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Shopping in Port of Spain

Good to know

Good to Know

  • Frederick Street is the classic downtown shopping strip — busy, pedestrian-heavy, and geared toward everyday clothing, shoes, and household goods rather than luxury; expect crowds and vendors, and keep bags/phones zipped up and visible in the throng.
  • Malls like Capital Plaza, Aboutique Mall, and the Independence Square cluster are practical for essentials, SIM cards, banking, and air-conditioned relief from midday heat, but aren't 'destination' malls in the international sense.
  • For a more upscale, mall-plaza style experience (better AC, food courts, international-style retail), Long Circular Mall (Maraval) and The Falls at West Mall (Westmoorings) are the two most commonly cited options, both a short drive from the city center in expat-heavy residential areas.
  • Multiple general safety advisories flag downtown Port of Spain as an area to be more cautious in after dark — shopping trips downtown are best done during daytime/business hours.
  • Mall and district names have some inconsistent spelling across local sources (e.g. 'Colsort Mall' vs 'Colaort Mall') — this reflects genuine naming inconsistency in local listings, not a research error.
  • There's no official Apple Store in Trinidad — iWorld (Apple Authorized Specialist Store, at C3 Centre / The Falls at Westmall) and F1 Connect (Apple Authorized Service Provider) are the local options for buying or repairing Apple gear, both a short drive from downtown Port of Spain rather than in the city center itself.
  • Amazon doesn't have a local storefront and blocks direct shipping on a lot of items (electronics especially) — most nomads use a US package-forwarding service ('skybox') that gives you a US address and ships onward to Trinidad.
  • Budget extra time and money for customs: imported parcels, especially anything electronic, are commonly held for inspection and import duty before release, so factor this into how far ahead you order replacement gear.

Authorized Resellers

  • iWorld
    Type
    Apple Authorized Specialist Store
    Locations
    C3 Centre and The Falls at Westmall (Westmoorings/Diego Martin area, a short drive west of downtown Port of Spain)
    Notes
    iWorld describes itself as the country's only authorized Apple reseller and specialist store.

Authorized Service Providers

  • F1 Connect
    Type
    Apple Authorised Service Provider
    Location
    Diego Martin area (per current business listings; older forum posts placed it in St James, Port of Spain — possible past relocation)
    Notes
    F1 Connect states it repairs iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and other Apple products locally, including in-warranty service, so nomads don't need to fly out to get devices fixed.

Online Shopping

Amazon

Local Site
None — there is no dedicated Amazon.tt storefront for Trinidad and Tobago.
Direct Shipping
Amazon ships some items directly, but many product listings (especially electronics) show as ineligible for direct delivery to Trinidad and Tobago, and a large share of third-party sellers don't ship internationally at all.
Customs Friction
Imports routinely get held for inspection and import duty assessment by local customs before release, which is the main reason electronics purchases are unpredictable.

Workarounds

Package Forwarding
The common workaround is a US-based package-forwarding / mail-forwarding service (locally often called a 'skybox') — you get a US shipping address, buy from Amazon/eBay/US retailers as normal, and the forwarder consolidates and ships the parcel on to Trinidad, with the final domestic leg handled by a local courier.
Typical Delivery Time
Estimates vary by source: some forwarders quote roughly 5–14 business days after the item leaves their US warehouse, while other guides cite a longer 14–20 day window including consolidation and customs clearance — treat any specific timeline as approximate.

Typical Providers Mentioned

  • MyUS
  • Global Shopaholics
  • Planet Express
  • ColisExpat

Reliability Notes

  • Direct international couriers (DHL, FedEx, UPS) are used for the international leg, with local courier companies handling last-mile delivery within Trinidad.
  • Card acceptance for Amazon.com purchases can occasionally be an issue for Trinidad-issued cards, which is another reason many locals default to skybox/forwarding services rather than ordering directly.

