paul for them...lots to choose from and they also have great handmade soaps.In Monaco there is a shopping mall under the hotel near the casino that has some neat stores as well if you have the the time,but if not St.paul will suit your need very well....:p ENJOY

[zebra]

Does anyone know the prices (approx.) of the French Table Linens?? This is a must for me!!! Also the soaps, I can never resist them. O-o-h I can't wait - St. Paul sounds wonderful.

[bec2629]

Thanks Karen, I like to buy crafts and souvienrs that are specific to a region. I actually changed our tour because I had heard so many positive comments about St. Paul, glad to hear we won't be disappointed.

 

Do you think it would be worth the time shopping for designer handbags or will it be redundant considering the exchange rate? I'll have no shopping time to waste:D

 

We are spending a few days in London post cruise, is it as outrageously expensive as I've heard ? :(

Becky

[cberge]

Does anyone know the prices (approx.) of the French Table Linens?? This is a must for me!!! Also the soaps, I can never resist them. O-o-h I can't wait - St. Paul sounds wonderful.

To be honest with you I can't give you the cost now,but they run the gamut for sure.I know I didn't spend a fortune when I got mine a few years ago,but you can do that.The placemats and napkins are reasonable.So many patterns to choose from.Soaps will probably be a few €'s depending on size and quality.Have fun.

[cberge]

Thanks Karen, I like to buy crafts and souvienrs that are specific to a region. I actually changed our tour because I had heard so many positive comments about St. Paul, glad to hear we won't be disappointed.

 

Do you think it would be worth the time shopping for designer handbags or will it be redundant considering the exchange rate? I'll have no shopping time to waste:D

No, I perso would not waste my time just looking for a designer handbag..you are right with the exchange rate,but if you saw one and you knew it was a deal..go for it.BTW, I found some knockoffs in Spain that were to good to pass up both in price and quality!!!No one could even tell.That is fun IMHO.

We are spending a few days in London post cruise, is it as outrageously expensive as I've heard ? :(

Becky

Yes and no..depending on what you are looking for..the exchange rate is about 1 £ for $1.85 so you can do the math.There are items you will not find here and if you really like them then go for it.If you know what items cost here before you go it will help in your shopping.Good luck and have fun.London will be a blast no matter what the cost.

[cherski]

Just talked to my mom today (who is on vacation and computerless for two months). She was thrilled to know about this thread!!!!

 

She wanted to know if anybody knows of a good place to get diamonds.

 

(I want to know if there will be anything left to inherit ... I think not!)

 

Cher

[cberge]

Just talked to my mom today (who is on vacation and computerless for two months). She was thrilled to know about this thread!!!!

 

She wanted to know if anybody knows of a good place to get diamonds.

 

(I want to know if there will be anything left to inherit ... I think not!)

 

Cher

Amsterdam for diamonds..:) Unless one knows diamonds really well I would be very careful buying them abroad,but this is MHO only.Of course having said that it never hurts to look.Hope she enjoys all the info offered..:D

[zebra]

OK European shoppers, tell me about the Venetian masks. Can one buy them for a reasonable price? Any suggestions on particular shops or vendors?

[Tania]

About the tax...

 

The forms need to be stamped at your point of DEPARTURE from the EU. If you have a flight from Venice to Amsterdam, and then Ams to Boston, for example, the forms must be stamped in Amsterdam. The goods must accompany you (or be shipped) and you must have the original proof of purchase.

 

I can still see the poor fellow in front of me who had packed his receipt and was told no refund, no ifs and or buts.

 

On my last trip, I actually received my refund at the airport.

 

Amsterdam doesn't have line-ups in my experience but the wait in Paris last summer made me glad I had to check in three hours in advance.

[bec2629]

About the VAT tax... if we had purchases shipped by the store owner, should we have received a form to have stamped or did they take care of it?

Thanks

[nanazsun]

Any suggestions as to best place to buy Frette sheets or Anichini sheets? Are there any outlets? This will be our splurge--beautiful sheets from our trip.

[texancruzer]

Venice -

Dubrovnik -

Athens -

Santorini -

Naples (Amalfi Coast) -

Rome -

Florence -

Villefranche -

 

She's especially interested in buying gold jewelry.

