Have you just returned from Costa Rica where memories are made; where the sound of the crashing waves is a symphony; where the ever changing lush vistas reveal the color of the sky, the clouds and the earth? Make sure you bring back unique finds and mementoes to fill your home with remembrances of your Costa Rican sojourn.
Shopping for souvenirs and other items in Costa Rica is a varied affair ranging from local markets offering traditional goods to large stores and gift shops. Prices at regular shops are fixed. Bargaining is uncommon but some stores give “la feria” or an extra object as a gift for large quantities of purchases.
First on any visitor’s must-buy list is coffee. Even if you are not a coffee addict, someone in your family or one of your friends is bound to be a coffee drinker. Coffee is the best buy in Costa Rica. CafÈ Brit, sold in light, dark and espresso roasts is the best widely available brand. Hotels and souvenir shops all over Costa Rica carry this brand. Several high-end brands and blends are also available. If you happen to be in the Manuel Antonio area, purchase your coffee beans at CafÈ Milagro. In Monteverde, the freshly roasted coffee beans are hands down the best. Fresh-roasted coffee beans can be bought in elegant gift packages. Buy whole beans and not the ground ones. Packaged grinds are much finer than US grinds and more often contain sugar mixed in with the ground coffee. For the best deal, buy coffee beans in the grocery stores rather than souvenir shops or hotels. It is of the same quality and cheaper.
Costa Rica also produces its own coffee liqueur, the CafÈ Rica, and a crËme liqueur. These can be purchased in any liqueur store or grocery store.
If you like your dishes to achieve a distinct taste, to leave a tingling sensation in the mouth, Ti-pica Tropical Sauce, a line of spicy salsas made from mango, pineapple, passion fruit and tamarind is sure to perk up any dish. Salsa Lizano, a flavorful green sauce is a tasteful alternative for steak sauce. These sauces make great gifts.
The oxcart, Costa Rica’s national symbol, is a popular souvenir item. It is fashioned from wood and comes in a variety of colors and sizes. The town of Sarchi is the home of the colorfully painted Costa Rica’s oxcart. Large oxcarts can be disassembled for shipping purposes. Rocking chairs made from wood and leather are also popular souvenir items.
Costa Rican woodcarvings are also good buys. For the most, they are wooden bowls, napkin holders and elegant art pieces. The excellent hardwood creations of Barry Biensanz are sold at better gift shops and hotels around the country.
Reproductions of pre-Columbian gold jewelry either solid gold, silver or gold-plated are worth bringing home. Carved stone figurines although heavy will bring back memories of your forays in Costa Rica.
The small town of Guaitil, in Central Guanacaste, is well-known for its pottery. Low-fired simple ceramic potteries can be found in most gift shops.
If you plan to bring home locally produced alcohol and cigarettes, be reminded that duty free allowance for US citizens and most Europeans traveling to Costa Rica is three liters of wines or spirits and one half kilogram of processed tobacco for personal use.
Need something for a gift or a souvenir of your visit to Costa Rica? Head off to the local markets, gift shops or hotels (budget permitting) and you’re bound to find something great.