Christ Church Shopping and Districts

(Christ Church, Barbados)

Christ Church and specifically St. Lawrence Gap have a few prominent shopping districts, but the best commercial spread is next door in Bridgetown. Hastings also has a few shopping venues which are worth checking out. Wherever you decide to shop, you will be pleased that duty-free sales are a way of life here.

When exploring the St. Lawrence Gap area of Christ Church it will soon become obvious that there is more in the way of dining and entertainment here than outright shopping. However, there is a great selection of fashion boutiques and gift shops in this area. These venues can be pricey, but they're convenient if you've spent the day or evening in The Gap.

When to Shop and Where

The major exception is the Sheraton Centre Mall in Christ Church, situated immediately off of the ABC Highway. It boasts dozens of boutiques and an upmarket food court. West of The Gap are the villages of Hastings and Rockley. There are three major shopping malls in this area - the Shak Shak Complex, the Hastings Plaza and the Quayside Centre. The latter happens to be the best place to buy swimwear in all of Barbados, while the Hastings Plaza operates a local branch of Harrisons' department store.

West to Bridgetown, Broad Street is the best one-stop shopping venue and within easy reach of Christ Church, coming complete with street vendors, boutiques and larger department stores. Heavy hitters in Bridgetown include the Cave Shepherd Department Store, the Pelican Village and Da Costas shopping mall. Favourite Barbadian buys include batik, carvings, Caribbean artwork and all things rum-related.

Don't forget to take into account the duty-free aspect of sales. Local retailers aren't above making their offers sound better than they really are, but for certain products a careful shopper can definitely save anywhere up to 40 percent over what they'd pay at home. The best duty-free items for sale in Christ Church generally include alcohol, electronics, perfume and cologne, designer fashions, jewellery and tobacco.