Shopping Malls

  • Capital Plaza
    Area
    Frederick Street, Downtown
    Description
    Capital Plaza is home to over 100 stores. One of the anchor malls on Frederick Street.
  • Aboutique Mall
    Area
    Downtown / Frederick Street area
    Description
    A downtown mall listed among both the core downtown shopping centres and the Frederick Street cluster of malls.
  • Golden Door Plaza
    Area
    Frederick Street, Downtown
    Description
    One of the malls clustered on Frederick Street alongside Aboutique Mall and Capital Plaza.
  • Colaort Mall (Also Seen Spelled Colsort Mall)
    Area
    Downtown
    Description
    Listed among the downtown shopping centres near Independence Square and among Frederick Street's mall cluster; spelling varies across sources.
  • New City Mall
    Area
    41 Independence Square, Downtown
    Description
    Formerly known as New City Mall, located at No. 41 Independence Square. Now operated under the Port-of-Spain Shopping Complex Limited.
  • Espermania Plaza
    Area
    Downtown
    Description
    One of the downtown shopping centres located near Independence Square in the historic core of the city.
  • Excellent City Centre
    Area
    Downtown
    Description
    A shopping centre in the downtown core, near Woodford Square and Independence Square.
  • Bradford City Mall
    Area
    Henry Street, Downtown
    Description
    One of at least three malls on Henry Street.
  • Time Plaza
    Area
    Henry Street, Downtown
    Description
    A mall on Henry Street.
  • Hadeed Center Mall
    Area
    Henry Street, Downtown
    Description
    A mall on Henry Street.
  • Town Centre Mall
    Area
    Downtown
    Description
    Located in the heart of the city of Port of Spain, offering a variety of shopping at competitive prices. It has an international food court with East Indian, Middle Eastern, Chinese, and local Creole options.
  • Eastside Plaza (POSSCL)
    Area
    32 Charlotte Street, Downtown
    Description
    Located at No. 32 Charlotte Street, Port-of-Spain, formerly known as Eastside Plaza. Part of a government urban-regeneration project supporting local micro-businesses.
  • Long Circular Mall
    Area
    Maraval
    Description
    Maraval is home to the exclusive Trinidad Country Club and right next door to the popular Long Circular Mall. Maraval is a well-established upscale/expat-frequented suburb just north of the city core.
  • The Falls at West Mall
    Area
    Westmoorings
    Description
    West of Diego Martin lies Westmoorings, known for its expensive Miami-style highrise apartments facing the seafront, and The Falls at West Mall — one of Trinidad's poshest shopping centres — lies at the centre of these developments. This is somewhat further from the historic downtown core but sits within a well-known expat/nomad-relevant residential belt.

Shopping Districts

  • Frederick Street
    Area
    Downtown Port of Spain
    Description
    Frederick Street is Port of Spain's best-known shopping street, running from Independence Square up toward the Queen's Park Savannah. Frederick Street became the heart of town after the devastating fire of 1895, when it was rebuilt, and today is the discount shopping center of Port of Spain, with most people walking rather than driving. It is Port of Spain's major avenue, connecting the two downtown squares with the uptown park, and very approximately divides downtown into retail (east) and office (west) districts. Popular stores and malls found here include Excellent Stores, Colsort Mall, Capital Plaza (home to over 100 stores), Shoeland on the corner of Prince Street, Keith Kahn's Books, and Tulip Productions for carnival supplies. Frederick Street is also home to at least three malls: the Aboutique Mall, the Golden Door Plaza, and the Capital Plaza.
  • Henry Street
    Area
    Downtown Port of Spain
    Description
    One block east of Frederick Street, lower Henry Street is the location of a number of shops selling cloth, mostly owned by members of Trinidad's Syrian-Lebanese community. Henry Street also has at least three malls: the Bradford City Mall, Time Plaza, and the Hadeed Center Mall. Together, Frederick Street and Henry Street could keep shoppers busy for hours.
  • Independence Square / Downtown Core
    Area
    Downtown Port of Spain
    Description
    The historic downtown core around Independence Square and Woodford Square mixes government buildings, financial institutions, and several malls. This area is home to the Trinidad and Tobago Stock Exchange, Port of Spain City Hall, The Red House, and several shopping centres including Colaort Mall, New City Mall, Espermania Plaza, Aboutique Mall, and Excellent City Centre.
  • Charlotte Street
    Area
    East Port of Spain / Downtown
    Description
    The Port-of-Spain Shopping Complex Limited, incorporated in 2020, comprises three malls: one at 32 Charlotte Street (formerly Eastside Plaza), one at 41 Independence Square (formerly New City Mall), and a third at 43 Independence Square that is earmarked for construction. The primary objective of this complex is to create more comfortable, secure commercial space for viable micro-entrepreneurial businesses among residents of East Port-of-Spain.
  • Ariapita Avenue
    Area
    Woodbrook
    Description
    Ariapita Avenue is known for its picturesque boutiques and art galleries, particularly its trendy fashion and local artwork. It's best known as a nightlife/dining strip but doubles as a small retail/boutique district.

Official Apple Store

None — Trinidad & Tobago has no company-owned Apple Store; Apple channels shoppers to local authorized resellers instead.

AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026

This section has no cited sources.

More About Port of Spain

Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.