Shopping Puerto Limon

[mspeg]

My DD and I love to shop the various ports. We will be in Puerto Limon a full day (7 -7) and have booked a 8 hour tour so hope to squeeze in some shopping time. Is there some nearby shopping area, shops by the pier? What are the native handicrafts that we should look for and what are the 'must buys' of Costa Rico?

[deloris15]

:eek: I got off the Carnival Freedom 8/29 and I can tell you Limon is not a place to shop. It is just not safe at all. There are people bothering you for money and the place is just down right filthy. I have been all over the Caribbean and I hail from NYC so there is not all lot that bothers me, but this one did...... not going back there.

 

After the tour I would not go beyond the gates of the terminal, I can't stress this enough, this port was worse than I thought. I regret not doing a tour here but I did not see anything that I really wanted to do. The only way I would come back to Costa Rica if it is on the Pacific side. There are vendors at the terminal so you can buy the usual arts and crafts and souvenirs and they have nice wood carved items. This area seemed pretty secure no hassles.

[guiderchachi]

Sounds like we were on the same cruise as these other responders. While I found Limon to be poor and a bit uncomfortable, I still left the pier area and went exploring. My DH and I wandered. Yes, people will ask for money or ask you to look at their goods but it is up to you what you do. In the little park off to the right, there is a sloth up in a tree. If a local shows you where it is so you can take a pic, expect to be asked for a tip. We paid $1. Didn't mind at all.

 

When you leave the port area, you can safely walk around the block. Go to the right and head up. You will soon come to a traffic-free street. Turn left and it leads you to a central area where vendors are set up and a little park. There is a fast food place on the corner(can't recall the name but it is red and yellow!) We had great chicken there.

 

Be cautious and you should be fine. I stayed with my DH and didn't let him get too far from me.

 

Have fun!

[cruzeluver]

Strange.

 

We had a wonderful time exploring the area around the port in Puerto Limon. There are quite a few stalls right by the pier. We also walked into town and found block after block of shops (no sanitized "cruise ship" shops by the way). We also found a little hole in the wall type place to grab some lunch. The food was outstanding,a nd we found the people in the area to be some of the friendliest we've met on a cruise.