Costa Rica Amenities/Facilities

Where Can I Go Shopping?

Costa Rica offers a wide variety of modern shopping centers and malls. A lot of the local shopping scenes have large megamalls equiped with cineplexes, food courts, and international brand-name stores. The biggest and most modern of these malls include the Mall San Pedro, Multiplaza, Terra Mall, and Mall Real Cariari. Although they lack the charm of small cultural shops found around San José, they are a reasonable option for one-stop shopping. Most contain at least one or two local galleries, crafts shops, along with a large supermarket, which is always the best place to stock up on local coffee, hot sauces, liquors, and other non-perishable foodstuffs.

International laws prohibit trade in endangered wildlife, so don't buy any plants or animals, even if they're readily for sale. Do not buy any kind of sea-turtle products (including jewelry); wild birds; lizard, snake, or cat skins; corals; or orchids (except those grown commercially). No matter how unique, beautiful, insignificant, or inexpensive it might seem, your purchase will directly contribute to the further hunting of endangered species.

If you don't like to be hassled by vendors at bazaars, here's a tip: pick out one of those so called "students" that offer to guide you around. Make clear to them that you want to walk and look around but don't plan to buy anything. You pay him a little amount of money, he'll keep the vendors off, and you won't get lost.