What/Where to Buy

[New cruiser from Atlanta]

I will be in Roatan next week and would like some suggestions/recommendations on what to buy and where to get good prices in Roatan. Thanks!

[SeaPA]

Roatan isn't really known as a shopping destination. Instead, spend your money on an island tour or a snorkeling tour & enjoy the natural beauty. Then buy a couple of local beers in a little beachside bar & maybe pick up a bottle of Flor de Cana rum (very, very good stuff) at one of the shops.

[MSUSigmaK]

I agree, not much of a shopping port. Roatan t-shirts and beer on the beach may be your best bets. There is a small shopping area not far from the dock. We were there when it rained and it was flooded. They will have wood products much like those in Costa Rica. You will also have folks asking you to purchase conch shells. I read elsewhere that the US is asking that conch products not be brought back into the US since they are becoming endangered. Otherwise, there isn't much else for shopping. Sorry.

[DEL67]

No, Roatan does not have the usual stores found in most ports, but my daughter and a friend were in Roatan last week and they bought some great handmade items. As another poster indicated there were many wooden items, but I thought the ones they bought (ice bucket, sugar bowl, etc.) were different than those I saw in Costa Rica. In addition, they bought me a beautiful ceramic piece.

[Tigger007]

We found that the closer it was for our ship to leave and the closest shops to the ships were willing to bargining the best. My sister in law bought an wood ice bucket in Belize for $35 and I got mine in Roatan just before I got on the the ship for $15, a really good bargain. I almost felt bad the price was so good but the woman basically just keep dropping the price on her own. The shops down town were not willing to go below $25 for the same bucket.

[jmalstrom]

We went shopping from Tabyana Beach. We walked down the beach and shopped at stalls set up on the beach. We enjoyed meeting Liz, a local pastor's wife who sold us some beautiful Ceramica Linka - Honduran made black and white pottery. We also bought a wooden box from her, and a clay nativity scene, as well as t-shirts for our kids. We spent about $80 and got lots of beautiful things.

 

We saw Ceramica Linka in San Pedro the next day for 4 times what we paid for it. We are very happy to have such beautiful, unusual peices to remember our trip by. Also enjoyed chatting with Liz who asked us to keep her in our prayers.

[KathieP]

This was the only store we went to in Roatan. It was nice and I think owned by an American or perhaps Canadian woman. I met her, just not sure of her nationality. Great shop with everything from handcrafted items to t-shirts, even Honduran coffee for $5.00 a lb. to vanilla ($3.00) and coffee mugs and postcards. I loved the lack of Diamonds International and the national chain souveneir rip off stores in Roatan. Yabba Ding Dings is just to the right about 1/2 a mile when you step off the dock. I would guess that anyone could direct you. It's right next door to (I think) the only grocery store on the island.

[phlydude]

Go in the grocery store and get the vanilla for $1.00 a bottle