On the last morning of our Bahamas vacay, I was totally not ready to go. I could spend several weeks there no problemo.
But since we were leaving, I had one last stop to make:
The Port Lucaya Marketplace – straw booths.
I didn’t have long to look so I whizzed through the booths, which is pretty hard since most of the ladies manning the booths are such good salesmen and like to get really chatty.
Of course, chatty = deals and many were offering “first customer of the day” discounts.
My inner hippie wanted to collect an armload or two of gorgeous, colorful, gauzy dresses to bring home and wear all the time, but the adult in me managed to keep my goal at finding one dress to take home. Not to mention I wanted to spend only $20.
I was rushing a bit since we had a plane to catch, and I don’t like shopping when I’m rushing, but I think I found a pretty fab take-home:
Oddly enough, I ended up bringing home a size that is 2 or 3 sizes larger than what I normally wear…the sizes seemed to be pretty variable no matter the tag and the size I brought home was actually a better fit than the one that was smaller. Tags don’t mean anything, right? I’m gonna go with “size=healthy“. 🙂
I did a wee bit of shopping earlier on the trip and also found some fun stuff to take home:
Consumable stuff: bath salts, blackened spice (to re-create that amazing mahi mahi) and Caribbean coconut tea (because I’m not officially obsessed with all things coconut thanks to the Bahamas lol). I love souvenirs you can use or eat – they seem to cause a lot less clutter.
New, handmade in the Bahamas plateware!
A new oatmeal/cereal/yogurt bowl.
And how cute is this little starfish plate?
There were some really cool other home-goods items I wanted to get but we were trying to not spend more money and had no space left in our luggage: a basket, some salt and pepper shakers, a chess set. I have an idea that it would be really cool to have some Bahamian things to use at the dinner table (or house in general) when we’re entertaining.
I may have also picked up a couple things for Christmas…which I can’t blog since people might see it!
I definitely got some “thank you” gifts for my sis for taking such good care of Bailey while we were gone.
Tea in the Passion Fruit flavor since she’s a big tea fan, too… plus a new Grand Bahamas hat.
What souvenirs do you like to take home from vacations?
I’m all about the functional souvenirs – no silly statues, please…I’ll take the edible goodies or the tshirts!
oh my – what wonderful souvenirs you picked up!
What great stuff! I agree with stuff that can be used, though I have purchased handmade decorative items before. Starting the blog, I will definitely be looking for some handmade plateware from now on.
Love the print on that dress, especially because it’s not so bright.
love that dress! so pretty 🙂 i love taking home consumable things too. it’s fun to shop in a normal mall on vacation but i also love being able to get things that are unique to that locale. 🙂
You’re trip looks like so much fun! It makes me want to take a trip somewhere warm and tropical!
I’m a salesperson’s dream, I totally would have left having spent way more than $20.
BTW, was that a Cracker Barrel you ate at with your sister!! I haven’t been there in years, but I remember the decor. I love me some hashbrown casserole!
Yes! It was Cracker Barrel! Great for some down-home-eatin!
Since the Caribbean is my favorite place to vacation, I try to buy souvenirs for our home. I’ve had my share of tee shirts and caps I don’t wear, so functional things are the best plus they are daily reminders of many great vacations AND our home is decorated with a caribbean theme anyway!
How cool Marie!? 🙂
I love the bowls! So cute. Islands are the best places to pick up cheap and unique things. I have a really pretty necklace made of white stones sanded down until they’re rounded….it’s definitely a statement piece though!! I’m glad you had such a good time on your trip!
Your dress was an awesome find! So cute. A good seamstress can fix it right up. 🙂