Shopping

No sales tax. Now, those are sweet words to adventurous shoppers. Aruba has the advantage of being a low-tax-free member of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which makes it a fairly good place to buy European luxuries, jewelry, and perfume. Designated duty-free shops are located at the departure terminal of the airport. Dutch treats are, of course, plentiful and well priced; high quality original art, one-of-a-kind fashions, and handmade articles produced by local artisans make sensible souvenirs of your trip.

Oranjestad is the primary shopping area with several open-air malls, a wharf-side market, and a half mile stretch of top stores. Since the town is small, all the stores are located within a few blocks, and you can easily walk to each. Additional shops are located in the resorts and in the town of San Nicholas, on the South shore.

Great Buys

• Dutch imports, such as Delft porcelain
• Cigars (Cuban cigars are not allowed back into the US)
• Designer clothes
• High-quality original art, pottery, and sculpture
• Swiss watches
• English china
• French perfume
• Danish crystal
• German and Japanese cameras
• Indonesian fabrics
• Designer jewelry by international artisans
• Caribbean rum and liqueurs
• Aruba Aloe beauty and health products