 

Thanks,

Cher

 

Dubrovnik - beautiful lacework items. Saw a gorgeous pair of gold filigree earrings but did not buy them...... kick myself. They were round balls with beautiful cutout work....hard to explain. Seems they are well known here.

Naples - of course lemoncello (YUM) but also exquisite ceramics. We purchased a beautiful set of tiles (think mosaic picture) from this place www.ceramichedarte.com Also purchased an adorable little pitcher with the rooster on top (think spout is beak) in Ravello. There is a story behind the rooster - be sure to ask ;) I will not spoil it for you.

Rome: did not buy alot of stuff here - spent alot of $$ on private tour !

Florence: leather - anything ! Ponte Vecchio for gold. Bought 3 things here. Gold coin on flip bezel - one side has olive branch - other side has St. John the Baptist. Gorgeous piece. Also purchased a cameo and a gold filigree butterfly pin for Christmas presents.

Villefranche - visited Eze and purchased a beautiful hand painted silk scarf for dd. Also carved wooden items - there is one vendor there who does amazing work.

 

In all the above I also purchased prints or original artwork (usually by the artist themselves). Mostly they had stands set up in the open square or market areas. I collect them and bring them home and frame them..... a wonderful reminder of all the places I have been. Dubrovnik was an oil, Florence was an original watercolor, Rome and Naples were prints.

 

NOW the tax issue: My story. Some places charged the tax. Some places did not. Those that did not (Ponte Vecchio) informed us that if we did not turn in our forms - we would be charged (to our cc) at a later date. Well, as it turns out (after keeping all my receipts and forms together) when we arrived at Barcelona airport - the line to checkin was out the door. By the time we got checked in, we were running thru security etc. to our gate - AND DID NOT HAVE TIME TO GET OUR FORMS STAMPED...... sure enough..... about 6 weeks later a charge showed up on our Am Exp. for the tax not previously charged. Even though we spent a lot of $$$$ it would have been alot more to buy new plane tickets for missed flight than the tax added up to......lesson learned. PS. We allowed plenty of time to check in..... Barcelona airport (Continental) was the worst of any I have been in. Even San Juan PR was better and it was a zoo.

[ldb2]

This is a great thread - thanks everyone who has contributed ideas. Can anyone give me an idea of what one might expect to pay for a leather jacket in Florence? I know the prices will vary depending on style, quality, etc. but even a ballpark figure would be helpful. We were in Cotacachi (sp.?) - I hope I have the right name - in Ecuador in December where they are known for their great leather bargains. I bought a gorgeous soft leather blazer type jacket for $55.00 US and DH got a beautiful calfskin bomber style jacket for 110.00 US, so I'm thinking we probably won't find deals like that in Florence, or will we be able to find things in that price range? I'm kicking myself I didn't have more travellers cheques cashed the day we went there - I would have bought about 3 for myself at those prices. I'm afraid that I will go to Florence with that kind of expectations and be in for a real letdown, so any general ideas of prices are greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks!

 

Laurie

[Beachnut53]

We have three days in Rome and then depart on our cruise which ends in Athens and flight home. Is there anywhere at the Civitichi port that we can get our Rome purchases tax forms authorized or is this only at airports? Any possibility of doing it at Athends for all EU countries? :confused:

[PBtravel1]

This is a great thread. Can somebody give me an idea how much you have to spend in one store to receive tax refund? Also can you combine receipts for the purchases at the different shops (or event countries within EU)?

 

Thank you.

[Cruise Junky]

This is a great thread - thanks everyone who has contributed ideas. Can anyone give me an idea of what one might expect to pay for a leather jacket in Florence? I know the prices will vary depending on style, quality, etc. but even a ballpark figure would be helpful.

 

As you said, totally depends on the quality. I saw some under 100 Euro but I didn't think the quality or price was any better than home....then we went to one of the leather schools and holy cow!! 500 - 600 euro was the norm and it was like butter! I ended up buying my leather coat in Rhodes last year.... Price started at 700 Euro and I think I paid about 360. So make sure you bargain...HARD!

[jms2362]

OK European shoppers, tell me about the Venetian masks. Can one buy them for a reasonable price? Any suggestions on particular shops or vendors?

Yes, we wnt to several shops before we bought one at a price we felt was fair. They are not cheap. We really love ours.