Trinidad souvenir shopping: what to buy and where to buy it

When it comes to shopping, Trinidad has its own specialities: look around and you’ll be surprised at the range and quality of goods available — and the competitive prices.

For serious shoppers, Port of Spain and Chaguanas are popular for both their traditional stores and outdoor booths and stalls selling all manner of clothing, fabric, craft, leather sandals, perfumes, souvenirs and local delicacies.

For the more familiar, air-conditioned experience, there are malls in many areas, including Port of Spain, St James, Westmoorings, Trincity, Valsayn, Chaguanas and La Romain. Several shops carry duty-free goods, with a range of both local and international names, and Piarco International Airport has well-stocked duty-free shops.

Here are some suggestions to help you fill your suitcases.

Clothing & accessories

No trip is complete without a T-shirt featuring local sayings and bawdy humour. Plenty of shops sell these, as well as cups, mugs, key-rings, hand-crafted steelpans, Carnival dolls and other T&T paraphernalia. Rainy Days store in Ellerslie Plaza (Maraval) is great for these.

Trinidad has a garment industry that’s the envy of the Caribbean. Casual or formal, petite or plus size, branded or generic, local or foreign – you can be sure to find something tailored to your needs. For a range of T-shirts and casual wear, make sure to check out B&Tees Native Spirit line. High-quality swimsuits, tailored suits, sportswear, T-shirts and children’s clothing are all made here. Several noted fashion designers — including Meiling, The Cloth, Claudia Pegus and Heather Jones — create high-fashion wear that looks great anywhere in the world. Radical Designs has a GAP-like selection of quality basics as well as high-fashion sportswear. Batiks by Althea Bastien and Verena and hand-painted sarongs and sun dresses by ETC are also good bets. Many outlets also sell traditional Indian, African and other ethnic wear, and a range of high-quality fabrics.

Craft & jewellery

Trinidad’s jewellers create unique pieces from silver, gold, copper, leather, beads and semi-precious stones. Some will take orders for custom-made accessories. Central Trinidad is the pottery-making capital of Trinidad, and a visit to one of the clayworks in the area makes for an interesting day trip — prices are very reasonable. The range of excellent craftwork has expanded in recent years to include miniature ceramic houses, wind chimes, mosaics, metal sculpture, calabash and coconut jewellery and vessels, handmade soaps and aromatherapy products. For locally-made leather sandals, bags and belts, the “Drag Mall” in Port of Spain is worth a visit. You can also find decent hand-made jewellery, footwear and accessories at Maracas Beach!

Art

Several art galleries exhibit and sell the work of local artists. See our Arts & Culture section for details.

Books & music

In addition to international bestsellers, you can find a range of books by local writers, covering natural history, biography, art, fiction, poetry and more at local book shops. There has been a boom in magazine publishing, particularly lifestyle titles. We may be biased, but among the best in the region is our sister magazine, Caribbean Beat. Books by Caribbean authors, coffee-table books and magazines are a great way to learn more about Trinidad and Tobago and other Caribbean islands, and they also make excellent gifts.

Trinidad is well-known for its music, so make sure to collect CDs of the Carnival season’s big players as well as classic recordings that will never get stale. Soca, calypso and steelpan albums are good buys, widely available, and you will also find local gospel, rock, reggae, R&B, pop, jazz (including pan jazz), alternative and fusion

Food & beverages

Trinidad is known for its mouth-watering cuisine. Popular buys for those travelling back home include roti skins, pastelles, fruit cakes, biscuits and crackers, pepper sauce, seasonings and curry powders, and even frozen fried chicken. Trinidad’s rums, beers and homemade wines are among the most popular (and weighty) items

Shopping malls

• Aboutique Mall, Frederick Street, Port of Spain
• Alyce Glen Shopping Centre, Morne Coco Road, Petit Valley
• Atlantic Plaza, Atlantic Avenue, Point Lisas
• Bradford City Mall, Henry Street, Port of Spain
• Busy Corner Mall, Main Road, Chaguanas
• Centre City Mall, Main Road, Chaguanas
• Centre Pointe Mall, Ramasaran Street, Chaguanas
• City of Grand Bazaar, Valsayn, Churchill Roosevelt Highway
• Colsort Mall, Frederick Street, Port of Spain
• Ellerslie Plaza, Ellerslie Court, Maraval
• Excellent City Centre, Independence Square, Port of Spain
• Golden Doors Plaza, Frederick Street, Port of Spain
• Gulf City Mall, La Romain
• Hadeed Centre Mall, Henry Street, Port of Spain
• Highland Plaza, Western Main Road, Glenco
• Long Circular Mall, Long Circular Road, St James
• Mid Centre Mall, Southern Main Road, Chaguanas
• Plaza Espermaria, Henry Street, Port of Spain
• People’s Mall, Frederick Street, Port of Spain
• Royal Palm Plaza, Saddle Road, Maraval
• Shoppes of Maraval, Saddle Road, Maraval
• Starlite Shopping Plaza, Four Roads, Diego Martin
• The Market, Normandie Hotel, St Ann’s
• Time Plaza, Henry Street, Port of Spain
• Town Centre Mall, Frederick Street, Port of Spain
• Trincity Mall, Trincity, Churchill Roosevelt Highway
• Uptown Mall, Edward Street, Port of Spain
• Valpark Shopping Plaza, Valsayn, Churchill Roosevelt Highway
• Voyager Mall, Frederick Street, Port of Spain
• West Mall, Westmoorings, Western Main Road