5 Best Places to Shop in North Coast, Dominican Republic

The sister shop to Fred Joyas, Beach Box Boutique has new furnishings—hippie chic. With beach style it has a new collection of colorful and utilitarian beach bags, pareos, organdy sun hats, shell jewelry, and wide silver bracelets. Like Fred Joyas, this location accepts cash and credit cards.

In Puerto Plata you can find enough interesting stores to both quell your shopping urge and pick up a few funky gifts, like mamajuana, the Dominican herbal liqueur. A popular shopping street for costume jewelry and souvenirs is Calle Beller.

Joyas is Spanish for jewelry. Here it's silver jewelry coupled with the island's semiprecious stones—larimar, amber, and black onyx—as well as shells and beads. Fred is the proprietress, a savvy Frenchwoman with great taste. This location also accepts credit cards. 

If you need to know anything about anything in Sosúa, stop by and meet Patrick. Here for five decades, he is kind about aiding gringos and has a sense of humor. He also makes tasteful silver jewelry if you are looking for a souvenir of your time here.

Stores at this shopping center (in the American tradition) sell everything from cigars, rum, coffee, snacks, and herbal remedies to ceramics, trinkets, flip-flops and suntan lotion, fine jewelry, American clothing brands, Oscar de la Renta tops, and Gottex bathing suits. There are banks and ATM machines; everyday items are expensive.