Follow The Yellow Brick Road

By Dana Cohen-Sprott

Except for Hong Kong, there isn't a place on earth that has better shopping than St. Maarten/St. Martin. You can stroll down Front Street — the golden mile and the Boardwalk — and find every brand that you can on Fifth Avenue, but with better prices and the Caribbean Sea at your feet.

Little Switzerland always has small gift items that make easy hostess gifts, and gift wrapping is available. For great writing accessories, Oro Diamanté carries beautiful pens and accessories that make perfect and useful gifts.

Rima is the greatest souvenir store that you will ever find. You need a good hour even if you are a fast shopper. It has hundreds of kangas, beach coverups, hats, T-shirts and amazing decorative items like hanging elephants from India, sequined bags, beaded necklaces and beach bags. It is never the same experience twice. If you like it, buy it there, as the store has no website.

St. Maarten Museum Gift shop in Speetjens Arcade is a great shopping experience. They have posters and reprints of historical maps of the island and the Caribbean. They also have beautiful one-of-a-kind handmade crafts. If you can't satisfy your urge to splurge there, Alpha Jewelers is around the corner for last-minute jewelery shopping. For Caribbean books and cookbooks, visit any Shipwreck Shop, which also carries the Antilles Spice Clipper.

Whether you drink coffee or want to give the gift of caffeine, Café Santo Domingo is a favorite among St. Maarteners. Le Maison de Sucre in Cole Bay sells those famous packets of sugar and Costa Rican coffee. Ketjap Manis, an Indonesian soy sauce, is a perfect item to take home. For great wines, look no further than Vinissimo where the sommelier will actually take the time to talk to you. Grey Goose and other brands are available at Caribbean Liquors & Tobacco.

For French perfume, there is only one choice: Vanity First in the stunning (and air conditioned) Le West Indies Mall. Vanity First always has the hottest new fragrances as well as the classics and great duty-free prices in dollars. Close by is one of the island's greatest gift to girls — a shoe store with Donna Karan and amazing French and European footwear. For another girly gift, visit Hediard for desserts and sinfully decadent French chocolates.

For the kind of handbags that make you draw in your breath, there are three must-visit gems: Lancel is a girl's dream with its French fine leather and accessories. MCM in Simpson Bay has great accessories, attachés and dog carriers. 5th Avenue on Front Street has an outstanding collection of designer bags and sunglasses.

For a painless swimsuit shopping experience (and yes, there is one), Endless Summer has two locations. Simpson Bay Pharmacy has what every girl needs and most of what she wants, including a friendly pharmacist. For unique T-shirts that make great mementos, visit Shipwreck Shops for Heineken Regatta T-shirts. Taloula Mango's sells the Blue Bitch Bar T-shirts (It's not a bad word; it's a native stone that washed up on the shores of the island). The Animal Welfare Shop next to Chesterfield's has the cutest collection of shirts, and proceeds go to the noblest of causes. Jimbo's Rock and Roll Café has a great selection in their mini boutique.

You can spend days shopping in St. Maarten/St. Martin and not visit the same store twice! So much to buy - so little time... visit our Shopping Guide and get full details about each merchant before you go. Print our shopping maps and take them with you.